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WorldPremiereproductionbyThePublicTheater(OskarEustis,ArtisticDirector;PatrickWillingham,ExecutiveDirector)
Wild with Happy wasdeveloped,inpart,withtheassistanceofTheSundanceInstituteTheatreLaboratory.Wild with Happy wasalsodevelopedatTheatreWorks,PaloAlto,CA
aspartoftheirNewWorksFestival(RobertKelly,ArtisticDirector;PhilSantora,ManagingDirector).
Season 51 Presenting Sponsor:
Media Partner:
Season 51 at Center Stage is made possible by:
Wild with HappyByColmanDomingo
DirectedbyJeremyB.Cohen
ThECAST(inorderofappearance)
Forrest McClendon* Gil
James Ijames* Terry,ChurchNurse
Chivas Michael* Mo,ElderBovane
Stephanie Berry* Adelaide,AuntGlo
Laura Smith* StageManager
Caitlin Powers* AssistantStageManager* Member of Actors’ Equity Association
ThEARTISTICTEAM Jeremy B. Cohen Director
Tony Cisek ScenicDesigner
Alejo Vietti CostumeDesigner
Robert Wierzel LightingDesigner
Robert Kaplowitz SoundDesignerandAdditionalMusic
Jeff Sugg ProjectionDesigner
Catherine María Rodríguez ProductionDramaturg
Pat McCorkle CastingDirector
May 28–Jun 29, 2014
2 TheSetting
3 MeetthePlaywright
4 LeaningintoGrief
6 CinderellaasInspiration
9 Bios:TheCast
10 Bios:TheArtisticTeam
12 Bios:TheStaff
13 Q&AwithKwameandStephen
15 AudienceServices
19 SupportingtheAnnualFund
25 Preview:2014/15Season
26 CenterStageCelebrates
28 Staff
CenterStageisfundedbyanoperatinggrantfromtheMarylandStateArtsCouncil,anagencydedicatedtocultivatingavibrantculturalcommunitywheretheartsthrive.
CAStTABLEOF
CONTENTS
Griefisafunnything.Gil’sboyfriendhaslefthim,hisactingcareerisn’texactlytakingoff,andhismotherjustpassedaway.he’snottakingitallverywell….
AUNT GLO.You’reinGRIEF!GRIEF!IsawthatonthatDr.Medicalsomething.Thatwomanwroteaboutit.Lizabeth...Cuba...Gooding!Thestagesofgrief!Yougot,stageoneandtwo!Denialmixedinwithalittleanger.
Inher1969bookOn Death and Dying, ElisabethCubaGoodingKübler-Rossintroducedthetheoryofthefivestagesofgrief.Oftenappliednotjusttothedying,buttoanyonegoingthroughalife-threateningorlife-alteringevent,thesestagesaredenial,anger,bargaining,depression,andacceptance.
InWild with Happy,Gilfacestherecentlossofhismotheratatimewhenhealreadyfeelsaloneandrejected—bothbyworkandbyhisformerlover.Totopitalloff,hemustalsodealwiththepresenceofhisAuntGlo,whocopeswithherowngriefbyclingingtothefuneralritesoftheircommunity.
ButGloisn’tfaroffinherassessmentofGil’sstate.Despiteallevidencetothecontrary—andhisinsistencethathe’sfine—Gilhasdetachedhimself,inaphaseofdenial andisolation,fromfamilyandthetraditionsthatAuntGlowantsforhismother.
Resistingtheconsolingeffortsofasensitivefuneraldirectorandhisoutrageousbestfriend,Gilcan’trepressthememoryofthetimesheshouldhavebeenthereforhismotherasshefacedherfate.Inanattemptatavoidance,anddenyinghisneedtogrieve,herushesbacktohisfamiliar—albeitfloundering—lifeinNewYork.
Inhishastetodealwithhislossandmoveon,Gillashesoutinanger.herefusestoseewhatgoodreligioneverdidforhismother.hefightsagainstGlo’sdemandforabigmemorial.heblameshismotherforwhatheconsidershernaivelychildlikebeliefinmagic,wonder,andhope.
Gilmaythinkhe’shadthelastword,butasKübler-Rosswarns,therearestillmorestagesleftontheroadtoacceptance.
AUNT GLO. Strangeyoulaughinglikethat.
GIL.IfeellikeIamhavinganout-of-bodyexperience.
AUNT GLO. Mmmhmm.Idon’tknowwhatstagethatis.
AnIntroductiontotheWorldofthePlay
DenialangerBargainingDepressionacceptance
5 STAGES ofGRIEF:
Wild with Happy | 1
PlaywrightCOLMANDOMINGO ColmanDomingoisanaward-winning
actor,playwright,anddirectorknown
forhisworkonstage,television,and
film.TheproudsonofClarenceand
EdithBowles,Domingowasborn
andraisedinPhiladelphia,wherehe
completedadegreeinjournalism
atTempleUniversityandwherethe
journeyofWild with Happybegins.
TopenWild with Happy,DomingodrewinspirationfromatriptoDisneyWorld,fromhismother’spassing,andfromtheexperiencesofclosefriends.Theplayisacelebratorysatireaboutlove,loss,andfaith.ReflectingonWild andhisworkasaplaywright,Domingoshared,“I’mtryingtotakeyoutoaplaceinyourdreams.Otherplaywrightscanwriteaboutthetroublesintheworldandthepoliticsoftheworld.Iwanttofocusonmagicandtakingyourbreathaway.”
Asaplaywright,Domingoshowcasesarangeofinfluences,frommagicalrealismtoShakespeareandIonesco.hisplays,inwhichhefrequentlyacts,haveenjoyedproductionsandcriticalsuccessacrosstheUnitedStatesandinternationally.DomingoiscurrentlyundercommissionfromAmericanConservatoryTheater,BerkeleyRepertoryTheaterUnderground,theoff-BroadwayInnerVoicesseries,andPeople’sLightandTheaterCompany.hehasbeenawardedresidenciesatSundanceTheaterLab,Yaddo,andBanffPlaywrightsColony(Canada).
DomingohasstarredonBroadway(includingThe Scottsboro BoyswithForrestMcClendon,seeninthisproductionasGil),television,andinfilm.Inadditiontohisartisticcredits,Domingoalsoservesasaneducator.heisonthefacultyofTheNationalTheaterInstituteattheEugeneO’NeillTheaterCenterandhastaught,guestlectured,andmentoredatvariousinstitutions,includingtheSavannahCollegeofArtandDesign,TheNewYorkWritersInstitute,TempleUniversity,TheArtInstituteofSanFrancisco,andCommunityCollegeofPhiladelphia(TheCenterforMaleEngagement).
PhiladelphiaBaltimore
Richmond
Savannah
Jacksonville
New York
MEEtThe playwrighT
TIME: The Present
PLACE:Philadelphia&ontheRoad
SEttiNgTIMEANDPLACE
Whenaskedwhatfairytale
characterhewouldbeifgiventhe
choice,Domingolaughed,“This
soundssosilly,butIwouldbe
DopeyfromSnow White and the
Seven Dwarfs.he’smarchingtohis
owndrum.Idon’tknowifhe’sreally
awareofthestoryinmanyways.
ButIthinkhe’saninnocent.
hemaybealittleoff—butvery
sweetandearnest.”
2 Wild with Happy | 3
Satireis,Ithink,veryhonest.Maybeit’smypointofviewasaplaywright.I’mnotthechildofAugustWilson;IthinkI’mmoreofthechildofNickySilver,ofIonesco.There’ssomethingaboutliftingourexperienceupsothatitdoesn’tjustliveinrealism;Ithinkthatweliveinmagicalrealismaswell.Also,thisstateofgrief,forme,isodd.Justlikeafairytale,it’ssurreal.Ithinkit’sfunthattheaudienceputsittogetherthatthey’vebeenlivinginafairytalethewholetime.There’salwaysthatmoment[infairytales]wherethey’relike,“Oh…Ialreadyhadthepower,Ihaditinsideofmeallalong.”Butnomatterwhat,youcan’tdenyit—ifyouareaprincess,you’regoingtobeaprincess,youknow?
This is the first production in which you’re not playing the character of Gil. What’s changed for you in that time? And how is it to just watch?
It’sgreat.IthinkI’mabletoclarifythethoughtsevenmore.Iseeevenmoreobjectivelyhowtoughaplaythisis—it’sreallyhardtodo.WhereIamwith[theplay]now,Iamveryproudthatit’soutintotheworldandthatit’sforanotheractortoexperience.IgettojustwatchandbedelightedbythewayI’mhearinglines.I’maplaywrightwhowillchangesomethingbasedonwhattheactorisdoing.Icanactuallyhelpgiveyouwords,orjustchangesomethingbecauseIthinkitmakesmoresensecomingoutofyourmouththisway.I’mallforit.
What sparked you to write Wild with Happy?
Twoevents.One,Iwasinspiredbythelossofmyownmother,andthelossesofmanyofmyfriendsandtheirmothers.Iwasinterestedinwhatpeopledowhenthey’regrievingtocover
thingsup,tofillavoid.Two,Iwasalsoinspiredbyfaithandbelief.Anika,mybestfriend,tookmetoDisneyWorld.(Shegavemethetitleoftheplay,becausesheactuallysaid,“Lookatthesepeople!Everybody’sjustwildwithhappy.”)Thatplacereallytakeseveryonebacktotheirchildhoodtobelieveinmagicagain.Iwantedtotakeacharacterandtakeeverythingawayfromhimandthenchallengehimtobelieveagain.Becausemyownpersonalbeliefisthatyou’vegottobelieveinsomethinginordertolive.Yougottahavesomefaith,somehope;ifyoudon’t,you’reawalkingcorpse.
Who is Wild for? And what are you looking to leave your audiences with?
IhonestlythinkthatWildisforeveryone,butespeciallyforthecynicsintheworld.Forthosepeoplewhohaveseeneverything,butsomewhereintheirmostprivatemomentstheywanttobelieveagain.Iwanttobebreathlessinthetheater,Ido.Iwanteveryoneshouldertoshoulder,laughingtogether,cryingtogether,saying,“OhmyGod,that’smystory,too.”Iwanttocomeandbetakenawaysomewherewitheveryoneelse.Ireallyhopethatyoungpeoplecometoseethisshow,aswellaspeoplewho’veseeneverything,maybeabitmorejaded.That’smyaudience.Themorejaded,thebetter.BecauseIhaveachallengeforyou:I’dlikeforyoutojustrelaxyourarms,openupyourheartagain.That’sthepoweroftheaterandwhatwecando.Tojustliftus,maybetoliftustopossibilityagain,andtohope.
Leaning intoInterviewbyCatherineMaríaRodríguez,ProductionDramaturg
Catherine Maria Rodriguez: I’ve heard you say that in your own healing process, after losing your mother, you “leaned into grief.” What do you mean by that?
Colman Domingo:Nooneeverknowsunlessyouloseaparentandyouhearthosewordsthatyourmother’sgone...andIknowasoundcameoutofmethatI’veneverheardbefore,andIneverwillhearagain,hopefully.Butitwasananimalsound.Itwasthatdeep.Itwashowlingfor,Idon’tknow,theAlphaandtheOmega.Ihavenoidea.Butonceyoufeelthat,youthinkyou’redevastatedandyou’llneverbethesame.Ireallydidn’tknowwhoIwasanymore.AllofasuddenI’manorphan.Adearfriendsaidtome“Letitwashoveryou.Don’tfightit.”Itookthatadvice.Ididn’ttrytoholditin.Iwasraw.Ithurts,andyouhavetoallowittohappen.
Was Wild with Happy a part of that healing process for you?
Ithinkso.Iwroteanotherplay,A Boy and His Soul,whichwasmoreofthatprocessofpickingupthepieces.Wild with Happy wasmoreofanexaminationofgrief,andasatire.Reallylookingatalltheabsurditiesthatsurrounddeath.Youknow,liketheideathatoneminuteshe’syourmother,thenextsomeoneiscallingher“thebody.”Noonepreparesyouforanyofthis.Irememberwhenwewereatthefuneralhome,oneof
mydearestfriendsshowsuplate.hehasababyinhisarms—noonestillknowswhothebabywas.herunsup,putsthebabydownwithsomeone,andcomesup.Formybrothersandsistersandme,it’sthispreciousmoment,thelasttimewe’regonnaseemom’sface.Andallofasudden,myfriendstickshisfacein.I’mlike“Whatthe—whatareyoudoing?!”Sonoteveryoneisreallyequippedtohandlegrief.Buttheyloveyou,andthey’redoingtheirbest.Andthat’sthething,Ithink,especiallyarounddeath:everyoneisdoingtheirbestwithwhattheycan.
This is a new play woven from personal stories, but it also borrows from—and winks at—a very old and universal tale: it’s a Cinderella story.
Wild with Happyisalotofgatheredstories.Forme,honestly,thisstoryisnotaboutme:thisisyourstory.It’sallofourstory.Itstartedtobecomethatfairytale.Ialreadyhadthisprotagonist,andIalreadyknewthathelosthismother,soit’skindofahappyaccidentthatthesetwothematicallyandstructurallymakesense.WithalltheresearchIwasdoing,Iwaslookingatdeconstructingthesecharacters,toheighteneverythingabit.We’reabletoexaminehumanconflictandverydeepthingslikegriefifthere’salittlesatireattachedtoit.
Playwright Colman Domingo on Grief, Healing, and Cinderella Stories
Wild with Happy | 54
In search of my mother’s garden,
I found my own.–Alice Walker
A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you’re fast asleep.
In dreams you lose your heartaches:
Whatever you wish for, you keep.
–Walt Disney’s Cinderella
Sometimes crying or laughing are the only options left, and laughing feels better right now.
–Veronica Roth, Divergent
The display of grief makes more demands than grief itself. How few men are sad in their own company.
–Seneca
It’s all right to cry
Crying gets the sad out of you
It’s all right to cry
It might make you feel better.
–Free To Be You and Me
There was once a rich man whose wife lay sick, and when she felt her end drawing near she called to her daughter to come near her bed, and said, “Dear child, be pious and good, and God will always take care of you, and I will look down
upon you from heaven, and will be with you.” And then she closed her eyes and expired. The maiden went every day to her mother’s grave and wept, and was always pious and good. When the winter came the snow covered the grave with a white covering, and when the sun came in the early spring [it] melted it away.
[…] and to Cinderella, her father gave [a] hazel-twig. She thanked him, and went to her mother’s grave, and planted this twig there, weeping so bitterly that the tears fell upon it and watered it, and it flourished and became a fine tree. Cinderella went to see it three times a day, and wept and prayed, and each time a white bird rose up from the tree, and if she uttered any wish the bird brought her whatever she had wished for.
–Cinderella, Jacob and Wilhem Grimm
FromaconversationwithProfessorJackZipes:
There’s something very natural that Cinderella represents, this story represents: that natural love, deep love that binds mother and child together. Thekeyisaturningpoint,whentheprotagonist(whethermaleorfemale)showstruegrief.Itisatthatpointthatotherpeoplecometotheaidofthepersonwho’scryingorweeping.Youdon’tfindthattypeofgrieving—orprotectingofthechild—inothertaletypes.
• • •
If you show true sorrow in a fairy tale, that can show your integrity, your loyalty, your faith; and it will be heard—notby,say,Godoranythinglikethat,butotherpeople—goodpeople,orsometimesanimals,whothencometotherescueoftheprotagonistwhohassufferedalossorisbeingmisjudgedortreatedunkindly.
These tales were told to give people hope that you could work through sorrow, that you could work through loss, that you could work through injustice.
• • •
Thetalestendtobecounter-talestotherealityinwhichthetellersorwritersareliving.Wecouldevensaythattoday.We’re living in a really perverse world. And why do we tell tales and go to see movies that have these fairy tale motifs? There is hope; we can see that things could be different. The fairy tales offer alternatives to the perverse world. ThatnotioninCinderellaandmanyothertalesthatyoucanworkthroughsorrow,loss,andinjusticeisreally crucial for understanding what the fairy tales are all about;they’reveryserious.
Don’t be ashamed to weep; ‘tis right to grieve. Tears are only water, and flowers, trees, and fruit
cannot grow without water. But there must be sunlight also. A wounded heart will heal in time,
and when it does, the memory and love of our lost ones is sealed inside to comfort us.
–Brian Jacques, Taggerung
You’re in GRIEF! The stages of grief! You got, stage one and two! Denial, mixed with a little anger. It’s something.
People must know when it’s their time.
—AuntGlo,Wild with Happy
ForWild with Happy,playwrightColmanDomingodrewfrommanyinspirations,includinghisownfracturedtakeonthe
traditionalCinderellastory.Forsomeinsightongriefandlossinfairytalesgenerally,
andtheveryspecialroleofthemotherinCinderella,productiondramaturgCatherine
MaríaRodgríguezturnedtoJackZipes—oneoftheworld’sforemostexpertsonfolk
andfairytales,andProfessorEmeritusofGermanandCulturalStudiesattheUniversityofMinnesota.hereareafewofhisthoughts.
6 Wild with Happy | 7
CenterStagestaffandguestsgathertogreetthecastandcrewofWild with Happy,atraditiontheTheaterenjoysatthefirstrehearsalofeveryshow.Afterwelcomingremarksandintroductions,theArtisticTeamgivespresentationsoftheirworkandvision,offeringthestaffdeeperinsightintotheplay.Staffandguestsaretheninvitedtoobservethefirstreading.
Clockwise from top left:ScenicDesignerTonyCisek;DirectorJeremyCohenandStephanieBerry;ForrestMcClendonandCohen;JamesIjames;ColmanDomingoandCohen;seatedfrom left:McClendon,Cohen,Berry;standing:RobertKaplowitz,Domingo,ChivasMichael.
Stephanie Berry*—Adelaide/Aunt Glo. CenterStage:Gleam.Broadway&Off Broadway—creditsincludeherone-womanshow,The Shaneequa Chronicles: The Making of a
Black Woman in New York (ObieAward,twoAudelcoAwards);ClassicalTheatreofharlem:Henry V(KingofFrance/hostess);WoodieKing’sNewFederalTheatre:Cool Blues;NationalBlackTheatre:Macbeth;NationalBlackTheatreFestival:Iced-Out, Shackled and Chained.Regional—DenverCenterTheatre:Gee’s Bend;StudioTheatre:Marcus and the Secret of Sweet;MilwaukeeRep:Trouble in Mind,Gem of the Ocean;MarkTaperForum:Distracted;PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany:Intimate Apparel;DelawareTheatre:Spunk;PortlandCenterStage:King Lear;Oberlin:Hamlet;ArdenTheatreCompany:Fences (BarrymoreAwardNomination).Film/TV—The Delivery Man,Invasion,No Reservations,Finding Forrester,Blue Bloods,Louie,alloftheLaw & Orderprograms,amongnumerousothers.Awards—Recognizedas“MakingaDifference”localheroofPS123inharlem;2010recipientoftheTCG/FoxFoundationResidentActorFellowshipasaDistinguishedArtist. Other Professional—FoundingmemberofBlackberryProductionsTheaterCompany,aharlem-basedorganizationthatdevelopsnewworksandbringstheatertounderservedpopulationsthroughoutNewYork.Ms.Berryisaveteranactor,writer,andteachingartistandhasbeenrecognizedasapioneerinthefieldofArtsinEducation.
James Ijames*—Terry (and others).CenterStage:debut.Regional—ArdenTheatre:Empty Plate at the Cafe du Grand Beouf, James and the Giant Peach, Romeo and Juliet,Superior Donuts
(BarrymoreAward,SupportingActor), The Whipping Man, Endgame,Three Sisters;People’sLightandTheatre:One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,Gossamer,
Shipwrecked; WilmaTheatre: Angels in America Part 1 and 2(BarrymoreAward,SupportingActor);PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany:Grey Gardens,Ruined;MauckingbirdTheatre:The Threshing Floor, The Importance of Being Earnest;InterActTheatre:We Are Proud To Present….Education—BAinDramaMorehouseCollege,MFAinActingTempleUniversity.2011F.OttohaasAwardforanEmergingPhiladelphiaArtistrecipient.Professional—AssistantProfessorofTheatre,VillanovaUniversity.JamesisthrilledtobemakinghisCenterStagedebutinthisproductionofWild with Happy.
Forrest McClendon*—Gil. CenterStage:debut.Broadway/London—The Scottsboro Boys(TonyAwardnomination).Off Broadway—VineyardTheatre:The Scottsboro Boys;NewFederal
Theatre:James Baldwin: A Soul on Fire.Other New York—TheateratSt.Clements:Mandela: A New Musical(Thembi).Regional—Guthrie/PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany:The Scottsboro Boys(BarrymoreAward);NorthCarolinaShakespeareFestival:Romeo and Juliet(FriarLawrence);PhiladelphiaShakespeareTheatre:Othello(titlerole);LanternTheaterCompany:Julius Caesar(titlerole);ZachScottTheatre:The America Play(B.IdenPayneandCentralTexasCriticsTableAwards);WestportPlayhouse:A Christmas Carol(ChristmasPast);TwoRiverTheater:Jacques Brel Is Alive…and Living in Paris(Man#1);WalnutStreetTheatre:The Maids(Claire);WilmaTheater:The Threepenny Opera(StreetSinger);11thhourTheatreCompany:Avenue X(BarrymoreAward).Education—UniversityofConnecticut.ProfessionalAdjunctProfessor,BrindSchoolofTheater,UniversityoftheArts;Artist-in-Residence,BoyerCollegeofMusic&Dance,TempleUniversity.Awards—2014Lunt-FontanneFellowship;Mid-AtlanticArtsFoundationFellowship/InterdisciplinaryNewPerformanceForms.www.forrestmcclendon.com
Chivas Michael*—Mo (and others). CenterStage:debut.Off Broadway—ThePublicTheater/RoyalShakespeareCo/GableStage:Antony & Cleopatra;ClassicStageCo:Romeo & Juliet;
BAM:Brooklyn Omnibus(SongCycle,soloist);LincolnCenter:The Broadway Problem;NYTW:Sliding into the Beast.Regional—GuthrieTheater:Servant of Two Masters;YaleRep/BerkeleyRep:A Doctor in Spite of Himself;ShakespeareontheSound:Much Ado About Nothing,A Midsummer Night’s Dream;WilliamstownTheatreFestival:A Funny Thing…;TulaneShakespeareFestival:Hamlet;PorthouseTheatre:Oklahoma!;MahoganyTheatre:I Am a Man,Once on This Island,Flyin’ West,A Chorus Line. Film—Fish: The True Story of a Boy in a Men’s Prison.University—NewYorkUniversity:The Winter’s Tale,Our Lady of 121st St.,Kalakkuta Show,Rocket to the Moon,Gem of the Ocean,A Month in the Country,A Raisin in the Sun;DillardUniversity:The Wiz,El Haj Milik. Education—MFA,NYUGraduateActingProgram.
PhotoSFIRSTREhEARSAL
BioSThECAST
Wild with Happy | 98
Colman Domingo isanaward-winningactor,playwright,anddirector.heistheauthorof Wild with Happy (2013AudelcoAwardsforBestProductionandBestPlaywright),A Boy and His Soul (2010LucilleLortelAwardBestSoloShowandGLAADMediaAwardforBestProductiononoroffBroadway),Up Jumped Springtime,andtheshortplays Mission of a Saint andRedemption of a Sinner. heiscurrentlyundercommissionfromTheAmericanConservatoryTheater,OffBroadway’sInnerVoicesSeries,andPeople’sLightandTheaterCompany.hisplayshavebeenproducedatThePublicTheater,TheVineyardTheater,Theatreworks,TheTricycleTheater(London),BrisbanePowerhouse(Australia),LincolnCenterDirector’sLab,TheaterRhinoceros,ThickDescriptionTheater,andThePhiladelphiaTheaterCompany.hehasreceivedresidenciesfromSundance,BanffPlaywrightsColony,andYaddo.
Mr.Domingo,asanactor,hasstarredonBroadwayin Passing Strange, Chicago, Well, andThe Scottsboro Boys andhasco-starredinfilmssuchas Lee Daniel’s The Butler,StevenSpielberg’s Lincoln,SpikeLee’sRed Hook Summer, Passing Strange, Miracle at St. Ana, King of the Bingo Game, Hairbrained, andNewlyweeds amongmanyothers.TheactingworkofMr.DomingohasbeenhonoredwithOlivier,Tony,DramaDesk,DramaLeague,Audelco,andWhat’sonStage(London)nominationsaswellaswinningtheObie,ConnecticutCriticsCircle,andBayAreaTheaterCriticsCircle.www.colmandomingo.com
Jeremy Cohen—Director—istheArtisticDirectorofthePlaywrights’Center.CenterStage:USpremiereofKwameKwei-Armah’s Let There Be Lovew/AveryBrooks.Regional/NYC—AssociateArtisticDirector/DirectorofNewPlayDevelopmentathartfordStage(2003-10)directingcreditsincluded Snow Falling on Cedars,The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,Mistakes Were Made,The Scene(withGeorgeStreetPlayhouse),Mahalia: A Gospel Musical,I Am My Own Wife,Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune,Bad Dates,A Christmas Carol.CohenrecentlydirectedanewOffBroadwaymusicalMy Mother Has
Four Nosesbysinger-songwriterJonathaBrooke(TheDukeon42ndSt.),andtheworldpremiereofAditiKapil’sBrahman/i(MixedBlood).Other Regional—CreditsincludeworldpremieresofTheresaRebeck’sThe Novelist(DorsetTheatre);Smart Cookie(Alliance);AdamRapp’sGhosts in the Cottonwoods(VictoryGardens);ScottMcPherson’sScraped(Bailiwick);The Idiot Box(NakedEyeTheatreCompany,OpenFistTheatre).Other—USpremiereofMom’s the Word(MetropolisTheatre/RoyalGeorge);EastCoastpremiereofCloset Land(NYPerformanceWorks);andtheMidwestpremiereofShopping and F***ing(Bailiwick);The Scene,Bad Dates,andTrip to Bountiful(AlleyTheatre);thefour-citytourofThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer(Actor’sTheatreofLouisville,RepTheatreofSt.Louis,KansasCityRep,NewVictoryTheatre); Hannah and Martin(TheaterJ);Nickel and Dimed(Steppenwolf);The Unexpected Man(AdirondackTheatre).FoundingArtisticDirectorofNakedEyeTheatreCompanyinChicago,wherehehasdeveloped/directed20plays,includingworldpremieresofJamiePachino’sWaving Goodbye(Steppenwolf)andTimothyMason’sCannibalsandMidwestpremieresofAdamRapp’sNocturneandNaomiWallace’sOne Flea Spare(Goodman).Workshops/Development—Seminar(NYSF),Brahman/i(LaJollaPlayhouse),Some of the People, All of the Time(PasadenaPlayhouse),Good on Paper(DenverCenter),Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods(Newharmony),The Radiant Abyss(WoollyMammoth),playsbyAdamBock,MichaelElyanow,BarbaraField,BasilKreimendahl,DanO’Brien,hanaSharif,MatSmart,andVictoriaStewart.Awards—numerousawardsandnominations,includingJeff,helenhayes,AfterDark.Other Professional—DirectorandpartoftheDirectingFacultyattheO’NeillPlaywright’sConference/NationalTheatreInstitute,recipientofanNEA/TCGDirectorsFellowship,andaNorthwesternUniversityawardforhisplay12 Volt Heart.
Tony Cisek—Scenic Designer.CenterStage: debut.Off Broadway—Roundabout:Beyond Glory;NewYorkTheatreWorkshop:columbinus. Regional—Ford’sTheatre,Arena
Stage,GoodmanTheatre,GuthrieTheater,CincinnatiPlayhouse,PortlandCenterStage,MilwaukeeRep,ClevelandPlayhouse, SouthCoastRep,Folger,WoollyMammoth,Roundhouse,IndianaRep,SyracuseStage,GevaTheatreCenter,ActorsTheatreofLouisville,IntimanTheatre,TwoRiverTheatre,VirginiaStage,DelawareTheatreCompany,TheatreAlliance,TheaterJ,GALA,Signature,BerkshireTheatreFestival,AlabamaShakespeareFestival,Shakespeare&Company,TheKennedyCenter.Education—NewYorkUniversityTischSchooloftheArts.Awards—fourhelenhayesAwards,Washington;fourDrammyAwards,Portland;Barrymorenomination,Philadelphia.www.tonycisek.com.
Alejo Vietti—Costume Designer. CenterStage:debut.Broadway—Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.Other New York—creditsincludeworksforManhattanTheatreClub,PrimaryStages,MCC,RadioCityMusichallRockettes,IrishRep,TheNewGroup,Rattlestick,CherryLane,SohoRep,ClubThumbed,andEstudioEnsemble,amongothers.Selected Regional—AlleyTheatre(over20productions),hartfordStageCompany,OldGlobeTheatre,St.LouisRep,SignatureTheatreinVirginia,PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany,WilliamstownTheatreFestival,GuthrieTheater,PasadenaPlayhouse,CincinnatiPlayhouse,PaperMillPlayhouse,Ford’sTheatreinDC,LongWharf,PittsburghPublic,PasadenaPlayhouse,NYStageandFilm,ArizonaTheatreCompany,and5thAveSeattle,amongothers.Opera—NewYorkCityOpera,LyricOperaofChicago,MinnesotaOpera,WolfTrappOpera,OperaSantaBarbara.Ballet—DoneskOpera(Ukraine)andColoradoBallet.Awards—Recipientofthe2010TDFIreneSharaffYoungMasterAward.
Robert Wierzel—Lighting Designer. CenterStage:Into the Woods,Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,A Little Night Music,Day of Absence,Open Admissions.Broadway—Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill;Fela!,musicaldirectedandchoreographedbyBillT.Jones.Off Broadway—NYSF/Public,Signature,MCC,Roundabout,Playwrightshorizons,MostlyMozartFestival,BAM,Lincoln
CenterFestival,GothamChamberOpera.Regional—includesArenaStage,A.C.T.,SanFrancisco,Shakespeare(DC),ChicagoShakespeare,hartfordStage,LongWharf,Goodman,YaleRep,Guthrie,MarkTaper,BerkeleyRep.Opera—NYCO,Glimmerglass,ParisOpera(Garnier),Tokyo,Toronto,Boston,SanDiego,SFO,hGO,Omaha,WashingtonNational,Seattle,Virginia,ChicagoLyric,ChicagoOperaTheatre,Montreal,Vancouver,Minnesota,FGO,Portland.Dance—numerouscollaborations(27years)withtheBillT.Jones/ArnieZaneDanceCo.,DougVarrone,DonnaUchizono,SeanCurran,LizGerring,AndreaMiller,LyonOperaBallet.Awards—TonyNomination,Fela!,Obie(SpecialCitation),Bessie(DanceandPerformance),AmericanTheatreWing.Professional—AdjunctInstructor,NYU/TISCh.Education—UniversityofSouthFlorida,Yale.
Robert Kaplowitz—Sound Design and Additional Music. Center Stage:debut.Broadway—BillT.Jones’Fela (TonyAwardforBestSoundDesign);Roundabout: An Almost Holy Picture.Other NYC—thePublic/NYSF:JohnBeluso’sThe Poor Itch, LemonAnderson’sCounty Of Kings,NeilLaBute’sWrecks,others.NYTW:LuciditySuitcase’sRed Eye to Havre de Grace, KiaCorthron’sLight, Raise the Roof;MTC:AbbeySpallin’sPumpgirl,ChloeMoss’sThis Wide Night(NakedAngels);SohoRep:AdamBock’sThe Thugs;Playwrightshorizons: A Small Fire;SecondStage,LAByrinth,LCT3,MCC,PrimaryStages,TheVineyard,andmany99-seattheaterssouthof14thSt.Philadelphia—PlayPenn,Arden,Interact,Wilma,PTC,PLTC,Azuka,Lantern,WalnutStreet.Regional—O’NeillTheaterConference,Sundance,Guthrie,Alley,DTC.Installation—LincolnCenterLibraryMuseum.Upcoming—PigIron’sLive Faster,thePublic’sFortress of Solitude,Tuomonan&Cromie’sLautrec Project.Education—LecturerinSoundDesign,Princeton.Asalways,forN&K.
Jeff Sugg—Projection Designer,isaBrooklyn-baseddesignerandmulti-awardwinner.Center Stage:debut.Broadway—Macbeth (LCT), A Time to Kill, Bring It On, Magic/Bird, 33 Variations.Off-Broadway—An Octoroon, Last Five Years, This Clement
World, Tribes, Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island, The Accidental Trilogy. Regional—DallasTheatreCenter:Fortress of Solitude;Alley: Elephant Man;TheMountaintop; Arena:TheMountaintop;ShakespeareTheater: As You Like It.hehasalsoworkedwithCynthiahopkins,LaurieAnderson,andTheWoosterGroup.Awards—aLortel,anObie,aBessie,andtwohewesAwards.
Laura Smith*—Stage Manager. CenterStage:ResidentStageManager:Twelfth Night;Stones in His Pockets;dance of the holy ghosts;Clybourne Park;Beneatha’s Place;Bus Stop;An Enemy of the People;The Whipping Man;Gleam;The Rivals;Snow Falling on Cedars;Cyrano;Working it Out;Fabulation or,The Re-Education of Undine;Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf;Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Regional—Everyman:Pygmalion,Shipwrecked,The Exonerated,Rabbit Hole,Doubt,Gem of the Ocean,And a Nightingale Sang,The School for Scandal,A Number,Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me,Yellowman;WoollyMammoth:Gruesome Playground Injuries,House of Gold,The Unmentionables,Vigils,After Ashley;Folger:Measure for Measure,The Comedy of Errors (ASM);OlneyTheatre:Stuff Happens;TheaterAlliance:Headsman’s Holiday,Pangea[sic],Catalyst:Cloud 9,LongacreLea:Man with Bags.
Caitlin Powers*—Associate Stage Manager.CenterStage:AssistantStageManagerforTwelfth Night,The Whipping Man,A Skull in Connemara,American Buffalo;AssociateProductionManager2012–14.Regional—ContemporaryAmericanTheaterFestival:AssistantStageManagerforCaptors,In a Forest,Dark and Deep,Race,We Are Here.ArtsEmerson:The Color of Rose(WorldPremiere).FringeNYC2009:Muffin Man: The Musical.
Catherine María Rodríguez—ProductionDramaturg—isaNewOrleansnative,whomadeherCenterStagedebutwithdance of the holy ghosts.Shehasbeennameda2014LeadershipInstituteFellowbytheNationalAssociationofLatinoArtsandCultures(NALAC).CatherineisthedramaturgandarchivistforUn Encuentro:TheaterfromtheBorderlands,a
newtransnationalcollaborationbetweenBorderlandsTheater(Tucson)andElCírculoTeatral(MexicoCity).NotablepastcreditsincludeproductiondramaturgyforStones in His PocketsatCenterStage;TheNOLAProjectwiththeNewOrleansMuseumofArt;assistingontwoNationalNewPlayNetworkrollingworldpremieres;administrativeandproducingworkatSteppenwolf;andperformancestudiesresearchatNorthwestern.CatherineholdsaBFAinDramaturgyandaBAinhispanicStudiesfromCarnegieMellon.In2013,shereceivedtheLMDA&KennedyCenterRegionalStudentDramaturgyAwardanddebutedasaDramaturgyPanelistattheAssociationforTheatreinhigherEducationnationalconference.Saludos a todos andlaissez les bons temps rouler!
Pat McCorkle—Casting Director.CenterStage:Twelfth Night,A Civil War Christmas,Animal Crackers,The Mountaintop, Bus Stop, Gleam.PatMcCorkle(C.S.A.)iscurrentlycastingseveralBroadwayproductionsincludingAmazing Grace and Long Days Journey into Night withJessicaLange.BroadwaycasthighlightsincludeEnd of the Rainbow,The Lieutenant Of Inishmore,The Glass Menagerie,Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest,Amadeus,She Loves Me,Blood Brothers,A Few Good Men,andrecentNewYorkpremiersofOurTown,Tribes,AlmostMaine,Becoming Dr. Ruth, Lady Day,andDriving Miss Daisy.FilmcreditsincludeJunction,Premium Rush,Ghost Town,SecretWindow,Basic, Tony and Tina’s Wedding, The Thomas Crown Affair, The 13th Warrior,Madeline,Die Hard with a Vengeance,School Ties,etc.Television—Saint George (GeorgeLopezshow),Twisted(ABCFamily),humansforSesame Street,Californication (Emmynomination),Hack (CBS),Max Bickford (CBS), Strangers with Candy,Barbershop,Chapelle’s Show,amongothers.
BioSThEARTISTICTEAM
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