Benefit Program - April 3, 2023

IN REALITY ADVENTURES

CELEBRATING THE MICHAEL FRIEDMAN RECORDING PROJECT AND HONORING KURT DEUTSCH AND GHOSTLIGHT RECORDS

MONDAY 3 APRIL, 2023 CITY WINERY, NYC

THIS EVENING’S PROGRAM

THE

CIVILIANS

THEME SONG

Jennifer Blood, Andrew Kober, Jonathan Raviv, Kristin Stokes, Maya Sharpe, Colleen Werthmann

— JENNIFER MORRIS — POOR LITTLE GOOSE

Jennifer Blood, Andrew Kober, Jonathan Raviv, Kristin Stokes, Maya Sharpe, Colleen Werthmann

— MARSHA STEPHANIE BLAKE, ALLISON WELLER — LIKE A VIRGIN

Jennifer Blood

— BOARD CHAIR, ALAIN GROENENDAAL —

THE PEOPLE STARE

Perry Sherman

— QUINCY TYLER BERNSTINE — THE ARENA

Colleen Werthmann

WHITE PEOPLE

Maya Sharpe, Nedra Marie Taylor, Colleen Werthmann

THE FOUR BROOKLYNS

Andrew Kober

— ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, STEVE COSSON — THE NEXT FOREVER

Trey Lyford

— MARIA DIZZIA — IMPOSSIBLE GIRLS

Steve Rosen

WE WERE GIANTS

Nick Blaemire

— COLLEEN WERTHMANN — GHOSTLIGHT: HONORING KURT DEUTSCH

Written and performed by Zack Zadek with Andrea Daly, Grace Field, Andrew Kober, Vaibu Mahon, Jonathan Raviv, Heath Saunders

— AWARD PRESENTATION —

— GIBSON FRAZIER —

LOVE & HATE/ AND NOW THE SKY

Rebecca Hart, Andrew Kober, Vaibu Mohan, Nedra Marie Taylor, Grace Field, Andrea Daly, Jonathan Raviv, Heath Saunders

SAY GOODBYE

Maya Sharpe, Grace Field, Andrea Daly, Andrew Kober, Vaibu Mohan, Jonathan Raviv, Heath Saunders

— DANIEL JENKINS —

BEAUTIFUL

Luba Mason

THE NEIGHBORHOOD SONG

Heath Saunders, Andrew Kober, Jonathan Raviv, Maya Sharpe, Kristin Stokes, Colleen Werthmann — LIVE APPEAL —

I HAVE NOT SLEPT

Jennifer Blood, Nick Blaemire, Heath Saunders, Chiara Trentalange

PARIS COMMUNE, 2012

CIVILIAN OF THE YEAR

KURT DEUTSCH

SVP WARNER MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT AND THEATRICAL VENTURES

FOUNDER OF GHOSTLIGHT RECORDS

ABOUT THE HONOREE

KURT DEUTSCH

Grammy Award winner and founder of Sh-K-Boom and Ghostlight Records, Deutsch is credited with reinventing the musical theatre recording landscape by preserving countless shows in high-quality albums through close partnerships with Broadway’s top producers, as well as working hand-in-hand with the new generation of theater artists and composers to merge them with the popular culture at large.

Prior to entering the music business, Deutsch worked as an actor for over 15 years on and off Broadway, TV, and in film. Deutsch founded Sh-KBoom Records in 2000 with the mission of bringing passionate, fresh artists and their music to a new audience. To serve the ever expanding mission of the label, the Ghostlight imprint was created in 2004 to include cast recordings and more traditional musical theater albums.

In 2017, Deutsch joined Warner Music Group and is currently Senior VP of Warner Music Entertainment and Theatrical Ventures. At WMG he has been part of the producing team on Broadway and West End of the musicals Tina - The Tina Turner Musical, The Cher Show, Beetlejuice, and David Byrne’s American Utopia. American Utopia was honored with a special Tony Award and the subsequent film directed by Spike Lee, earned Emmy and Grammy nominations. Deutsch was the lead producer of Ross Golan’s The Wrong Man, which premiered to acclaim at MCC, and – with Kevin McCollum –the Broadway-bound musical adaptation of The Notebook.

Deutsch also produced the acclaimed film version of The Last Five Years, written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan.

THE ABOMINABLES, 2017

Mormon, In the Heights, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, and The Band’s Visit) and is a frequent nominee, most recently for the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning A Strange Loop. Other notable releases include the viral sensations Be More Chill, Beetlejuice, and Eleri Ward’s two acoustic folk Stephen Sondheim albums, A Perfect Little Death and Keep A Tender Distance.

The label is currently represented on Broadway with the acclaimed musical Kimberly Akimbo, featuring a score by Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire.

Sarnak, Zack Zadek, Drew Gasparini and the late Michael Friedman, Jonathan Larson and Liz Swados.

Since 2017, Ghostlight has partnered with the new Arts Music division at Warner Music Group.

www.GhostlighRecords.com

THIS EVENING’S SPONSORS

GOLD SPONSORS

Hesu Coue-Wilson & Edward Wilson

Carolyn & John Friedman

Marion Friedman Young & Brian Young

Ghostlight Records

Armen Nercessian

SILVER SPONSORS

Rebecca Burton and Michael Abrahams

Suany Chough and Eckart Graeve

Jennifer Copaken and Todd Yellin

David Cosson

Susan and Henry Donahue

Elizete and Alain Groenendaal

Claire Werner & Justus O’Brien

(I AM) NOBODY’S LUNCH, 2006

PRODUCTION TEAM

Announcer Stephen Plunkett

Music Director/Piano Wiley DeWeese

Guitar ................................................................................................................................. Tonie Nguyen

Bass.................................................................................................................................... Dave D’aranjo

Drums Jeff Fernandes

Producer Melissa Hardy

Stage Manager ............................................................................................................... Terri Kohler

Assistant Stage Manager ..................................................................................... Kelsy Durkin

Video and Projections Designer Attilio Rigotti

SPECIAL THANKS

The Civilians Board of Directors, Associate Artists, the staff of City Winery, including Emily Piuggi, Matthew Schwalm and Lauren Taylor, and everyone who contributed to tonight’s production.

A very special thank you to those who made this project possible: the over 100 artists involved, our community members who contributed to the Legacy Fund back in 2018, and the generous support from Peter Friedland, Will Frears, and Mimi Brown.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT STATEMENT

The Civilians acknowledges that our company’s work takes place on unceded ancestral lands of native peoples, and pay our respects to the past, present and future generations of the Native and Indigenous tribes of New York, including the Lenape, the Canarsie, Matinecock and Rockaway. We acknowledge that this city was erected and sustained by the labor of enslaved people of African descent and acknowledge all those who have been displaced and harmed

OUR COMMITMENT TO ANTI-RACISM

The Civilians strives to be a vibrant company of artists whose work reflects our celebration and investigation of diverse human experiences.

Read about our commitment to anti-racism and ongoing efforts to address systemic oppression in our community.

Learn More

CANARD, CANARD, GOOSE, 2002

MISSION

The Civilians is a company that creates new theater from creative investigations into the most vital questions of the present.

STAFF

Artistic Director ........................................................................................................ Steve Cosson

Managing Director Margaret Moll

New Work Program Manager ..................................................................... Melissa Hardy

Resident Dramaturg Phoebe Corde

Development and Communications Assistant ........................ Maria Wilkerson

Finance Manager Patricia Taylor

Individual Giving Development Consultants Donorly

Grants and Foundations

Development Consultants Mission Forward Fundraising

Press Representation .............................. John Wyszniewski, Everyman Agency

Graphic Design Muse Graphic Design

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Alain Groenendaal, Chair, Suany Chough, Secretary, John Wood, Treasurer, Steve Cosson, Artistic Director, Rebecca Agbe-Davies, Michael Abrahams, Jane Brandman, Jennifer Copaken, Henry Donahue, Michael Frazier, Jeanhee Kim, Julia Lazurus, Jennifer M. Morris, Armen Nercessian, Justus O’Brien, Laurie Stempler, Alicia Villarosa

EMIERITUS

Elizabeth Angell, Rick Dean, Jessica Harris, Jody Falco, Peter Friedland, Daniel P. Kim, David Singer

IN MEMORIAM

Michael Friedman