Bus Stop

The School of Theatre at Florida State Presents

Director Gavin Mayer Costume Designer Julia Kosanovich

Sound Designer Zach Cramer

Lighting Designer Dan Kimble

Scenic Designer Robert F. Wolin

Technical Director Amy Schneider

Fight Director Mike Petrie Jr.

Dramaturg Jeff Paden

Stage Manager Amanda Faye

Bus Stop is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

November 5-14, 2010 The Studio Theatre

Cast Bo.....................................................................................................Randy Dierkes Virgil..................................................................................Christopher M. Watson Dr. Lyman.........................................................................................Mike Petrie Jr. Will..................................................................................................Richard Camp Cherie................................................................................................Jamie Doyle Elma........................................................................................Christine Rodriguez Grace.............................................................................................Jennifer Acker Carl....................................................................................................Jayme Smith

Understudies* Bo.............................................................................................................Chris Martin Virgil................................................................................................Matthew Janisse Dr. Lyman...........................................................................................Richard Camp Will...........................................................................................................Ross Roberts Cherie...............................................................................................Camille Trzcinski Elma........................................................................................................Sarah Rosen Grace..................................................................................................Jada Sanders Carl.........................................................................................................Matt Dobert *Understudies never substitute for listed players unless a specific announcement is made at the time of the performance.

Time and Place A street-corner restaurant in a small town about thirty miles west of Kansas City.

Act I A night in early March, 1:00 am Act II A few minutes later Act III Early morning, about 5:00 am There will be one 10 minute intermission between Act I and Act II. The use of any video or audio recording device and flash photography is strictly prohibited.

The School of Theatre at Florida State is a member of the University/Resident Theatre Association, Inc. and is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre.

Cast Headshots

Jennifer Acker

Richard Camp

Randy Dierkes

Jamie Doyle

Mike Petrie Jr.

Christine Rodriguez

Jayme Smith

Christopher M. Watson

SPECIAL THANKS TO Kelsee Connon

Jenny’s Lunchbox

Fred Chappell

Matthew Janisse

Who’s Who Jennifer Acker (Grace) is a senior double majoring in Music and Theatre. A Connecticut native, she was recently awarded an Undergraduate Research Grant, providing the necessary funding to produce and direct A Midsummer Night’s Dream this past summer. Love to Gavin, this cast and crew, and all who continue to support and inspire.

Richard Camp (Will, u/s Dr. Lyman) is a senior in the BFA Acting program.

Last fall, he had the opportunity to study abroad in London. Previous credits include Hamlet (Claudius), Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Einstein), and The Birds (Eagle). He would like to thank his friends and family for their love and support, and Gavin for this wonderful opportunity.

Randy Dierkes* (Bo) is a sophomore BFA Music Theatre major from Nashville, TN. Previous FSU credits include On the Town, RENT, and New Horizons: Original Works Festival. He would like to thank his family for their enduring support throughout his life.

Matt Dobert (u/s Carl) is a senior double majoring in Theatre and English Literature. Previous credits at FSU include South Pacific, She Stoops to Conquer, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Much love and thanks to family, friends, and faculty. Live. Work. Create!

Jamie Doyle (Cherie) is a junior BFA Acting major, and she is thrilled to be involved in the production. Thanks to her family and friends for their unconditional love and support.

Matthew Janisse (u/s Virgil) is a BFA Music Theatre sophomore. Previous credits at FSU include On the Town (Cop) and RENT (Roger). Matthew is grateful for the opportunity to work on a non-musical. Thanks to all.

Chris Martin (u/s Bo) is a sophomore BFA Acting major performing in his second production at FSU. Chris is overjoyed to be part of Bus Stop and to work with an amazing cast and crew. He’d like to thank his friends and family.

Mike Petrie Jr.* (Dr. Lyman/ Fight Director) is a senior BFA Acting major.

Previous FSU credits include Hamlet (Laertes), Futura (Gash), MayFly (Lucius), and The Tamer Tamed (Gremio). Mike is a recognized Actor Combatant by the SAFD. He would like to thank his parents for all their support and Joey DeChello for assisting with the fight choreography.

Ross Roberts (u/s Will) is a transfer BA Theatre major from the University of Miami. At UM, he performed in Some Girls. He is excited to be here and is thankful for this opportunity to work with such great people!

Christine Rodriguez (Elma) is a junior from Tampa, FL. Previously seen in the New Horizons: Original Works Festival production of What Happens to Santa (Dori), Bus Stop is her second production at FSU. She would like to thank her friends and family for their love and support!

Who’s Who Sarah Rosen (u/s Elma) is a sophomore BA Theatre major. She’s thrilled to be a part of this talented cast and crew.

Previous roles include Recreational Living (Amber). She would like to thank Gavin for this incredible opportunity and her always supportive mom!

Jada Sanders (u/s Grace) is a senior BA Theatre major from Orlando, FL. She was last seen in Noises Off (Brooke) at Tallahassee Little Theatre, as well as Hamlet (Player) and Yerma (Dolores) at FSU. She would like to thank flat 7 for just about everything.

Jayme Smith (Carl) is a senior Theatre major. He sends a big thank you to this wonderful cast and crew. “To my family, you taught me how to live my life, love from my soul and most importantly, how to laugh from my heart.”

Camille Trzcinski (u/s Cherie) is a junior BA Theatre and Pre-Med major. She is also a member of the Acabelles and FSU’s comedic improv troupe Slow Children Playing. Camille would like to thank her family and her roommates.

Christopher M. Watson (Virgil) is a senior BFA Acting major from Decatur, GA. Previous credits include The Birds (Falcon), Othello (Othello), and Hamlet (Polonius).

He has been seen in films such as Nasir, Push, and Balls for FSU’s Film School. He would like to thank all his friends and family for their support.

Gavin Mayer (Director) is a second year MFA Directing candidate from Denver, CO. Previous directing credits include Random Acts of Violence, All Shook Up, Sweeney Todd,

Les Miserables, Urinetown, Noises Off, Equus, and The Laramie Project. Gavin spent 11 years as the Director of Theatre and Arts Integration Coordinator at Pomona High School in Arvada, CO. Julia Kosanovich (Costume Designer) is a third year MFA Costume Design candidate. She received her BA from Western Michigan University in 2008. For the past five years she has worked summer stock at the Texas Shakespeare Festival where she designed Rumpelstiltskin. Design credits at FSU include Hush: An Interview with America, RENT, and The Planeteer, an MFA thesis film.

Zach Cramer (Sound Designer) joined the staff of the School of Theatre in November 2009 as Sound Designer. He has been involved with theatre since his sophomore year in high school and has since designed over 50 productions. Design credits include The Who’s Tommy, Peter Pan, Jekyll & Hyde, Ragtime, Seussical the Musical, The Full Monty, The Secret Garden, Nine (winner 2008 FTC, 2009 SETC and advanced to national AACT), Titanic, The Producers, RENT, and The Drowsy Chaperone.

Dan Kimble (Lighting Designer) is a third year MFA Lighting Design candidate originally from Cumberland, MD. Recent lighting design credits include RENT and The Violet Hour at FSU, and Les Miserables: School Edition at Mountain Ridge High School in Frostburg, MD. He is also the Lighting Designer for the School of Theatre’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which will open in February 2011.

Who’s Who Robert F. Wolin (Scenic Designer) is the scenic designer for all subscription shows produced at the School of Theatre this season. Selected regional credits include Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Porthouse Theatre, and Gulfshore Playhouse.

Robert’s Off Broadway credits include An Evening with Quentin Crisp, Fraulein Else, Queen of Hearts, Shivaree, and several productions for The Glines. He served as an Assistant Designer on Broadway shows such as Young Frankenstein, The Producers, and Flower Drum Song.

Other design work includes events for Hershey Park and Freelance Art Director for MTV Networks Special Events. Robert is a member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829.

Amy Schneider (Technical Director) is a second year MFA Technical Production candidate. This is her first production for the School of Theatre as Technical Director. She served as an Assistant Technical Director for FSU’s production of RENT and did automation for The Drowsy Chaperone. She just completed a internship at The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, MN, and worked on the premiere of The Master Butcher’s Singing Club. Amy is originally from St. Paul, MN, and is still enjoying Florida’s lack of winter.

Jeff Paden (Dramaturg) is a second year PhD student whose research focuses on theatrical representations of state power, violence, and domestic space. He has performed and directed with Villanova University in Pennsylvania, The Hard Bargain Players, and the Port Tobacco

Playhouse in Maryland. Bus Stop marks his first dramaturgy project at FSU. Debra Hale (Vocal Coach) is a Linklater Designated Voice Teacher and an Associate Professor of Performance at FSU. She most recently vocal and dialect coached Limelight, a worldpremiere musical about Charlie Chaplin, which is being developed for Broadway at the LaJolla Playhouse.

She has coached in several regional theatres throughout the country and has taught voice in London, Glasgow, Wales, Thailand, and Greece.

Amanda Faye (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be stage managing Bus Stop. Amanda previously served as assistant stage manager for Hamlet, HAIR, and Afternoon of the Elves.

She would like to thank her ASMs, Ombra, the Ladies, and Thomas for their support.

Information in “Who’s Who” is provided by members of this production. Where opinions are expressed, they are those of the players, not neccesarily those of the School of Theatre or Florida State University.

Director’s Notes While so often in life we focus on our destination, we take for granted the unexpected detours in life in which we pause, allow ourselves a moment of reflection, and gain some insight into ourselves. A late winter blizzard on the plains of Kansas forces such a detour for the people in Bus Stop. It is in these few hours the passengers are allowed a break to assess who they are and how others see them. The relationships that develop amongst the group force them to consider where they’ve been in their lives, where they are and, inevitably, where they’re going. At some point during the stop, each is provided an opportunity to choose a new direction, or to continue down the path of least resistance. Perhaps we all have something to learn from the characters in Bus Stop. Perhaps we should all find time to schedule a detour.

Gavin Mayer Director

The School of Theatre at Florida State As one of the top-tier theatre training programs in the nation, the School of Theatre at Florida State provides its students with a wide variety of theatrical and educational opportunities. The primary mission of the School of Theatre is to offer students a comprehensive education in theatre and to prepare emerging artists to enter the professional theatre industry. As a result, the School of Theatre provides both student artists and community audience members a diverse array of productions that explore the spectrum of our shared humanity.

Founded in 1973 under the vision and leadership of then-Dean Richard G. Fallon, the School of Theatre enjoys a national reputation, in large part, because of the excellence of its undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as a gifted faculty of nationally recognized professional artists/ educators. The London Theatre Studies program, the chance to work side by side with guest artists and eminent scholars, as well as showcase opportunities in New York City and Los Angeles are just a few of many reasons why students are attracted to our various professional and academic degrees from all over the United States, many foreign countries, and every county in Florida.

Alumni of the program include Broadway stars Davis Gaines and Montego Glover, television producer Steven Sears, Emmy award-winners John Papsidera and John Brace, Broadway producers Dan Markley and Darren Bagert, and a host of talented entertainment industry professionals. Through their creative work, research, publication, and service, School of Theatre alumni contribute to the commercial, educational, and cultural life of the citizens of Florida and the nation.

Dramaturg’s Notes In a 1996 review of the Broadway revival of William Inge’s Bus Stop, New York Times theatre critic Howard Kissel confessed that the American classic showed its age. According to Kissel, the play could no longer capture an audience because of its moorings to the mid-1950s Midwest: “What fleshed the plot out for 1955 audiences were the fears and longings they brought into the theater.

Without this excess baggage, the play seems empty.” Contrary to Kissel’s observations, however, today Bus Stop resonates because it brings audiences back to a time of anxiety and uncertainty that feels strikingly contemporary.

The 1952 election of World War II hero General Dwight D. Eisenhower brought a surge of excitement like that following President Barrack Obama’s inauguration.

“We like Ike” was the cry that won the election, and the hope of millions was that President Eisenhower could bring stability in a time of radical change. This was not to be: Fear of nuclear war with the Soviets hovered over the nation.

At home, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Board v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS, that public school segregation violated the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, bringing simmering racial tensions to a boiling point. Even the bedroom became a site of conflict. Alfred Kinsey released his ground breaking studies of human sexuality and Life Magazine fought back, calling the noted sexologist’s theories “an assault on the family as a basic unit of society, a negation of moral law, and a celebration of licentiousness.”

Inge’s native Kansas also altered with national debates not only over racial equality, but also over local control and the power of the federal government.

While Inge wrote Bus Stop, state politicians tried to convince skeptical Kansans that construction of the Kansas Turnpike would enable greater mobility and human connectivity. After the construction concluded in 1956, motorists could speedily travel the 236 mile route from Kansas City to Wichita, but the turnpike snaked away from rural areas, isolating the small towns and businesses like Grace’s Diner in the play.

In Bus Stop Inge creates a tapestry of loneliness informed by the national and domestic anxiety of the mid-1950s. His characters–locals and cross country travelers alike–take shelter from a vicious snowstorm in a diner along the old highway. Marooned, they confront their darkest despair and unacknowledged desires. Some emerge from the storm transformed, ready to abandon Kansas for the American West, that mythological space where happiness may still be attainable. Others remain behind, deserted in the desolate winter cold. The play transports us into the “magical” snowstorm as well, inviting a confrontation with the uncertainties and anxieties we bring into the theatre–our own “excess baggage” in Kissel’s terms–and prompting us to consider our journey’s next stop.

Jeff Paden Dramaturg

Production Staff for Bus Stop Director.............................................................................................Gavin Mayer Directing Advisor...........................................................................Fred Chappell Dramaturg............................................................................................Jeff Paden Vocal Coach......................................................................................Debra Hale Stage Manager.............................................................................Amanda Faye Assistant Stage Managers.......Catherine Campos, Aly Ciresi, Andrew Rincon Fight Director.......................................................................................Mike Petrie Jr. Assistant Fight Director.....................................................................Joey DeChello Production Manager..................................................................Ombra Sandifer Scenic Designer............................................................................Robert F. Wolin Technical Director........................................................................Amy Schneider Assistant Technical Directors........Allison Eaton, Kalon Tew, Joshua Wickham Technical Direction Advisors.....................Robert Coleman, Zachary Stribling Carpenters.....................................................Brandon Hall, Josh Luna, Sam Miller

Kalon Tew, Joshua Wickham Scene Shop Manager.....................................................................Ralph Walker Assistant Scene Shop Supervisor...................................................David Berardi Scenic Artist and Paint Shop Supervisor..........................................Jason Strom Scenic Artists....................................................Dylan Callery, Rebecca Curran

Sarah George, Elise Lacret, Liz McLendon

Ashley Mifflin, Rebecca Noyes Properties Master.....................................................................................Erin Kehr Assistant Properties Master............................................................Alyssa Milione Properties Artisans................Cameron Davis IV, Amanda Diaz, Natalie Hoak

Ashley Mifflin, Rebeccah Noyes, Merritt Rodriguez Costume Designer.....................................................................Julia Kosanovich Assistant Costume Designers....................Julia Matteson Bradley, Kara Tesch Costume Shop Manager.....................................................Claire Marty Walker Assistant Costume Shop Manager.............................................Michele Belson Costume Technology Advisor...............................................Martha H. Cooper Costume Design Advisor...........................................................Colleen Muscha Wardrobe Supervisor............................................................................Kate Foley Drapers................................................Michele Belson, Julia Matteson Bradley Christina Marullo, Kara Tesch Stichers...........................Jayne Adle, Dorothy Barnes, Julia Matteson Bradley

Michele Belson, Flor Elizee, Kate Foley, Brittany Jacob

Kaitlyn Kociela, Julia Kosanovich, Christina Marullo

Gina Penaherrera, Kris Peterson, Kara Tesch Wig Stylist....................................................................................Julia Kosanovich Costume Construction Crew........................Jenna Gagliano, Edward Espitia

Ashley James, Courtni Riddick, Odette Rodriguez

Alysia Santiago, Indie Sheremet

Brigette Stephenson, Kelsey Vidic Lighting Designer................................................................................Dan Kimble Assistant Lighting Designer.......................................................Merritt Rodriguez Master Electrician..................................................................................Kelly Terry Assistant Master Electricians........................Rebeccah Noyes, Eda Rodriguez Electricians.................................Meagan Cain, Dayne Catalano, Zoe Chase

Mallory Hewell*, Devin Kinch, Elizabeth Marquis*, Wes Richter

Heather Reynolds, Jose Santiago, Bri Weintraub

Production Staff for Bus Stop Lighting Supervisor..................................................................Scott Vandenberg Assistant Lighting Supervisor..........................................................Alyssa Milione Light Board Operator.......................................................................Justin Nipper Sound Designer................................................................................Zach Cramer Sound Board Operator...................................................................Emily Harrison Run Crew.................Lauren Alagna, Ruby Figueroa, Kelly Hall, Emily Harrison

Justin Nipper, Rachel Robertson, Lauryn Smith, Kayla Tomas House Manager....................................................................Heather McFarland House Management Supervisor......................................................Alisha Jones Usher Crew...................................................Nicole Cornwell, Katelyn Douglass

Christal Ferreira, Paul Harrington, Kevin Hofheinz, Devin Iovelli

Ashley Mifflin, Leticia Mora, Daniel Porten

Amy Rauchwerger, Courtni Riddick Fine Arts Ticket Office Staff...........................Ashley Kerns, Amanda Chandler

Heather McFarland, Christopher Brazelton

Lauren Carlberg, Christal Ferreira, Amanda Gan Alex Nimmons, Bri Weintraub Associate Marketing Manager.......................................................Marta Stout* Marketing Assistant..............................................................Heather McFarland Marketing Interns.......Luis Alvarez-Schacht, Stephanie Ritter, Rachael Singer Development Associate.......................................................Amanda Chandler Patrons Association Assistant...........................................................Ashley Kerns Community Engagement Manager..................................................Brad Brock Marketing and Communications Manager...................................Corin Schall