THT Rep presents the 5th Annual Edgar Allan Poe Double Header | Oct 29 - Nov 1, 2025
Board of Directors
Kellie Thibodeau | Chair
Elissa Boisvert, Esq. | Vice Chair
Ken Rapp | Treasurer
Tracy V. Wells | Clerk
Abigail M. Childs, MD
Curtis A. Feldman, CPA
William M. Finn
Ivan R. Green, MD
Steven G. Joseph
John Lauring
Helder Machado
Sathi Mitra
Marc D. Montalvo
Jason D. Muise
Kimberly A. Rozak, Esq.
Alan Seiffert
Sanjay Shah, Ph.D.
Michael D. Sleeper
Dr. Charles Steinberg
Kimberly Stone, Esq.
John “JT” Tanacea
Sandy Tassi
Rachel K. Tosches
Ancy Verdier, DMD
Founders
Paul J. Demoga, Esq.
Edward P. Madaus
Honorary Director
Mary C. DeFeudis
Territory Acknowledgement
We acknowledge the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Nipmuc Nation on which we are working and performing today. Find more information at native-land.ca/.
Photo by Armando Estevez
A Note From
ALAN SEIFFERT
President and CEO of The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts
Photo by UnityMike
It’s hard to believe we’re celebrating the fifth annual Poe Double Header at the Jean McDonough Arts Center (JMAC)! This annual tradition has become a favorite for Worcester audiences, and it’s easy to see why. Each year, THT Rep brings Edgar Allan Poe’s darkly clever tales to life with energy, suspense, and a touch of mischief.
These stories continue to captivate because they explore the human mind in ways that are as thrilling and unsettling today as they were in Poe’s time. Watching Livy navigate the twists, turns, and macabre humor of "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Cask of Amontillado" reminds us of the power of live theatre to surprise and delight.
As we dive into the second production of THT Rep’s 25/26 season, I’m grateful to share this experience with you as a THT Rep subscriber myself. Thank you for your continued support in making THT Rep and the JMAC a lively part of Worcester’s cultural life.
With gratitude,
Alan Seiffert
Welcome home! Find your seats for Broadway, dance, music, and more at TheHanoverTheatre.org/Events.
Like many of our peer organizations, we continue to feel the impact of the past five years. Rising costs and the lingering effects of the pandemic make your support more important than ever. Make a donation today! Your gift to THT Rep will allow us to pursue inclusive casting, set equitable ticket prices and choose titles that work well for the general public and our student audiences.
Photo by UnityMike. Meri Stypinksi* and Michael Underhill* in Much Ado About Nothing.
A Note From
LIVY SCANLON
Director of Edgar Allan Poe Double Header and Artistic Director of THT Rep
Photo by UnityMike
Five years ago, we created The Hanover Theatre Rep in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, staging safe, socially-distant performances of the Poe Double Header in the then-unfinished BrickBox Theater. What a journey we have been on since!
The creative team and I are thrilled to haunt the BrickBox for our fifth annual take on "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Cask of Amontillado." I speak for everyone at our organization when I say it’s been a joy to return to this piece year after year. Thank you for keeping the show alive! (Or should I say, undead?)
Like many of us, I’ve long been fascinated by Poe’s stories. Told from the first-person perspective, "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Cask of Amontillado" lend themselves particularly well to dramatic adaptation. And my, are the narrators fun to play! While both confess to murder, the similarities end there. In the first story, we meet a caretaker who suffers from irrational thinking. In the second, we encounter an angry narcissist hell-bent on taking revenge. As ever, I hope you enjoy their visit. Thank you for being here.
Happy Halloween,
Livy Scanlon
Complexions Contemporary Ballet
Complexions Contemporary Ballet launches The Hanover Theatre’s new Dance Series on November 7 with an evening that blends rock ‘n’ roll edge with breathtaking artistry.
The program features Love Rocks, set to the iconic music of Lenny Kravitz. High-octane and deeply expressive, the company explores the many layers of love through virtuosic movement, from tender duets to exhilarating ensemble sections. With every beat, Kravitz’s soul, rhythm, and energy surge through the choreography.
Audiences will also experience a special excerpt from Star Dust, Dwight Rhoden’s 2016 celebration of David Bowie. More than a tribute, Star Dust honors Bowie’s continual reinvention and boundary-breaking spirit. The dancers channel fragments of his many personas, creating a kaleidoscope of movement that captures his restless energy.
Since its founding in 1994 by Alvin Ailey principal dancers Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, Complexions has been celebrated for breaking traditional boundaries, blending the virtuosity of ballet with the immediacy of contemporary culture.
Worcester audiences can experience Complexions’ groundbreaking artistry firsthand this fall as the company opens the Dance Series with a program that celebrates passion, reinvention, and the transformative power of dance.
Celebrating Love, Lenny Kravitz, and David Bowie
Photo provided by Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Larissa Gerszke and Craige Dionne - Love Rocks
Photo by Steven Pisano.
5th Annual
Poe Double Header
"THE
TELL-TALE HEART" + "THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO"
CREATIVE TEAM
Director, Creator, and Performer Livy Scanlon*
Costume Designer ...................................................................................... Chelsea Kerl
interruzione - interruption successione - succession posizione - position
impaziente - impatient riposare in pacerest in peace signore - sir
CREATIVE TEAM
Livy Scanlon* (Director, Creator, and Performer)
Livy serves as Artistic Director of The Hanover Theatre Repertory (THT Rep). Prior to her arrival in Worcester, Livy founded and helmed Bridge Repertory Theater, where she received an Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director and an IRNE Award for Outstanding Actress. Other regional credits include Urbanite Theatre, Trinity Rep, Asolo Rep, Hartford Stage, and Paper Mill Playhouse. Livy teaches acting at WPI and in THT Rep’s Worc at Play program. She has been featured in Worcester Magazine’s Women to Watch and Worcester Business Journal’s Power 50. MFA, Acting, Brown University / Trinity Rep. BA, Theatre and Dance, Amherst College (summa cum laude). Love always to P and R. @_worcplaymaker__ worcplaymaker.com
Chelsea Kerl (Costume Designer)
Chelsea is pleased to be back at the BrickBox having previously designed Twelfth Night and The Crucible. Chelsea is a Boston based freelance artist and educator; she received her MFA in Costume Design from Boston University and previously attended the University of Maryland. Chelsea is the costume shop manager and costume design professor at Wellesley College; she also teaches at Bridgewater State University and previously worked in the costume shop of the American Repertory Theater. Select recent designs include Huntington Theatre Company: Witch (Elliot Norton Award Winner, Outstanding Design: Large Theatre), Wheelock Family Theatre at BU: Willy Wonka ; SpeakEasy Stage Company/Front Porch Arts Collective: Pass Over ; Company One/ American Repertory Theater: Greater Good. More of her work can be seen at chelseakerl.com.
Brenda Shepard (Lighting Designer)
Flipping the script a bit these days, Brenda is currently enjoying her role as the Manager of Production at the Prior Performing Arts Center at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. Prior to that, she managed electrons as the House Lighting Designer/Head Electrician at The Hanover Theatre for over 15 years. She was fortunate to have amazing mentors in college indoctrinate her in the ways of lighting. They encouraged her to take risks and play, and she will be forever grateful. After a stint as the Lighting Supervisor at Smith College for a few years, she headed to BU for a Masters in Broadcast Production. Her graduate thesis was a blast. She produced a documentary, a music video, and promotional spot for a prominent funk band in Boston. Her most favorite gig, however, is wife to Steve and mom to Kat, now 22….Where does the time go?!
Steve Shepard (Sound Designer)
Steve graduated in 1992 from UMass Amherst, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. Since then, he has been an Audio Engineer for pop, jazz, classical, folk, theater, broadcast, webcast, and recording. This was his first sound design project. Something new and a great pleasure to do. He hopes you enjoy it!
CREATIVE TEAM
Christi Dionis (Makeup Designer)
Christi is excited to join the talented cast and crew at The Hanover Theatre Repertory to bring The Edgar Allen Poe Double Header to life, following her work on The Crucible. Now based in Worcester, MA, Christi teaches Stage Makeup and Special Effects at The Hanover Theatre Conservatory. She has studied at M.U.D, The Makeup Designory in Burbank, CA, and holds a degree in Sculpture from the Academy of Art in San Francisco. Her other recent credits include the short films “Death Request” and "The Hit."
Jane Siebels* (Production Stage Manager)
Jane is excited to return to THT Rep, where recent shows include Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley, Much Ado About Nothing, The Crucible, The Edgar Allan Poe Double Header, and The Glass Menagerie. Past theaters include The Hanover Theatre for A Christmas Carol , Huntington Theatre, SpeakEasy Stage, Stoneham Theatre, Boston Playwrights, American Stage Festival, Florida Studio Theatre, The Asolo, and the Vineyard Playhouse. Jane is also Co-Chair of the Shrewsbury Cultural Council and, by day, a Children’s Librarian at Shrewsbury Public Library.
Kevin McGerigle (Production Manager)
Kevin (he/him/his) has produced close to 300 productions across the country. Kevin is a designer, director, and production manager covering ballet, opera, musicals, plays, films, and events. Kevin is currently the Producing Production Manager at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory.
Scott O’Brien (Sound Designer)
Scott has composed and designed theatre and dance for a variety of off-Broadway and regional theaters. He was the Resident Composer/Sound Designer for American Globe Theatre (2000-2014), the Chautauqua Theater Company (2006-2009), Adirondack Theatre Festival (2013-2015), and the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, MN (2019 and 2021 seasons). He has lectured on Sound Design at SUNY-Rockland, Pace University, Fairleigh-Dickinson University, The Duke Ellington School for the Arts, and Montclair State University (heading the sound design program there from 2015-2019). Recent projects include Steel Magnolias , The Importance of Being Earnest and A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder for the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, UT and Native Gardens for the Peterborough Players in Peterborough, NH. His production company Duck & Trout Music is based out of Gardiner, ME.
*Member,Actors’ Equity Association
REMINDER
Videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Please turn off all cell phones and electronic devices during the performance.
A Christmas Carol in a new light
A Q&A with award-winning Lighting Designer Charlie Morrison
Each holiday season, A Christmas Carol to evolve while honoring its beloved traditions. This year’s production introduces a new set by scenic designer Kelly Tighe and original music by Steve Gagliastro, offering fresh creative opportunities for the artistic team. Lighting designer Charlie Morrison shares how these exciting changes have inspired a renewed approach to one of Worcester’s favorite holiday traditions.
This year, our annual production of Carol will feature a new set and new music. opportunities does this present to you as a lighting designer?
C: The new scenery basically means a complete rethink of the lighting design. The lighting is always laid out structurally around the physical parameters of the scenery. Since we have a new scenic footprint, we’ll have a new lighting design to go along with it. And similarly, the new music will significantly change the way certain sections of the show are lit. Both of these new elements are exciting and give the entire team a chance to revisit, rethink, and refresh all the elements of the show.
I understand you have worked on several productions with the new set designer, can you share a little bit about those experiences?
C: Kelly Tighe is a fantastic collaborator and one of my favorite people to work with. We’ve worked on dozens of projects together. I’ve always liked his aesthetic, and he’s the type of scenic designer who always has lighting in the back of his mind when he’s laying out a show, because he knows that good lighting is key to making the set look great. He’s also a great problem solver, an incredibly nice person, and an asset to everyone else involved in the production. He’s great to have in the room.
Is there a specific scene you’d like audiences to look out for in this year’s production of A Christmas Carol?
C: I always enjoy the spooky and magical scenes in the show. Marley’s appearance is a highlight, as well as the Christmas Future sequence.
A Christmas Carol returns to the main stage December 17-28, generously sponsored by Assumption University. Get tickets today at TheHanoverTheatre.org/ACC.
Charlie Morrison
Set
Rendering by Kelly James Tighe
John Little, member of AEA, in A Christmas Carol 2024. Photo by David Costa Photography
Upcoming Events
BrickBox Theater (JMAC)
Broadway in Worcester presents Tony Award®
Winner Matt Doyle: Make The Season Bright
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold
December 19-20, 2025
Main Stage
Mania: The ABBA Tribute
Saturday, November 1, 2025
Complexions
Contemporary Ballet
Friday, November 7, 2025
Mid-Century & More on the Mighty Wurlitzer with Dr. Kleefield
Saturday, November 8, 2025
NEEDTOBREATHE The Barely Elegant Acoustic Tour
Sunday, November 9, 2025
Screening: The Wizard of Oz
Saturday, November 15, 2025
Screening: Wicked Sing-Along
Saturday, November 15, 2025
THT Rep presents William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
January 28 - February 14, 2026
View all upcoming events and get tickets at JMACWorcester.org or call 877.571.7469.
The Nutcracker
November 28-30, 2025
Historic & Architectural Tour
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
The 2025 Boston Pops Holiday Tour
Friday, December 5, 2025
A Christmas Carol December 17-28, 2025
Sensory-Friendly Performance: Wednesday, December 17
Chicago
January 9-11, 2026
View all upcoming events and get tickets at TheHanoverTheatre.org or call 877.571.7469
Livy Scanlon, Member of AEA. Photo by UnityMike
Plan Your Next Visit
We present shows and events at multiple venues throughout Worcester. Visit each one to enjoy the full range of performances and experiences we have to offer.
The Hanover Theatre 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester
Conservatory
551 Main Street, Worcester
Where to Buy Tickets
BrickBox Theater at the JMAC 20 Franklin Street, Worcester
Francis R. Carroll Plaza
Directly in front of The Hanover Theatre
The quickest way to find a great seat at the best price is at TheHanoverTheatre.org. While browsing events on our site, narrow your search by using our venue and/or genre filters or using the search bar. When it comes to spotting unauthorized ticket resellers, double-check the web address and use your best judgment: if the ticket price seems absurdly high, it probably is. To browse upcoming events and exhibits at the JMAC, visit JMACWorcester.org.
Group Tickets
Planning to attend a show with friends, family, neighbors, or colleagues? Groups of ten or more can enjoy exclusive savings and early access to seating! Save at least 10% on each ticket and make planning simple with our GroupTools platform, where individuals can pay directly online for their own tickets. Plus, groups benefit from reduced handling fees. To learn more and lock in your group reservation, call 877-571-7469 x1689.
Accessibility Services
We are committed to making the arts accessible and welcoming for all patrons. Accessible seating is available at each of our venues, and assistive listening devices are available upon request at The Hanover Theatre and the BrickBox Theater. Additionally, our website offers accessibility tool support through accessiBe. Learn more about performances with audio description, ASL interpretation, and our sensory-friendly performance of A Christmas Carol at TheHanoverTheatre.org/Accessibility.
Thank you for making our house your home.
Welcome
Alanis Sophia (Lydia Hillard), Craig Allen Smith (Euphegenia Doubtfire), and Ava Rose Doty (Natalie Hillard) in Mrs.Doubtfire. Photo by Joan Marcus.
