Bridges

book and lyrics by Cheryl L. Davis

music by Douglas J. Cohen

directed by Karen Altree Piemme

FROM THE FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR! Eight years ago I was with my 11-year-old daughter and we stumbled across a made-for-TV movie called Selma Lord Selma. The movie tells the dramatic story of 1965 Selma, Alabama and "Bloody Sunday" through the eyes of an 11-year-old African-American girl. My daughter was transfixed by the movie, and when it ended, she was filled with more passion and questions about the past than she had ever expressed to me before. She was amazed that there were children and white activists who also made a difference in the civil rights movement and joined the freedom fight for social change.

This story had provoked her anger and sense of fairness, and made her deeply empathetic and proud of the courageous people who fought for their rights and freedom as Americans.

Tears began streaming down her face and I knew that there was something special happening. I felt that this story needed to be shared in a theatrical context because song and music were such an important element in the civil rights movement. My idea to create a new musical story based on the events in Selma felt like a natural fit for our multigenerational theatre company. I was troubled that so many Bay Area youths that I worked with didn’t feel connected and motivated by the power and hope of the civil rights movement. I wanted to create a musical that could combat the cynicism and powerlessness that I feel plagues our youth enveloped by a relentlessly negative media.

To make the story contemporary, the creative team of Cheryl L. Davis, Douglas J. Cohen and Ken Cerniglia felt that the timing regarding the Proposition 8 initiative would be a perfect parallel to juxtapose 1965 with 2008, socially and politically. We could weave the past with the present and because of the power of music, we could tell a deeply layered story that would ask important questions about race, identity, family and history.

With this world premiere, we have arrived at a wonderful juncture and the dream of creating socially conscious musical theatre at the Berkeley Playhouse has begun. Bridges: A New Musical is hopefully just the beginning of the Berkeley Playhouse’s commitment to new musicals that can open our hearts, stimulate discussion and debate and give us all hope for a better world.

2640 College Avenue Berkeley, CA 94704 510.845.8542 info@berkeleyplayhouse.org berkeleyplayhouse.org Elizabeth McKoy

founding artistic director

Daren A.C. Carollo

producing artistic director

Rachel Eisner

director of education

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Tim Choate president

Judith McKoy

vice-president

David Roberts treasurer

Rajan Dev Thomas Edwards Dennis Erokan Joel Rubenzahl Gail Simpson Stephanie Wade

/BerkeleyPlayhouse

@BerkPlayhouse

Elizabeth McKoy Founding Artistic Director

/BerkeleyPlayhouse 2016.02 • BAYSTAGES.COM

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FOR TICKETS VISIT www.bactheatre.org

presents

book and lyrics by Cheryl L. Davis music by Douglas J. Cohen

graphic design + publishing

CAST

[ IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER ]

Ensemble................................................................................Miia Ashley ♦ Reverend Robert Henderson.......................................... Nicolas Bearde ♦ Ensemble..................................................................... Jacqueline Dennis Franki Henderson................................................................Nandi Drayton Val, Ensemble......................................................................Sam Jackson ♦ Grandma, Clara.................................................................... Amanda King Francine Williams...............................................................Janelle Lasalle Denise Henderson, Sylvia Cohen................................. Dana Lewenthal ♦ Herb Cohen, Ensemble........................................................ Barry Martin ♦ Bobby Cohen, 2008 Activist ............................................. Joshua Marx ● ♦ Ensemble........................................................................Melissa Martinez Eddie, Michael......................................................................Caleb Meyers Ensemble.....................................................................Charles Peoples III 1965 Minister, Ensemble.................................... Anthony Rollins-Mullens Ensemble..........................................................Maurice André San-Chez Jasmine, Ensemble........................................................Kaylamay Suarez Ensemble........................................................................Branden Thomas Paul, Louis............................................................... Phillip Percy Williams Barry, Ensemble...............................................................Scottie Woodard

CREATIVE TEAM Director................................................................. Karen Altree Piemme ♦ Music Director.............................................................David Aaron Brown Orchestrator + Vocal Arranger......................................Sam Willmott ♦ Dramaturg........................................................................... Ken Cerniglia ♦ Choreographer......................................................................Pjay Phillips ♦ Stage Manager....................................................................... Lori Fowler ♦ Projection Designer........................................................ Nick Kumamoto ♦ Scenic Designer.....................................................................Brian Watson Lighting Designer................................................................. Mark Thomas Costume Designer.......................................................................Liz Martin Sound Designer.................................................................. Brandon Davis Wig + Make-Up Designer.......................................................Lexie Lazear Dance Captain................................................... Anthony Rollins-Mullens Deck Manager...........................................................................Daniel Hall Sound Engineer + Master Electrician.......................... Brittany Mellerson Wardrobe Coordinator............................................ Leona Schrader-Dee Spot Light Operator.................................................................Jody Arnold ●

member, Actors' Equity Association

♦ Berkeley Playhouse debut

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Performances: February 11 to March 6, 2016 Julia Morgan Theater • Berkeley, CA The performance runs 2 hours and 20 minutes.

There is one 15-minute intermission.

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STAFF Founding Artistic Director......................................... Elizabeth McKoy Producing Artistic Director..................................... Daren A.C. Carollo Director of Education...................................................Rachel Eisner Business Manager............................................Christina Shonkwiler Production Manager.................................................. Brandon Davis Patron Services Manager................................................ Sean Griffin Conservatory Program Director................................Brittany Danielle Conservatory Producer............................................. Nayia Kuvetakis Facility Maintenance Manager....................................... Kathy Brown Marketing + Design Associate............................................ Nikki Johl Technical Director......................................................... Stewart Lyle Finance Manager............................................................. Tara Vargo Casting Director/Resident Music Director....................... Michael Wiles Front of House Manager...................................... Maryanna Alderete Front of House ...............................Maryanna Alderete, Katie Basu, Jordan Battle, Kristina D’Amico, Louise Fisher, Torrey Hart, Jasmine Malone, Kiera Peacock, Allison Pemerl, Ellen Schwartz, Jamie Temple

BUILD TER

CHARAC

BAND Conductor, Keyboard 1...............................................David Aaron Brown Drums........................................................................... Quinten T. Cohen ♦ Guitar............................................................................... Ben Greenberg ♦ Cello.................................................................. Joshua Mikus-Mahoney ♦ Bass............................................................................Alex ‘Wilky’ Wilson ♦ ♦ Berkeley Playhouse debut

Thank you to all the volunteers who help with the front of house.

Thank you to Extreme Pizza, Peet’s Coffee and Tea, Madonna Estates, Beneficial State Bank, Sweet Adeline Bakeshop and Grand Bakery.

Thank you, the audience, for supporting live theatre and our mission.

PARTNERS IN ART AND EDUCATION Actors’ Equity Association, Aurora School, Berkeley Ballet Theater, Berkeley Repertory, Claremont Middle School, Contra Costa Civic Theatre, Crowden School, Jefferson Elementary School, National Alliance for Musical Theatre, Oakland Youth Chorus, Oakland Youth Orchestra, Park Day School, Peralta Elementary, Shotgun Players, Theatre Bay Area, Theatre Communication Guild, Town Hall Theater and Woodminster Summer Musicals

BERKELEY PLAYHOUSE

THEATRE

SPECIAL THANK YOU

SUMMER CAMP All images and/or content provided by Berkeley Playhouse staff, contractors and/or creative artists unless otherwise credited. Opinions expressed by contractors, contributors and/or creative artists do not necessarily reflect the views of VIA MEDIA. Photo credits are included as provided.

Program designed and published by VIA MEDIA • 415.552.8040 • advertise@via.media © Copyright 2016 VIA MEDIA, a division of Caselli Partners LLC • All Rights Reserved 2016.02 • BAYSTAGES.COM

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NOW ENROLLING BERKELEYPLAYHOUSE.ORG Conservatory Camps inspired by

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Harry Potter, High School Musical The Little Mermaid & Inside Out

FROM THE DIRECTOR The waters of parenting are always tricky to navigate. We want what is best for our children, and when our “little blessings” first make their appearances in our lives, we vow to do all we can to equip them with the tools to help them enjoy childhood, survive adolescence, and segue into compassionate, well-adjusted adults with rewarding lives. But children are not born, or raised, in a vacuum and, despite our best efforts, the parenting process is not always smooth sailing. The communities and society in which we live are rife with obstacles, and we can’t always protect our children from what will come their way – so the best course of action is more often to prepare them for what lies ahead.

For those of us who are parents of children of color, that can mean helping them to understand the challenges they will face in a nation that is built on white privilege, in which micro-aggressions are a daily occurrence, and in which the snap judgements that are made about them can be life threatening. For parents of LGBT youth, that can mean helping them adjust to a world in which gender stereotypes are present from the moment the nurses in the maternity ward identify them by swaddling them in either pink or blue, school locker rooms may not feel safe, and the most intimate personal details of their lives are called into question by complete strangers.

But conversations around racial and gender identity aren’t always easy. It can be challenging to push off from the shore, and we can encounter rough waters or run aground in our efforts from time to time. If we’re lucky, it’s an ongoing dialogue that takes place within an atmosphere of support and love. For those of you who may be struggling with how to approach these conversations with the youth in your lives, I hope that this production will inspire you to take the first step across that bridge. For, while we’d like to believe that the tides will turn so that we can one day live in a society in which racial and gender equality are a given, we have to make the journey from this shore to the other one step at a time.

Karen Altree Piemme Director

MUSICAL NUMBERS

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ACT I

ACT II

Freedom Is a-Coming This I Will Overcome What Group Are You In? Walk in the Shade of the Lord This Is Our Dance I Don’t Count They Shall Not Pass See the Light Grandma’s Story March with the Aid of the Lord

Freedom, It Ain’t Happening Open Your Eyes Taking a Stand Hello, Grandma What Group Are You In? (Reprise) Mean Cookies Robert Henderson Cross That Bridge This I Will Overcome (Reprise)

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HISTORICAL TIMELINE 1965 | Selma, Alabama February 18: Civil rights activist, Jimmie Lee Jackson, age 26, is shot by police after a peaceful voting rights protest in Marion, Alabama.

February 21: After many threats on his life in reaction to his human rights activism, Malcolm X, age 39, is assassinated in New York City.

February 26: Jimmie Lee Jackson dies as a result of an infection from his gunshot wounds.

Sunday, March 7: During the first in a series of marches from Selma to Montgomery, several hundred demonstrators led by civil rights leaders John Lewis and Rev. Hosea Williams are confronted by state patrolmen and sheriff’s deputies while attempting to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. As a result of the violent confrontation, 17 marchers are hospitalized. Televised images of the brutality bring a greater awareness of the events in Alabama. This day becomes known as Bloody Sunday.

March 9: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. leads a second march, labelled Turnaround Tuesday. When confronted by police on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, he decides to turn around and disband. Three white Unitarian ministers, including James Reeb, are beaten by four segregationists. James Reeb dies in a hospital in Selma two days later.

March 15: During a televised speech to the nation and Congress, President Johnson describes the Voting Rights Bill he will submit to Congress and uses the civil rights slogan, “We Shall Overcome.”

March 21-25: Thousands of protesters join the third march from Selma to the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery under the protection of U.S. Army soldiers and the Alabama National Guard, as well as FBI agents and Federal Marshals.

March 25: Dr. King delivers the speech “How Long, Not Long” on the steps of the Alabama Capitol Building.

March 25: Viola Liuzzo, a white mother from Detroit who travelled to Alabama to support voting rights, is shot and killed while driving a carload of civil rights activists back to Selma.

August 6: The 1965 Voting Rights Act is signed by President Johnson, prohibiting racial discrimination as it relates to the constitutional right to vote.

August 20: Jonathan Daniels, Episcopal seminarian and civil rights activist, is murdered in Hayneville, Alabama while trying to protect another activist from being shot.

2008 | Oakland, California May 15: In a 4-3 decision, the California Supreme Court overturns the state’s ban on same-sex marriages as the result of consolidated lawsuits against the state government.

June 2: Proposition 8, a proposed state constitutional amendment titled "Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry Act" is filed as a part of the 2008 election in California. A fierce and expensive campaign for and against the proposition commences, ultimately totaling over $100 million.

June 7: Senator Hilary Clinton withdraws from her campaign for the Democratic nomination and endorses Senator Barack Obama.

June 16: California commences issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples as a result of the California Supreme Court ruling.

August 28: Senator Barack Obama accepts the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination as candidate at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

November 6: Barack Obama is elected as President of the United States.

November 7: Same-sex marriages cease as a result of the passage of Prop. 8 with a 52% majority, but not before 18,000 valid same-sex marriages were able to take place.

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ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

ASHLEY

BEARDE

DENNIS

DRAYTON

MIIA ASHLEY (Ensemble) is ecstatic to be making her Berkeley Playhouse debut! She recently moved back home to California from New York City where she received her MFA from The Actors Studio Drama School. Some of her favorite roles include Marisol (Angel), The Importance of Being Ernest (Gwendolyn), Laundry and Bourbon (Elizabeth) and Elaine in the film, Words. miiaashley.com NICOLAS BEARDE (Reverend Robert Henderson) is an internationally renowned jazz vocalist. For the past 20 years, Nicolas has also delighted audiences as a member of Bobby McFerrin's wildly innovative a cappella ensemble, Voicestra. In the early '80s he became part of Jukebox, a radio play starring Danny Glover, who recommended Bearde study with acting teacher, Jean Shelton. A year later, He was cast in the Athol Fugard play Master Harold…and the Boys. Nicolas released his third album, “Live at Yoshi's - a Salute to Lou” in October 2008.

JACQUELINE DENNIS (Ensemble) holds a BA in music performance from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music and is currently a performer for Kaiser Educational Theater.

Credits include The Color Purple (Nettie), Dreamgirls (Michelle Morris), Little Shop of Horrors (Chiffon) and most recently the Green Crayon in Bay Area Children Theatre's production of The Day The Crayons Quit.

NANDI DRAYTON ( F r a n k i Henderson) is returning in this world premiere after being part of both the workshop and the original staged reading at Berkeley Playhouse. Recently, her ensemble was a TBA

JACKSON

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Award finalist for their spring performance in Custom Made Theatre's Grey Gardens.

Credits at Berkeley Playhouse include title roles in Oliver! and Annie plus Seussical the Musical (JoJo) and A Little Princess (Becky). Nandi is currently a sophomore at Berkeley High.

SAM JACKSON (Val, Ensemble) is a San Francisco-based actor, vocalist and teaching artist who is thrilled to be making her Berkeley Playhouse debut!

Credits include Avenue Q (New Conservatory Theatre Center, 2014 and 2016), Project Ahab; Or Eye Of The Whale (Central Works), Our Town (Shotgun Players) and O Best Beloved (Idiot String).

AMANDA KING (Grandma, Clara) was hailed by critic Stephen Holden in the New York Times as one of the nightclub world’s “exceptional rising talents,” Amanda King is a classic chanteuse who performs straight-ahead jazz standards. She is a professionally trained and experienced actor; most recently appearing in Berkeley P l a y h o u s e 's p r o d u c t i o n of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. She garnered critical acclaim as “Queenie” in Duke Ellington’s rarely performed jazz opera, Queenie Pie, produced by the Oakland Opera Theater.

She also performed in the world premiere production of Terrence McNally’s Crucifixion at the New Conservatory Theatre Center. These shows are dedicated to Duncan. amandaking.com JANELLE LASALLE (Francine Williams) is delighted to be returning to Berkeley Playhouse, having been seen as a Dynamite in last season’s production of Hairspray.

Credits include Chicago (Velma Kelly) with Palo Alto Players and Dreamgirls (Deena Jones) with Broadway By the Bay. As a professional recording artist, Janelle’s single, “Can’t Get Right” received national radio play. Her follow-up single, “The Truth” received national airplay of its video on CentricTV. Janelle is honored to be part of telling this important story and hopes it will open minds and hearts. janellelasalle.net DANA LEWENTHAL (Denise Henderson, Sylvia Cohen) is a professional actress and singer, she holds an MFA in acting from The Theatre School in Chicago. Dana appeared in in The Ladies Man and The Matchmaker at Role Players Ensemble. National credits include Oregon Cabaret Theatre, the Wisconsin Shakespeare Festival, Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding and the Midwest premier of Pentecost.

Favorite roles Charlotte Hay in Moon Over Buffalo, Lexie in The Dixie Swim Club, Amanda in Private Lives and Frosine in The Miser, while understudying at Berkeley Rep. danalewenthal.com BARRY MARTIN (Herb Cohen, Ensemble) is co-founder and Managing Director of Napa-based Lucky Penny Productions. Recent directing work for LPP includes the Bay Area premiere of The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical, Beyond Therapy, Gruesome Playground Injuries, Cowgirls, Oliver!, Becky Shaw and Funny Girl. As an actor he has been seen around the North Bay in Bonnie and Clyde (The Preacher), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Lawrence), Spamalot (King Arthur), The Lion in Winter (Henry II), Kiss Me, Kate (Fred/ Petruchio) and The People’s Temple (Jim Jones/Stephan

Jones). He is a produced playwright and member of The Dramatists Guild.

JOSHUA MARX (Bobby Cohen, 2008 Activist) is a Bay Area native who recently returned after a long stint in New York.

Off-Broadway credits include Good with Abingdon Theatre and Jennifer’s Birth with the Workshop Theatre. Favorites include Romeo and Juliet (Mercutio) with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Over the River and Through the Woods (Nick) with Flatrock Playhouse, One Man Two Guvnors (Stanley) with TheatreSquared and Twelfth Night (Orlando) with Theatre Under the Stars. Joshua works as a professor of theatre at SJSU and as a teaching artist for TheatreWorks, SF Shakes and Cal Shakes. He produces immersive theatre experiences and is currently working on a productions with Boxcar Theatre. He holds an MFA in acting from Rutgers University.

Josh is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. j-marx.com MELISSA MARTINEZ (Ensemble) was last seen in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying with Bay Area Musicals. She has a BFA from University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Her favorite roles include Hermia in Midsummer, Jon Tracy's adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream w i t h S o l a n o Re p e r t o r y Company, Diana Morales in A Chorus Line with Solano College Theater, and 1/5 of the Yellow Brick Road in The Wiz with Berkeley Playhouse.

KING

LASALLE

LEWENTHAL

MARTIN

CALEB MEYERS ( E d d i e , Michael) was born and raised here in the Bay Area and has found a passion in musical theatre. Credits with Berkeley Playhouse include Pinocchio (Pinocchio), The Sound of Music (Kurt), 2016.02 • BAYSTAGES.COM

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MARTINEZ

MARX

MEYERS

PEOPLES

ROLLINS-MULENS

SAN-CHEZ

Mulan (Mushu), Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Ensemble), Rent (Angel), 13: The Musical (Malcolm) and Legally Blonde The Musical (Nikos, Ensemble). Caleb was also very involved in the development of Bridges: A New Musical which included two staged readings. In addition to musical theatre, Caleb enjoys ballet, tap and soccer. He is in the 8th grade at Piedmont Middle School.

CHARLES PEOPLES III (Ensemble) is a Bay Area singer, dancer and actor who has performed in New York City. While in the Big Apple, Charles received his bachelor's degree from Sarah Lawrence College with an emphasis in musical theatre and performed at different dance, cabaret and theatre events. Since returning to California, he has continued to perform and create original music. Theatre credits include Collins in Rent, Neil in The Story and Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in Ragtime. Choreography c r e d i t s i n c l u d e Re e f e r Madness, Songs for a New World and Spring Awakening. cpiii.life ANTHONY ROLLINS-MULLENS (1965 Minister, Ensemble) has been seen in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Caractacus Potts), Bob Marley's Three Little Birds (Duppy), A Year With Frog and Toad (Toad), Ella, the Musical (Louis Armstrong), Rent (Tom Collins), Smokey Joe's Cafe (Fred), Master Harold...and the Boys (Willie), Disney’s Aladdin (Jafar), Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (Aslan), West Coast premiere of Good Goods (Waymon as Hunter Priestess), West Coast premiere of LaChuisa’s The Wild Party (Eddie Mackrel) and the 20th anniversary production of Angels in America (Belize). rollinsmullens.com 10

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MAURICE ANDRÉ SAN-CHEZ (Ensemble) was last seen on this stage sending a similar message in Hairspray. André has earned his BFA in music theatre from the University of Texas El Paso. Credits include The new Pasek and Paul musical James and the Giant Peach (Earthworm) with the China tour, 5 Little Monkeys and Knuffle Bunny with Bay Area Children’s Theatre, Yellow (Kendall Parker) with New Conservatory Theatre Center, Carrie the Musical with Ray of Light Theatre and with the Youth Aware Educational Theatre program at New Conservatory Theatre Center. Andre is a teaching artist, director and stage manager with Bay Area Children’s Theatre, Berkeley Playhouse and New Conservatory Theatre Center.

KAYLAMAY SUAREZ (Jasmine, Ensemble) played one of the twin Lost Boys in Peter Pan. She is a recent graduate of the Pacific Conservatory Theater acting conservatory (formerly PCPA). Some of her credits include Anne in the world premiere musical Christmas Is Here Again, Shakespeare's As You Like It (Celia) and Two Gentlemen of Verona (Silvia). kaylamaysuarez.wix.com/ actor BRANDEN THOMAS (Ensemble) started training in ballet and African dance at a young age and began singing in 11th grade after he was admitted into Oakland School for the Arts and its award-winning concert choir where he received vocal training in a choral setting. He progressed as a vocalist in high school and started to perform in musical theatre. Credits include The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Mitch Mahone), Shrek The Musical (Papa Bear), Hairspray (Seaweed)

and Avenue Q (Trekkie, Bad Idea Bear) at Berkeley Playhouse.

PHILLIP PERCY WILLIAMS (Paul, Louis) is a "2015 Best Principal Actor in a Musical" award recipient from Bay Area Theatre Critics. He is an eleven year veteran of Beach Blanket Babylon and traveled with Carnival Cruises with his solo show A Tribute to Nat King Cole. Credits include The Pirates of Penzance (Pirate King), [title of show] (Hunter), Impressionism (Chiambuane/ Mr. Linder), Return to the Forbidden Planet (Captain Tempest), The Tempest (King Alonso), Grease (Johnny Casino/Teen Angel) and Big River (Jim). His jazz/R&B trio, The Phillip Percy Pack, can be seen throughout the Bay Area including well noted nonprofit events such as Bread & Roses, The Valentines Ball, Spirit of Marin, Marin General Hospital Foundation Gala and many others. phillippercysings.com SCOTTIE WOODARD (Barry, Ensemble) is so honored to be returning to Berkeley Playhouse where he was last seen in Hairspray playing Corny Collins. Favorite roles include Bonnie and Clyde (Buck), A F u n n y T h i n g Happened on the Way to the Forum (Hysterium), Les Misérables (Marius), Peter Pan (Captain Hook), The Music Man (Harold Hill), Avenue Q (Rod/ Princeton), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Chip), White Christmas (Bob Wallace), Jesus Christ Superstar (Judas), Evita (Che), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Jimmie), Guys and Dolls (Nicely Nicely), Sweeney Todd (Anthony) and Beauty and the Beast (Gaston).

DOUGLAS J. COHEN (Composer) received the 2010 Fred Ebb Award for Musical Theatre

Songwriting and two Richard Rodgers Awards for writing book, music and lyrics for No Way To Treat A Lady (produced twice off-Broadway including the York Theatre Company) and The Gig (O’Neill National Music Theatre Conference, Manhattan Theatre Club Stage II, Goodspeed, Sacramento Music Circus, York Theatre Company concert on CD and reading in conjunction with the Noël Coward Prize). He is writing the book/lyrics to Valentino’s Tango, which Tony nominee Chet Walker is developing with commercial producers, and contributed original songs to off-Broadway’s Boozy directed by Alex Timbers.

His latest completed musical, Nine Wives with collaborator Dan Elish, recently received a developmental production at the TriArts-Sharon Playhouse and a staged reading at Goodspeed’s Festival of New Artists. Doug penned music and lyrics for The Opposite of Sex (Williamstown Theatre Festival, Magic Theatre) and The Big Time (book by Douglas Carter Beane) which debuted at the NYMF Festival.

Nominated for a 2005 Drama Desk Award (Outstanding Lyrics, Children’s Letters To God, Lamb’s Theatre), he received a Jonathan Larson Grant for Barnstormer (co-written with Cheryl L. Davis, selected for the NAMT Festival). His new play, Lovely Send Anywhere (Laurents-Hatcher Award Finalist) has been developed at the Lark Play Development Center and off-Broadway’s The Cell Theatre. Doug and collaborator Zoe Samuel are collaborating on Helen of Troy, a new musical which benefited from a New York Stage & Film residency through the Lark Theatre and a recent NYC reading. He currently teaches Song Interpretation at the Neighborhood Playhouse and is a member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild.

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SUAREZ

THOMAS

WILLIAMS

WOODARD

CHERYL L. DAVIS (Lyricist and Librettist) is a musical theater librettist and lyricist, and is an alumna of the Advanced Workshop of the BMI/Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.

She worked on the musical Barnstormer with composer Douglas J. Cohen (No Way to Treat a Lady, The Gig, Glimmerglass). She is also working on Sugar Dumpling with composer C. Colby Sachs. The piece is set during the American Civil War and is loosely adapted from the short story Boule de Suif by Guy de Maupassant.

She has a degree in English, a certificate in theatre and dance from Princeton University and has studied playwriting with Jean-Claude Van Itallie and Jeffrey Sweet. She was a Dramatists Guild Fellow in 2002 and was mentored by playwright/ librettist Alfred Uhry. She is an alumna of the Playwrights’ Lab of the Women’s Project and Productions and of the River Writers Unit of the Ensemble Studio Theatre. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild and an associate artist of the Milk Can Theatre Company. She is the vice president of Theater Resources Unlimited, a producers’ networking organization, and is a member of the Board of the League of Professional Theater Women. She is the recipient of a 2009 Writers’ Guild Award for her work as a writer for the daytime dramatic serial As the World Turns, and has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for her work on that show. She is a practicing attorney in Manhattan and is a partner with the firm of Menaker & Herrmann LLP. K A R E N A LT R E E P I E M M E (Director) is an accomplished director, actor, dramaturg, workshop facilitator and acting instructor, specializing in social justice theatre and community access to the arts. Karen is the director of the Red Ladder Theatre Company, a nationally12

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acclaimed, award-winning company, which empowers marginalized populations in our community by helping them develop positive life skills through the art form of improvisational theatre. She directs productions for youth and adults, teaches classes and conducts workshops locally, nationally and internationally.

Karen serves as director of the Resident Playwrights Initiative at Playwrights Foundation, and as associate director for 2nd Stages at Dragon Productions Theatre Company.

She teaches in the Department of Television, Radio, Film and Theatre at San Jose State University and serves on the Theatre Services Committee (the advisory council) for Theatre Bay Area. Karen is the recipient of the 2011 Champion of Arts Education Award, awarded by the Mayor/City of San Jose and the San Jose Arts Commission, and in 2012 she was named one of the 35 Faces of Theatre Bay Area. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

DAVID AARON BROWN (Music Director, Conductor, Piano) is thrilled to be making his Berkeley Playhouse debut with this world premiere production. A Bay Area native, his favorite past music directing credits include The Rocky Horror Show with Ray of Light, Grey Gardens with Custom Made (TBA Award nomination), 42nd Street, Mr. Irresistible, Into the Woods and Spamalot with 6th Street.

He is a graduate of Brown University where he received the Weston Award for Piano Performance.

PJAY PHILLIPS (Choreographer) is a multi-faceted performer, lead vocalist, actress, choreographer and dancer with a BFA in musical theatre.

She recently returned from

headlining as a vocalist and resident chanteuse at the Hotel Martinez Cannes, France (Cannes Film Festival), Brown Sugar Live in Taipei, Taiwan, the La Mamounia in Morocco, Africa and Yoshi’s Oakland, California. Theatre credits include acting, singing and/ or choreography in Caroline or Change (Critics Circle award for choreography) and Crowns (TheatreWorks), Aida and The Wiz (Willows Theatre), Dreamgirls and Grease (American Musical Theatre), Black Nativity, Black and Blue, Crumbs From the Table of Joy and Eubie!

(Lorraine Hansberry Theatre), The Josephine Baker Story (African American Cultural Arts) and 8 Track (Theatre On San Pedro Square). Pjay has also worked as the Director of Dance for the Lorraine Hansberry Youth Academy and Allen Temple Praise Dancers.

She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

KEN CERNIGLIA (Dramaturg) is dramaturg and literary manager for Disney Theatrical Group, where he has developed over fifty shows for professional, amateur and school productions including Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Peter and the Starcatcher and Newsies. He has adapted several Broadway scripts for young performers as well. Besides Bridges: A New Musical, current freelance projects include Oliverio: A Brazilian Twist (Kennedy Center), Monticello Wakes (Fisher Ensemble) and Hadestown (New York Theatre Workshop). Ken holds a PhD in theater history and criticism from the University of Washington and is co-founder of the American Theatre Archive Project, artistic director of Two Turns Theatre Company and president-elect of Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA).

SAM WILLMOTT (Orchestrator, Vocal Arranger) has worked as a music director, arranger, orchestrator and pianist. This has taken him from Radio City Music Hall to Abu Dhabi, with an eclectic array of collaborators including Elizabeth Swados, Nunsense's Dan Goggin, and singer/songwriter Shaina Taub. His own musicals include Standardized Testing - The Musical!!!!, Yo, Vikings! (with Marcus Stevens), Scarlet Takes a Tumble; Bhangin' It (with Rehana Lew Mirza and Mike Lew) and Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol (additional lyrics). Sam is the recipient of the the 2015 Kleban Prize for Most Promising Musical Theatre Lyricist, a 2015 Jonathan Larson Grant, and the 2012 Fred Ebb Award.

He currently works with Lincoln Center's Songwriting in the Schools program and Pace University's Musical Theater BFA program, and is a contributing writer to the Korean children's language program, English Egg. A million thanks to Doug and Cheryl for the opportunity to work on such a beautiful show, and to the whole wonderful team at Berkeley Playhouse for their vision and talent!

NICK KUMAMOTO (Projection Designer) is a video and lighting designer living and working in the greater San Jose area. He is the resident lighting and video designer for City Lights Theater Company and the master electrician for Palo Alto Players, also routinely making appearances as a designer. Beginning this Spring, he will be joining Opera San Jose as Master Electrician as well. He regularly designs lights for Children's Musical Theatre of San Jose and is a recipient of the 2014 Leigh Weimers Emerging Artist Award for his work as a lighting designer.

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D O N AT E TO DAY

Yo u r d o n a t i o n s support the

Professional Season and our

C o n s e r va t o r y b e r ke l ey p l a y h o u s e . o r g

MARK THOMAS (Lighting Designer) has had his work seen all over the United States. Mark holds a BFA in lighting design from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University. Mark designs for theatre, concerts, dance and circus. Some of his more notable designs include Peter Pan and Avenue Q at Berkeley Playhouse, Barry Manilow at the Las Vegas Hilton, Teatro ZinZanni, State of Grace (a collaboration with visual artist Anne Patterson at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco), Letter from Birmingham Jail with Anna Deavere Smith, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Cabaret, Dog Sees God, Funny Girl, Guys and Dolls, Gypsy, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Little Shop of Horrors, ODC Summer Sampler 2013, Seminar, Show Boat, Singin' in the Rain, The Sound of Music, West Side Story and The Wiz. mhproductions.org BRIAN WATSON (Scenic Designer) is an award-winning scenic designer who holds credits in both the Sacramento and Bay Areas. He holds a BA in theatre arts from CSU, Sacramento and also works as an actor, vocalist and vocal instructor. Notable scenic designs include Les Misérables, Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, Next to Normal, H2$, Love & Information, and Intimate Apparel. Companies Brian has designed for include Berkeley Playhouse, Capital Stage, Sacramento Theatre Company, Town Hall Theatre, Bay Area Musicals, Big Idea Theatre, New Helvetia Theatre and Stockton Civic Theatre. behance. net/brian_watson LIZ MARTIN (Costume Designer) is an award-winning costumer who has been passionately costuming for over 25 years. Previous Berkeley Playhouse productions include Mary Poppins, Hairspray and Fiddler on the Roof. She has worked with numerous 14

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other theater companies around the Bay Area, including Contra Costa Musical Theater, Tri-Valley Repertory Theater, Altarena Playhouse and Pacific Coast Repertory Theater. Her business, Pink Depford Costume Design, has built costumes for actors, reenactors, wineries and a squirrel.

Liz currently spends her winter holidays at the Cow Palace where she is the Costume Director for the Great Dickens Christmas Fair and in her spare time, is the owner/operator of Downtown Nails in Martinez.

LORI FOWLER (Stage Manager) is excited to be working with Berkeley Playhouse for the first time on such an important show. Lori studied theatre at the University of Hawaii, Hilo, and has worked all over the Bay Area in various theatrical capacities. She most recently stage managed The Rocky Horror Show with Ray of Light Theatre. Coming up next is Buyer & Cellar at New Conservatory Theatre Center.

QUINTEN T. COHEN (Drums) has been drumming since 2003, and playing for musical theatre since 2007. Much of his work has been for Summer Repertory Theatre: (The Wedding Singer, Xanadu, 9 to 5: The Musical) and 6th Street Playhouse, both in Santa Rosa. Other favorite productions include The Rocky Horror Show (Ray of Light), Next to Normal (Spreckels Performing Arts Center)and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Boxcar Theatre). He also plays guitar and keyboard and is currently recording his first album in his home studio. r e v e r b n a t i o n . c o m / quintencohen BEN GREENBERG (Guitar) has been a guitarist for ten years, and has lent his talents to productions such as Shrek The Musical, 9 to 5: The Musical and Little Shop of Horrors with Summer Repertory Theatre. He is a recent

graduate of UC Santa Cruz, where he received honors in his studies of vocal performance and opera and directed the award-winning group, Cloud 9 A Cappella.

JOSHUA MIKUS-MAHONEY (Cello) is an active freelance player in and around the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to symphonic and theatre work, he is the resident cellist for the Ex'pressions College Interactive Audio program and has appeared in performances with the band Valerie Orth and the soprano duo Bella Sorella.Joshua holds a MM degree in cello performance from the University of Washington, and a BM degree in cello performance from Chapman University.

ALEX ‘WILKY’ WILSON (Bass) has been playing bass for ten years and recently received his associate degree in digital audio. This is his first time with Berkeley Playhouse, but he has been involved with Santa Rosa's Summer Repertory Theatre since 2009. He currently plays with the heavy metal group Waxwyng, the soul band Odell and the anomaly known as The Hyman Loman Experience.

ELIZABETH M C KOY (Founding Artistic Director) founded and has led Berkeley Playhouse since its inception. She directed Peter Pan (2009), Cinderella: Enchanted, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Sound of Music and A Little Princess. Favorite Conservatory Imagination Players shows include Mulan Jr., Once On This Island, Into The Woods, Starmites, Zombie Prom and 13: The Musical. She has also commissioned and developed new musical theatre works for the Berkeley Playhouse including Born And Raised, Bravado, Just So Stories and Bridges: A New Musical. She helped start the Bay Area affiliate of New York’s Lincoln Center Institute for Arts

Education in the Schools. As Education Director, she brought arts education to thousands of school children and teachers in the Bay Area. Now, in addition to producing, directing and teaching for Berkeley Playhouse, she is currently working to develop and sustain the Playhouse’s unique vision for musical theatre and theatre education.

DAREN A.C. CAROLLO (Producing Artistic Director) joined the Berkeley Playhouse family in April of 2014 where he directed Hairspray and this season’s Peter Pan. He recently served as the Executive Director for Broadway By the Bay and the Artistic Director for Diablo Theatre Company. Daren was the Production Manager for the Marin Theatre Company and the Willows Theatre Company. His production company, CAROLLO & PALUMBO, LLC, recently produced the musical bare Off-Broadway and

A Time to Kill on Broadway. He is an award-winning director with over 50 credits in the last decade. Daren’s directing highlights include: Rabbit Hole, Les Misérables, Sweeney Todd..., Jekyll & Hyde, Forever Plaid, Noises Off (twice), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Trip to Bountiful, Dracula (twice), Peter Pan, Miss Saigon, The Drowsy Chaperone (twice), A Grand Night for Singing, Curtains, The Wizard of Oz and a sold out production of Brigadoon in Concert. Daren has directed for Diablo Theatre Company, Solano College Theatre, Napa Valley Opera House, Ohlone College, Town Hall Theatre Company, DRAA’s On Broadway, El Campanil Theatre and Contra Costa Civic Theatre. He is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and Theatre Bay Area’s Theatre Services Committee.

RACHEL EISNER (Director of Education) is thrilled to be

returning to the Berkeley Playhouse family after her Education Fellowship at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. She has worked as a teaching artist for the past four years in L.A. and the Bay Area, as well as the Program Director and Drama Specialist at Phoenix Ranch camp. Before Rachel focused her passion on theatre and education, she worked in various aspects of theatre arts including directing, acting, choreographing and stage management. Some of her favorite credits include directing in Cal Performance’s Zellerbach Hall, acting as the External Affairs Director for BareStage Productions and producing Berkeley Rep’s 13th annual Teen One Acts Festival. Some of her favorite stage roles include Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress and Ethel Savage in The Curious Savage. Rachel has a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology with a minor in Education from UC Berkeley.

DONORS A HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO ALL THE DONORS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO BERKELEY PLAYHOUSE IN THE PAST YEAR! THE LISTS BELOW INCLUDES GIFTS RECEIVED BETWEEN JANUARY 10, 2015 AND JANUARY 10, 2016. [$15,000]

Fleishhacker Foundation [$10,000+]

Imagination Foundation [$2,500+]

American Eagle Outfitters Foundation • The Dev Family David Roberts + Gail Simpson [$1,000+] The Walt Disney Company Foundation • Daren A.C. Carollo • Kenneth Caruana • The van Lynde Family John McCarthy + Susie Fazlollahi • Ken Cerniglia + Adrien Lanusse • Lanette McClure • Judith McKoy George + Mary Oram • Heather Kuiper + Loren Rauch • Joel Rubenzahl • Len Schneiderman Helga Ying + Jonah Levy

[$500+] The Wade/Breidenbach Family • Sharon Djemal • Nancy Falk • Pat Friday • Thomas Friedland Lisa Fuller + Dirk ten Grotenhuis • Julie Drassinower + Eddie Kwong • Esther Rogers • Susan Sattler The Schroeder Family • The Shepard Family

[$250+] In honor of Laura Marlin from the Narnia parents • In honor of Elizabeth McKoy + The Cast of 13: A New Musical Charitable Adult Rides and Services Inc. • Terri Bimes • Larry Abel + Suzanne Grishman • Ali Taylor Lange • Ken Levin The Rotenberg Family • Ann Smulka • Gerry Wallace • Dina Wolkoff

[$100+] In Honor of The Pirates of Penzance Team • In Honor of the Narnia Team • Star Partners Real Estate Group • Kamroon + Mustapha Baksh David Beatty • Michelle Blakeley-Hoge • M. J. + Siena Bogatin • E. Chan • Annette Clear • Robert Cook • Frances Dinkelspiel • Ken Sorey + Ashley Dunning • Jeffrey Eckber • Jennifer Ekman •Lori + Dennis Erokan • Daniel Ezekiel • Ellen Frankel • Benjamin Pither + Joseph Greaves • Michael Greenwald • Tracy Giles • Amy + Roy Grigsby Tanya Goldsmith • Karen Haines • Lauren Hewitt Lavinia Hong • Mark Jansen • Robin Kaer • Claire Kingsbury • Melissa Lee • Craig Broscow + Courtney Lennard • Terry Liebowitz Margaret Merzenich • Caleb W. Meyers • Jill + Robert Minetz • Merle Nadlin • Debra Schifrin • Steven Paul Schmidt • Charles Stephenson Elizabeth Swan • Kathleen Taylor • Jinee Tao • Tara + Jon Vargo • Rick Wallace + Beth Harris • Dan Cawthon + Penny Washbourn Richard + Shirley Weber • Don Cornejo + Madelyn Weiss • Leo + Brenda Winternitz

[$50+] Keira Armstrong • Jinee Tao + Charlie Baxter • Lynn Caffrey • Johnnie + Donny Carollo • Karen Carollo • Rachel Chin • Patrick + Kimberly Dooley Drassinwer-Kwong Family • Melinda Drayton • Ashley Dunning • Ellie Ehrenhaft • Sherri + Thomas Flynn • Michelle Freschi • Shirley Gottesman Annette Lai • Helen Liao • Rodney + Caren Lucich • Kai Martin • Yasi Massih • Emily Newmann • Dakota + Naomi Pawek • Adene Sacks Judy Soslau • Greg Sottolano • Laurie, Lee + Julia Strawn • Ian Swinson • Matthew + Mark Thomas • Fanshen Thompson • Catherine Varnau Claudia Huttner + Madeleine Wack • Rebekah Wood

THANK YOU! 16

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BERKELEY PLAYHOUSE PROFESSIONAL

SEASON

15

/16 DON’T MISS THE REST OF THE SEASON

MARCH 24 - APRIL 17, 2016 Director and Choreographer K I M B E R LY D O O L E Y Music Director M I C H A E L PAT R I C K W I L E S [Rated G]

APRIL 28 - MAY 22, 2016 D i re c t o r DA R E N A .C . C A R O L LO

- Our First Play [Rated PG]

JUNE 23 - JULY 31, 2016 D i re c t o r S COT T I E WO O DA R D M u s i c D i re c to r R AC H E L R O B I N S O N C h o r e o g r a p h e r S TA C I A R R I A G A [Rated G]

The hilariously morbid family i s b a c k i n a b ra n d n ew s t o r y !

T h e d a u g h t e r, We d n e s d a y h a s done the scariest thing i m a g i n a b l e - g row n u p ! S h e ' s a l s o f a l l e n i n l ove a n d w a n t s her family to be "normal" for o n e n i g h t t o i m p re s s h e r n ew b oy f r i e n d ’s p a re n t s .

F o l l ow t h e j o u r n ey o f S c o u t F i n c h w h o s e f a t h e r, At t i c u s , has been appointed to defend To m R o b i n s o n , a b l a c k m a n f ra m e d f o r a c r i m e h e d i d n o t c o m m i t . T h i s s t i r r i n g p o r t ra ya l o f ra c i a l a n d f a m i l y re l a t i o n s c o n t i n u e s t o re s o n a t e , s o m e wo u l d a rg u e t o o c l o s e l y, t o t h i s d a y.

A r i e l h a s a l w a y s d re a m e d o f leaving her underwater kingd o m t o s e e w h a t l i e s b eyo n d the sea. When she falls in l ove w i t h a h a n d s o m e p r i n c e w h o l i ve s o n l a n d , s h e ' s w i l l i n g t o g i ve u p eve r y t h i n g to be with him.