Much Ado Program: Fall 2023

WHITWORTH THEATRE PRESENTS

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

By William Shakespeare Directed By Brian Tyrrell

CAST Leonato..........................................................................................................Joseph Selle Hero...................................................................................................... Sydney Anderson Imogen............................................................................................................. Stella Reitz Beatrice........................................................................................................... Lyra Cupala Margaret........................................................................................................ Laurel Oelke Ursula................................................................................................................Zoe Picken Don Pedro.............................................................................................Jared McDougall Claudio..........................................................................................Josiah Vander Griend Benedick.............................................................................................................Ali Aboud Balthasar.................................................................................................McKenna Devos Don John..................................................................................................... Fiona Beattie Borachio.......................................................................................................Kyler Cramer Conrade........................................................................................................Rab Greenup Dogberry............................................................................................................ Dani Wolf Verges.............................................................................................................Anna Daniel George Seacoal..............................................................................................Anna Reitz 1st Watch............................................................................................. Johanna Caudron 2nd Watch .........................................................................................................Grace Lee Sexton..........................................................................................................Britney Botez Messenger....................................................................................... Melaina Rose Wolfe Friar Francis................................. Casey Andrews, Nancy Casady, Keith Lambert, Aaron Putzke, Jake Rapp, David Sloan

CREW Director...........................................................................................................Brian Tyrrell Intimacy Choreographer.............................................................................Emily Rollie Scenic Design................................................................................... Aaron M. Dyszelski Costume Design...............................................................................Alyssa Calder-Day Lighting Design & Technical Director................................................. Maria L. Sorce Scenic Artist..........................................................................................Duncan Menzies Assistant Technical Director..........................................................Robert Batchelder Stage Manager......................................................................................... Lynzie Kenney Sound Design.............................................................................................Max Broennle Projection Design................................................................................... Bella Friedman Properties Manager..................................................................................Britney Botez Hair & Makeup Design.................................................................................Anna Daniel Lighting Design Assistant.................................................................... Henry Wheeler Projection Operator........................................................................... Joseph Ruckman Lightboard Operators........................................ Henry Wheeler and Kenzie Quinn Assistant Stage Managers..............Emmie Magnum and Angelina Grace Nolan Wardrobe Manager...................................................................................... Lyra Cupala Costume Assistant .................................................................................. Lydia McNelly Scenic Carpenter............................................................................... Sydney Anderson Scenic Charge.................................................................................................Zoe Picken Scenic Crew...................................Sydney Anderson, Anna Daniel, Rab Greenup, Lynzie Kenney, Jared McDougall, Theophilus Owusu, Ava Plotnikov, Stella Reitz, Henry Wheeler, Nick Yochum House Manager................................................................................. Sierra Van Der Pol Box Office Manager...............................................................................Bailey Wilmeth Programs/Publicity....................................................................................Kim Dawson Interim Theatre Chair..............................................................................Erica R. Salkin

Special thanks to The Bedheads for allowing us to use their music, “What Do You mean” and “If You Feel Lonely,” in our mainstage production of Much Ado About Nothing.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE Much Ado About Nothing? What an odd title for a play. Scholars are quick to remind us that the last word in the title is actually a play on words; nothing becoming noting, as in eavesdropping or overhearing conversations, a major component in this witty and, for contemporary audiences, extremely accessible play. Part of that accessibility lies in the fact that much of Mr. Shakespeare’s play is in prose rather than his customary iambic pentameter blank verse. If poetry is the language of emotion and sentiment, prose lends itself to wit and reason.

The perfect fit for this war of wits between the play’s protagonists, Beatrice and Benedick, singles who promise never to marry.

As a sidebar, thanks to the efforts of two of Shakespeare’s friends/acting company members, Henry Condell and John Heminges, Shakespeare’s First Folio, the initial collection of his plays, celebrates its 400th birthday this year.

It’s worth noting that 1623 was seven years after Shakespeare’s death. It apparently was never his desire to collect and publish his plays. We owe a debt of gratitude to Henry and John for realizing that future generations might enjoy these plays as much as they obviously did.

Like many of our young cast members, my first visit to Shakespeare’s world occurred while I was a freshman at WSU many years ago. I played a minor role in Twelfth Night, and I immediately knew this was an author I needed to spend the rest of my life exploring. Seven years later I had my second encounter with the Bard in a production of Much Ado… set during the Civil War. I played Benedick, and somehow, despite the odd setting, it worked. I’m convinced it worked because the play has universal qualities that seem to suit whatever generation embraces it. A play about relationships, love won and lost, spoken “trippingly on the tongue” can and will charm any audience.

It takes a village to produce a play, and I would be remiss if I didn’t offer my gratitude to my fellow collaborators. In no particular order, thank you Emily Rollie for leading us to understand how to create a positive space for actors to explore their characters and their stories. To Duncan and his student scenic painters. To our tremendous design team, crew members and stage managers.

To Maria, Erica and Kim for making my job easier by virtue of your presence and input. To Landon Spencer and The Bedheads for sharing your wonderful music with our audiences. And, of course, to our sensational cast. Your willingness to take direction and contribute to our storytelling made this project a dream. And lest I forget, a huge thanks to our multiple Friar Francises. What a delightful addition each of you provided to our production.

And finally thank you to you, our audience. We’re well aware that in this post-pandemic world we live in, choosing to sit in a room full of people may still be cause for some anxiety. Theatres across the country are struggling to entice audiences to return to the world of Real Live Theatre. You’re the final component in this equation, and we can’t thank you enough for joining us.

And so, to quote Shakespeare, “I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks.” Twelfth Night.

MCDONALD OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARS Box Office Manager – Bailey Wilmeth Community Engagement – Fiona Beattie Costume Assistant – Lydia McNelly House Manager – Sierra Van Der Pol Lighting Design – Henry Wheeler Makeup Designer – Anna Daniel Projection Designer – Bella Friedman Properties Manager – Britney Botez Scenic Carpenter – Sydney Anderson Scenic Charge – Zoe Picken Sound Designer – Max Broennle Technical Director, Stage II – Jared McDougall Wardrobe Manager – Lyra Cupala

WHITWORTH THEATRE Whitworth Theatre is dedicated to cultivating artistic integrity by making theatre that engages both mind and heart with honesty, compassion and hope.

Students in Whitworth Theatre reach beyond their personal experiences to portray stories from all walks of life in an ongoing dialogue with the audience about the human experience.

Our academic theatre program stimulates creativity and discipline through classes in performance, directing, dance, design, history and literature. We offer two annual main-stage productions, a festival of short plays and an improvisation troupe. The core production offerings are complemented with senior projects, community-based works, tours, visiting artists and stage readings.

For more information about Whitworth Theatre, or to be added to our mailing list, please contact the theatre office at 509.777.3707 or email kdawson@ whitworth.edu.

CAST & CREW BIOGRAPHIES Charles (Casey) Andrews (Friar on Oct. 15) is a professor of English at Whitworth, where among his teaching duties are courses on playwriting and Shakespeare. Previous Whitworth Theatre credits include adapting and directing Aristophanes’ Lysistrata as well as performing in a staged reading of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys. Other previous credits include Jason in Euripedes’ Medea, Sebastian in Twelfth Night, and Theseus/Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He is delighted to be joining this talented cast, performing alongside many current students who are studying Shakespeare, film and literary theory with him this semester and eagerly anticipating our Jan Term travel course to experience theatre in London.

Ali Aboud (Benedick) is a junior theatre major and has participated in several shows in the department, most notably as Dunois in Saint Joan last spring. He was also in the Civic Theatre’s production of Murder on the Orient Express as Michel and several high school shows.

Sydney Anderson (Hero) is a junior and English/theatre double major. She is playing the role of Hero. You may have seen her most recently as Joan in Saint Joan or in previous years in Something Rotten! or Men on Boats. She would like to thank all of the wonderful people in her life who continually support her, specifically her mom. And to her lovely cast, long live all the magic we made!

Fiona Beattie (Don John) is a junior majoring in theatre. She has been awarded the McDonald’s scholarship two years in a row for props design and community engagement, as well as the Drama Department Achievement Award and an enhanced talent scholarship for acting. Fiona has been active in stage productions as an actor since she was 3 years old, acting with TBA, Grace Christian School, Whitworth University and Spokane Playwrights. Some of her favorite roles include Joan in Saint Joan and Jane in Jane Eyre. Fiona would like to thank her friends and family for all their love and support.

Max Broennle (Sound Designer) has been a part of different tech crews around the country including their Oviedo, Fla., high school, and Whitworth, where they assistant stage-managed Saint Joan last spring. They’d like to thank their friends Zoe Picken and Jasmine Arevalo for being supportive and encouraging of their work.

Nancy Casady (Friar on Oct. 14) is a program coordinator in the College of Arts & Sciences at Whitworth University. She has a degree in speech communication with a theatre minor from Oregon State University. Nancy participated in several traditional productions throughout her college years.

One of her favorites was playing Truvy in Steel Magnolias while on exchange in Perth, Western Australia. Trying to teach Aussies how to do an American Southern accent was hilarious. Nancy has written, directed and acted in many productions in the churches she has attended since coming to Christ in 1992. She is thrilled to be able to participate in this production of Much Ado About Nothing, and she prays that the community represented in the production you witness encourages and inspires you.

JJ Caudron (Choreographer & Hugh Oatcake 1st Watch) is a junior. So far JJ has been in Men on Boats, Something Rotten, Eurydice, Woyzeck, Sound of Music, Trifles and Lysistrata in the Whitworth Theatre Department.

Lyra Cupala (Beatrice and Wardrobe Manager) is a first-year theatre student. Past productions include Into the Woods, The Music Man and Oliver. She thanks the Bogeyman, all moths and the original Broadway cast of The Drowsy Chaperone. She also thanks her family and friends and is thrilled to be in the show!

Kyler Cramer (Borachio) is a transfer student from Lower Columbia College in Longview, Wash. This will be his first show with the Whitworth Theatre Department. Kyler has performed as Valere in Tartuffe, Al in The Baby Dance and Adrian in Private Eyes during his time at LCC. He has also played a variety of roles in his high school department, most notably Mortimer in Arsenic and Old Lace and Costard in Love’s Labour’s Lost. Kyler is excited to continue acting at Whitworth and feels fortunate to have a supportive and encouraging family back at home.

Anna Daniel (Verges and Hair and Makeup Designer) is a senior receiving her B.A. in elementary education, with minors in special education, reading and theatre. She was most recently seen in Trifles, a senior project directed

by Emily Van Vleet in spring 2023, and also appeared in the Festival of Shorts in fall of 2020 and 2021. Anna would like to give special thanks to Maria Sorce and Jared McDougall, without whom she would not have grown to call the auditorium home.

Alyssa Day (Costume Designer) is the owner/operator of Daisy Stitch Studio, an alterations and sewing shop. She has also performed in and around the Spokane area for over 25 years. Alyssa has worked on costumes for many area theatres including Spokane Civic Theatre, Best of Broadway tours, CDA Summer Theatre, Eastern Washington University, Spokane Children’s Theater and The Modern Theatre.

McKenna DeVos (Balthasar) is a first-year student here and as of right now is undeclared. This will be her first show with Whitworth Theatre. She has been in two main-stage shows in the past. She is super excited to be a part of this wonderful cast. She would like to thank her parents for always supporting her in her theatre. She hopes you enjoy the show.

Keith Lambert (Friar on Oct. 21) is associate professor of education and the current holder of the Sue Chandler Endowed Professorship in Education.

Lambert has been at the forefront of developing and sustaining crucial partnerships that equip teachers to become culturally competent and help increase the diversification of the teacher workforce.

Grace Lee (2nd Watch) is a first-year majoring in theatre. Grace hasn’t starred in any professionally directed musicals or plays prior. She has only done small plays at her church for little kids. However, she took an acting elective at her high school that taught her the little things she knows.

She also has six years’ worth of experience dancing onstage, which is tremendously helpful in being comfortable on stage. Grace is so excited to see what will come next on her journey as a theatre major at Whitworth!

Rab Greenup (Conrade) is majoring in human-computer interaction and minoring in theology. Rab’s stage credits most recently include Saint Joan at Whitworth, alongside multiple productions with Liberty Lake Community Theatre (now TAC at the Lake) including The Taming of the Shrew, Anne of Green Gables, Puffs and Gulliver’s Travels.

Lynzie Kenney (Stage Manager) is a senior and has been on the stage management team for a variety of shows at Whitworth, including Saint Joan, Something Rotten and Angels in America. She is grateful to her girlfriend, friends and family for supporting her and cheering her on throughout this show.

Emma Mangum (Assistant Stage Manager) is a first-year student majoring in journalism & media studies. She was heavily involved in theatre and drama at Squalicum High School in Bellingham, Wash. She was a secretary of the drama club for three years, and was involved in every production the program put on. Shows include 9 to 5 (ensemble), Eurydice (stage crew), The Importance of Being Earnest (Lady Bracknell), All the Great Books, Abridged (sound design), The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (stage manager), Big Fish (Josephine), and Mamma Mia! (stage manager). Emma is excited to be participating in this show and plans to continue being involved in theatre at Whitworth.

Jared McDougall (Don Pedro) is a Spokane local in his senior year studying English, secondary education and theatre. He was last seen on Whitworth’s stage as Charles in Saint Joan, and it was a pleasure to work with Brian once again. Additionally, Jared has performed in the last three summer seasons of Spokane Shakespeare Society, in roles such as Fortinbras (Hamlet), Romeo (Romeo and Juliet) and Puck (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). He would like to give specific thanks to Maria Sorce for her mentorship and to Anna Daniel for her friendship these past few years!

Lydia McNelly (Costume Assistant) is a sophomore who is delighted to join the crew as the costume assistant! You may have seen her last fall as Sister Margaretta in The Sound of Music or in the Forest Treble Choir. Now she is pursuing music education and plays on a Hosanna team. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Laurel Oelke (Margaret) is a transfer student from Tacoma Community College majoring in secondary education and history. She has been performing since second grade. This is her first show with Whitworth, and she is thrilled to be involved! Laurel would like to thank past directors Robin Brumley and Kim St. John, in addition to her family and stunning friends from Arend!

Zoe Picken (Ursula and Scenic Charge) is a second-year student playing the role of Ursula. Zoe also holds the position of scenic charge and helped to paint our lovely set. Her hometown is Willis, Texas. She has been seen as the Chaplain in Saint Joan and the County Attorney in Trifles here at Whitworth.

She is excited for her first female role at Whitworth! Other past credits include Frenchie in Grease, Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and many others. She would like to thank her girlfriend Ainsley, her best friend Max, and all her other friends and family for their support. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Aaron Putzke (Friar on Oct. 20) is a professor of biology who joined Whitworth in 2014. In addition to teaching courses in developmental biology and molecular genetics, he directs Whitworth’s brewing sciences certificate program. He got his start in theatre in high school performing in one-act plays and then moving into full-length plays, such as Moliere’s Imaginary Invalid. His true love for the stage really came out in musicals such as Godspell and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, with his favorite role of all time performing as Curly in Oklahoma. He is so grateful for the invitation to be part of Much Ado About Nothing. What a privilege to be onstage with such talented students!

Jake Rapp (Friar on Oct. 19) is an associate professor of Spanish. He joined Whitworth in 2015 and teaches a range of courses in language acquisition, cultural studies, history and literature of the Spanish-speaking world. While he regularly teaches a course on theatre and performance (in Spanish!), this is his first time onstage in over 20 years. He applauds the incredible talent and dedication of the creative actors, crew, professors and staff that are bringing Much Ado to Cowles Auditorium, and looks forward to performing for the school show matinee, especially for the students of Mrs. Rapp at Paideia High School!

Anna Reitz (George Seacoal) is a sophomore and has been seen before in Saint Joan, The Sound of Music, Featured Firsts and Trifles. She’s so excited to be onstage with her peers again and would like to thank her family, friends and the most comfortable residence hall bed she’s ever had.

Stella Reitz (Imogen and Musical Arrangements) is a junior psychology major and is so excited to be in this show! Previous Whitworth credits include Something Rotten! and The Sound of Music, as well as running the ticket office for Saint Joan and the senior projects. She would like to thank her family, Fiona, her amazingly talented cast and crew, and of course her trusty scooter, Scoot Cubed (who has a cameo appearance in the show), for being there for her. Enjoy the show!

Emily A. Rollie (Intimacy Choreographer) is an intimacy choreographer, director and associate professor of theatre at Central Washington University. As a director and intimacy choreographer, Emily has worked in venues around the country, with emphasis on new play development and intersectional feminist and queer performance. She has choreographed intimacy on productions such as Spring Awakening, Nora: A Doll’s House, The Thin Place (ACT Seattle), In the Blood, As You Like It, Fefu and her Friends, and Rocky Horror Picture Show. She is associate faculty for Theatrical Intimacy Education (TIE), a founding member of the PNW Theatrical Intimacy Collective, a member of the SDC (Stage Directors & Choreographers Society), and a registered yoga instructor who leads Yoga for Artists workshops.

Joseph Ruckman (Projection Operator) is a first-year and is excited to work on another theatre production after being involved in his high school’s theatre program for all four years, both onstage and offstage. He would like to thank his parents for their support and encouragement, and the Whitworth Theatre Department for warmly welcoming him in.

Joseph Selle is in his third year here pursuing a major in theatre and a minor in medieval & early modern studies. You may have seen him previously at Whitworth as Admiral von Schrieber in The Sound of Music or Warwick in Saint Joan. Over the summers, he has played Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, and Laertes in Hamlet, all with The Spokane Shakespeare Society. In his role as Leonato, he would like to thank his father for showing him genuine dad dance moves over the last 20 years.

David Sloan (Friar on Oct. 13 and 22) is an associate professor of business who joined the Whitworth faculty in 2016. His areas of expertise include business management, organization behavior, organization theory and marketing, and he directs the university’s popular leadership studies program.

Brian Tyrrell (Director) returns to Whitworth University after having directed Saint Joan last spring. Brian retired from Centralia College after 25 years of instruction. He directed and/or produced 96 productions in that span including plays produced in Poland and Mexico.

He is the recipient of the Kennedy Center’s Gold Medallion for his efforts as the Playwrighting Awards Chair for Region 7 of the American College Theatre Festival.

Non-academic directing credits include productions in Olympia, Longview and Tacoma as well as assistant direction of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre. A member of Actor’s Equity, his professional acting credits include a national tour with The National Shakespeare Company, a season with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and multiple seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Brian holds an MFA and M.A. in theatre from Purdue University and B.A. in theatre from Washington State University.

Josiah Vander Griend (Claudio) is a senior psychology major and sociology minor. He is also the Big P (President) of Whitworth University’s Improv Team: Cool Whip. Some of his past roles at Whitworth include Captain Von Trapp in last year’s production of The Sound of Music, a member of the ensemble in Something Rotten! as well as Joe Pitt in Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches. He would like to thank his friends and family for supporting his efforts in this production, as well as all of his castmates for being so fun and easy to work with!

Henry Wheeler (Lightboard Operator) is excited to be the assistant lighting designer for Much Ado About Nothing. He is in his sophomore year. Last year, he was an assistant stage manager for Saint Joan and assistant sound technician for Sound of Music. He has also stage managed Legally Blonde, sound designed Dracula, and worked on numerous set builds at Bellevue High School. He would like to thank his parents and grandparents as well as his friends here at Whitworth.

Dani Wolf (Dogberry) is a fourth-year English writing major, with minors in theatre, French, and editing & publishing. Some of her past credits include Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at Spokane Shakespeare Society, and Saint Joan, Something Rotten!, Men on Boats, Silent Sky and Antigone at Whitworth. She is thrilled to be doing Shakespeare again, and would like to thank her roommates and family for their love and support (and for putting up with how busy she’s been with rehearsals). She hopes you enjoy “as pretty a piece of flesh as any is in Messina.”

Melaina Rose Wolfe (Messenger) is a first-year who has lived in Spokane her whole life and just graduated from Mead High School. Her last shows include Tuck Everlasting (ensemble), Cinderella Wore Combat Boots (Cinderella) and D.O.A (Ms. Foster). She wants to thank her parents, Clarissa and Dan, Selah, and Tyson, and of course, her cat Tucker.

COMING IN SPRING 2024 Rabbit Hole

By David Lindsay-Abaire Directed by Chris Hansen March 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m.

March 17 and 24 at 2 p.m.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

As followers of Christ, we are compelled to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. It is our love of God and neighbor that leads us to offer the following statement: a xest sxľxaľt.

Welcome, everyone. We acknowledge that we gather today on the . . . traditional homelands of the four bands of the Spokane Tribe of Indians: Sntut úlix. w, ’ Snx. w méne , Scqesciłni and Sčewile . Since time immemorial, the Spokane Tribe of Indians has lived prosperously on this land, identifying themselves as “sqélix. w,” or “flesh of the land.” We pay our respects to their Elders – past, present and emerging – and we acknowledge their continuing connection with the land, waters and culture. We honor God with gratitude for the land itself and the peoples who have fished, hunted, harvested and gathered here for generations. This acknowledgment recognizes the first custodians of this land, the suffering they endured, and the continued restoration and healing needed.

It is important to understand the history that has brought us to reside here, because such understanding fosters a more united community that honors and embraces the first peoples of Spokane. We thank the Spokane Tribe members for sharing their stories, culture and language to develop this welcome. lem lmtš šey’ u hoy.