Marie Antoinette: A Virtual Reading

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 the 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 Christiani Pitts, Montego Glover, and Leslie Flesner, television producer Steven Sears, Emmy Award-winners John Papsidera and John Brace, Broadway producers Heather Provost and Darren Bagert, Playwright and Professor Suzan Zeder, 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.

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.

The School of Theatre at Florida State Presents

Book by

David Adjmi Scenic Designer

Director

Movement Choreographer

Jason Paul Tate

Becca Johnson

Costume Designer

Sound Designer

Lighting Designer

Megan K. Pence Courtni Riddick

Zach Cramer

Technical Director

Dramaturg and Dialect Coach

Jackson Golden

Merritt Denman

Jo Sanburg

Virtual Stage Manager

Zachary Philbeck

October 9 - 11, 2020 A Virtual Reading The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited. “Marie Antoinette� is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. MARIE ANTOINETTE was commissioned by Yale Repertory Theatre James Bundy, Artistic Director, Victoria Nolan, Managing Director and received its first public performance on September 1, 2012.

MARIE ANTOINETTE had its New York Premiere at Soho Rep. Sarah Benson, Artistic Director, Cynthia Flowers, Executive Director

The Original Cast As they appear in the script

Marie Antoinette..........................................................................Gena Heylock Yolande de Polignac.........................................................................Jena Brooks Therese de Lamballe.........................................................................Lydia Moss Louis XVI..............................................................................Cameron Schmitt Axel Fersen..............................................................................Caleb Windstrup Joseph, Mr. Sauce, Revolutionary.................................................Michael Pisani Sheep...................................................................................Samantha Murphy The Dauphin...............................................................................Lansing Lewis Revolutionary, Servant......................................................................Nick Clark Revolutionary, Servant..................................................................Gage Morgan Mrs. Sauce, Revolutionary, Servant..............................................Nia Alexander Royalist, Revolutionary, Servant...............................................Shannon Haskell

Understudies* Marie Antoinette.....................................................................Shannon Haskell Yolande de Polignac...............................................................Kate Vander Leest Therese de Lamballe..............................................................Lainey Mackinnon Louis XVI........................................................................................Nick Clark Axel Fersen...................................................................................Gage Morgan Joseph, Mr. Sauce, Revolutionary...................................................Brian Warner Sheep..........................................................................................Nia Alexander The Dauphin, Revolutionary, Servant........................................Charles Antenen Revolutionary, Servant................................................................Jordan Whitley Mrs. Sauce, Revolutionary, Servant...........................................Allison Crawford Royalist, Revolutionary, Servant..................................................Miranda Roub *Understudies never substitute for listed players unless a specific announcement is made at the time of the performance.

Setting: Act I - The Palaces of Versailles & Petit Trianon 1776-1789 (or Marie’s Life, age 21-34) Act II - The Tuileries & The Conciergerie 1791-1793 (or Marie’s Life, age 36-37)

The Virtual Cast As they appear in the script

Marie Antoinette........................................................................ Gena Heylock Yolande de Polignac...............................................................Kate Vander Leest Therese de Lamballe........................................................................ Lydia Moss Louis XVI.............................................................................. Cameron Schmitt Axel Fersen.............................................................................. Caleb Windstrup Joseph.........................................................................................Michael Pisani Sheep.................................................................................... Samantha Murphy The Dauphin...............................................................................Lansing Lewis Revolutionary.................................................................................. Nick Clark Revolutionary, Guard.................................................................. Gage Morgan Revolutionary............................................................................. Nia Alexander Royalist................................................................................... Shannon Haskell Mrs. Sauce.............................................................................. Allison Crawford Mr. Sauce......................................................................................Brian Warner Guard.......................................................................................Charles Antenen Marie Antoinette will be performed with one 5-minute intermission.

Understudies* Marie Antoinette.................................................................... Shannon Haskell Yolande de Polignac....................................................................Miranda Roub Therese de Lamballe............................................................ Lainey Mackinnon Louis XVI........................................................................................ Nick Clark Axel Fersen................................................................................... Gage Morgan Joseph...........................................................................................Brian Warner Mr. Sauce....................................................................................Michael Pisani Mrs. Sauce, Sheep....................................................................... Nia Alexander The Dauphin, Revolutionary...................................................Charles Antenen Revolutionary......................................................................... Allison Crawford

Special thanks to David Benne, Daniel L. Stock, Amber Vann Lee, & the MFA Directors

Virtual Cast Headshots

Nia Alexander

Charles Antenen

Nick Clark

Allison Crawford

Shannon Haskell

Gena Heylock

Lansing Lewis

Lainey Mackinnon

Gage Morgan

Virtual Cast Headshots

Samantha Murphy

Michael Pisani

Miranda Roub

Cameron Schmitt

Kate Vander Leest

Brian Warner

Caleb Windstrup

Lydia Moss

Production Staff Director................................................................................................................Megan K. Pence Scenic Designer......................................................................................................Becca Johnson Costume Designer...............................................................................................Courtni Riddick Original Assistant Costume Designers.......................Meredith LaBounty, Madeleine H. La Vean Virtual Assistant Costume Designer.............................................................. Meredith LaBounty Lighting Designer.........................................................................................................Jo Sanburg Original Sound Designer..........................................................................................Zach Cramer Virtual Sound Designer............................................................................................. Kylee Taylor Original Assistant Sound Designer.............................................................................Kylee Taylor Virtual Performance Video Editors......................................Zachary Philbeck, Melissa Diamond Technical Director................................................................................................Jackson Golden Assistant Technical Director...............................................................................Emily Chancellor Movement Choreographer.....................................................................................Jason Paul Tate Baroque Dance Choreographer.........................................................................Kate Vander Leest Dramaturg, Dialect Coach..................................................................................Merritt Denman Original Stage Manager.......................................................................................Amanda Norris Virtual Stage Manager........................................................................................Zachary Philbeck Original Assistant Stage Managers........................Zachary Philbeck, Allie Posner, Caileigh Potter Virtual Assistant Stage Manager.........................................................................Melissa Diamond Stage Management Mentor..................................................................................Casey Hagwood Directing Advisor.............................................................................................Jessica Phelps West Directing Observer..........................................................................................Bethany Brownrigg Director of Production Services..........................................................................Joshua Wickham Technical Direction Advisors.................................................................Robert Coleman, Jim Lile Production Manager...........................................................................................Joshua Wickham Associate Production Manager...........................................................................Braeden Ingersoll Assistant Production Manager................................................................................Carson Bishop Scene Shop Manager............................................................................................Colin Campbell Assistant Scene Shop Manager............................................................................Alexander Farley Drafters.......................................................................................Brock Baird, Clifford Glowacki, Elliot Mahoney, Ryan Ponsell Carpenters......................................Brock Baird, Pedro Baylon, Holly Carroll, Emily Chancellor, Mike Delaney, Ethan Follett, Nathan Glowacki, Braeden Ingersoll, Elliot Mahoney, Evan Marty Paint Shop Manager.................................................................................................Teddy Moore Scenic Charge Artist.................................................................................................Teddy Moore Scenic Artists..............................................................................Natasha Couoh, Jackson Golden Properties Manager.....................................................................................................Kevin Grab Properties Master........................................................................................................Kevin Grab Assistant Properties Master......................................................................................Reona Woods Properties Artisans.......................................................Brock Baird, Jonathan May, Blaire Moore, Ryan Ponsell, Hanna Smaglis Costume Design Advisor......................................................................................Colleen Muscha Costume Shop Manager.......................................................................................Sarah M. Jahnke Wardrobe Supervisor......................................................................................David Jordan Baxter Drapers.............................................David Jordan Baxter, Sarah M. Jahnke, Meredith LaBounty

Production Staff Stitchers............................................Gabrielle Banuelos, David Jordan Baxter, Sarah M. Jahnke, Meredith LaBounty, Madeleine H. La Vean, Hayley Tara O’Brien, Courtni Riddick, Meagan Thurmond, Cat Tope, Davon Valverde Crafts Artisans.......................................David Jordan Baxter, Jason Estala, Hayley Tara O’Brien, Courtni Riddick, Meagan Thurmond Wig Artisans............................................................Sophie Kraemer, Brittany Rappise, Cat Tope Master Electrician................................................................................................Kassidy Coburn Student Master Electrician....................................................................................Stevie Freeborn Electricians...............................................................................Alexander Farley, Stevie Freeborn, Renn Oberdick, Kylee Taylor Lighting Supervisor..............................................................................................Kassidy Coburn Director of the Fine Arts Ticket Office..................................................................Sarah Goodson Original Associate Director of Patron Services.............................................................Jay Pension Virtual Associate Director of Patron Services.........................................Jessica Dudley-Rodriguez Original Patron Services Manager..........................................................Jessica Dudley-Rodriguez Virtual Patron Services Manager.............................................................................Sam Stenecker Original Ticket Office Operations Coordinator......................................................Sam Stenecker Virtual Ticket Office Operations Coordinator..............................................................John Stark Original Assistant Patron Services Managers..............................Emma Calabrese, Sam Stenecker Virtual Assistant Patron Services Managers.........................Njeri Mungai, Jack Rizzo, John Stark Original Fine Arts Ticket Office Staff.........................................Brigitte Anderson, Alice Bishop, Leah Davis, Melissa Emery, Daniel Francis, Lizt Garcia, Kimberly Gibson, Cole Jones, Michael Pisani, Hannah Spears Virtual Fine Arts Ticket Office Staff........................Brigitte Anderson, Alice Bishop, Leah Davis, Lizt Garcia, Kimberly Gibson, Cole Jones, Original Associate Director of Marketing................................................................Jawaan Smith Virtual Associate Directors of Marketing......................Moletedi One Ntseme, Jennifer Reichert Original Marketing Communications Managers...........Moletedi One Ntseme, Jennifer Reichert Virtual Marketing Communications Manager........................................................Sam Stenecker Original Marketing Assistant..................................................................................Sam Stenecker Virtual Marketing Assistant...........................................................................................Jack Rizzo Media Specialist....................................................................................................Megan Mowery Original Associate Director of Community Engagement......................................Katelyn Woods Virtual Associate Director of Community Engagement........................................Amanda Fraser Original Community Engagement Manager.........................................................Amanda Fraser Virtual Community Engagement Manager.........................................................Emma Calabrese Original Patrons Association Coordinator...........................................................Emma Calabrese Virtual Patrons Association Coordinator..................................................................Njeri Mungai

From the Director, Megan K. Pence What is the nature of celebrity? What do we really know about the public figures who occupy our minds with their lives on display? Marie Antoinette examines the fabled celebrity queen under a magnifying glass. We are treated to the blown-up, larger-than-life extravagance of a royal: her three-foot tall hairstyles; her three-foot wide dresses; her “Let them eat cake;” while simultaneously bearing witness to the smallness of a woman trapped by the scrutiny of the focused beam of public life by which she will ultimately burn.

While separated by more than two centuries, Marie occupied a very similar world to the one we live in: a world of wondrous excess and intolerable poverty. Our news cycles are dominated by conversations about the dividing lines between the right and the left, the privileged and the disenfranchised, the head and the heart. This cavernous rift is the stuff that revolutions are made of, as we seek the “perfect” person to reshape our nation in our own personal vision and discard the very humanity of those we disagree with.

These standards may be unattainable, however. Marie Antoinette understood this idealization all too well. She tried to break free from the strictures of court life, only to find that her escapes brought her greater scrutiny. As we curate our own lives for public consumption, we craft profiles—featuring filtered, FOMOinduced photos of glamorous vacations, gourmet meals, and selfies taken from the exact right angle. Privately we struggle to keep up with everyone else whose lives are seemingly perfect. How can we possibly define ourselves when we base our definitions on how we are perceived by others?

Here, our Marie becomes like a living butterfly pinned inside a shadowbox, her still-flapping wings beating futilely against the pulse of time. Like this butterfly, the legend of Marie remains frozen in the chrysalis of our collective memory— simultaneously beautiful and tragic, and forever on display. This play points Marie toward a path of self-actualization, but just as she is about to break free, she runs out of time. Her fragile humanity is laid bare only to become shrouded by the veil of history. But for the briefest of moments, we share a glimpse of Marie’s authenticity and potential.

And if Marie Antoinette (of all people) can transform to be her truest self, then imagine what might be possible for the rest of us peasants!

From the Dramaturg, Merritt Denman We are obsessed with Marie Antoinette. From Upton Sinclair’s biographical play to Sofia Coppola’s glam-punk queen to “let them eat cake,” depictions, fragments, and ideas of the famed queen abound in popular culture. So what is it that compels us to return again and again to representations of this singular character in history?

Studying the Marie Antoinette of French history reveals a great many contradictory portraits of a somewhat mysterious figure. While we know a great deal about Marie’s actions and attitudes, there are inevitably large gaps in her biography and lingering questions about her sensationalized life. Why did the young queen not bear a child during the first eight years of her marriage? Why did the French people so love to hate her? How did she and Louis truly feel about one another?

While David Adjmi’s anachronistic portrayal of the queen answers these questions, these answers are not its main concern. For Adjmi, Marie Antoinette the person is of far greater interest. With his portrayal of Marie, Adjmi draws the queen in vivid colors. Adjmi sets her before us in a manner that we recognize, illustrating the facts of her life through contemporary vernacular. This interpretation emphasizes her humanity, highlighting her ignorance, her need for approval, her desires, her selfishness, all of her various facets which history can only hint at.

In reality, we cannot know Marie. Just as the people of France did not know her, we cannot truly understand this person who lived and died long before our time. Yet as Adjmi shows us, we can try. We can approach people throughout history as we can approach those we meet today, with a little grace and a little understanding, loving them through their flaws. In this way, this piece couldn’t be more timely. With deep empathy Adjmi fearlessly paints a truthful, even harsh, portrait of Marie Antoinette and manages to show us how to love her anyway.

EXPLORE THE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

Priority Tickets for all virtual shows

$150-$249

FRIEND

BENEFACTOR

$250-$499

$500-$999

BY LEVEL

$1,000 +

BENEFITS

ANGEL

MEMBERSHIP

DIRECTOR

Not only do Patrons provide over $40,000 in support for School of Theatre students, they also get more out of their theatre experience. . .

• •

• •

• •

• •

•

•

•

•

• • • •

• • • •

• • • •

• • • •

Invitations to Patrons Exclusive Virtual Events and Content

•

•

•

Complimentary “Bring a Friend” Tickets

Free Tickets To any show with fee

•

• • •

•

Special Video From a Patrons Scholar

• •

Special Gifts and Suprises throughout the Season!

•

Virtual Toasts and Celebrations Free Ticket Exchanges and Waived Ticket Name Recognition in All Playbills Access to the Patrons Concierge Line Exclusive Patrons Press E-Newsletter Season Sneak Preview

(pending availability)

JOIN TODAY!

For more information, contact

The Patrons Association provides support for student scholarships as well as valuable assistance to support performances and programs that enrich the lives of all students and community members. This year, the Patrons Association raised more than $40,000 towards student scholarships and recruitment.

We hope you will consider becoming a Patron today!

Catherine Njeri Mungai: cnm20s@my.fsu.edu |

Patrons Association Members BOARD MEMBERS

DIRECTORS

FRIENDS

Ellen Berler, President Robert Clickner, Vice President Sunny Phillips, Secretary Laura Rogers, Treasurer Linda Clickner Rob Contreras Howard Eisenman Barbara Elam Kathie Emrich Howard Kessler Annelise Leysieffer Lynn McWilliams KC McWilliams Jay Newman Carol Weissert Dennis Williams

J. Kent & Flora Caruthers Jo Ann Fain Jennifer Fitzwater & Geof Mansfield Margie L. Fletcher Robert and Janice Inzer Bill & Susan Leseman Marykay Mentzer Mark Chin-Lenn, MD & Kevin Pfeiffer Steve Ray Laura & Sam Rogers Emily Ruddell

Donna E. Blanton Randal & Laurie Brown Susan & Mark Canning Marshall & Susan Cassedy Christine Coble Terry & Linda Cole Juan & Jessica Comas Lance & Amanda Davis Chris & Bernie Grossman William & Maura Heebink Ross & Susie Henderson Tanya Hollady Roxanne Hughes, Ph.D. Bret & Leigh Ingerman The Knowlton Family Walt & Cindy Loomis Dr. & Mrs. Cecil B. Nichols David & Lin Ornstein Henry Pollock Gloria Priest Martin & Rae Roeder Patricia & Bob Romig Ron & Diann Schultz Kiki & David Slaton Carey Smith Judy Taps & Bob Beiseigel Robin Hassler Thompson Dana & Barbara Wilson Martin & Amanda Wood Latika L. Young

EMERITUS BOARD MEMBERS Jalma Baker Richard Henry Mart Hill Ted* and Barbara Judd Lou Kellenberger* William Moncrief* Brooks & Almena Pettit Sara Rodrigue Dawn Sharp* Nancy Sheridan* June Strauss* ANGELS Rob Contreras & Ellen Berler Sandy Brown, Magnolia Properties Robert & Linda Clickner Jim & Sandy Dafoe Howard & Susan Eisenman Barbara & John Elam Annelise Leysieffer KC & Bob McWilliams Lynn & Todd McWilliams Jay & Sue Newman Brence Sell Mr. & Mr. Michael Stephens William & Carol Weissert Dennis & Barbara Williams

BENEFACTORS Steven & Ellen Bellenot The Brannigan Family Paul Downing* & Marie Cantwell Tony & Sherry Carvalho Mr. & Mrs. Michael Ciaccio Will Cowen Mrs. Sara DuChene Kathie A. Emrich Dr. Susan Fiorito & Jack Fiorito Jerry & Bobbi Hill Debby Kearney Michele Kiker John & Linda Kilgore Susan Barnes & Kenneth Kranz Charles & Dian LaTour Ralph & Sue Mancuso Patricia Yancey Martin Meredith & Elsa McKinney Ms. Fran McLean Dr. Marion & Martin Merzer Sunny Phillips Mr. & Mrs. Larry & Joanne Pintacuda Lili Quintiliani & Blan Teagle Arlene Sandberg Mike & Kathi Watters

Patrons Association Members listed as of October 06, 2020.

All (*) following a donor’s name indicates the person has passed away.

Patrons make it possible Patrons Association members provide vital support for School of Theatre students and programs. To see your name above and join our community of donors, call or email the Community Engagement Office!

Catherine Mungai, Patrons association coordinator 850.644.1377 |cnm20s@my.fsu.edu

#18

BEST COLLEGE THEATRE

according to the 2021 PRINCETON REVIEW

FALL VIRTUAL SEASON AD