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SigTheatre.org | 571 527 1828 From left to right: Jyline Carranza, David Merino and Josh A. Dawson, Ali Ewoldt. All photos by Christopher Mueller.
WELCOME TO SIGNATURE Welcome to Signature Theatre and our first world premiere since March 2020. The Upstairs Department is Signature’s 60th world premiere in our 32 seasons and we are thrilled that Chelsea Marcantel’s thoughtful, poignant and funny show, which Signature commissioned, marks this significant moment. We are also happy to welcome back Holly Twyford as director after her fantastic sold-out Signature directorial debut with Caryl Churchill’s Escaped Alone. World premieres have been an essential part of Signature’s mission since our founding. Our first world premiere was Paulette Laufer’s Eagle River in 1992 and since then we have produced plays and musicals about a variety of subjects, from musical adaptations of films and novels (Giant, Beaches, Diner) to the end of the world (Soon) to two incredible Black women who became outlaws in the wild west (Gun & Powder). We are so happy to continue this commitment by welcoming Anika Chapin to the Signature team as Director of Artistic Development. Anika is a dramaturg who specializes in musical theater and comes to us from Goodspeed Musicals where she helped develop new works. Anika’s guidance and vision will be essential as we make plans for the future of new works at Signature Theatre. As a part of our commitment to the development of world premiere projects, Signature created the SigWorks program. Under the SigWorks umbrella are a multitude of projects to nurture writers and composers. The Upstairs Department is being presented as a part of Signature’s SigWorks: The Heidi Thomas Writers’ Initiative, which is our partnership with the Jenna and Paul Segal Foundation that supports world premieres by female playwrights with female directors. We are very grateful to Jenna in particular for championing femaleidentifying artists and their important contributions to the theater. Another SigWorks initiative is the SigWorks: Monday Night Play Reading Series. This special program highlights writers from the DMV area and provides them support with their development process through a day long workshop and free reading with an audience in the evening. This season, we presented three new play readings by a diverse group of writers. Three plays discovered during our SigWorks: Monday Night Play Reading Series have gone on to fully staged productions on the Signature stage, so by joining us for these readings you may be getting a first glimpse of a future mainstage play! All of these incredible new work initiatives would not be possible without Dan and Gloria Logan. Their dedication and support for Signature’s new work are unparallelled. Now it is time to open the gates of Lily Dale and summon some unexpected discoveries with The Upstairs Department. Enjoy the show.
Maggie Boland
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Matthew Gardiner
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Cover photo of Matthew Sparacino by Christopher Mueller
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE • After the show share your review using #SigUpstairs • Check out behind the scenes stories and learn more about the artistic process on our website blog at SigTheatre.org and social media channels @sigtheatre on
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The Town Where No
One Dies
Lily Dale was founded in 1879 as a retreat for Spiritualists and is now the largest center for the practice of Spiritualist religion. Located in southwestern New York, it has hosted summer retreats for almost 150 years that feature workshops, healing services, and seminars for both mediums and laypeople alike. Many of these promise healing or a connection with a deceased loved one. What has called so many people to walk through its gates? While a belief in other worlds goes back to prehistoric times, the religion of Spiritualism traces back only to the Victorians, especially in the United States. At that time, it was considered respectable, even among scientists. Nobel Prize winners Marie and Pierre Curie dabbled in Spiritualism as did Sherlock Holmes’s author Arthur Conan Doyle. Grief was the primary driving force of these beliefs—childhood mortality hovered at 20 – 40% before the age of five and the country had just lost around 750,000 soldiers in the Civil War. There was solace found in the promise of a life beyond, and burgeoning technology such as photography or the telegram suggested a new realm of possibilities. Spiritualism offered many rewards and became a way for a marginalized female population to earn a living. Throughout the early days of Spiritualism, the physical proof of spirits was required. Mediums would lift tables, or have a substance called ectoplasm emerge from their bodies, or make objects fly around in the air. Research by skeptics proved that these were fraudulent and psychics often employed the techniques of stage magicians to achieve these feats. Harry Houdini went on an elaborate crusade throughout Lily Dale exposing the mediums and it severely damaged the Spiritualists’ reputation, causing the decline of the practice. However, the devastation from the 1918 pandemic and WWII led to a minor resurgence. Nowadays, well aware of the skeptic community and the past scandals, mediums only use mental telepathy to deliver their messages. Readings often take place in well-lit, homey parlors of the mediums’ homes or outside in the open and there are no theatrics. To become a medium at Lily Dale, one must pass a series of rigorous tests and only the registered mediums approved by the Board of Directors may conduct readings. In essence, the religion of Spiritualism can be distilled down to the belief that no one dies; their spirit just leaves their body. And because no one really dies, there is no hell or damnation, and there are ways that the departed’s spirits can interact with the living. An interaction could be the loved one’s favorite windchimes blowing on a windless day or the sound of footsteps from an empty room. However, often a spirit will communicate through a medium, someone who has harnessed the power to contact the spirit directly, and who will pass the message along. Mediums do so in a variety of ways, as individual as the medium themselves, by recognizing a force called energy through sight, sound, or feeling. Mediums are not tarot card readers, nor will they predict the future. A prevailing thought of Spiritualism is the idea of free will—mediums cannot predict the future because that is up to the individual. They are merely the receptor of the message, the telephone between the two worlds.
The messages that come through are always about love, happiness, or guidance. They are children telling bereft parents that it wasn’t their fault and they are at peace, spouses telling partners they love them and it is okay to move on, or parents apologizing to their children for actions before they passed. These thoughts provide comfort through deepest despair, they allow guilt to be released, and grief to be processed. Many people who visit Lily Dale report feeling lighter once they have left, like they have been transformed through their connection. And whether a person believes it’s real or not, they no longer feel alone. Lily Dale’s current year-round population is only around 275 – mostly mediums and their families who must be approved by the Board of Directors before they can purchase property—yet it accepts approximately 25,000 visitors a year. From its founding as a summer camp meeting ground for Spiritualists, Lily Dale now has its own post office, museum, and volunteer fire department. The most sacred space, created in 1898, is Inspiration Stump. Located in a serene forest clearing, it is where mediums host free public message services, along with opening and closing prayers. To just wander throughout the town feels like a step back in time, a charming and picturesque hamlet full of Victorian cottages next to a lake and surrounded by an old growth forest. It feels almost like a fairytale or something out of legend. Most recently, this past March, Lily Dale was awarded a distinction on the National Register of Historic Places. Lily Dale has been closed to the public for the past two years but has continued to provide resources over Zoom and telephone. After such worldwide grief and loss, what will happen when they reopen to the public in 2022? As we navigate this unprecedented time, Lily Dale provides a place of healing and hope with the idea that our departed loved ones are safe and still with us. Whether it’s hokum or true, this summer, Lily Dale will be there with its gates open to whomever feels the need to make the journey.
Photos: Top left, Lily Dale entrance sign by Jimmy Emerson, DMV; top right, the Lily Dale museum; bottom right, Inspiration Stump.
SPONSORED BY THE JENNA AND PAUL SEGAL FOUNDATION NEW WORK AT SIGNATURE THEATRE IS SPONSORED BY DAN & GLORIA LOGAN ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY RICK KASTEN THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY AN AWARD FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
SigWorks: The Heidi Thomas Writers’ Initiative, a partnership with the Jenna and Paul Segal Foundation, is a multi-year commitment to present world premieres by female playwrights with female directors
Maggie Boland Managing Director
Matthew Gardiner Artistic Director
PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE
The Upstairs Department BY CHELSEA MARCANTEL WITH ANNIE GROVE* JOY JONES* ZACH LIVINGSTON* ANISSA PAREKH ANNA SHAFER TAYLOR WITT
SCENIC DESIGN PAIGE HATHAWAY
COSTUME DESIGN IVANIA STACK
CASTING KELLY CRANDALL D’AMBOISE & JORGE ACEVEDO
LIGHTING DESIGN ANNIE WIEGAND
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER JOEY BLAKELY*
SOUND DESIGN KENNY NEAL
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR CLANCEY YOVANOVICH
ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ETHAN HEARD
DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT ANIKA CHAPIN
PRODUCTION MANAGER JIM GROSS
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION DAVID ZOBELL
DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT AND PLANNING CHRISTINE STANLEY
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING JENNIFER BUZZELL
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION VALERIE BUNNS
IT CONSULTANT ROBERT COHN
DIRECTED BY HOLLY TWYFORD Signature Theatre commissioned this play in March 2020 and developed it through its SigWorks new play development program
The video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever is strictly prohibited. Please turn off all cell phones. *Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
CHARACTERS in order of appearance
Shiloh Luke Colleen
Joy Jones* Zach Livingston* Annie Grove*
VOICEOVERS Priest Bob McDonald Aunt Jane Petkofsky UNDERSTUDIES Shiloh: Anissa Parekh, Luke: Taylor Witt, Colleen: Anna Shafer *Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
The Upstairs Department runs approximately one hour and 30 minutes with no intermission.
CAST Annie Grove she/they (Colleen) REGIONAL: Falcon Theatre: Dial M For Murder. EDUCATIONAL: Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music: Ah, Wilderness, Romeo and Juliet. TV/FILM: GOAT, Funhouse Massacre. MUSIC VIDEO: Finneas: Shelter (Dancer), I Lost a Friend (Dancer); Angel Olsen: Untitled (Dancer); Sam Fischer: People Like Me (Dancer); Tori Wolf: Hangman (Choreographer); Enny Owl: Sandbox (Choreographer). EDUCATION: BFA Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. www. anniegrove.com @anniengrove Joy Jones she/her (Shiloh) INTERNATIONAL: UK: Tantalus. NEW YORK: Rattlestick Theater: The Conjugality Test; The Public Theater: Reason for Leaving (workshop); Playwrights Horizons: Nreti (workshop). DC AREA (SELECTED): Arena Stage: Seven Guitars, Jubilee, Raisin in the Sun, Mary T & Lizzy K; Studio Theatre: The Hard Problem, Cloud 9, Belleville, Invisible Man. REGIONAL (SELECTED): The Denver Center: Ruined, Tantalus; TheatreSquared: The Champion (World Premiere); Virginia Stage: Disgraced. TV/FILM: CBS: Blue Bloods; Hulu: Monsterland; Apple+ TV: Little America; DC Noir, The Confidential Informant. WRITING: Dream Flight (Screenplay, Finalist for NY International Women Festival). AWARDS: Helen Hayes Award for Best Ensemble (Invisible Man). EDUCATION: UNC-Chapel Hill: MFA Acting. UPCOMING: TV: We Own This City. FILM: Mailman. Thejoyjones.com @joyjonesig
CAST Zach Livingston he/him (Luke) CHICAGO: BoHo Theatre: Cyrano; Oak Park Festival Theatre: The Fair Maid of the West; Lifeline Theatre: Midnight Cowboy, The Killer Angels; First Folio Theatre: Romeo and Juliet. TV/ FILM: CHARGER, A Place to Be (En Algun Lugar). INTERNATIONAL/ ONLINE: The Show Must Go Online, Edward II. EDUCATION: James Madison University: B.A. Theatre. Zachlivingston.com IG: @lefthookz TW: @Zach_Livingston Anissa Parekh she/her (Shiloh Understudy) DC AREA: Theater J: The Admission (staged reading), Denial (staged reading); Capital Fringe Festival: Thanksgiving at Macbeth’s, Things I Wrote Before My First Kiss; Port City Playhouse: Medea (Medea), Doubt (Mrs. Muller), War of the Worlds; Blind Pig Arts Collective: Frag. DC Black Theatre Festival: In the Balance of Recklessness; DC One-Minute Play Festival. TV/FILM: Netflix: House of Cards. EDUCATION: Williams College; Cornell Law School; Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory; Theatre Lab Honors Conservatory. Anna Shafer she/they (Colleen Understudy) DC AREA: Olney Theatre Center’s National Players Tour 71: As You Like It, Walk Two Moons, The Diary of Anne Frank; Theater Alliance: A Chorus Within Her; Theater Alliance/IN Series: Poetry for the People: The June Jordan Experience; Three Muses Theatre Company: God Is Dead and April’s Getting Married.
ANNA J. SHAFER
Taylor Witt he/him (Luke Understudy) REGIONAL: Virginia Repertory Theatre: Tuck Everlasting. DC AREA: NextStop Theatre: First Date; Studio Theatre: Admissions (u/s); Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Newsies (Helen Hayes Nomination, Supporting Actor), The Hunchback of Notre Dame; Riverside Center for the Performing Arts: Grease; The Kennedy Center: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (u/s, 1st Nat. Tour); Adventure Theatre MTC: Make Way for Ducklings. TV: Investigation Discovery: House of Horrors. UPCOMING: The Keegan Theatre: Shakespeare in Love. EDUCATION: BM George Mason University. @witt_taylor
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CREATIVE TEAM Chelsea Marcantel she/her (Playwright) is an LA-based writer, director, and collaborator. Reared by Cajuns in southwest Louisiana, Chelsea has lived and made theatre among the peoples of the Midwest, Appalachia, the Mid-Atlantic, and the West Coast. In 2016, she completed a Playwrights Fellowship at The Juilliard School. Her plays, which have been produced across the US and internationally, include Airness (2018 M. Elizabeth Osborn New Play Award), Everything is Wonderful, Tiny Houses (2018 Roe Green Award), Ladyish, Devour, and the online theatrical experience Citizen Detective (2020 NY Times Critic’s Pick). Chelsea’s current theatrical projects include play commissions from The Geffen Playhouse and Cleveland Play House, as well as several musical theatre projects, including The Monster, commissioned by Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, for which she won a 2021 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theatre. She also has several animated and live-action film and television projects in development. Learn more at ChelseaMarcantel.com. Holly Twyford she/her (Director) DIRECTION: SIGNATURE: Escaped Alone; Theater J: Becoming Dr. Ruth; Adventure Theatre: A Lump of Coal; Studio Theatre: Edgar and Annabel, Mary Kate Olsen is in Love; Factory 449: The Amish Project (Helen Hayes Nomination); No Rules Theatre Company: Stop Kiss. SIGNATURE ACTING CREDITS: Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, A Little Night Music, The Little Dog Laughed (Helen Hayes Award), Fox on the Fairway, Twentieth Century. AWARDS: Emery Battis Award for Excellence in Acting; LuntFontaine Fellow; Five-time Helen Hayes Award Winner. AFFILIATIONS: Member of Studio Cabinet; Ford’s Theatre Associate Artist. Paige Hathaway she/her (Scenic Design) SIGNATURE: RENT, Ain’t Misbehavin’,
Escaped Alone, John, The Gulf. DC AREA: Arena Stage: The Right to be Forgotten; Woolly Mammoth: Familiar; Olney Theater Center: South Pacific, Thurgood, Godspell; Theater J: Nathan the Wise, Talley’s Folly, Trayf, Becoming Dr. Ruth, Everything is Illuminated; Everyman: An Almost Holy Picture, Queens Girl Rep; Round House Theatre: School Girls..., Curious Incident..., The Book of Will; Kennedy Center: Me… Jane; Folger Theatre: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. REGIONAL: The Muny: The Sound of Music, Matilda, Cinderella, A Chorus Line; Asolo Rep: Sweat; Arden Theatre Company: A Streetcar Named Desire, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. UPCOMING: Cleveland Play House: The Three Musketeers; Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival: Much Ado About Nothing; The Muny: Mary Poppins. EDUCATION: BFA in Scenic Design from the University of Oklahoma, MFA in Scenic Design from the University of Maryland. USA 829. @paigehathawaydesign www. paigehathawaydesign.com Ivania Stack (Costume Design) DC AREA: Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (Company Member): Women Laughing Alone with Salad, Zombie: The American, Detroit, Bright New Boise, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, Full Circle, Boom; Studio Theatre: Water by the Spoonful, Mother F***ker With the Hat, Time Stands Still, Adding Machine: A Musical; Olney Theatre Center (Associate Artist): Bad Dog, Colossal, Godspell, Rancho Mirage, Joseph, Farragut North; Round House Theatre: Uncle Vanya, Seminar, This, Young Robin Hood, Glengarry Glen Ross; Theater J: Queens Girl, Freud’s Last Session, Whipping Man, Our Class, After the Fall, Photograph 51, The Four of Us, The Odd Couple, In Darfur; Gala Hispanic Theatre: House of the Spirits, Ana en el Tropico, True History of Coca Cola, Lucido. REGIONAL: Center Stage: Stones in His Pockets; Everyman Theatre: Under the Skin, Grounded, Tribes,
CREATIVE TEAM God of Carnage, Heroes, Fifty Words; Contemporary American Theatre Festival: Breadcrumbs, Lidless. Annie Wiegand she/her (Lighting Design) OFF-BROADWAY: Playwrights Horizons: I Was Most Alive With You. REGIONAL: Milwaukee Repertory Theatre: Eclipsed; Alabama Shakespeare Festival: Steel Magnolias and Under the Breeches; Dallas Theater Center: Steel Magnolias; Huntington Theatre Company: The Who and The What; Kitchen Theatre Company: The Children, Matt and Ben, Brahman/I; and Small Mouth Sounds, Speakeasy Stage Company: The Bridges of Madison County (IRNE Nominee for Best Lighting Design), and Tribes. OFF-OFF-BROADWAY: Select: Astoria Performing Arts Center: Follies (NYIT Nominee for Best Lighting Design). TEACHING: Assistant Professor, Theatre and Dance, Gallaudet University. Annie Wiegand is the first and only professional Deaf lighting designer in the US theater industry. www.anniewiegand.com @anniewiggy Kenny Neal he/him (Sound Design) SIGNATURE: Daphne’s Dive, Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes, Heisenberg, John, The Gulf, Signature in the Schools. DC AREA: The Kennedy Center: She a Gem, Digging Up Dessa; Olney Theatre Center: Dance Nation, The Royale, Oil; Mosaic: Private; 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.
Joey Blakely he/him (Stage Manager) SIGNATURE: RENT, Escaped Alone, Gun & Powder, Assassins, Blackbeard, Billy Elliot, Passion, The Scottsboro Boys, Light Years, A Little Night Music, Jesus Christ Superstar, Titanic, The Fix. DC AREA: Kennedy Center: 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert. Olney Theatre Center: A.D. 16. Theater J: The Jewish Queen Lear, The How and the Why, The Last Schwartz, Body of an American, Sons of the Prophet. Clancey Yovanovich she/any/all (Assistant Director) SIGNATURE: She Loves Me (Assistant Director), RENT (Assistant Director), Escaped Alone (Assistant Director). DC AREA: Assistant Director: Folger Theatre: The Merry Wives of Windsor; Ford’s Theatre: Born Yesterday; Theater J: Talley’s Folly; Keegan Theatre: As You Like It - The Musical. Director: Keegan Theatre: Hard Times 2 ft. Chani Wereley; Capital Fringe: Conversations; The Computer That Loved; Post Shift Theatre: Ruth and Ada at The Savoy; WOMXN On Fire Festival: Hard Times ft. Chani Wereley.
LEADERSHIP
Maggie Boland (Managing Director) has led tremendous organizational growth since joining Signature in 2008, more than doubling Signature’s annual revenue, increasing the annual audience by 50,000 patrons and expanding the full-time staff by 76%. Under her leadership, Signature generates more than $15 million in annual economic activity and employs more than 400 individuals each year, making it one of Arlington’s most important small businesses and Virginia’s largest non-profit professional theater. Prior to joining Signature, Boland spent 10 years at Arena Stage in increasingly senior positions, beginning as the Marketing Director and later assuming oversight of the Annual Fund and $125 million Next Stage Campaign as the Director of External Affairs. Her experience also includes six years in fundraising with Roundabout Theatre Company. Boland was a 2016 recipient of the Washington Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business award. She is a member of the Board of Directors of TheatreWashington and serves as Vice President of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT). Matthew Gardiner (Artistic Director) has directed and/or choreographed more than 25 productions at Signature Theatre, including She Loves Me, RENT, A Chorus Line, West Side Story, La Cage aux Folles, Jelly’s Last Jam, and The Threepenny Opera, as well as several world premieres including Really Really, Soon, and Midwestern Gothic. With Signature’s special commitment to producing the work of Stephen Sondheim, Matthew has directed and/or choreographed many Sondheim musicals including Passion, Sunday in the Park with George, Company, Sweeney Todd and the world premiere of Simply Sondheim. As Signature’s Associate Artistic Director for over a decade, Matthew helped to build several groundbreaking seasons, cultivated relationships with prominent and emerging artists, and oversaw several of Signature’s new work development initiatives, including the American Musical Voices Project, SigWorks: Monday Night Play Reading Series (highlighting the work of DC area playwrights) and the Signature/Yale Composer Partnership, which seeks to give opportunity to early career composers. Outside of Signature, Matthew has directed and/or choreographed at the Washington, DC theaters Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Round House Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Studio Theatre. Matthew has also worked abroad, choreographing Titanic and directing and choreographing Doctor Zhivago for OD Musical Company in Seoul, Korea. Matthew is the recipient of three Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Director of a Musical and has been honored with more than a dozen nominations.
The Upstairs Department Production Staff Production Assistant Allison Poms Assistant Lighting Design Doug Del Pizzo ASL Intrepreters Kevin Dyels, Cara Schwartz, Amanda Welly Scenic Charge Artist Kyla Duff Run Crew Luci Harris Props Vanessa Spring-Frank Wardrobe Kelley Rowan Electricians Angela Armstrong, Susannah Cai, Jeff Campbell, JJ Hersh, Christion Jones, Kristop Rosario, Danielle Shaw Audio Engineer Daniel Cioffi Special Thanks to Marie-Claire Wilson, Bill Shelton & Capital Tree Care
Signature Theatre is a member of the League of Resident Theatres. The scenic, costume, lighting and sound designers of Signature Theatre are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE. This Theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
Signature’s 2021/22 season is partially supported by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts
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Signature Staff ARTISTIC & PRODUCTION
ADMINISTRATIVE
Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner Associate Artistic Director Ethan Heard Director of Artistic Development Anika Chapin Casting Director/Manager of Artistic Programs Jorge Acevedo Resident Intimacy Consultant Chelsea Pace Director of Signature Cabarets Mark G. Meadows Production Manager Jim Gross Assistant Production Manager Kimberly J. Scott Company Manager Laura Matey Resident Stage Manager Kerry Epstein Assistant Technical Director Tim Jarmon Master Carpenter Holly Milch Staff Carpenters Michael Cherry, Jack Coughlin, Kyla Duff Deck Chief Tess Wagner Scenic Charge Artist Leila Spolter 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 Electricians Jonathan Maag, Tim Strickland Properties Master Kasey Hendricks Associate Properties Master Pamela Weiner Props Runner Kaitlyn De Litta Resident Sound Designer Ryan Hickey Lead Sound Engineer Kendric Maxey Deck Sound Engineer Connor Sherrill
Managing Director Maggie Boland Executive Assistant Angelica Miguel 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 Manager Colleen Bankert Director of Marketing Jennifer Buzzell Deputy Director of Marketing, Publications Director Katherine Tucker Deputy Director of Marketing, Director of Creative Content James Gardiner Deputy Director of Marketing, Digital Media Sara Hoffman Social Media Manager Emily Adler Marketing Manager: Grassroots, Group Sales and Digital Content Natalie Ridgley Marketing Associate Zachary Flick Information Technology Consultant Robert Cohn IT Systems Support Assistant Jack Williams Director of Finance and Administration Valerie Bunns Finance Manager Corinne Kibler Human Resources Manager Christine Stroup Education Director David Zobell Education Program Manager Matthew Taylor Strote Assistant Box Office Manager Kirstin Calvert Box Office Associates Richard Allen, Autumne-Jae, Luci Harris, Fletcher Lowe, Marissa McDonnell, Lilly Moki, Lizzie Nigro, John Porter, Julia Souza Front of House Operations Manager Jon White Senior House Manager Rafael Bueno House Managers Megan Bunn, Tara Clinton, Chris Courtney Mackenzie Girard, Julie Neuber, John Porter, Kaihla Powell, Geoffrey Rhone Food and Beverage Manager Micaela Lell Chef Lilian Gomez Maintenance Associate Craig Townsend Facilities Maintenance José Benitez, Maria Benitez Advertising Services Allied Global Marketing
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 Founding Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer
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 Sydney M. Avent, J. Max Barger, Jeff Bell, John Benton, Maggie Boland, Jean Cantrell, Sue Cunningham, Ashley Davis, Michael DeSantis, James W. Dyer, Bradley S. Frey, D.D.S., Deborah Gandy, Matthew Gardiner, Robert T. Grimm, Jr., Frank Guzzetta, Brian Huseman, Don Irwin, 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 The Paul Wojcik Emeritus Board Members David W. Briggs, Mary G. Cadagin, Enrico Cecchi, Patricia Alper Cohn, Michael Danzansky, Marybeth Fraser, Thomas Gage, Mary Ann Gilleece, 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
THANK YOU Thank you for your generosity, which enabled us to create innovative work throughout the closure. Your dedication helps bring our community together for shared experiences again.
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$10,000 TO $24,999
Anonymous (3) Sydney M. Avent Theodore H. Barth Foundation J. Max Barger and Gary L. Phillips Jean Cantrell Chevy Chase Trust Clark-Winchcole Foundation Bruce A. Cohen The Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts Sue Cunningham and Howard Moore Jim Davidson and Cheryl Williams Ashley Davis Michael DeSantis and Patrick Baugh Chip DiPaula Dorothy Dickman Trust Dominion Energy The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc. Margia and Jim Dyer Sharon Eddy, State Farm Agent Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts R. Michael Gadbaw and Sally Chandler Susan and Thomas Gage The Geary-O’Hara Family Foundation GEICO Mary Ann Gilleece Lois C. Greisman Barron Hall Dana A. Hearn & Kevin J. McCloskey Don and Angela Irwin Rick Kasten Jody Katz and Jeffrey Gibbs Lisa Kountoupes and Jack Sava
Mark T. Lewellyn Limelight Insights by Shugoll 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 National Endowment for the Arts David Ochsman In Memory of Janice Olmstead* Patricia Payne and Nancy Firestone Beth Pile Charles Porvaznik and Thomas Paese James Pridgen and Arthur Warren H. Mac and Michele-Anne Riley Debra and Dave Rose Doug and Kathie Ross Russ Schriefer and Nina Easton David S. Shrager Foundation Carl Spatz and Thomas Hesselbrock Peter and Ann Tanous Jeffrey Thurston and Charlie Berardesco Sarah Valente Venable Foundation Washington Forrest Foundation Maya Weil In memory of Brenda Wesner* Ellen and Bernard Young Nicole Young *In memoriam
THANK YOU $5,000 TO $9,999
Anonymous (2) Greg Albright and Wes Combs Alan and Barbara Anderson Jeff Bell Grace and Morton Bender John Bledsoe Maggie Boland and John Hance Penny Bonda Susan L. and Dixon M. Butler Dennis Deloria and Suzanne Thouvenelle Thomas B. DePriest Diane Dubois and Elizabeth Rutherford Dimick Foundation Brian Feit in memory of Phil Melemed Jay and Susan Finkelstein Veronika J. Folz Dave Fowler and Todd Metzler Dianne Geiger Susan and Tim Gibson Benjamin A. Gitterman Alan* and Hedda Gnaizda Paul R. Gordon and John H. Price* Graham Holdings
Robert and Laura Grimm Lucia and Woolf Gross Nancy E. Gwinn and John Y. Cole Laurie Hand and Jonathan Gowdy John Haskell and John Sotelo Meg and John Hauge Sue Henry and Carter Phillips Hilton Garden Inn Arlington/ Shirlington Brian Huseman Andrew A. Isen Juel Janis Jim Johnson and Matt Shepard Herschel Kanter Andi Kasarsky Richard M. Kellogg Barry Kropf Missy Kurek Myron Lehtman Leon Fund at Richmond Community Foundation (Irene and Alan Wurtzel) Joan Lynn/Galen Miller Fund John and Mary Lee Malcolm Mars Foundation The Mather
Nancy and Stephen McGuire Ray and Nancy McKinley Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett Jeffrey Menick Dennis Milliron Larry L. Mitchell National Constitution Center Sylvia and Lloyd* Oliver Ottilie Fund Lola C. Reinsch Steven M. Rosenberg and Stewart C. Low III Sheldon Seidel Sally Seiler and Patrick Pellerin Linda Smith Somenek+Pittman MD Advanced Plastic Surgery Robert and Amy Stone Tom and Carol Wheeler Jeffery Wilcox Jeffrey and Kathleen Wright Deborah and David Yaffe Joseph and Linda Young Judy and Leo Zickler
and Bruce C. Marshall Don Hesse and Jerrilyn Andrews Doug Holtz-Eakin and Beth Robinson RC Howes Henry D. Kahn and Laura Primakoff Daniel Kaplan and Kay Richman Peter Kimmel and Stephanie Jackson Elise and Michael Kirby Renee Klish Judith Knee Leslie S. Kogod, Lauren S. Kogod, and Stuart A. Kogod Steven B. Kruse Rob Liberatore and Debra Kraft David and Diane Litman Julianna Mahley Tina M. Martin and Mita M. Schaffer Emmy McArver Hilary B. Miller and Dr. Katherine N. Bent Adele Mouzon and Mark Perry James A. Mulligan Beth Newburger Betty Ann Ottinger John Robert Porter Michael and Jane Powell Ari and Kelley Redbord Janis Reed
Lynda J. Robb George Andrew Rose Michele K. Ross Roberta Roumel Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins The Savada-Stevenson Family David A. Sayles Antonia Browning Smiley Carl W. Smith and Michael L. Burke Martha and Horace Sneed Patti and Jerry Sowalsky Mark and Lynn Spates John Sporing Jr. Pamela K. Stapleton Timothy and Jennifer Tomlinson TTR Sotheby’s; Ken Trotter, J.D., Realtor Richard Underwood Kathleen and Victor Utgoff VentureVest Foundation Fund (Kenneth B. Ullman) Weissberg Foundation Annette and Colin Young
$3,000 TO $4,999 Anonymous (3) Dr. Stewart Aledort and Dr. Sheila Rogovin* John Andelin and Virginia Geoffrey Elfreda Baptist The John Bickford Foundation Robert and Mary Jane Bolle Bonnie and Jere Broh-Kahn Blain and Peg Butner Tim Carlton The Charles Delmar Foundation Ian DeWaal and Caroline Smith DeWaal Barbara and Kevin Donnellan Robert J. Eatinger, Jr., SpyLaw Consulting LLC Marietta Ethier Glen Fernald and Charles Rhode Donald and Cathy Fogel Marybeth and Zack Fraser Matthew Gardiner Jillian Clark Gibson Hacken Charitable Fund Alan and Bonnie Hammerschlag Carolyn and Jim Harris Robert E. Hebda Kaye Ann Hellmich Adam R. Henderson
Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy. If an error has been made, please accept our apologies and contact 571 527 1828 or development@sigtheatre.org.
THANK YOU $1,200 TO $2,999
Anonymous (8) Catherine Abrahams David Abrams Nathan, Debbie, and Isaac Ainspan in memory of Martin, Phyllis, and Sara Ainspan George and Wati Alvarez-Correa Patricia Alper Cohn and David I. Cohn James Amaral Tony Anderson and Kevin Lorei Susan Angell Brenda K. Ashworth and Donald Welch Victoria Avera and John Dick Michael Bagwell and Clark Chesser Andy Bailey Jean and Richard Barton Douglas Bates Scott Douglas Bellard Grace and Morton Bender Karen Berg Deane Bergsrud and Kenneth Hausman Darwin B. Bingham Dorli Bokel Robert and Mary Jane Bolle Janet Boyd Helen Brand Arlene Brown and Gene Bialek Linda Brooks Marcus Brown Jeanne M. Broyhill and Joe Ventrone Candice C. Bryant Patricia Bryant Beth B. Buehlmann Harold and Louise Burghart Mary G. Cadagin and Lee Wilson David Cade Fred Cantor Carol Caparosa Paul and Kathleen Casey George Christensen and Steven Kotrch Heidi Christensen & Gene Kendall Diane Clark and Peter Garcia Bill and Sara Coleman Janice King Crawford John and Valerie Cuddy Dianne and William Cummings Isabelle and John Cummings The Dailey Family James and Dorothy Dake L. William Derrow Mary DeOreo and Marc Lackritz Andrew and Mary DePristo Debra N. Diener in memory of Naomi and Sol Diener William Dietrich Patricia Dinndorf Eric N. Dobson Grant Doe Sheila G. Dryden Paul E. Dwyer Gaetana Ebbole Bill and Joan Eisner Leon and Miriam Ellsworth Betsy and Kenyon Erickson Carissa Fargoughi Robert W. Fish Dr. Larry and Nancy Fishel Denise Flanagan Raymond Foote and Isamu Danura Wes and Betty Foster Cary C. Fuller Virginia C. Gano
Aaron Gibson Robert L. Giron and Ken Schellenberg William Giroux and Robert Lorenson Joseph Godles and Nancy Liebermann Ellen Goldstein Jinny and Michael Goldstein John Griffiths and Stacey McGraw Milton Grossman Dean J. Haas Scott Hahn Frona Hall Mary Margaret Hammond Hon. Jane Harman Erin Harms and Marc Olano Fran Hart* Bert Helfinstein and Margaret Rodenberg Robin Hettleman and Matthew Weinberg James and Marilyn Horwood Glen and Lauren Howard Vicki Howard Geraldine W. Inge Kenneth Johnston Alice and David Joseph Bob and Jean* Kapp Jodie Kelley and Scott Sinder M. Eileen Kenna Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Kerwin Peter Kester Robert L. Kimmins Gary and Vicki Kirkbride Caroline Klemp William and Bette Kramer Sandy and Dick* Laeser Steve and Maureen Landry Chad Lash and Caryn Wagner John LeBlanc and Haywood Torrence Jr. Kerry E.M. Liesveld Nancy Limprecht and Rick Haines John Henry Loomis Wes MacAdam Patricia Macgowan Tom Mannion and Douglas Mearns Ann and Edward Matey Jr Pete and Karen Mattheis Martha Matthews and Arthur Reiger Russell Matthias and Dwight Horkheimer Madeleine McAlister Betsy McCluskey Robert McDonald and David Insinga McCain McMurray and Cameron Griffith Robert F. Miailovich Phillip Lee Milstead George* and Nancy Miron Grant Mitchell and Sheila Manes Susan Montanari Hazel C. Moore Thomas and Barbara Moore Melanie and Rene Moreno Kent and Dale Morrison Marilyn L. Muench James A. Mulligan Michael Natrella Dr. and Mrs. Stephan P. Nelson William and Louisa Newlin Ms. Dane Nichols Randy and Suzanne Nuckolls Melanie and Larry Nussdorf Judith and Mary O’Brien Curtis Oja Oliver Ocean Stan Peabody Frank G. and Stephanie W. Persico
Gary Phillips John B. Pitchford and Lenny Stumpf Robert and Elaine Porter Judy Lynn Prince* Joseph Radford Jr. Abby and Stuart Raphael Brian Reid and Brett Brenner Alan and Terry Rettig Judith Rivlin and Eric Sanne Lauren Roberts and Juan Sanchez Marda Robillard and Patrick Tribe Margaret Rodenberg and Bert Helfinstein Vince L. Rodriguez and Ted A. Culler Rosalind Rosenberg Bruce Rosenblum and Lori Laitman Dana Rosenfeld and Eric Biel Monika Ruppert and Mary Layne Thomas A. Sachs and William H. Moses Jo Ella Samp Elizabeth Samuel Terry Savela and Dean Amel Amy E. Schaffer Eric Schwartz Richard and Rosemary Schwartzbard Leslie C. Seeman and David M. Becker Mr. and Mrs. Jacqueline and Richard Sellers Wayne S. Sellman Paul Shapiro and Margaret Blechman Susan Silhol Sally Simms Benjamin Simon and Edith Brashares Jim Sirbaugh and Garry Hartsock Thomas Slater John Smeallie and Dean Baker Ann Smith Ed and Andy Smith Ms. Susan P. Snowdon Larry and Arlene Spinelli Paul and Crystal Stanley Thomas and Kathalina Stean Mallary Stouffer Mary Sturtevant Aileen and Jack Sullivan Donna Sutton Lauren Swartz and Bob Rose Pat and Steve Telkins Peter E. Threadgill Annette Totten Transurban Carter Vaden Chad Lash and Caryn Wagner Christopher and Alisa Wailoo Ralph J. Wall Walton Family Foundation Douglas and Evelyn Watson Karen Wax Robert and Susan Weinbeck John Welch and Giovanni Stella Walter L. Wentz David Whitten Christopher Wolf and James Beller Lance Wolf and Pedro Nunez Raymond M. and Sheri H. Wolfe Gail and Jim Woolwine Jane Yanulis
*In memoriam
THANK YOU Signature recognizes the following members who have included the Theatre in their estate plans: Anonymous (6) Dr. Stewart Aledort and Dr. Sheila Rogovin* Allan Armus Susan Barrett Scott Douglas Bellard Dottie Bennett Monique Boulanger David W. Briggs Bonnie and Jere Broh-Kahn Louise Budelis Jean Cantrell Tim Carlton Estate of Sharon H. Dantzig* Capt. Joan Darrah and Lynne Kennedy Bob and Tracy Dattner Martin A. Davis* and Belle N. Davis Barbara and Kevin Donnellan Keith Eby Eddie and Rachel Eitches R. Glen Fernald, Charles Rhode William Giroux Ellen L. Goldstein Paul R. Gordon Jeff and Joan Greene Lois C. Greisman Judy Grill Frank Guzzetta and Paul Manville Carolyn Harris Robert E. Hebda
Kristine Heine Kaye Ann Hellmich Barbara Hill and Carol Krueger RC Howes Gerald Hurwitz and Stephanie George Jan Inscore-Boswell Andrew A. Isen James Johnson & Matthew Shepard Pamela Kalinowski Andi Kasarsky Robert L. Kimmins Renee Klish Judith Knee Seth Koch, V.M.D. and Barbara Bellman Steven B. Kruse Steven Arthur Landry and Maureen Oglivie Landry Michele* and Ted Leber Debra and Michael Linick Julianna Mahley Wells R. McCurdy Robert J. McDonald and David J. Insinga April McGuire Jean R. McKean Janice N. McLean McCain McMurray and Cameron Griffith Howard Menaker and
Patrick Gossett Laura Ariane (Laurie) Miller* William Moses and Thomas Sachs Michael Mueller and Kristopher Zgorski Micheal J. O’Connor Wesley Pickard and Jeanette Studley* Suzy Platt* Richard and Wendy Rahm Mike Rankin, M.D. Eric Schaeffer Henry J. Schalizki* and Robert D. Davis* Richard* and Rochelle Schwab Skip Seward Victor Shargai* Larry Shaw and Richard Freitag Merrill and Mark Shugoll Constance Sorrentino Carl H. Spatz & Thomas D. Hesselbrock Bill Vess* Maya Weil Paul Wojcik* Janet Yandik Cynthia Young*
Transform Signature’s Future Have you considered leaving a legacy for Signature Theatre in your will or other estate plans? We invite you to join the Ever After Society honoring individuals that have chosen to arrange a planned gift, such as leaving Signature Theatre in your will. Exclusive benefits are lifelong and begin as soon as you notify Signature of your gift. For more information, please contact Ashley Richardson at 571 527 1828 or richardsona@sigtheatre.org or visit SigTheatre.org/Support
Thank you for considering a gift to support Signature’s future!
Photo of Holly Twyford and A Little Night Music ensemble by Paul Tate Depoo III.
*In memoriam
Community means everything.
Sharon Eddy CASL ChFC CLU CPCU, Agent 6020 Richmond Highway, Suite 201 Alexandria, VA 22303 Bus: 703-535-3115 sharon@sharoneddy.com
1601483
That’s why I’m proud to be here to help life go right – and to support Signature Theatre since 2007. If there’s anything you need, call me.
State Farm, Bloomington, IL
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Experience Matters 4271 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, Virginia, 22206 Tel: 1-703-820-0440
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The soaring musical adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel starring Felicia Curry.
August 16 — October 9