Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike Program

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In Memoriam

Marilyn Y. Sims July 20, 1933 – August 4, 2014 Longtime friend and supporter of Syracuse Stage.

President, Syracuse Stage Guild – 1983 - 1985

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l e t t e r f r o m t h e p r o d u c i n g a r t i s t i c d i r e c to r

Dear Friends, Welcome to the 2014/2015 season and to this performance of Christopher Durang’s delightful Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.

A colleague recently asked me why I had chosen this play to open the new season. My initial response was that we could all use a good laugh, and Durang certainly delivers with this Tony Award-winning play.

More to the point, though, I felt that this is an excellent way for all of us to reconnect—to each other and to the theatre.

To me this play is such a celebration of theatre and why we do theatre. Think of the theatrical references that course through Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. The parents of the three siblings whose names are included in the title were amateur actors with a particular fondness for Anton Chekhov. One of these siblings, Masha, becomes a famous movie star. Her not-ageappropriate boyfriend, Spike, is an actor, too, of sorts. And Nina, the girl-next-door, also aspires to the life of a thespian.

In addition, one character writes a play, part of which is performed as a reading, and there are references to Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, as well as to the great Maggie Smith and Michael Caine.

On top of all of that is of course Durang’s deliberate channeling

of the great Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, one of the most (if not the most) influential playwrights of the modern theatre. With Chekhov, psychological truth takes over the stage and stays there to this day.

He opened new ways of constructing drama and revealed the sad comedy and comedic sadness that underlies so much of day-to-day life. He asks us to understand and empathize with his foolish and misguided characters even as he invites us to laugh at them.

Durang does this as well, only in a completely contemporary and recognizable context.

In a way, it is as if Chekhov’s characters stepped forward as fully formed inhabitants of today’s world. Like Chekhov’s characters, and like us, they are funny, frustrated, egocentric, 7

generous, caring, and selfish at once. They make for good theatrical company.

So, the short answer to my colleague’s question is this: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is a kind of love letter to the theatre itself, and I can think of no better way to rekindle our romance with all that theatre can offer as we embark on a new and very exciting season.

Welcome back, friends.

warm regards,

Timothy Bond Producing Artistic Director

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vanya and sonia and masha and spike

In the Next Room or the vibrator play

August Wilson’s the piano lesson

Sizwe Banzi is Dead

By Christopher Durang Directed by Marcela Lorca September 24 - October 12 2013 Tony Award, Best Play

Directed by Timothy Bond Co-produced with Seattle Repertory Theatre October 22 - November 9 Pulitzer Prize-Winning Drama

hairspray

Book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan Music by Marc Shaiman Lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman Directed by Bill Fennelly Choreography by David Wanstreet Tickets and Musical Direction by Brian Cimmet Season Packages Co-produced with SU Drama Box Office: 315.443.3275 November 28 - January 4 Group Services: 314.443.9844 Tony Award, Best Musical

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By Sarah Ruhl Directed by May Adrales January 28 - February 15 It's the 1880s and Electricity is all the Rage

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presents

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Christopher Durang directed by

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Lighting Designer

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John Arnone

Caitlin Ward

Karin Olson

Montana Johnson

production s ta g e m a n a g e r

casting

Stuart Plymesser

Harriet Bass

Timothy Bond

Jeffrey Woodward

Producing Artistic Director

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Originally produced on Broadway by: Joey Parnes, Larry Hirschhorn, Joan Raffe/Jhett Tolentino, Martin Platt & David Elliot, Pat Flicker Addiss, Catherice Adler, John O’Boyle, Joshua Goodman, Jamie deRoy/Richard Winkler, Cricket Hooper, Jiranek/Michael Palitz, Mark S. Golub & David S. Golub, Radio Mouse Entertainment, Shawdowcatcher Entertainment, Mary Cossette/Barbara Manocherian, Megan Savage/Meredith Lynsey Schade, Hugh Hysell/Richard Jordan, Cheryl Wiesenfeld/Ron Simons, S.D. Wagner, John Johnson in association with McCarter Theatre Center and Lincoln Center Theatre. Originally commissioned and produced by McCarter Theatre, Princeton, N.J.; Emily Mann, Artistic Director; Timothy J. Shields, Managing Director; Mara Isaacs, Producing Director; and produced by Lincoln Center Theater, New York City under the direction of Andre Bishop and Bernard Gersten in 2012. “Here Comes The Sun”; written by George Harrisson; published by Harrisongs, Ltd. (ASCAP). Used by permission. All rights reserved. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

The video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever are strictly prohibited.

September 24 - October 12, 2014

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cast (in order of appearance)

Larry Paulsen....................................................................Vanya Dori Legg..........................................................................Sonia Lisa Renee Pitts..........................................................Cassandra Nance Williamson............................................................Masha Ben Chase..........................................................................Spike Midori Iwama.....................................................................Nina setting

Set in the present, a lovely farm house in Bucks County.

There will be one fifteen-minute intermission.

a dd i t i o n a l c r e d i t s

Vocal Coach: Celia Madeoy Stage Management Journeyman: Erin C Brett Stage Management Intern: Ryan Ross† Associate Scenic Designer: Bryce Cutler Electrics Apprentice: Ann Archer Sound Apprentice: Jade Taggart Deck Crew: Christopher Green Wardrobe: Christine McBurney Wardrobe and Wigs Supervisor: Sarah Stark Official Hotels for Guest Artists: The Genesee Grande Hotel, Parkview Hotel

special thanks

Special thanks to Kingdeski’s Landscaping & Nursery Inc. for providing the live foliage used in this production.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

The actors and stage manager in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. † Student, Syracuse University Department of Drama

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RESTAURANT & COFFEE LOUNGE

ace The Pl Before

To Go

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315.475.5154 900 EAST GENESEE ST PHOEBESSYRACUSE.COM

Lunch ~ Dinner ~ Full Bar ~ Coffee Lounge 12

 Director’s Note Chekhov often wrote that his plays were comedies, and I feel he must have chuckled as he crafted sweet-hearted, flawed characters who often dwelled on longing for what they did not have. Durang takes these familiar themes and allows the passions to surface, tilt, and unleash a highly comedic landscape infused at its core with much tenderness and heart.

by Marcela Lorca

As I sit in rehearsals of Christopher Durang’s great new play I am in awe of how the actors begin to embody their unique characters, and how we seek to unearth a surprising theatrical style. Durang seems to call for an open ended sense of realism, a realism that is deeply rooted in family dynamics but that stretches the limits of situations at every turn. He takes the characters’ story lines and stirs them into a stew of pop and cultural references that create sharp mirrors of the world we happen to be living in—in all its depth, glory, confusion and absurdity.

In selecting the acting company for this production I became keenly aware of how many different interpretations this script can have, and how important it was to choose the players who would find a tone “in tune” with Durang’s singular voice. With a stellar cast and team, it’s a joy every day to build our play on the fine blueprint of this script.

My hope is that in watching the play, we take a moment to reflect on our current world, to think about the importance of home and roots, to awaken the courage to love and be creative, and to find laughter in the adventure that is life.

Durang chose to write a modern play inspired by Chekhov themes and characters. As in a Chekhov play, we’re invited to inhabit a world where a family is faced with imminent change, where traditions are threatened by economic interests, and where visions for the environment are bleak.

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A Chekhov Primer With love to lead the way I found more clouds of gray Than any Russian play could guarantee

Oh, I don’t know. I guess I love the emotional sadness in Chekhov.

“But Not for Me” by George Gershwin

Christopher Durang

by joseph whelan A few years ago playwright Christopher Durang wrote an article for the Lincoln Center Theater Review called “My Life with Chekhov”.

Publication of the article coincided with the opening of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse theatre. In the article, Durang describes the genesis of his play.

I had the idea to write Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike a few years ago, when I realized I was now the age

that Vanya was (or seemed to be) And, like Vanya and other Chekhov characters, I started to reassess choices made in the past.

I live in a stone farmhouse with my partner, the writeractor John Augustine, on a small hill in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I choose to live here for the quiet and trees, and there is a small pond where a blue heron comes and sees what is available to eat.

But I started to think to myself, What if I didn’t live here with my partner but

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with my adopted sister, and the two of us had spent fifteen years taking care of our elderly and eventually incoherent parents. What if we never left the house we lived in as children, and felt jealous of our older sister, who was a glamorous stage and film star. She sends us money, but our lives feel empty and unexciting. What if my life had been closer to a Chekhov play?

In imagining the play, Durang more or less cast himself as Vanya, named the adopted sister Sonia, and the glamorous movie

star became Masha, all “characters” found in Chekhov plays. He also included an aspiring young actress named Nina who lives next door to Vanya and Sonia and who is very much like the aspiring young actress named Nina in The Sea Gull. There are non-Chekhovian characters as well: Masha’s notage-appropriate boyfriend Spike, the house-cleaner Cassandra, and the oftmentioned Hootie-Pie. Durang insists, rightly, that no prior knowledge of Chekhov is necessary to 16

enjoy the play. However, in the interest of things Chekhovian, the following is a brief primer on his plays and players as they pertain to Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike.

Vanya Ivan Petrovich Voinitsky (Vanya) is the title character of the 1897 play Uncle Vanya. He manages the family estate with the help of his niece Sonia.

Sonia’s father is a retired and respected professor who was married to Vanya’s late sister. In the play,

(p 14) Playwright Anton Chekhov (p16 left) Playwright Christopher Durang. (p16 right) O.L. Knipper as Masha in The Three Sisters, Moscow Art Theatre. (p17) Scene from act IV of The Three Sisters, Moscow Art Theatre.

the professor (Aleksandr Serebryakov) has returned to live at the estate with his new wife, the beautiful Elena, who is the same age as Sonia. Vanya is smitten with Elena and jealous of Alexander and deeply unhappy with his lot in life. So, first he tries to shoot the professor, but misses. Then he steals some morphine from his friend Dr. Astrov with the intent of killing himself, but he is persuaded by Sonia to give up the idea of suicide and to return the drug. At one point Vanya laments: “I am haunted by the thought

that my life has been hopelessly wasted.” His last lines in the plays are: “I’m so unhappy, dear! If you only knew how unhappy I am!”

Sonia As noted above she is Uncle Vanya’s niece and not much happier than he. She is hard-working, but considers herself plain.

“Oh, how dreadful it is that I am not beautiful. How dreadful! And I know I’m not beautiful, I know it, I know it.” Sonia is secretly in love with Dr. Astrov: “I have loved him for six 17

years now, I love him more than my own mother.

Every minute I seem to hear him, feel the pressure of his hand; I watch the door waiting, thinking he will come in at any moment.” Astrov has no romantic interest in Sonia, but he tries to arrange a romantic tryst with Elena.

At the play’s end, Sonia and Vanya remain on the estate: “We shall go on living, Uncle Vanya. We shall live through a long, long chain of days and endless evenings; we shall patiently bear the trials fate sends us; we’ll work for others, now

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(p18) M.L. Roksanova as Nina and K.S. Stanislavsky as Trigorin in The Sea Gull, Moscow Art Theatre.

and in our old age, without ever knowing rest, and when our time comes, we shall die submissively . . .”

Masha There are two Masha’s in the Chekhov canon and both always wear black.

There is a Masha in The Sea Gull (1896) who explains her reason for choosing black clothing: “I am in mourning for my life.”

What she really mourns is that her desperate love for the young aspiring writer Constantin Treplev is unrequited. Unfortunately for Masha, Constantin is equally as desperate for Nina, the young girl from the next estate who, unfortunately for Constantin, has a mad crush on the famous writer Trigorin, who happens to be Constantin’s mother’s (Arkadina’s) current boyfriend. (It’s like a Russian play!) Masha ends up in a loveless marriage with the kind-hearted, well-meaning school teacher Medvedenko.

The second Masha is also married to a school teacher.

This Masha is the middle sister of The Three Sisters

(1901). She is married to the kind-hearted, wellmeaning Kulygin. Masha fell in love with him when she was young and he seemed “terribly learned, clever, and important”. In time he proved to be “different”. Masha falls in love with Aleksandr Vershinin, a lieutenant colonel and battery commander of the local regiment. He falls for her, too, only he is married to a suicidal woman and has two children. When the regiment is transferred far away it is clear Masha and Vershinin will never again see each other.

Masha spends much of her last act stage time “sobbing violently”, at least according to the stage directions of one published translation.

Nina Nina is the sea gull, at least metaphorically, in Chekhov’s The Sea Gull.

There is an actual seagull in the play. This unfortunate sea bird is shot by the unhappy aspiring writer Constantin Treplev.

Treplev is deeply in love with Nina who is infatuated with Trigorin (see 19

Masha above). Treplev shoots the sea gull, lays the dead bird at Nina’s feet, and, in his own way, professes his love: “I was so low as to kill this sea gull today . . . Soon in the same way I will kill myself.”

That’s real romance. Is it any wonder Nina follows Trigorin to Moscow where they conduct a disastrous affair. Nina becomes pregnant, the baby dies, and Trigorin abandons her and high-tails it back to Arkadina. For his part, Trigorin also sees Nina as a sort of sea gull. Finding her with the dead bird, he explains an inspiration he has for a short story: “. . .a young girl like you lives all her life beside a lake; she loves the lake like a sea gull, and, like a sea gull, is happy and free. A man comes along by chance, sees her, and having nothing better to do, destroys her, just like this sea gull here.” This more or less describes their relationship, only Nina, who wants to be a famous actress, isn’t destroyed.

She struggles and eventually becomes an actress, though she does not achieve fame. She returns

to the lake at the play’s end and visits with Constantin, who is still unhappy even though he has become a successful writer. In one of Chekhov’s most famous scenes, Nina grapples with what her identity once was and what she has become: “I am a sea gull . . . No, that’s not it . . . I am an actress.” After she leaves, Constantin kills himself.

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Arkadina There is no character in Durang’s play by this name, but Durang’s movie star Masha more closely resembles Irina Nikolayevna Arkadina from The Sea Gull than either of Chekhov’s Mashas. Arkadina is a successful actress, a star of the stage (albeit the

(p 20-21) Chekhov with members of the cast of The Sea Gull, Moscow Art Theatre (1899). (p22) O.L. Knipper as Arkadina and K.S. Stanislavsky as Trigorin in The Sea Gull, Moscow Art Theatre.

Arkadina: (to Masha) Come, let’s stand up. You are twenty-two and I am nearly twice that. Yevgeny Sergeyevich, which of us looks the younger?

Dr. Dorn: You, of course.

Arkadina: There you are! And why? Because I work, I feel, I am always on the go, while you stay in the same place all the time, you don’t live . . .

bourgeois stage according to her son Treplev), and a Diva. She is self-centered, stingy, and worried about getting older and losing Trigorin to the much younger Nina. Arkadina has a knack for making every conversation and every event about her.

Take this conversation from Act II with Masha and Dr. Dorn:

A prime example of Arkadina’s selfish behavior comes during Nina’s performance of Constantin’s play. Constantin believes he is on the brink of revolutionizing theatre with a backyard performance of his groundbreaking work set two hundred thousand years in the future; his mother sees the performance as an opportunity to heckle and patronize her son.

Constantin explodes and stops the performance. His mother cannot understand why he is angry.

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Constantin’s Play: an excerpt Performed by Nina during Act I of The Sea Gull on a stage erected near the lake on Sorin’s (Arkadina’s brother’s) estate.

Men, lions, eagles, and partridges, horned deer, geese, spiders, silent fish that dwell in the deep, starfish, and creatures invisible to the eye— these and all living things, all, all living things, having completed their sad cycle, are no more . . . For thousands of years the earth has borne no living creature. And now in vain this poor moon lights her lamp. Cranes no longer wake and cry in meadows, May beetles are heard no more in linden groves. Cold, cold, cold. Empty, empty, empty.

Awful, awful, awful . . .

[Non-Chekhovian characters] Cassandra In Durang’s play, Cassandra is the housekeeper with a

gift for prophesy. In Greek mythology Cassandra is the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Cassandra was given the gift of prophecy by the god Apollo. When she refused his sexual advances he turned the gift to a curse: no one would believe Cassandra’s predictions.

Therefore, she could not prevent the sack of Troy even though she foresaw the deception of the Trojan

Horse. Taken as a slave

by Agamemnon after the Trojan War, she predicted his death at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus, who also killed Cassandra. Before she died, she predicted Clytemnestra and Aegisthus would be killed by Orestes and Electra, the son and daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. Again, her warning went unheeded. Guess what happened.

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Hootie Pie Hootie Pie is completely Durang’s invention. He has said that when he started the play he knew there would be a character named Hootie Pie, but he had no idea who she was or what she would do in the play.

Spike Really needs no explanation.

Giving Chekhov his Due

different, quite unlike our present life.”

Durang insists that his play is not a parody of Chekhov and that it is not his intent to make fun of the great Russian writer. Yet, with all the unhappiness, unrequited love, suicide, attempted suicide, misery, and stagnation experienced by his characters, it would seem Chekhov invites parody. Chekhov seems to have been aware of this possibility, and during his lifetime urged interpreters of his work, especially Constantin Stanislavsky of the Moscow Art Theatre, to find the humor. Chekhov subtitled two plays, The Sea Gull and The Cherry Orchard, comedies in four acts. How could that be when the former ends in suicide and the latter in a family losing an estate they have owned for generations? It is a matter of perspective. Chekhov wanted people to take a look at their lives and see their own foolishness, as he once explained:

Chekhov may have been a tad optimistic about the power of theatre when he said that; nevertheless, humor suffuses his plays.

Consider this scene from Act I of The Sea Gull.

Treplev has been waiting all day to see Nina, with whom he is in love.

“All I wanted was to say honestly to people: ‘Have a look at yourselves and see how bad and dreary your lives are!’ The important thing is that people should realize that, for when they do, they will most certainly create another and better life for themselves. I will not live to see it, but I know that it will be quite

Treplev: We are alone.

Nina: I think someone is there . . .

Treplev: There is no one . . . (kisses her) Nina: What kind of tree is that?

Treplev: An elm.

Nina: Why is so dark?

Treplev: Because it’s evening, and everything looks darker.

One needn’t be Dr. Phil to recognize that Nina isn’t as eager to kiss Constantin as he is to kiss her, and so she eludes his advance with inane questions. It is a simple moment, classic Chekhov, that is at once sad—eventually tragic—for him, uncomfortable at best for her, and quite comic for the audience. Therein lies a hint of the genius of Chekhov, as even a simple and humorous exchange contains layer upon layer of meaning.

Chekhov once explained his approach to theatre like this: “Men dine, just dine, and in this moment their fate is decided and their lives destroyed.”

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cast Ben Chase (Spike) is a recent graduate of the MFA Acting Program at Brown University/Trinity Rep. Regional: Two Gentlemen of Verona, Julius Caesar (Shakespeare on the Sound) A Christmas Carol, It’s a Wonderful Life (Trinity Repertory Company), Shakespeare on Love (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company), Timeshare (Playwrights Rep), Mister Roberts (New Rep. Theatre). New York: The Sun Experiment (NY Int’l Fringe). Readings and workshops include: Naked Angels, MCC Theatre, and the Lark.

Film/TV: Lazarus Rising, Alice in Wonderland, Iris, The Replacement Child.

MFA: Brown/Trinity.

have seen Midori on national television delivering a monologue for Liberty Mutual Insurance or riding down the streets of Brooklyn, New York on her beloved beach bike.

Dori Legg (Sonia). NY: Toy Box Theatre: The Short Fall; Origin Theatre: Shaving the Pickle.

Regional: Actors Theatre Of Louisville: Noises Off; Fulton Opera House: August: Osage County, Enchanted April, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Prides Crossing, Glorious; Arena Stage: The Women; Folger Shakespeare Theatre: Twelfth Night, Macbeth, Melissa Arctic; Interact Theatre: Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Purloined Letter, Great Expectations, Pirates of Penzance, Iolanthe, Christmas at the Old Bull and Bush; Humana Festival: This Beautiful City; Woolly Mammoth: Recent Tragic Events (Helen Hayes Nomination); Triad Stage: Snow Queen, Brother Wolf; Round House: Season’s Greetings, Escape from Happiness; Delaware Theatre: The Diary of Anne Frank; Two River Theatre: Barefoot in the Park. Film: The Daft Penguin, El Camino, Double Negative, Guilty As Charged. TV: Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: CI, Homicide, As the World Turns, Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

Midori Iwama (Nina).

Having received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University this past May, Midori is delighted and excited to be performing at Syracuse Stage. While at Rutgers, Midori had the pleasure of studying in residence at Shakespeare’s Globe in London under the guidance of Tony-nominated director Tim Carroll (Twelfth Night, Richard the Third) as well as working with directors Michael Sexton, Robert Moss, and Gabriel Bare here in the states. Favorite roles include Launce in Michael Sexton’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Kylie/Junko in a devised piece entitled 40N/70W directed by her teacher and mentor Kevin Kittle (In God’s Hat, Dirty Works.) This past summer you may

Larry Paulsen (Vanya) is very pleased to be returning to Syracuse for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. He was seen here as Sagot in

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cast Picasso at the Lapin Agile. He has appeared extensively at leading theatres nationwide, including the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC, the McCarter Theatre Center, the Huntington Theatre, Denver Center Theatre Company, Seattle Rep, ACT Theatre, Intiman Theatre, Alliance Theatre Company, La Jolla Playhouse, Kansas City Rep, and the Cleveland Playhouse, as well as the South Coast Rep, the Milwaukee Rep, Alliance Theatre Company, Arizona Theatre Company, Mark Taper Forum and Two River Theatre. In addition, he was a company member at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for seven seasons, appearing there in dozens of productions. Off-Broadway, he has been seen in The Winter’s Tale at Classic Stage Company, Julius Caesar at NY Shakespeare Festival and Swansong at the Lion Theatre.

Apparel (San Diego Critics Circle Award) and Proposals just to name a few. Selected television appearances include Law & Order, General Hospital, and a recurring role on the hit ABC Family drama Lincoln Heights.

Lisa adds several national commercials to her credit including Geico, Liberty Mutual, and Denny’s. Behind the microphone, Lisa has narrated some 40+ audiobook titles spanning all genres, from children’s novels to sci-fi and everything in between; notably Pushkin and the Queen of Spades by Alice Randall and Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody, which both received the AudioFile Earphone Award for excellence in narration. Most recently Lisa was seen on the big screen as “The Letter Writer” in the Oscar-nominated film HER directed

by Oscar-winner Spike Jonze. Currently, she is a 2014 Audie Award Nominee (the Oscars of Audiobook narration) and up next Lisa will complete filming of a feature film distributed by Universal Pictures. A graduate of Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, Lisa holds her BFA degree in Theatre Arts and now resides in Los Angeles, CA. www.LisaReneePitts.com

Lisa Renee Pitts (Cassandra) is thrilled to be returning to Syracuse Stage after making her professional acting debut right here as Emily Webb in Our Town. She was also seen on this very stage in From the Mississippi Delta as well as in Tintypes. Since that time Lisa has gone on to become an award-winning actress in theatre, television, and film, as well as an accomplished audiobook narrator and producer. She has been seen Off-Broadway, in Europe, and in regional theatres across the country, performing leading roles in: A Raisin in the Sun, Doubt (Portland Critics Circle Award), Intimate

Nance Williamson (Masha) is thrilled to be returning to Syracuse Stage where she last performed the one woman show Bad Dates. Nance has appeared on Broadway in Romeo and Juliet with Orlando Bloom, Cyrano and Henry IV both with

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cast Kevin Kline. Off-Broadway credits include Marvin’s Room, Empty Plate at the Cafe Du Grand Beouf with George Wendt, and The Sea Gull and Two Gentlemen of Verona in Central Park. Nance has worked extensively in the regional theatre for the past 30 years including Denver Center, Seattle Rep, Berkley Rep, Mark Taper Forum, Old Globe, Arizona Theatre Co., Playmaker’s Rep., Pioneer Theatre Company, Dallas Theatre Center (company member in over 30 productions), St. Louis Rep, Indiana Rep, Geva Theatre Co., Trinity Rep, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Alliance Theatre, Delaware Theatre

Co., Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (company member in over 25 productions), Berkshire Theatre Festival, Kitchen Theatre, Theatre 3, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Missouri Rep., Shakespeare Festivals of Dallas and Colorado. Nance just finished shooting an independent short film The Tale of Fenton Black. Nance has worked numerous times on Law & Order, Law & Order CI, and Law & Order SVU, and Dawson’s Creek.

Nance and her husband actor/director Kurt Rhoads just celebrated 30 years of marriage and have worked on 60 productions together.

A r t i s t i c S ta f f John Arnone (Scenic Designer), Tony Award-winner, began his career designing critically acclaimed productions Off-Broadway for which he received two Obie Awards. He designed more than 30 sets at New York’s Public Theatre with legendary producer Joseph Papp, Lion Theatre Co, Playwrights Horizons, and Circle Rep. He has worked with Garland Wright and Joe Dowling at the Guthrie Theatre and Des McAnuff at La Jolla Playhouse and the Stratford Festival Theatre. In 1993 The Who’s Tommy opened on Broadway, for which Mr. Arnone received a Tony, Dora Mavor Moore, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards.

Other Broadway designs include How to Succeed in Business…, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Sacrilege; Tommy Tune’s productions of The

Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public and Grease; Sex and Longing; The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?; Fortune’s Fool; The Full Monty; Marlene; The Deep Blue Sea; Lone Star/Pvt Wars; Minnelli on Minnelli; The Best Man; The Ride Down Mt. Morgan; and Lennon: The Musical. His work has been seen in Canada, London, Vienna, Berlin, Japan, and Australia.

Caitlin Ward (Costume Designer) is very interested in costume as it relates to convergent media, from the ancient to the emerging. Recent work includes opera, aerial, and animation projects for Polo Arts Beijing; Milan-based animation studio, Bonsai Ninja; Daniele Zambelli’s multiplatform aerial ballet with Simmetrico Italia, and BattleROYAL, Berlin; the Spoleto Festival, Carnegie Hall,

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A r t i s t i c S ta f f SITI Company, Souzhou Opera, and Lincoln Center Festival. She produced and designed the acclaimed music video, Ghosts & Flowers: Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia for Rome Arca Productions. Ms. Ward’s work has been seen at the Royal Shakespeare Company-UK, English National Opera, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Intiman Theatre, New York City Opera, The European Capital of Culture Festival, 2009; Seattle Opera, Lithuanian National Opera, Signature Theatre, Guthrie Theatre, Ferrari Museum in Abu Dhabi, and, in association with designer Eiko Ishioka, Zhang Yimou’s One World, One Dream Opening CeremoniesBeijing 2008 Olympic Games. Her film design credits include Myriad Pictures’ Dark Matter starring Meryl Streep and Liu Ye (Winner Alfred Sloan Prize-Sundance Film Festival, 2007); Tommy’s Pumpkin with Postfactory NY; Bert and Arnie’s Guide to Friendship (Winner London Film Festival-Best Feature Film, 2012); PBS Great Performances Clown Prince with Bill Irwin. She lives in Brooklyn and London.

and TU Dance. Karin designed the Sage Award-winning Ways to be Hold with SPDT. Montana Johnson (Sound Designer) is a Minneapolis based sound designer. Regional credits include Skiing on Broken Glass, Embers (US premiere), and Pulse (Guthrie Theatre). Passing Strange and Avenue Q (Mixed Blood Theatre). Violet, The Full Monty, Old Wicked Songs, and Parade (Theatre Latte Da). Reasons to be pretty, After the Quake, and Robots vs Fake Robots (Walking Shadow Theatre Company). Montana received her MFA in Sound Design from California Institute of the Arts and teaches Sound Design and Audio Technology at The University of Minnesota.

Stuart Plymesser (Production Stage Manager) is back for his eighteenth season at Syracuse Stage where he has stage managed more than 60 plays, musicals, and special events, working with such talents as Olympia Dukakis, Frank Langella, Elizabeth Franz, and Phylicia Rashad.

Stuart has worked at numerous regional theatres around the country and in Cape Town, South Africa and has toured nationally. Locally, he has also stage managed events for Syracuse Fashion Week. In addition, Stuart is adjunct faculty for Syracuse University’s Department of Drama and has been a guest speaker/lecturer at Ithaca College, Wells College, SUNY Oswego and the Zabalaza Festival in Cape Town. Stuart is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional

Karin Olson (Lighting Designer) is a lighting designer based in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. She has been lighting the Twin Cities in venues of all scales such as the Guthrie Theatre, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Ordway Center, and the Southern Theatre. She has worked with loads of great theatre companies including: Mixed Blood, Frank Theatre, Theatre Mu, and with dance companies Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theatre

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Over

15,000

students in CNY will attend Syracuse Stage Education Programs this season. thank you to the following sponsors

The John Ben Snow Foundation, Inc. ArtsEmerging Sponsor

Children’s Tour Annabel Drudge

Education Programs 2014/2015

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A r t i s t i c S ta f f actors and stage managers, as well as the United States Aikido Federation. www.stuartplymesser.com.

Selected regional casting credits include: Syracuse Stage, Mark Taper Forum, Hartford Stage, Arena Stage, Trinity Repertory Theatre, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Geva Theatre Center, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Pittsburgh Public, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Longwharf Theatre, Alliance Theatre Company, The Goodman Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Huntington Theatre Company, Virginia Stage Company, Dallas Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, and Playmaker’s Repertory Theatre. Feature film credits include: Pushing Hands directed by Ang Lee, Underheat, starring Lee Grant, First We Take Manhattan, produced by Golden Harvest Inc., and Graves End, directed by Sal Stabile.

Harriet Bass (Casting Director) has been an independent New York casting director since 1989, casting for theatre, film, and television. In New York City Harriet has cast for ABC/TV, Fox Television Studios, Joseph Papp’s Public Theatre: NEW WORK NOW, The Minetta Lane Theatre, The Women’s Project, La MaMa, E.T.C., New York Women in Film and Television, and The Jewish Repertory Theatre. She has cast the last three of the late August Wilson’s ten part play series: the original and touring productions of Radio Golf, the Broadway production of Gem of the Ocean, and the Off-Broadway production of Jitney.

director Marcela Lorca Recent directing credits include Crimes of the Heart at the Guthrie Theatre; Scorched at Syracuse Stage; Caroline, or Change at The Guthrie Theatre and Syracuse Stage; The Burial At Thebes and The Secret Fall of Constance Wilde at the Guthrie Theatre; House of the Spirits and Found at Mixed Blood Theatre, MN; Blood Wedding at the Guthrie Lab and Missouri Repertory Theatre; Pulse, Time Sensitive, Going Live, Macondo, Chain of Fools, Postcards from Earth, and Confluence in the Guthrie Theatre’s Dowling Studio; The Clean House at Juilliard Drama School; Bring Love to My Door-

step, The Long Walk, I Keep Walking on Sinking Sand, Bye Bye Margarita, and In Darkness at the Guthrie Lab; Wilde Honey, Antigone, The Seagull, Three Sisters, Iphigenia at Aulis, and The Gods: Helen and Orestes at the University of Minnesota; If You Could Only Touch My Heart, Raw, and Walking Around at the Southern Theatre, MN. At the Guthrie Theatre she has choreographed over 20 plays including The Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice, Merrily We Roll Along, Blood Wedding, Sweeny Todd, Much Ado About Nothing, You Can’t Take It With You, Winter’s Tale, Pericles, Lysistrata, A Midsummer

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Care for children & adults Complimentary Consultation Advanced SureSmile Technology ®

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Clear braces Invisalign ® Reduced treatment times

director Night’s Dream, As You Like It, and A Christmas Carol. Other choreography includes The Winter’s Tale at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Persians at Washington Shakespeare Theatre, A Light in the Piazza at the Goodman Theatre, and Pericles at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. She has also worked at the National Actor’s Theatre and Signature Theatre in New York City, Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, National Opera of the Dominican Republic, and Grupo del

Centro-Chilean dance company. Ms. Lorca has been movement director for the Guthrie Theatre since 1991, and has since coached more than 120 plays. She is head of movement for the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theatre BFA Actor Training program. She has also taught at New York University, Juilliard Drama School, the London International School of Performing Arts, US conferences, and the Guthrie Experience for Actors in Training.

p l ay w r i g h t Christopher Durang. Christopher Durang’s plays include A History of the American Film (Tony nomination, Best Book of a Musical), The Actor’s Nightmare, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You (Obie Award, Off-Broadway run, 198183), Beyond Therapy (on Broadway in 1982, with Dianne Wiest and John Lithgow), Baby With The Bathwater (Playwrights Horizons, 1983), The Marriage of Bette and Boo (Public Theatre, 1985; Obie Award, Dramatists Guild Hull Warriner Award), Laughing Wild (Playwrights Horizons, 1987), and Durang Durang (an evening of six plays at Manhattan Theatre Club, 1994, including the Tennessee Williams parody For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls). In 1996, he was commissioned by the Rodgers and Hammerstein Foundation to write a new book for the popular musical Babes in Arms. Sex and Longing was commissioned by Lincoln Center Theatre and was

presented on Broadway in fall 1996 starring Sigourney Weaver. The Idiots Karamazov, a full-length play with music written with Albert Innaurato, was revived at the American Repertory Theatre. His play Betty’s Summer Vacation (Drama Desk Award nomination) had its world premiere at Playwrights Horizons in February 1999 to great critical acclaim and sold-out houses and was extended three times. It was the recipient of four Obie Awards, for distinguished playwriting, directing, acting, and set design. His new musical (with music

by Peter Melnick), Adrift In Macao premiered at New York Stage and Film in the summer of 2002. Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge was commissioned by Pittsburgh’s City Theatre and had its world premiere in November 2002. In the early ‘80s, he and Sigourney Weaver co-wrote and performed in their acclaimed Brecht-Weill parody Das Lusitania Songspiel and were both

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p l ay w r i g h t nominated for Drama Desk Awards for Best Performer in a Musical. In 1993, he sang and tried to dance in the five-person Off-Broadway Sondheim revue Putting It Together, with Julie Andrews at Manhattan Theatre Club. And he played a singing Congressman in Call Me Madam with Tyne Daly as part of Encores.

He can be heard on cast recordings of both productions. In movies, he has appeared in The Secret of My Success, Mr. North, The Butcher’s Wife, Housesitter, The Cowboy Way, The Object of My Affection, Simply Irresistible, and The Out of Towners, among others. For television, he wrote for a Carol Burnett special called Carol and Robin and Whoopi and Carl; and for PBS’ series Trying Times, he wrote a teleplay called “The Visit” starring Swoosie Kurtz as Wanda, the upsetting houseguest. He’s written several screenplays, including The House of Husbands (co-authored with Wendy Wasserstein), The Adventures

of Lola for Tri-Star and director Herbert Ross, The Nun who Shot Liberty Valance, and his own adaptation of Sister Mary … which aired on Showtime with Diane Keaton in the title role; and two sitcom pilots, Billy and Meg (for Fox Television) and Dysfunction! - the TV Show for Warner Brothers. He hopes one day they will be produced, perhaps in heaven. He has an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. Early in his career, he won a Guggenheim, a Rockefeller, the CBS Playwriting Fellowship, the Lecompte du Nouy Foundation grant, and the Kenyon Festival Theatre Playwriting Prize. In 1995 he won the prestigious three-year Lila Wallace Readers Digest Award; as part of his grant, he ran a writing workshop for adult children of alcoholics. Since 1994 he has been co-chair with Marsha Norman of the Playwriting Program at the Juilliard School in Manhattan.

He is a member of the Dramatists Guild Council.

Producing Artistic Director Timothy Bond is in his eighth season as producing artistic director of Syracuse Stage and the Syracuse University Department of Drama.

For Syracuse Stage he has directed The Whipping Man, August Wilson’s Two Trains Running, The Brothers Size, The Boys Next Door, Radio Golf, No Child..., Fences, The Price, The Diary of Anne Frank and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. He has 27 years experience in

leading regional theatres throughout the country. Previously, he served for 11 years as associate artistic director of the famed Oregon Shakespeare Festival where he directed 12 productions, including works by Shakespeare, August Wilson, Suzan-Lori Parks, Edward Albee, Lorraine Hansberry, Lynn Nottage, Octavio Soliz and Pearl Cleage. Prior to that, Bond spent 13 years with the Seattle Group Theatre, serving as artistic director from 1991 – 1996. While there he directed more

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Producing Artistic Director than 20 plays including a number of world and West Coast premieres, and he oversaw the largest capital campaign in the company’s history, culminating in the completion of a new theatre complex in the Seattle Center. Bond has also directed at such prestigious theatres as The Guthrie, Arena Stage, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, The Cleveland Play House, A Contemporary Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre

and Geva Theatre. Bond received a Theatre Communications Group/ National Endowment for the Arts Directing Fellowship Award and has twice won Backstage West’s Garland Award for Outstanding Direction for Les Blancs (1998) and Blues for an Alabama Sky (1997). He served on the board of directors of the Theatre Communications Group from 1993 to 1997. Bond holds a BFA from Howard University and an MFA in directing from the University of Washington.

managing Director Jeffrey Woodward became the managing director of Syracuse Stage in 2008. For 17 years he served as the managing director for the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ. During his tenure, McCarter was honored with the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre.

Woodward is a member of the board of the University Hill Corporation, the East Genesee Regent Association and CNY Arts. He has served on

the Board of Trustees of Theatre Communications Group and as President of ArtPride New Jersey.

He has also served as a panel chairman, panelist, and on-site evaluator for the National Endowment for the Arts. He has worked for Hartford Stage, the Mark Taper Forum, Northlight Theatre and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and served as a consultant to a number of organizations. He holds a BA from Pomona College and a MBA from New York University.

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mission/vision Mission: Syracuse Stage is a global village

turous, and entertaining productions of new plays, classics and musicals, and offer interactive education and outreach programs in Central New York.

square where renowned artists and audiences of all ages gather to celebrate our cultural richness, witness the many truths of our common humanity, and explore the transformative power of live theatre.

Celebrating our 42nd season as a professional theatre in residence at Syracuse University, we create innovative, adven-

Vision: Syracuse Stage illuminates the

many truths of our common humanity through the transformative power of live theatre.

A b o u t S y r a c u s e S ta g e Syracuse Stage is Central New York’s

These visiting artists are supported by a staff of artisans, technicians, educators, and administrators who are responsible for all facets of the theatre from building sets, props and costumes to marketing, development, and box office.

A solid core of subscribers and supporters helps keep Syracuse Stage a vibrant artistic presence in Central New York. Year after year their support and patronage contribute to the success of the theatre. Additional support from government, foundations, corporations and Syracuse University helps to ensure the continued role of Syracuse Stage as a valued cultural resource for the community.

Syracuse Stage is a constituent of the Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, and a member of the Arts and Cultural Leadership Alliance (ACLA), the University Hill Corporation and the East Genesee Regent Association.

premier professional theatre. Founded in 1974, Stage has produced more than 300 plays in 41 seasons including a number of world, American, and East Coast premieres. Each season 70,000 patrons enjoy an adventurous mix of new plays and bold interpretations of classics and musicals featuring the finest theatre artists. In addition, Stage maintains a vital educational outreach program that annually serves over 15,000 students throughout Central New York.

Syracuse Stage is a member of The League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the largest professional theatre association in the country. America’s leading actors, directors and designers work and/or have worked at Stage including: Tony Award-winners Lillias White, Chuck Cooper and Elizabeth Franz, Emmy recipient Jean Stapleton, Sam Waterston, John Cullum, James Whitmore, Ben Gazzara and Ping Chong.

in The Community An important aspect of the Syracuse

The Burton Blatt Institute, ARISE, IRC’s Community Wide Dialogue to End Racism, Hospice of CNY, SUNY Upstate Medical/St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Onondaga County, The Learning Place, AIDS Community Resources, Syracuse Homes, The Chadwick Residence, The Child Care Council of Onondaga County, and Vera House, among others.

Stage mission is to be an active partner and resource in the Central New York community. Each season Syracuse Stage is pleased to partner with a diverse group of community organizations in sponsoring and facilitating various programs, benefits and events. Ongoing and past partnerships include Arc of Onondaga,

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n e x t at S y r a c u s e s ta g e

August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson

Hairspray

Book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan Music by Marc Shaiman Lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman Directed by Bill Fennelly Choreography by David Wanstreet Musical Direction by Brian Cimmet Co-produced with SU Drama November 28 - January 4

Directed by Timothy Bond Co-produced with Seattle Repertory Theatre October 22 - November 9

The past threatens to pull apart brother and sister. Bernice treasures a one-of-akind piano, an heirloom with carved figures of the family’s enslaved ancestors.

Boy Willie suddenly arrives from the South determined to sell the piano and buy the land his family worked. When the ghost of the piano’s original owner appears, family conflicts escalate to a dramatic confrontation. With lyrical language rolling from the rowdy to the tender, this is one of Wilson’s finest.

Recommended for ages 12 and up.

Bubbling with joy and 60s era music and dance, Hairspray delights with the pleasures of a classic American musical. Tracy Turnblad is a teen whose life revolves around dancing on the Corny Collins TV show. Who knew that a teenybopper TV show could be a catalyst for integration? You can’t stop the beat, and truth be told, you won’t want to once the allsinging and dancing cast takes the stage.

Recommended for all ages.

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n e x t at SU d r a m a

Parade

Stepping Out

Daring, innovative, and bold, Parade won well-earned Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Score in 2000. The tragic, true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man wrongly accused of murder in 1913 Georgia, serves as the basis for a tender love story. As Frank seethes with the injustice of his conviction, his wife Lucille finds untapped reserves of love and strength to become his greatest champion. A passionate and powerful work of musical theatre.

This comic gem of a play follows the ups and downs of nine women and one man who meet each week in a church hall for a beginning tap class. Led by Mavis, a patient and talented dancer, and accompanied by the acerbic Mrs. Fraser on piano, the students struggle to learn basic tap with varying degrees of success. Throughout, playwright Richard Harris explores the shifts in the lives of the characters as they work together to rehearse and perform a polished routine at a charity fundraiser. This delightful play ran for three years when it premiered in London in the 1980s and remains an insightful look at friendship and the joy that can be found in Stepping Out, if only once a week.

Book by Alfred Uhry Music by Jason Robert Brown Co-conceived and Directed on Broadway by Harold Prince Directed by Marie Kemp Musical Direction by Brian Cimmet Choreography by Andrea Leigh-Smith October 10 – 19 Opening Night: October 11

By Richard Harris Directed by Timothy Davis-Reed November 14 – 22 Opening Night: November 15

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s y r a c u s e s ta g e b o a r d o f t r u s t e e s Chair

Robert Pomfrey* President & CEO POMCO Group President

Louis Marcoccia* Executive VP & Chief Financial Officer Syracuse University Vice Chair

Janet Audunson* Senior Counsel National Grid Vice Chair

Fran Nichols* Vice Chair Eric Mower + Associates Vice Chair

Melvin T. Stith* Professor, Whitman School of Management Syracuse University Treasurer

Bea Gonzalez* Dean, University College Syracuse University

Ann Clarke* Dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts Syracuse University Pat Colabufo Human Resource Manager Wegmans Food Markets Richard Driscoll Group Manager Commercial Real Estate Lending M&T Bank Ellen Kimatian Eagen Sandra Fenske VP & General Counsel Lockheed Martin Corporation Helene Gold Private Voice & Piano Instructor Nancy Green Investment Advisor Edward S. Green & Associates Larry Harris Sr. VP & CFO & Secretary Saab Sensis Corporation

Rod McDonald* Bond, Schoeneck & King

Jeffrey Hoone Executive Director, Coalition of Museum & Arts Centers Syracuse University

Dan Berman Partner HancockEstabrook, LLP

Brian Howard Private Bank Market Manager Key Bank

Timothy J. Bond** Producing Artistic Director Syracuse Stage & SU Dept. of Drama

John Huhtala Relationship Manager Middle Market Commercial Banking Chase

Secretary

Lorraine Branham Dean/Professor, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications Syracuse University

Gregg Lambert Dean’s Professor of the Humanities Syracuse University

Sandra Brown President Grandma Brown’s Beans, Inc.

Larry Leatherman President MOST

Nancy Byrne Community Volunteer

Vincent Love President 100 Black Men of Syracuse Inc.

Brian Cimmet Professor of Practice/Music Director SU Department of Drama

Kevin R. McAuliffe Partner Hiscock & Barclay

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Suzanne McAuliffe Retired Educator Samantha Millier Associate Attorney Mackenzie Hughes LLP Kevin O’Connor Sr. Resident Director & Sr. VP Investments Merrill Lynch Virginia Parker* Retired Educator Annette Peters Marketing Director Syracuse Media Group Linda Pitonzo Guild President James Reed Sr. VP Marketing & Sales Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Michelle Schultz Senior Director, HR Business Partner Human Resources AXA Richard Shirtz Regional President NBT Bank Sharon Sullivan* Community Volunteer Wanda Thompson Sr. VP of Operations Upstate Medical University Phil Turner Pastor Bethany Baptist Church Jeffrey Woodward** Managing Director Syracuse Stage Ralph Zito** Chair Syracuse University Department of Drama Michael Zoanetti VP Senior Wealth Advisor Tompkins Financial Advisors *Executive Committee **Ex-Officio

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s y r a c u s e S ta g e e m e r i t u s c i r c l e Eddie Green Joan Green Elizabeth Hartnett

Claude Incaudo Jack Mannion Margaret Martin

Eric Mower Judy Mower Michael Shende

Jack Webb

S y r a c u s e S ta g e G u i ld b o a r d President

recording Secretary

Linda Pitonzo

Mary O’Hara.

executive vice president

Corresponding Secretary

Sara Lowengard

Gretchen Goldstein

Vice President, Membership

Julia Martin Vice President, fundraising

Jacki Goldberg Vice President, Publicity

Kelly Gardner Treasurer

Ray Abdella

Deborah Borenstein Elaine Cardone Roxanna Carpenter Terry Delavan Sandi DiBianco Marsha Ferrara Grace Flusche Donna Green Jessica Humphreville

Barbara Ianuzi Lauren Kochian Ellen Lautz Amy McHale Carol Minkstein Beverly Short Marian Stanton Jean Straub Melissa Vassenilli Maryam Wasmund Ginny Yerdon

S y r a c u s e S ta g e e d u c at i o n a d v o c a c y b o a r d Sara Bambino

Joe Goldberg

North Syracuse High School

Jamesville Dewitt High School

Todd Benware

Fred Montas

Christian Brothers Academy

Manlius Pebble Hill

Elizabeth Defurio

Kathleen Pickard

Nottingham High School

Baker High School

Kimberly Doan

William Preston

Auburn High School

Manlius Pebble Hill

Patricia Farrington

Jennifer Sabatino

Cicero North Syracuse High School

Cato Meridian Middle School

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vanya & sonia & masha & spike Sponsors

NBT Bank. At NBT Bank, we remain committed to our community banking philosophy of putting customers first and actively investing in the communities we call home. Throughout our history we have supported numerous organizations and causes. We are excited about the 20142015 new season at Syracuse Stage and are proud to support the theatrical production of Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. This is the first of six plays that will once again provide patrons with a year of variety—satisfying a wide range of artistic tastes with some wellknown, high-quality productions. Please join NBT Bank in congratulating Syracuse Stage on the start of a new season and for the continuing value that they bring to the cultural community in Central New York.

POMCO Group. As a proud supporter of Syracuse Stage, POMCO Group congratulates Central New York’s professional theatre for another impressive season. We applaud Syracuse Stage for its continuous contributions to the region’s cultural and artistic growth.

season supporters*

Richard Mather Fund

The John Ben Snow Foundation, Inc.

Grandma Brown Foundation

*Corporate, Foundation and Government support received in the last 12 months from $3,000 - $100,000 and above.

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s y r a c u s e s ta g e a n n u a l G i f t s Syracuse Stage depends on the generosity of contributions from individuals, corporations, businesses, foundations and government agencies. It is with much gratitude that we recognize the following donors to our annual campaign. Contributors listed below represent donations received in the past twelve months. For information regarding levels of contribution and benefits of each please contact the Development office at 315.443.3931 or visit syracusestage.org

c o r p o r at e h o n o r r o l l $100,000+ Syracuse University $50,000 - $99,999 Syracuse Media Group – Season Sponsor $14,000 - $24,999 M&T Bank POMCO Group – Presenting Sponsor, Vanya and Sonia and Marsha and Spike $7,500 - $13,999 Bank of America – Children’s Tour, Annabel Drudge Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Business Journal News Network Hiscock & Barclay KeyBank N.A. – Hairspray Lockheed Martin MST – August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson and Military Initiatives NBT Bank – Vanya and Sonia and Marsha and Spike Syracuse New Times Syracuse Stage Board of Trustees WAER WRVO

 = Increased Gift,

$5,000 - $7,499 Carrier Corporation Exelon Generation Excellus BlueCross BlueShield – Hairspray Lockheed Martin Employees Federated Fund National Grid Scherzi Photography + Video The SU Humanities Center presents as part of the 2014 Syracuse Symposium™ on Perspective – August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson Syracuse Stage Guild – In the Next Room (or the vibrator play) Tompkins Financial Advisors Wegmans –Educational Programs $2,800 - $4,999 Urban CNY $1,500 - $2,799 Bristol-Meyers Squibb Foundation Phoebe’s SRCTec Inc. Syracuse Blue Print Young & Franklin $1,000 - $1,499 Action Printwear, Inc.  Cooper Crouse - Hinds

McIntosh Box & Pallet Co., Inc. Thomas R. Pratt, Architect, PC $500 - $999 Anoplate Corp.

Merrill Lynch Law Office of Keith D. Miller Rapid Response Monitoring Service $250 - $499 ACLS Mailing & Fulfillment Freeman Interiors Geddes Federal Savings Hebert Financial Strategies/ Dennis & Judy Hebert Reeves Farms Smith Contemporary Furniture/Smith Interiors Ltd The Mid-York Press, Inc. $75 - $249 Brady System Fulton Savings Bank Giarrusso Building Supplies Mauro-Bertolo Therapy Services, P.T., P.C. L. & J.G. Stickley Urist Financial & Retirement Planning Visual Technologies Ann Wolfson Associates

* = Stage Board Member, Stage Emeritus Board Member,

n = In-kind Contribution

Contributors listed have provided support in the past 12 months.

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f o u n d at i o n & g o v e r n m e n t h o n o r r o ll $50,000 - $99,999 County of Onondaga, Administered by CNY Arts – Hairspray The Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation – Presenting Sponsor, The Piano Lesson, In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), Other Desert Cities and Founders Circle Member $25,000 - $49,999 Allyn Foundation Central New York Community Foundation, Inc. John F. Marsellus Fund Robert Sterling Clark Foundation – Sizwe Bansi is Dead The Richard Mather Fund New York State Council on

the Arts Shubert Foundation $14,000 - $24,999 The John Ben Snow Foundation, Inc. ArtsEmerging $7,500 - $13,999 AXA Foundation The Gifford Foundation The Green Family Foundation National Endowment for the Arts $5,000 - $7,499 Theatre Development Fund, Inc. $2,800 - $4,999 Grandma Brown Foundation The Gladys Krieble Delmas

Foundation – The Piano Lesson Melvin & Mildred Eggers Family Charitable Foundation $1,500 - $2,799 Price Chopper’s Golub Foundation – Education Initiatives $1,000 - $1,499 Henry A. Panasci, Jr. Charitable Trust $500 - $999 Peter & Wendy Blanck Family Foundation Frank & Frances Revoir Foundation

endowment & planned gift donors $5,000 - $7,499 Mary Louise Dunn Fund

individual gifts All new and increased gifts this season are matched dollar for dollar by the Richard Mather Fund.

Founders Circle $7,500 - $24,999 Paul Phillips, MD & Sharon* Sullivan Playwrights’ Circle $5,000 - $7,499 Daniel Bingham & Gail Hamner Judy & Eric Mower* Sandra Lee Fenske* & Joe Silberlicht Producers’ Circle $2,800 - $4,999 Bill & Nancy* Byrne

Margaret, Amy & Bob Currier Helene* & Neil Gold Mary & Larry* Leatherman Louis* & Susan Marcoccia Suzanne* & Kevin* McAuliffe Judith Sayles & David Murray Frederick & Virginia* Parker Mrs. Sherwin Radin Nancy & Steve Rogers The Spina Family Elinor Spring-Mills & Darvin Varon Dr. & Mrs. Thomas R. Welch

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Directors’ Circle $1,500 - $2,799 Janet* Audunson & David Youlen Joan Christy & Thomas Bersani Nancy Seward & Tim Bond Cathy & Jim Breuer Sandra L. Brown* Laurie Clark Kristin & Sidney Cominsky Dana & Peggy Dudarchik James Eagen & Ellen* Kimatian Eagen Barbara & Michael Flintrop Joan & Eddie Green*

ACCESSI B ILIT Y PERFORMANCES 2 0 1 4 / 1 5 vanya & sonia & masha & spike

hairspray

Sat. Oct. 4, 3:00 S Sat. Oct. 11, 3:00 AD Wed. Oct. 1, 2:00 O Sun. Oct. 12, 2:00 O august wilson’s the piano lesson

Sat. Nov. 1, 3:00 S Sat. Nov. 8, 3:00 AD Wed. Oct. 29, 2:00 O Sun. Nov. 9, 2:00 O

Sat. Dec. 13, 3:00 S Sat. Dec. 20, 3:00 AD Sun. Dec. 21, 2:00 O Tue. Dec. 23, 2:00 O in the next room, or the vibrator play

Sat. Feb. 7, 3:00 S Sat. Feb. 14, 3:00 AD Wed. Feb. 4, 2:00 O Sun. Feb. 15, 2:00 O

sizwe banzi is dead

Sat. Mar. 7, 3:00 S Sat. Mar. 14, 3:00 AD Wed. Mar. 4, 2:00 OC Sun. Mar. 15, 2:00 OC other desert cities

Sat. Apr. 18, 3:00 S Sat. Apr. 25, 3:00 AD Wed. Apr. 15, 2:00 O Sun. Apr. 26, 2:00 O

American Sign Language = S Sign Language Interpreted Performance Series supported in part by Welch Allyn, in memory of Susan Thompson. An American Sign Language Interpreted performance is offered for every production. For the most advantageous viewing, be sure to mention your interest in sign interpretation when reserving tickets.

Open Captioned Performances = O Open Captioning is provided for two matinee performances of every production. A small screen, placed to the side of the stage, displays text corresponding to the play’s dialogue and other sounds. Open Captioning can be viewed from most seats in the theatre. However, for the most advantageous viewing, please contact the Box Office. Open Captioning is supported by grants from Theatre Development Fund’s TAP Plus Praagram, NYSCA and donations from individuals and corporations.

Audio-Described Performances = AD Simultaneous live narration and pre-show description for blind and visually impaired patrons. Please call the Box Office in advance to reserve headsets.

Audio Enhancement: Syracuse Stage offers an infrared hearing system for patrons with up to 70% hearing loss.

Headsets can be reserved free of charge through the Box Office or at the Coat Room before curtain.

Wheelchair Seating and Accessibility: Syracuse Stage is wheelchair accessible. Please call the Box Office at 315-443-3275 to arrange wheelchair seating.

PROGRAM BOOK Publications Director Graphic Designer Advertising Program Cover Art

Joseph Whelan Jonathan Hudak Katherine Keeney Brenna Merritt

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike published Sept. 24, 2014 The Syracuse Stage program is published seven times a year. For advertising rates and information contact the development office at 315.443.2709.

Printed by Midstate Printing Corporation.

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Winifred E. Greenberg Ann & Larry*Harris Betsy Hartnett* Barbara & Brian* Howard Mr. & Mrs. Claude* Incaudo Tamara Jacobs & David Epstein Peter Cannavo & Helen Jacoby Mr. & Mrs. Dudley Johnson Randy & Elizabeth Kalish Bea Gonzalez* & Michael Leonard Mr. John F.X. Mannion* & Mayor Stephanie A. Miner Nancy Green* & Tony Marschall Margaret* & Don Martin Sally Lou & Fran* Nichols Kevin* & Michelle O’Connor John & Sheila Parker William & Rosemary Pooler Bob* & Kellie Pomfrey Dene A. Sarason Elaine & Michael* Shende Leslie Kohman & Jeffrey Smith Dr. & Mrs. Sam Spalding Patricia & Melvin* Stith Cindy Sutton & Family Sally & Bob Theis Eileen & David Thompson Cherry & Peter Thun Linda & Jack* Webb Glenda & Larry Wetzel Laurie & Michael* Zoanetti Benefactors $1,000 - $1,499 Marya & John Frantz and Sutton Real Estate Company, LLC Joyce Homan Susan Beth Burgess & Michael S. Nilan Sandra Hurd & Joel Potash Athenia Rogers George & Rita Soufleris Stars $500 - $999 Dr. & Mrs. Richard Aubry Marion & Bob Barbero Daniel* & Sarah Berman Louise Birkhead Patti & Frank Borer Craig & Kathy Byrum Dr. & Mrs. Paul S. Cohen Ann Clarke*

Frank N. Decker Donald Blair & Nancy Dock Lew & Elaine Dubroff Clay & Dora Elliott Michael & Jacki Goldberg Bonnie & Gary Grossman Deb & Sam Haines Theodore C. & Antonia M. Hansen Donna Mahar & David Heisig Della & Philip Holtzapple John & Gloria Kennedy Stephen & Janet Kimatian Gregg Lambert* Barbara Beckos & Arthur McDonald John P. & Elizabeth Y. McKinnell Jane Merrill John MacAllister & Laurel Moranz Justin Sawyers & Jeffrey T. Morehead Anne Morford Mark Re & Nancy Pasquale Jane Burkhead & Robert Sarason Gracia & Rick Sears Walter & Nancy Shepard Brian & Kathy Sischo Corinne & Lynn Smith James & Vicki Smith Raymond & Linda Straub Nancy Kramer & Doug Sutherland Wanda Thompson* Tiso Family Leah Weinberg Lorraine* Branham & Melvin Williams Lori Ott & Jeffrey Woodward Angels $250 - $499 George & Sandra Abbott Mr. Timothy Atseff & Ms. Margaret G. Ogden Anne Barash Joanne & Jim Beckman Diane & Orville Boden Anthony & Nancy Bottar Dick Bowman Susan & Thomas Brett Mrs. William L. Broad Mark & Maren Brown Marlene A. Brown Marion L. Burke Dr. & Mrs. R. J. Cassady Drs. Alexander* & Margaret

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In Tribute ontributions have been made to Syracuse Stage to honor someone, celebrate a special occasion or offer an expression of sympathy in memory of a loved one.

In Memory of Arlene Alpaugh Allene Ayling in honor of Don Ayling Rose Erma Angotti in honor of Nancy Davenhauer Mrs. Gwynne Bellos in honor of Dr. Neal S. Bellos Sherly Day-Bernthal in tribute of Murray Bernthal Dr. Stuart Bretschneider in tribute to Cindy Bretschneider Carol Bryant in honor of Virginia Parker Susan G. Dorn in memory of Phillip K. Dorn June M. Estes in honor of Gerald L. Estes Mrs. Blanche & Ms. Carol Everingham, in honor of WWII, Purple Heart Veteran, Robert I. Everingham Barbara Genton in honor of Donna Perricone Peggy Ginniff in honor of my parents Harold & Mildred Ginniff Jacki & Michael Goldberg - in tribute of Natalie Goldberg Syracuse MT Student Tom & Christine Hafner in tribute of Peter Hafner Patti & Bill Haggerty in memory of Marilyn Parratt Kip & Terri Hargrave in honor of Gus Hargrave & Rick Menke Kathlyn Heaton in honor of Sharon Waletzko Drs. Timothy & Lisa Izant in honor of the Izant Brothers Linda & Bob Jackson in honor of Kevin Crewell Doris King in memory of Austin Hoffman II Richard & Joan Kollgaard in honor of Don Buschmann & Tracey White Robert & Ellen LaBerge in tribute of Daniela Varon Lorraine LaDuke in honor of Mrs. Cecile LaDuke Janet W. Lowe in honor of Bob Moss Mary S. Mahoney in honor of John Francis Mahoney

Charters Ann & Steve Chase Pat Colabufo* Goodwin Cooke Thomas & Deborah Coyle Mr. W. Carroll Coyne Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Dannible Sandra Marie DiBianco Alan B. Dolmatch Jonathan & Rosanne Ecker Marsha & Benjamin J. Ferrara Maryann Finn Michael & Grace Flusche Anita & Allen Frank David & Sylvia Fry Allan & Nirelle Galson Penny & Ernie Giraud David Jacobs & Douglas Goldschmidt Marie & Joseph E. Grasso Jean Jeffery Greene Jerry & Beth Groff Ellen & Dave Hardy Dr. & Mrs. Donald M. Haswell Nancy & Bud Haylor Drs. Joe & Paula Himmelsbach Mr. & Mrs. Alexander Holstein Anne Barash & Eric Holzwarth Randall LaLonde & Patricia Homer Carrie Mae Weems & Jeffrey* Hoone Dr. Peter & Mary Huntington Norma Kelley Penelope J.M. & Stephen M. Klein Mary Rose Kott Linda & Dan Lowengard Candace & John Marsellus Albert Marshall Philip & Kim Mazza Amy & Myles McHale, Jr. Sam & Margaret McNaughton Bernard P. & Leslie A. Molldrem Alejandro Amezcua & David Murray Betty Jane & Larry Myers Maria Maniscalco & James Nellis Mike & Maggie O’Connor Phyllis & Chuck Olmsted

Janice & David Panasci Robert & Teresa Parke Robert & Jane Pickett Marilyn Pinsky Kathy & Dan Rabuzzi Rissa & Michael Ratner James* & Theresa Reed Arnie & Libby Rubenstein Ellen & Lome Runge Lois & Ted Schroeder Marilyn & Mike Sees James W. Shults Rhoda Sikes Laurence Sovik Sharon Springer, MD Helene & George Starr Dr. J. Martin & Jackie Talcik Robert & Rosemarie Tenney Cynthia G. Tracy Elizabeth A. Tumbridge Pastor Phil M. Turner/ Bethany Baptist Church Sara & Jay Wason Marylou & Kurt Watson Lynda & Terry Wheat John & Mitzi Wolf Mary Jane Woodward Kathy, Tony, Victoria & Lucas Zappala Supporting Cast $100 - $249 Dr. & Mrs. Jerrold Abraham Judy & Bud Adams Bev & George Adams Sally Alden Howard & Sara Alexander David & Amy Allyn Kal Alston Kristi Andersen Robert & Jeanne Anderson Alice & Bob Andrews Nathan Andrews James & Nancy Asher Holmes & Sarah Bailey George S. Bain Ed & Joan Bangel Nancy Barnum Gerhard & Carole Baule Andrew & Margot Baxter Ms. Gwynne Bellos Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Berger Dr. & Mrs. William Berkery Wanda Warren Berry Cynthia A. Blume Gary & Fran Bockus Katherine & Jack Boyce Mary Brady Bernard B. & Ona Cohn Bregman

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John Huppertz & Diane Mastin in honor of Fran & Sally Lou Nichols Carl Peterson & Margaret Maurer in memory of Jacquline Coley Richard Midlam in tribute of Barbara Midlam Lois Moran in honor of Joan & Raymond Lee Janice Nelson in honor of Bea & Irving Solomon Pamela K. Reisman Monaco in tribute of Dorothy & Marshall Reisman Mark Cywilko & Marianne Moosbrugger in honor of Isabell A. Cywilko In honor of Kathryn Mulligan Liz Nguyen in tribute of Jack P. Bleich Joy & Al Oliver in honor of Rebecca Oliver & Hillary Gale Joan & Lawrence Page – in tribute of the musicians of the orchestra who accompany some productions Susan A. Parker in honor of Virginia B. Parker Karleen Preske in tribute of Kathleen Wilkinson Anita Rathbun in honor of Mildred Rathbun David Relyea in tribute of Paula Relyea Nancy Remchuk – in honor of Tim Bond, for a job well done Terry & Marilyn Ryan in honor of Shirley Gersony Nancy Scheutziw in tribute of Syracuse Stage Staff/ Volunteers Mr. & Mrs. Jacob H. Schuhle in memory of William Whiting Mansukh L. Shah in memory of Indira M. Shah John W. Sivak, Jr. in memory of Phoebe P. Sivak Vivan Summerville, June 7, 1968 Darcie Bowden Judy & Jim Sweet in memory of Kara Sweet Gobron Peter & Hanora Vander Sluis in memory of Hildegarde B. Vander Sluis Ron Theel in memory of Karen Theel Gary Walters in memory of Patti Grycka Carol Bryant & Richard Ward in honor of Virginia & Fritz Parker Terry & Lynda Wheat in memory of Kathy GoldfarbFindling Octavia Wilcox in honor of Ethel May Pierce Janet & Larry Wolf in memory of Frederick I. Wolf

Robert Moss & Michael Brennan James & Joyce Bresnahan Rachel May & Tom Brockelman G. Martin & Kathleen Brogan Philip & Helen Buck Robert & Mary Burdick Mary & Bill Butler Frank & Kathy Campagna Fran & Larry Campbell Ronald M. Capone Peter Carney Tom & Maryann Carranti Robert E. & Dorothy C. Chambers Steve & Mary Chapin Joseph L. & Janice L. Charles Joan Cincotta Malcolm Clark R. Peter & Janet H. Clarke Carolyn & Sam Clemence James A. Clinton Mr. & Mrs. Craig Cobb Gregory Cohen Martha Cole Milt & Miggs Coleman James A Traver & Marguerite Conan Bob & Sue Congel Mr. & Mrs. Robert D. Conine Roger & Judy Corwin Mr. & Mrs. Richard Cote Mr. & Mrs. Douglas L. Cotton Mike & LaRae Cottrell Orazio & Genevieve Covelli Elizabeth Cowan Tracy Cromp George W. Curry Peter & Margaret Darby John S. & Catherine J. Davies Clive & Sandra Davis Arthur & Juleen Delaney Paula A. Dendis Mr. & Mrs. Robert H. Derrenbacker David C. Dickinson Delores R. Dixon Elizabeth & Evan Dreyfuss David & Robin Drucker Walter & Linda Dudas Lynn Cleary & David Duggan Nancy & Tony Ebersole Dr. Nabila A. Elbadwi/ Radiotherapy Associates of

Upstate NY Betsy & Bill Elkins Susan A. Estabrook Cissie Fairchilds Lori & Christopher Farrell Tom & Jane Ferguson James & Barbara Finlon Joseph & Lillian Fischer Dan & Colleen Fisher Karen & William Fisher Katherine Flack Robert & Terry Flower Theresa Flyn Len Fonte Philip & Marilyn Frankel Drs. Tess & Jeff Freedman Ellie & Cyril Freeman Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Freer Martin & Daisy Fried Melanie & Mark Fullerton Edgar & Eva Galson David & Bernice Gaynor Margaret Gelfuso Barbara W. Genton Dr. & Mrs. Henry George III Mr. & Mrs. John Gerson Michele Gildemeyer Frank & Anne Girardi Peggy Ginniff James Godleski Sheila Goldie Robert & Karen Goldman Gretchen & Jeff Goldstein Annette Goodman Linda Fabian & Dennis Goodrich Lawrence & Dorothy Gordon Drs. Michael & Wendy Gordon David Graham Stephen & Julia Graziano Roger & Vicki Greenberg James M. Hahn Elaine & Gregory Hallett Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Halsey Stewart & Ruth Hancock Kevin & Denise Hanlon Carole & Mark Hansen Milena Hansen Bill & Kathy Harmand David & Lib Hayes Lionel Lee Hector Alan & Dorothy Heller Lee & Nancy Herrington Mary Hershberger Celaine & Victor Hershdorfer Judy & John Hoepner Marcia Hayden-Horan &

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Philip Horan Patricia & John Hottenstein Mr. & Mrs. Richard Hovey Guy & Patricia Howard Karen Heitzman & James Howe Dr. Anne Hunt Jim & Sherri Hyla Pam Hyland John & Linda Isaac Janet & John Isabelle Elaine & Steven Jacobs Mr. & Mrs. Jastrzab Daniel & Rhea Jezer Sisters Janet & Joan James Aiello & Pam Johnson Dr. & Mrs. Howard C. Johnson Mr. & Mrs. Stephen L. Johnson Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Johnston Michael & Lynette Jozefczyk Marjorie T. & Joseph V. Julian Jan & James Kaplan Phil & Judy Kaplan Robin & Mark Kasowitz John & Jane Keegan David & Noel Keith Scott & Cheryle Kelley Jean Kimber Barbara & Richard Kimm Russell & Joan King Sally & Dick Kinsey Richard & Joan Kollgaard Barbara Sutton & Liz Kolodney Dr. Sylvia Betcher & Martin Korn Donald & Margo Koten Kathy & Scott Krell Margaret Kufel Stephen & Cheryl Ladenheim Hume & Peggy Laidman Jay & Linda Land Phyllis & Harlan LaVine Linda & Jim LeMessurier Mark & Jeannette Levinsohn Bonnie Levy Elizabeth D. Liddy Edward & Carol Lipson Brian & Susan Lison K.B. Lloyd Paul Brown & Susan Loevenguth Harlan London, Ph.D. Betsy Long John & Marian Loosmann

Nick & Cathy Lozoponi Eugene & Christine Lozner Thomas Luck Tom Miller & Mary MacBlane Patricia & James MacKillop John & Janet Mallan J.R. Manier Jon M. Maloff Louis & Nancy Maresca Mary K. Massad Fred & Virginia Marty Elizabeth G. Mascia Grace & Richard Mason John & Gloria Mandly Rick Manier Ann M. Marshall Nancy & Tony Marshall Frederick & Virginia Marty Mary K. Massad Mr. & Mrs. Peter Mazzaferro Drs. Toni & Bob McCormick Don & Rena McCrimmon Michael McGrath Pat McGrath Brian & Cheryl McIntyre Bev & Dave McKay Marilyn McKnight Diane Cass & Tim McLaughlin Dr. & Mrs. James L. Megna Mary & Eckart Meisterfeld Clifford & Marjorie Mellor Ann R. Melvin Sis Merrell David Michelo & Peggy Ruzzie Mr. & Mrs. Charles Miller Dan &Terry Miller Merrill L. Miller, M.D. David & Beth Mitchell Gail & Peter Mitchell June M. Mitchell James Mitscher Robert & Barbara Moore John Palmer & Liz Morgenthein Janet S. Munro Richard & Barbara Natoli Dorothea & Douglas Nelson Stephen W. Nevins John & Joan Nicholson Douglas & Gail Nielsen Dennis & Doren Norfleet Neil Novelli Robert & Beth Oddy Howard McLaughlin & Mary O’Hara Sally O’Herin Donna & Richard O’Neil

Timothy & JoDean Orcutt Cathy L. Palm Connie & Peter Palumb Francis McMillan Parks David & Cynda Penfield Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Penner Kenn & Annette* Peters David & Susan Pickard Mary & Barry Pickard Richard & Neva Pilgrim David & Linda Pitonzo Joe & Karen Porcello Howard & Ann Port Tom & Camille Potter David & Linda Rezak Mr. & Mrs. David A. A. Ridings Brian & Chris Rieger Avard & Patricia Rogers Howard J. Rose Nancy Machles Rothschild Elaine Rubenstein Maria & Richard A. Russell Linda & Bob Ryan Don & Florence Saleh Richard & Jill Sargent Kelly & Tony Scalzo M. Gelfuso & P. Scheibe Keith Schroeder Janice Scully Jeffrey & Abby Scheer Nancy Mudrick& Eric Schiff George & Sharon Schmit Herbert & Hillery Schneiderman Margaret Schuhle Ellen Schwartz Ruth Seaman Constance Semel Drs. Peter Cronright & Judy Setla Rick & Betsy Severance Rob & Cheryl Shallish Mark Watkins & Brenda Silverman Dr. & Mrs. Robert Slavens Dr. & Mrs. L. Ryan Smart Craig & Martha Smith Debbie & David Smith Judith B. Smith Robert & Sheila Smith Harold & Ruth Smulyan Carol & Dirk Sonneborn Marcene Sonneborn Rosemary Baker & Stu Spiegel Helen E. Stacy Anne Stagnitti Dr. & Mrs. Dennis J. Stelzner

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Matching Gift Program he following companies will match gifts of their employees, retirees and spouses with a gift of their own to Syracuse Stage. Ask your personnel office for a matching gift form, send the completed form with your gift – and we’ll do the rest!

AT&T Allied-Signal, Inc. American Express Company Avon Products, Inc. AXA Equitable Bank of America Borden, Inc. CIGNA Corporation CNA Foundation Chemical Bank Chubb Group of Insurance Companies Citicorp & Citibank, N.A. Coopers Industries Foundation Crouse Hinds Co. – Cooper Industries Deluxe Corporation Digital Equipment Corporation Emerson Electric Co. Equitable Life Assurance Society Farmer & Traders Life Ins. Co. Fireman’s Fund Insurance GE Foundation General Foods Corporation GlaxoSmithKline John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance The Home Depot Foundation Honeywell IBM Corporation J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Johnson & Johnson Kemper National P&C Co. Key Foundation Lever Brothers Company Marine Midland Bank, N.A. McDonald’s Corporation Merrill Lynch Mobil Oil Corporation The MONY Group Mutual Life Insurance Co. NCR Corporation National Grange New York Telephone Niagara Mohawk Foundation Owens-Illinois, Inc. Pitney Bowes The Prudential Foundation Charles Schwab Radio Shack Rockwell Automation Trust SmithKline Beecham Labs The St. Paul’s Companies The Travelers Companies United Parcel Service United Technologies Corp.

Verizon Welch Allyn Xerox Corporation

Deborah & Jim Stewart Nona Stewart Jill & Ron Stratton Nan Strickland Thomas Talbot Joan & Gene Tarolli Laura M. Terpening Dr. & Mrs. James A. Terzian Jim & Terry Toole Dr. Richard & Mavis Tornatore Jean & John Tromans Tom & Mollie Tucker Marc & Susan Viggiano Dina & Gershon Vincow Meghan & T.J. Vitale Fred & Patricia von Mechow Frank & Alice Vreeland Barbara Vural Anita S. & Robert L. Wagner Kashi & Kameshawar Wali Dr. & Mrs. Donald Washburn Wilbur & Linda Webb – Audio Description Sally Webster Miriam Weiner Steven Shahan & Elizabeth Weinstein Ruth S. Weinstock Margaret Harding & Joseph Whelan Evelyn D. White Stacey White Elizabeth R. Wiggins Pauline & Robert Williamson Alex & Lola Winter Tina Winter Ivan & Bonnie Wolf Tom & Carol Wolff Kelly Wypych Cynthia A. Zacharek Judy & Steve Zdep, DDS

Friends $75 - $99 Al & Jane Arras John & Mary Ann Baichi Gail & Dennis Baldwin Theresa & Dennis Bardenett Jon & Trish Booth Dr. & Mrs. Denis F. Branson Bob & Kathy Brown Dr. & Mrs. Deane Cady Sharon F. Campanelli Timothy McLaughlin & Diane Cass Tim Cassidy Gary & Shannon Comins Paula derBoghosian Mary Ellen Drabot James & Marlene Dunford Molly Fitzpatrick Cliff & Jane Forstadt Judith Fox N. Gordon Gray William J. Gray Jane Guiles Holly S. Hart Robert & Denise Heater Elizabeth B. Humphreys Janet Jaffe Nancy Freeborough-Kaczmar Kankus Family Alexander & Joan Keilen John & Susan Kline Mr. & Mrs. Sheldon Kruth Robert & Lauren Lalley Lois M. Easterday & Susan J. Lamanna Eileen & James Lantier Joanne Lloyd Patricia & Donald MacLaughlin Thomas A Brisk & Gerald M. Mager Doug & Randi Matousek

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e endeavor to provide a complete listing of all donors in all individual giving categories. However, if your gift is not listed or is listed incorrectly, please accept our apologies, and contact the Development Office at (315) 443-9848.

Ryan & Alyson McDermott Nancy & John Merrill Robt & Maureen Minich Verner & Jane Mize Robert Moore David & Janet Muir Dr. & Mrs. Charles Muniak Deirdre Neilen Brenda Neuss Ellen O’Connor Karen Orr Anita Pisano Brian Silfer & Amy Romano Barbara Rothschild Dr. & Mrs. Bernard Schneider John Steinburg Dr. Lawrence Stewart Lennie & Elizabeth Turner Marc & Marcy Waldauer JoAnn Wallace Mrs. Barbara Wanamaker Larry Volan & Sara Warner Dianne D. Webb Anna Giacobbe & Peter Welge

S y r a c u s e STAGE S ta f f

ARTISTIC S ta f f

Producing Artistic Director..........................................................................................Timothy Bond Managing Director..................................................................................................Jeffrey Woodward Resident Dramaturg.............................................................................................................Kyle Bass Artistic Assistant...............................................................................................................Chris Botek Director of Educational Outreach...........................................................................Lauren Unbekant Education Outreach Manager.................................................................................Kate M. Laissle Education Assistant.........................................................................................................Len Fonte PRO D UCTION S ta f f

Director of Production Operations...........................................................................Don Buschmann Assistant Production Manager..................................................................................Dianna Angell Company Manager/Production Management Assistant...............................................Brian Crotty Production Management Intern...........................................................................Bridget Anderson Technical Director.......................................................................................................Randall Steffen Assistant Technical Director...................................................................................Rebecca Schuetz Scene Shop Foreman..................................................................................................Michael King Master Carpenter..............................................................................................Elizabeth Nosewicz Carpenters...........................................................................................Mike Kuhla, Simone Scalici Graduate Assistant............................................................................................Christopher Zacher Student work study................................................................................................Mylene Quijano Scenic Charge Artist................................................................................................Holly K. LaGrow Assistant Scenic Artist..............................................................................Kristen Prescott-Ezickson Graduate Assistants...............................................................Loren Bartnicke, Carlie Miller Sherry Properties Coordinator................................................................................................Mary Houston Props Carpenter.....................................................................................................Tammy Goetsch Props Artisan.................................................................................................................Lisa Letson Graduate Assistants.............................................................................James Gallagher, Lucia Sanz Student work study.....................................................................................................Ashley Kyker Costumer.....................................................................................................Gretchen Darrow-Crotty Assistant Costumer..................................................................................................Meggan Camp Cutter-Drapers...........................................................................Catherine Hennessy, Jennifer Peet First Hand...............................................................................................................Victoria Lillich Stitchers...................................................................................Amanda Moore, Cynthia Papworth Craftsperson/Shopper................................................................................................Sandra Knapp Wardrobe and Wig Supervisor.......................................................................................Sarah Stark Hair Stylist.............................................................................................................Kristina Scalone Student work study.................................Kathryn Bailey, Kiersten Kozbial-Wu, Charity Van Tassel Master Electrician.................................................................................................David M. Bowman Electrician...............................................................................................................Miles Dudgeon Electrics Apprentice......................................................................................................Ann Archer Student Assistants....................................................Gregory Folsom, Ryan Gibson, Anna LiDestri Resident Sound Designer/Audio Engineer............................................................Jonathan R. Herter Assistant Audio Engineer......................................................................................Kevin O’Connor Sound Apprentice........................................................................................................Jade Taggert Graduate Assistant......................................................................................................Stefan Zoller

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S y r a c u s e STAGE S ta f f

Production Stage Manager........................................................................................Stuart Plymesser Stage Manager....................................................................................................Laura Jane Collins Stage Management Journeyman..................................................................................Erin C Brett Stage Management Apprentice...............................................................................Marisa Andrews A D MINISTRATIVE S ta f f

Administrative Director...................................................................................................Diana Coles Director of Marketing and Communications...............................................................Patrick Finlon Publications Director/Assistant Marketing Director................................................Joseph Whelan Public Relations Manager....................................................................................Kristina Starowitz Group/Corporate Sales Manager................................................................................Tracey White Group Sales Assistants...........................................................................Amanda Kurey, Julia Slater Graphic Designers.......................................................................Jonathan Hudak, Brenna Merritt Production Photographer.........................................................................................Michael Davis Director of Development............................................................................................Barbara Beckos Assistant Director of Development......................................................................Katherine Keeney Development Assistant.........................................................................................Meggan Madden Development Intern...............................................................................................Shantel Bobbitt Comptroller...................................................................................................Mary Kennett Morreale Human Resources Administrator/Assistant Business Manager..................................Kathy Zappala Student Assistant...............................................................................................Emily Buonsignore Director of Information Management & Technology................................................Garrett Wheeler Student Assistants.....................................................................................................David Amado Director of Ticketing & Subscription Services...............................................................Sandra Boyer Assistant Director of Ticketing & Subscription Services.............................................Ben Murphy Assistant Box Office Managers...................................Lisa Doerle, Stasya Erickson, Miguel Tarrats Angel Appeal Telefunding Manager..........................................................................Kathy Zappala Patron Sales and Services.......................Brian Balamut, Jasmin Fink, Dennis Lennox, Terri Wicks Box Office Assistants..........................................Kenia Cevallos, Madeline Corliss, Tatiana Fenner Daniella Franco, Amy Gleitsman, Jessica Moore Benjamin Odom, Jesse Roth, Maggie Siciliano, Danielle Spinello Interpreters for the Deaf.....................Brenda Brown, Angelo Coppola, Mikki Evans Sue Freeman Joanne Jackowski, Sarah Korcz, Zenna Preli, Shaun Standford Director of Audience Services................................................................................Wayne Yaddow, Jr. S.U. Main Stage House Manager..........................................................................Tammy Goetsch Student Assistant House Managers..............Katie Ball, Hannah Daly, Betty Etheredge, Jesse Roth Bartender.......................................................................................................................Meg Pusey Community Services Officer......................................................................................Stacey Emmons Custodians........................................................................Kitty Ashby, Delores Bachus, Tony Rogers

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G e n e r a l I n f o r m at i o n Syracuse Stage 820 East Genesee Street Syracuse, NY 13210-1508 Administration: 315/443-4008 Box Office: 315/443-3275 www.SyracuseStage.org

Ticket Exchange All tickets may be exchanged. Please call the Box Office 24 hours prior to the earliest performance involved in the exchange. Single ticket exchanges carry a $5 fee per ticket. 6Pack holders may make one free exchange per show.

Subscribers may make unlimited free exchanges; upgrade charges may apply. Subscribers who missed a scheduled performance and did not exchange may use their Extra Value Ticket or purchase a missed performance pass for $5.

Single Ticket Prices Opening Night: $54, $50, $30 Evenings: Fri., Sat.: $51, $48, $30 Sun., Tues., Wed., Thurs.: $40, $37, $30 Matinees: Wed., Sat., Sun.: $47, $43, $30 Previews: $35, $32, $30 All tickets can be purchased at the Syracuse Stage Box Office or online anytime at www.SyracuseStage.org. Prices may vary for opening nights and for Hairspray.

Latecomers In order to ensure the safety and concentration of the actors and the uninterrupted enjoyment of our patrons, latecomers will be seated at the earliest, appropriate break in the performance in the closest available seats.

Buy it if You Like it!

Many of the items featured in our productions are available for purchase. For information contact Mary Houston, Props Master: (315) 443-2437.

Discounts Available for senior citizens and students. Call the Box Office for prices.

Group Discounts Available Available for groups of 10 or more; additional discounts for student/senior citizen groups. Call Tracey White: 315/443-9844.

To Volunteer as an Usher If you would like to get a backstage view of Syracuse Stage, or would like to expand your social circle, this is the ideal opportunity for you. All we ask for is a positive attitude, a smiling face and the willingness to commit a few hours a month.

Please call our House Manager at (315) 443-3219 for more information.

Rush Tickets Rush tickets are available for purchase at a discounted rate on the day of the show for all performances by cash or check. Limited availability.

Open Captioning We are pleased to offer two open captioned performances for each mainstage play. Open captioning provides a simultaneous display of the play’s dialogue on a screen next to the stage.

Box Office Hours The Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. noon to 6 p.m., and two hours before each performance.

Box Office phone: 315/443-3275.

Box Office fax: 315/443-1408.

Audio-Described Performances Simultaneous live narration and pre-show description for blind and visually impaired patrons. Please contact Box Office in advance to reserve headsets.

Gift Certificates Call the Box Office or visit us online at www.SyracuseStage.org.

Audio Enhancement We offer an infrared listening system for patrons with up to a 70% hearing loss. Headsets can be reserved free of charge through the Box Office or at the Coat Room before curtain.

Parking Entrance to the enclosed parking garage on Irving Avenue is on the corner of Madison Street and Irving, next to the MadisonIrving Medical Building. For hours of operation and parking costs, call (315) 475-4742. There is an open parking lot between Phoebe’s Garden Cafe and the garage maintained by Syracuse University.

Signed Interpreted Performances Tuesday evenings, the third or fourth week of each production, we offer performances for the hearing impaired.

Wheelchair Accommodations Syracuse Stage is wheelchair accessible. Please call the Box Office to arrange wheelchair seating.

Beepers and Cell Phones For the actors’ safety and in consideration of the audience please turn off all cell phones; check your beeper and leave your seat number with an usher at the Coat Room prior to the performance. They will monitor your beeper and notify you if there is an emergency.

Emergency Telephone Contact To be reached in an emergency, please leave your name and seat location at the Coat Room when you arrive. This is the only way we can locate you. In case of an emergency you may be reached at (315) 443-9922.

Fire Notice The exit indicated by a red sign nearest the seat you occupy is the shortest route to the street. In the event of an emergency, walk to that exit and follow the house staff ’s directions.

www.SyracuseStage.org Subscribe, purchase 6Packs and single tickets 24-7. Information, schedules, reviews and more.

Smoking Policy Smoking is not permitted in this building or any public building in accordance with Syracuse University and New York State policy. We ask that our patrons who smoke do so outside of our theatre.

Please . . .

The use of cameras and recording devices is not permitted. Please do not bring drinks and/or food into the theatre.

Quiet Children Quiet children over the age of five are welcome at Syracuse Stage performances. We do ask that adults remove disruptive children to the lobby.

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ADVERTISER SUPPORT Syracuse Stage encourages audience members to support the businesses advertised in our program.

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season

14/15

Tickets and season packages Available 315.443.3275 | http://vpa.syr.edu/drama

Parade

B ook by Alfre d Uhry Music by Ja so n R o b ert B ro w n Co -con c e iv e d a nd D ire c ted o n Broad way by Ha ro ld P rinc e Directed by M a rie K e mp Musical D ire c tio n by B ria n C imme t Choreog raphy by And re a L eig h-Sm ith Octobe r 1 0 – 1 9 Op ening N ig ht: O c to b er 1 1

Stepping Out

By Richa rd Ha rris Directed by T im o thy Dav is -R e e d Novemb er 1 4 — 2 3 Op ening N ig ht: N ov e mbe r 1 5

Hairspray

Book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan Music by M a rc S ha ima n Lyric s by S c o t t W it tma n a nd M a rc S ha ima n Directed by B ill F e nne lly Musical D ire c tio n by B ria n C imme t Choreog raphy by Dav id Wa nstree t Co -pro d u c e d w ith S y ra c u se S ta g e Novemb er 2 8 — Ja nua ry 4

Lips Together, Teeth Apart

By Terrenc e M c Nally Directed by G e ra rd ine C la rk Februa ry 2 0 — M a rc h 1 Op ening N ig ht: F eb rua ry 2 1

Measure for Measure

By William S ha k e sp e a re Directed by C e lia M a d e oy March 2 7 — Ap ril 1 2 Op ening N ig ht: M a rc h 2 8 Perf or m e d in the Lo f t T heatre genera l a dmi s si on se at i ng

Avenue Q

Music a nd Ly ric s, O rig ina l C o nc ep t and Ani matio n D e sig n by R o b ert Lo p e z Music and Lyric s, Original Concept by Jeff Marx B ook by Je ff W hit ty Directed by B ria n C imme t April 24 — M ay 9 Op ening N ig ht: Ap ril 2 5 * Drama subsc ri bers wi ll rec ei ve vouc hers re de e mable for ti c kets to hai rspray .

Madie Polyak, Troy Hussmann (seated), and Madeleine Corliss (rear) in spring awakening. Directed by Michael Barakiva. Musical Director: Brian Cimmet.

Choreographer: Andrea Leigh-Smith. Scenic Designer: Jen Donsky. Costume Designers: Maria Marrero & Simon Brett. lighting designer: Susannah Baron.

Timothy Bond, Producing Artistc Director Ralph Zito, Chair, Department of Drama s e ason sponsor

Follow us on:

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SUDrama.VPA

@SUDrama_VPA

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To find out more about the Stage Guild email: SyracuseStageGuild@yahoo.com

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