Mainstage Playbill

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

* Denotes member Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & MurderBook and Lyrics by ROBERT L. FREEDMAN with Music and Lyrics by STEVEN LUTVAK

Based on a Novel by ROY HORNIMAN

Music DirectorDarren Server

Season UnderwritersGerri Aaron, Gaele Barthold, Cookie Boudreaux & Dennis Hassell, Ed & Judy Christian, Georgia Court, Shirley Fein,

Sydney & Jerome Goldstein, Wendy & Bob Grady, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Robert & Bonny Israeloff, Ernie Kretzmer in loving memory of Alisa Kretzmer, Dennis & Graci McGillicuddy, Anne H.S. Nethercott,

Muriel O’Neil Fund For The Performing Arts of Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Gail & Skip Sack, Dorothy Waldron, Herald-Tribune Media Group

Co-ProducersJane Baisley, Sandy & Jim Goldman, Tom Wilson & Patrick Crimmings, ABC7

Scenic Designer Isabel & Moriah Curley-Clay

Costume Coordinator Adrienne Webber

Lighting DesignerThom Beaulieu

Sound DesignerThom Korp

CAST (in alphabetical order)

Directed by: Jason Cannon

The video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI, New York, NY TeL: 212-541-4684. Fax: 212-397-4684. www.mtishows.com

Original Broadway Production Produced by Joey Parnes, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, 50 Church Street Productions, Joan Raffe & Jhett Tolentino, Jay Alix & Una Jackman, Catherine & Fred Adler, Rhonda Herrick, Kathleen K. Johnson, Megan Savage, ShadowCatcher Entertainment, Ron Simons, True Love Productions, Jamie deRoy, Four Ladies & One Gent, John Arthur Pinckard, Greg Nobile, Stewart Lane & Bonnie Comley

Exeter Capital/Ted Snowdon, Ryan Hugh Mackey, Cricket-CTM Media/Mano-Horn Productions, Dennis Grimaldi/Margot Astrachan, Hello Entertainment/Jamie Bendell Michael T. Cohen/Joe Sirola, Joseph & Carson Gleberman/William Megevick and Green State Productions in

association with The Hartford Stage and The Old Globe.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder was developed, in part, at the 2006 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab at the Sundance Resort with continuing Post-Lab Support through its initiative with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Orchestrations by Jonathan TunickVocal Arrangements by Dianne Adams McDowell & Steven Lutvak

Stage Manager: Roy Johns*

BAND (in alphabetical order)

Choreographer Savannah Holds

Chrissy Albanese ..................................... Woman #3Mimi Bessette* ..................Woman #1/Miss ShingleSarah Ellis* ..................................... Sibella HallwardTaylor Galvin ........................................... Woman #2Richard Henry* ....................... The D’Ysquith Family

Woman #3Chrissy AlbaneseWoman 1/Miss ShingleMimi Bessette*Sibella HallwardSarah Ellis*Woman #2Taylor GalvinThe D’Ysquith FamilyRichard Henry*Man #3James LaRosa*Monty NavarroJimmy Nicholas*Man #2David Purdy*Man #1Levin Valayil*PhoebeAlexandra Zorn*Man #1Levin Valayil

James LaRosa* ............................................. Man #3Jimmy Nicholas* ...............................Monty NavarroDavid Purdy* ................................................ Man #2Levin Valayil* ............................................... Man #1Alexandra Zorn* ........................... Phoebe D’Ysquith

Alexander W. Ravitz ........................................ReedsDarren Server ............................................ Keyboard

Amber Svetik ................................................... Violin

Choreography for “I’ve Decided to Marry You” by Peggy Hickey.Based on Original Costume Design by Linda Cho

Assistant Stage Manager: Jynelly Rosario*

CHRISSY ALBANESE (Wom-an #3) Chrissy was last seen at Joe’s Pub in Farmed: A Live Podcast Album. Favorite roles include Caroline Bingly in Austen’s Pride and Eliza in My Fair Lady. Theaters include Maine State Music Theatre, Ogunquit Playhouse, Fin-

gerlakes Musical Theatre Festival, Westport Coun-try Playhouse, and Surflight Theatre. NYU/Tisch chrissyalbanese.com

MIMI BESSETTE (Woman #1, Miss Shingle) BROAD-WAY/OFF-BROADWAY: Bon-nie & Clyde (Emma), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Dawn), Little Shop of Hor-rors (Audrey) and Smoke on the Mountain (Denise). FIRST NATIONAL TOURS: Soul Doctor,

Parade, Keep On The Sunny Side, Big River, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. REGIONAL: Woody Sez, Duck Commander, Church Basement Ladies, Cowgirls, Always…Patsy Cline, Hank Williams: Lost Highway, Blood Brothers, Nunsense, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Guitar Girls, and Woody Guthrie’s American Song. FILM/TV: Annie (opposite Jamie Foxx) and Difficult People (opposite Andrea Martin). Her al-bums Lullabies of Broadway and Lullabies of Broad-way Act II just got picked up by Broadway Records.

SARAH ELLIS (Sibella Hallward) 1st Nat’l: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. Highlights: Oklahoma (Stages St. Louis), Million Dollar Quartet (Riverside/Geva) and Ghost: The Musical (Fingerlakes MT Fest). Additional credits: Ogunquit, Pittsburgh

CLO, Northshore, KC Starlight, Westchester Broadway Theatre, & WV Public. NYC: Road to Ruin, Dear Jane, & Stardust Road: The Hoagy Carmichael Musical. Co-Creator/Producer of MT Shorts, a platform where new musical theatre and short film meet (mtshorts.com). Dubuque Symphony Guest Artist. BFA Penn Statemeetsarahellis.com INSTA: @sarahruthliss & @mt_shorts

TAYLOR GALVIN (Wom-an #2) Taylor is thrilled to be in Sarasota for the first time to work on this hyster-ical show! She most recent-ly appeared as Sister Mary Robert in Sister Act, Vera in And Then There Were None and Helena in A Midsummer

Night’s Dream. National Tour: The Marvelous Wonderettes. Select Regional: Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice), Spamalot (Lady of the Lake), Shrek (Fiona) Parade (Ms. Phagan us), Sweeney Todd (Johanna). @tngalvin / taylorgalvin.com

RICHARD HENRY (The D’Ysquith Family) Off Broad-way: Fiorello (Encores), Two Gentlemen of Verona the Mu-sical (Public, NY) Regional: Assassins (Yale Rep), Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame (La Jolla, Papermill), A Mid-summer Night’s Dream (Fol-

ger Shakespeare), The Music Man (Guthrie), Two Gentlemen of Verona (Old Globe), Twelfth Night (Pig Iron), Guys and Dolls (Milwaukee Rep), 1776 (Con-necticut Rep), Oliver (Goodspeed Opera House), National Tours: Man of La Mancha, Jesus Christ Su-perstar, Urinetown, and Sweet Charity. Television: Search Party, season two. richardhenrynyc.com

JAMES LAROSA (Man #3) FST: Next to Normal (Henry) and Altar Boyz (Abraham). Select theatre: Leo Bloom in The Producers (American Stage), Stewpot in South Pacific (Triad Stage), Gus in Saturday Night Fever (NSMT), Mark Cohen in RENT (BRT),

Malone in Mr. Confidential (Signature Center), and his award-winning portrayal of Abraham in Altar Boyz (Zach Scott). TV: NBC’s Saturday Night Live, ABC’s WWYD?, A&E’s Fugitive Chronicles. VO: Rock-star Games, MTV, Nickelodeon, TRW. AEA proud and graduate of NYU Tisch and the High School for Performing Arts. TheJamesLaRosa.com

ARTIST PROFILES

JIMMY NICHOLAS (Mon-ty Navarro) Recent credits - Broadway: The Book of Mor-mon (Elder Price standby). Off-Broadway- Original Cast: Kragtar: An American Monster Musical (Speaker of the House, Jebediah), Gertrude Stein Saints (Co-Writer, Winner of

Overall Excellence at FringeNYC). TV: The Good Wife, The Break with Michelle Wolf, Instinct, Madam Secre-tary, The Chair. Film: Fathers and Daughters, Gorenos, Not Cool. Upcoming TV: Next Great Hire. Instagram: @Jimmynicks. Podcast: Everything but the Kitchen Sink.

DAVID PURDY (Man #2) NYC: A Christmas Story (Madison Square Garden); It’s a bird... It’s a plane... It’s Superman (Encores!), Brigadoon (NY City Center Gala presenta-tion), On Your Toes (Encores!), Zorba (Encores!) Regional: Anything Goes, Little Mermaid

(North Shore Music Theater), Seven Brides for Sev-en Brothers, The Foreigner (Beef and Boards Dinner Theater) National Tour: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder; The Producers. TV: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Law & Order: SVU. DavidScottPurdy.com

LEVIN VALAYIL (Man #1) Levin is thrilled to be back at Florida Studio Theatre, where he previously played Baba Mati Singh in The Fabulous Lipitones. Levin has also been previously seen as Dharun Ravi in the new musical Poster Boy at Williamstown Theater

Festival and at the Public Theater. Levin has also played Lottery in Monsoon Wedding at Berkeley Repertory Theater and most recently played Mowgli

at Asolo Repertory Theater. He is making his film debut in the indie film Thoughtless this fall.ALEXANDRA ZORN (Phoebe) New York/1st Na-tional Tours: Rodgers and Ham-merstein’s Cinderella, Far From the Madding Crowd. Regional

Highlights: Roman Holiday (The Guthrie), Oklahoma! (The 5th Avenue), Les Misérables, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls. Numerous NY workshops. TV/Film: NBC’s The Blacklist, Oxygen’s Abuse of Power. Ms. Zorn is a proud member of Actors Equity Association. ALEXANDER W. RAVITZ (Reeds) is a clarinetist, bass clarinetist, conductor, and educator in Tampa, FL. Alexander currently holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Louisville, a Master of Music degree in Clarinet Performance and Instrumental Conducting from the University of South Florida. As a soloist, Alex has been a guest recitalist at festivals in Tampa and Jacksonville FL as well as Louisville, KY. As a con-temporary collaborator, he has worked on many projects with visual artists, and dance companies. DARREN SERVER (Music Director, Keyboard) is proud to be back at FST for his fourth season. This season’s credits include Music Director for Un-chained Melodies. Last season, he was the Musical Director for Once, Mack the Knife, Blue Suede Shoes and Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits. Also last season, at the Asolo Acting Conservatory, he was the Mu-sical Director for Oedipus. Darren is also the res-ident MD at Totem Pole Playhouse in Fayettville, PA. Interesting fact: Darren’s grandfather is “Curly” Howard of The Three Stooges and his great-un-cles are Moe and Shemp Howard. This has always been a source of pride and inspiration for him.AMBER SVETIK (Violin) A native of the Sara-sota-Bradenton area, Amber learned under the private teachers of the Sarasota Orchestra and participated in the Sarasota Youth Orchestra pro-gram. Amber has attended and been employed by summer festivals such as NYU’s String Audition Workshop and the Brevard Music Center Festival and Institute. After obtaining her degree in Music Education and Violin from Florida State Universi-ty, Amber now teaches orchestra at Electa A. Lee Magnet Middle School and conducts the Chamber Strings ensemble for the Sarasota Youth Orchestras. JASON CANNON (Director) is an Associate Artist at FST, where his responsibilities include directing, teaching, New Play Development, and the Acting Apprentice Program. Shows directed at FST in-clude: Snow White, Peter Pan, Other People’s Money, The Boy Who Liked Pulling Hair, Constellations, How to Use a Knife, Once, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,

ARTIST PROFILES

Robin Hood, Doublewide, Burt & Me, The Dragon vs. the Hiccups, Gidion’s Knot, Stalking the Bogey-man, Million Dollar Quartet, The Velveteen Rabbit, Relativity, My Name is Asher Lev, and Butler (which earned Best Director nominations from the Saraso-ta Herald-Tribune and Creative Loafing). His perfor-mance as “Ever Montgomery” in Dancing Lessons garnered “Best Actor of 2015” awards from both Sarasota Magazine and the Sarasota Herald-Tri-bune. He is a seven-time Kevin Kline Award nomi-nee (and one-time winner for Outstanding Leading Actor). He appears regularly with FST Improv. Proud member SDC, AEA, SAG-AFTRA. jasoncannon.bizISABEL & MORIAH CURLEY-CLAY (Scenic Designers) are award-winning scenic designers whose theatrical work can be seen on regional stages across the U.S. Recent credits include: The Magic Negro and other Blackity Blackness as told by an African American Man who also happens to be Black (Alliance Theatre); Lumberjacks in Love (Penobscott Theatre); Constellations (Horizon Theatre); Exit Strategy (Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre). Past designs at FST include Other People’s Money; Honor Killing; Native Gardens; Doublewide; Rich Girl; Clever Little Lies; The God of Isaac; The Fabulous Lipitones; Alabama Story; Outside Mullingar; Butler; Taking Shakespeare; Chapatti; Inspired Lunacy; Dancing Lessons; Hairspray; and One Man, Two Guvnors. Isabel and Moriah’s designs were recently featured in American Theater Magazine’s Roll Call, 7 Theatrical People To Watch, and are both members of USA 829. ADRIENNE WEBBER (Costume Coordinator) is the current Florida Studio Theatre Costume Shop Manager. She has designed and coordinated costumes for The Barter Theatre, The Barter Players, Chautauqua Opera, FSU MFA film and video program, FSU MFA acting program, Asolo Children’s tour program, Sarasota Players, and Anna Maria Island Players. Her most recent designs include: Blue Suede Shoes; Mack the Knife: The Bobby Darin Songbook; The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey; and Grounded. She is happy to be back in Sarasota with her new FST family.THOM BEAULIEU (Lighting Designer) is an award-winning lighting and sound designer. His work has been experienced throughout the eastern US including Unchained Melodies, Always Patsy Cline, Honor Killing, Once, Blue Suede Shoes, Mack the Knife:

The Bobby Darin Songbook, Native Gardens, and Burt & Me (Florida Studio Theatre); The Waltz, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, Carrie: the Musical, and The Lord of the Flies (The Winnipesaukee Playhouse); A Chorus Line, Floyd Collins, Sweet Charity, and Singin’ in the Rain (Aurora Theatre). He holds a BFA in Drama from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama, and a MS in Physics.THOM KORP (Sound Designer) a former FST intern, Thom is excited to be in his second season as staff. Previous projection work includes Grounded and The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey. Sound design credits include: Unchained Melodies, Other People’s Money, Honor Killing, Native Gardens, How to Use a Knife, Once, The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, The Columnist, Talley’s Folley, A Chorus Line, Spamalot, and The West Side Waltz. Mixing Credits: Next to Normal, Das Barbecü, Smokey Joe’s Café, The World Goes Round, Tango: Buenos Aires, We Will Rock You. Sound engineer with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines 2014 – 2016. SAVANNAH HOLDS (Choreographer) Savannah is thrilled to be returning to FST to work on their 2018/2019 season. She previously choreographed Unchained Melodies and Reel Music and was the Movement Director for Once. Some of her other choreography credits include Working, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Cabaret. Savannah also teaches dance and is a local photographer. She is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music. ROY JOHNS (Stage Manager) is pleased to be back for another season at FST. He has had an exciting and varied career both on stage and behind the scenes from Tokyo Disneyland to the White House. Past credits at FST include: Other People’s Money, Murder For Two; Always...Patsy Cline; Honor Killing; Native Gardens; Once; Doublewide; The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey; Burt & Me; Rich Girl; brownsville song (b-side for tray); Million Dollar Quartet; The God of Isaac; The Roommate; The Fabulous Lipitones; Alabama Story; Outside Mullingar; One Man, Two Guvnors; The Hound of the Baskervilles; Chapatti; Hairspray; and Taking Shakespeare.JYNELLY ROSARIO (Assistant Stage Manager) born and raised in Puerto Rico, Jynelly is overjoyed to be back at FST for her second season. Jynelly has worked as a Musical Theatre Teacher, Director, and

ARTIST PROFILES

Stage Manager since 2011 with companies such as Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse, Broadway Illusions Inc., Teatro CeDIn, and The Black Box Theatre Workshop. Selected credits include: Passionata, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Little Prince, Rent, Footloose, and In The Heights. FST Credits: The Things They Carried, Constellations, How To Use A Knife, Once, The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, and Million Dollar Quartet.ROBERT L. FREEDMAN (Book and Lyrics) won a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Book of a Musical for the To-ny-winning Best Musical of 2014, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. He was also nominated for a Tony Award for Best Score, with Composer and Co-Lyricist Steven Lutvak, with whom he shared the 2014 Drama Desk Award for Best Lyrics. Among his television career highlights, Robert won the Writers Guild Award for HBO’s A Deadly Secret, and was nom-inated for an Emmy Award and a Writers Guild award for the miniseries Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows. Other teleplays include Rodgers and Ham-merstein’s Cinderella, for which he received a third Writers Guild nomination; What Makes A Family, which received a GLAAD Award and for which Rob-ert was a Humanitas Prize finalist; What Love Sees, winner of the Silver Plaque at the Chicago Interna-tional Television Festival; as well as the highly-rat-ed true crime dramas Murder In The Hamptons, The Pastor’s Wife, Honor Thy Mother, and Bitter Blood. In 2006, Freedman and Lutvak received both the Fred Ebb Award for songwriting and the Kleban Award for lyric writing for their work on the musicals A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Campaign of the Century. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Rob-ert has B.A. in Theatre from UCLA and an M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing and Musical Theatre from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Robert is currently at work on a film for HBO and Sundance Films. He is married to actress Jean Kauffman, and they are the proud parents of Max Freedman, a writer and community activist living in Brooklyn. His work has been trans-lated into many languages and has been performed internationally since 1996. In 2014 he received an Honorary Doctorate from Galway University.

STEVEN LUTVAK (Music and Lyrics) In The New York Times, Stephen Holden wrote, “An upper-mid-dlebrow Billy Joel crossed with a lower-highbrow

Tom Lehrer with a pinch of Debussy: that’s how you might place the music of the singer, songwriter, pi-anist and raconteur Steven Lutvak in the artistic hi-erarchy of contemporary songwriters. Steven made his Broadway debut as Composer and Co-Lyricist of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, which won the Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle, and Tony Awards for Best Musical. He and his collab-orator on A Gentleman’s Guide, Robert L. Freedman, also won the Drama Desk Award for Best Lyrics, hav-ing earlier, together, won both the Fred Ebb and the Kleban Awards for their theater songs. Featured in Time Magazine’s “People to Watch” column, Steven wrote the title track to Paramount’s hit documenta-ry, Mad Hot Ballroom. Steven has sung his own songs at Carnegie Hall, Carnegie Recital Hall, and most of the major New York Cabaret rooms, including The Oak Room at the Algonquin, Rainbow and Stars, and the Russian Tea Room. Other awards include two Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Awards; the first Johnny Mercer Emerging American Songwriter Award; a New American Works grant from the NEA, and the ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers New Hori-zons Award. He is particularly proud that sever-al of his songs are included in Classic American Popular Song, a follow-up to Alec Wilder’s classic textbook, American Popular Song, and equally proud to be on faculty of his alma mater, the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Musical The-ater Writing Program. Steven has released two solo albums: The Time it Takes and Ahead of My Heart.

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Joyce Ward, Wig Master

ARTIST PROFILES

@FloridaStudioTheatre #GentlemansGuide

We encourage you to take photos with the set before and after the show

and share to social media! We just ask that you please recognize

the scenic designers:

@axisstudiosdesign

EXECUTIVE STAFFRICHARD HOPKINS is the Producing Artistic Director of Florida Studio Theatre. Mr. Hopkins has fostered the development of FST’s Mainstage and Cabaret productions. His many directing Mainstage credits include: Honor Killing, Inspired Lunacy, The Best of Enemies, Next to Normal, Race, Ruined, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Boleros for the Disenchanted, Permanent Collection, and Metamorphoses, among numerous other plays. Mr. Hopkins led the development of FST’s Cabaret productions of Blue Suede Shoes, Mack the Knife: The Bobby Darin Songbook, Older Than Dirt, Piano Men, and The Prima Donnettes. Mr. Hopkins also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Florida Studio Theatre. This includes overseeing the creation and implementation of all FST programming, including Mainstage, Cabaret, Stage III, New Play Development, Education, and Touring. Since his arrival at FST in 1980, Mr. Hopkins has guided the theatre from a small touring company to a nationally-recognized regional theatre, which impacts over 200,000 adults and children annually. He created the New Play Development Program, the Cabaret Series, FST’s award-winning WRITE A PLAY Program, and he has directed the design and renovation of all FST’s theatres. Mr. Hopkins is the recipient of numerous awards including the Arts Leadership Award from the Sarasota Arts Council, the Richard G. Fallon Award for Artistic Excellence from the Florida Professional Theatres Association, and the 2012 Cultural Champion Award from the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County. In 2016, Mr. Hopkins was awarded the Luminaire Award honoring excellence in creativity, philanthropy, advocacy, and all elements that are keys to future growth of the Arts in Sarasota. In 2017, Mr. Hopkins was awarded the Florida Theatre Conference Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing to the rich cultural fabric of the Sarasota community and the state of Florida, and his dedication to developing future artists, educators, and advocates.REBECCA HOPKINS serves as Managing Director for Florida Studio Theatre, and as such, is the Chief Operations Officer. Mrs. Hopkins is responsible for oversight of FST’s Administration, including the Business Office, Development, Marketing, Box Office, Front of House, Restaurant, Budgeting, and maintaining the overall quality of FST’s internal management. Mrs. Hopkins serves on the Board

of Directors for the League of Resident Theatres and for the Theatre Communications Group. She is the former President of the National New Play Network. Mrs. Hopkins has been actively involved in development of FST’s Cabaret productions since her arrival in 1998. In addition to being lead developer for Unchained Melodies, this season she is also part of the developement team for Guitar Girls and The Wonder Years. Previously, she was the lead developer on Blue Suede Shoes, Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves; Yesterday; American Pie; and Poems, Prayers, and Promises. She has been the head writer on all five Laughing Matters shows. Some of her favorite shows she helped develop include: Mack the Knife; The Prima Donnettes; That’s Life; The Wanderers; My One and Only Gershwin; Hot and Cole; The British Invasion; The Flip Side; and Outlaws and Angels. In addition, she is the founder and producer of FST Improv and the Sarasota Improv Festival. In 2012, the Arts & Cultural Alliance awarded Mrs. Hopkins the Cultural Champion Award in recognition of her many years of accomplishment and growth with Florida Studio Theatre. In 2016, Mrs. Hopkins was awarded the Luminaire Award, honoring excellence in creativity, philanthropy, advocacy, and all elements that are keys to future growth of the arts in Sarasota.

GERRI AARON To me, FST is a great theater experi-ence in the respect that I’ve seen plays in New York City and then seen the very same plays here. They are just as good, if not better. Richard Hopkins is amazing; he continues to select plays that both con-firm and challenge one’s beliefs. FST is a Sarasota treasure that keeps getting better.

GAELE BARTHOLD FST is family and an integral part of my life. Its community contributions are myriad and a model of theatrical excellence. Quality and diverse stage productions at affordable pric-es are but one component of FST’s offerings. Other contributions include extensive contact with local schools to foster student creativity and theatre ap-preciation, structured and wide-ranging education-al programs for adults and children, community fo-rums and other community outreach programs, and a strong commitment to New Play Development and excellence in the arts. FST is a gem that warrants our widespread financial and artistic support. I am proud to serve on FST’s board and to support it fi-nancially and otherwise.

COOKIE BOUDREAUX & DENNIS HASSELL We’ve chosen to partner with FST to generate Real Think-ing. Looking beyond our beliefs, assumptions, and things we take for granted in support of ongoing transformations – whether through music, humor, or drama – these productions are some of the finest gifts to all of our humanity.

ED & JUDY CHRISTIAN For business travel, we expe-rience many towns in the US. I always ask the ques-tion, “What’s important about your community?” In Sarasota, the overwhelming answer is, “It’s the arts,” followed by “We have a great theatre company with Florida Studio Theatre.” We are so fortunate to have such a professional and creative venue with so many facets. It is a cultural beacon in our community, and with your support, the future of FST will be bright.

GEORGIA COURT I love great theatre and FST deliv-ers that. FST is among the best theatre companies I have seen, but it is more than a theatre company. It is an organization that recognizes it is part of the greater community – and it reaches out to that com-munity in positive, productive ways. Having FST so accessible adds to the joy of living in the fabulous arts community that is Sarasota.

SHIRLEY FEIN My support of FST was immediate. I felt a comfortable intimacy and a grandeur regard-ing their intellectually stimulating and entertaining performances. I salute FST for having exceptional management, a friendly and caring staff, and per-formers extraordinaire! It is my sincere pleasure to be a sponsor of the 2018-19 Winter Mainstage Sea-son, full of new and exciting productions for us all to enjoy. See you there!

SYDNEY & JEROME GOLDSTEIN FST is important to us because we have always enjoyed the theatre and it provides a good, thought-provoking play. Its pro-ductions are unique to our community. Our favorite show was Master Class in 1998 with Kate Alexander. We generally like the dramas, which make us think and touch our emotions. FST has many facets, all of them worthwhile. It is our pleasure to support these efforts!

WENDY & BOB GRADY We were so impressed when we first visited FST, that we immediately wanted to become involved. Whenever you come across a sys-tem as unique as FST’s, where the key to getting art into the hearts of so many has been found – in a comfortable and easily accessible way – you know you’ve spotted a winner. We are proud to be season underwriters and hope that others will join us in supporting FST’s important work.

GULF COAST COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Together with our donors, Gulf Coast Community Foundation transforms our region through bold and proactive philanthropy. Gulf Coast is a public charity that was created in 1995 through the sale of the Venice Hos-pital. Since then, we have become the philanthropic home of more than 700 families who have estab-lished charitable funds here, and we have invested over $300 million in grants in the areas of health and human services, civic and economic development, education, arts and culture, and the environment. Learn more at GulfCoastCF.org.

ROBERT & BONNY ISRAELOFF Our favorite FST story happened while attending a performance for the first time, many years ago and saying, “This is theatre! Do they have a season subscription?!” FST is thought-provoking, Broadway worthy theatre. We believe FST is important because it enriches our community; it helps make Sarasota what it is. This is why we have proudly contributed to past

SEASON UNDERWRITERS

expansions – especially the new Gompertz Theatre complex – to aid FST’s mission in being even more accessible to the public.

ERNIE KRETZMER IN LOVING MEMORY OF ALISA KRETZMER I would describe FST as uncommonly intimate theater that is well-articulated and suc-cinct. FST is important to me because it is the per-fect window to take in the American contemporary theatre scene. A favorite play was Golda’s Balcony, which was superbly acted. I continue to support FST’s five stages of engaging theatre.

DENNIS & GRACI MCGILLICUDDY FST is important to us because we believe so strongly in the transfor-mative power of the arts. For close to 30 years now, we have been so fortunate to experience first-hand how that transformative power works its magic in the hands of an organization that is not only expe-rienced and dedicated, but so highly skilled in their craft. The values of the theater and its leadership, as reflected in its mission and as manifested in its work, whether it be on the Mainstage, in the Cab-aret, in its education and Community Outreach pro-grams – these are values that we so strongly believe in. As a consequence, it is a privilege for us to be a part of, and be supportive of this great theatre.

ANNE H.S. NETHERCOTT When asked to define giving, Anne said, “My mother used to say the best way to find you is to lose yourself, by focusing on the needs of others rather than on oneself.” So, giving has always been an important family value, which in childhood was reinforced by the community ex-perience of surviving The Great Depression. Anne is proud to be a supporter of FST.

MURIEL O’NEIL FUND FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS OF COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SARASOTA COUNTY With a gift from The Muriel O’Neil Fund For The Performing Arts of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, an endowed fund was established to help underwrite FST’s winter Mainstage Series for many years to come. Muriel’s sister, Dr. Gertrude Hight, established this gift with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to ensure Muriel’s legacy would live on and support an area of the community she deeply

cherished.

GAIL & SKIP SACK Florida Studio Theatre brings world class acting and phenomenal, thought-provoking plays to Sarasota. We’re delighted to support FST in this mission.

DOROTHY WALDRON I support FST for its diversity of programming: Mainstage, Cabaret, Improv, WRITE A PLAY children’s program, Summer Camp, Adult education classes, and the VIP program for special needs children. It is truly a wonderful community asset.

The HERALD-TRIBUNE MEDIA GROUP enjoys a history in this community that spans more than 90 years. Partnering with organizations such as Flori-da Studio Theatre allows us to contribute to our re-gion’s rich creative culture in Sarasota, Bradenton, and Venice providing an unparalleled media land-scape through the newspaper, HeraldTribune.com.

JANE BAISLEY I have been coming to Sarasota since 1959 when my husband’s parents retired here. In 1996 Bill and I moved to Siesta Key and became active in Sarasota’s community life. I have remained active in the community and am especially interest-ed in FST – reading plays for the literary department as part of the theatre’s “Readers Circle,” attending Children’s Theatre productions, and becoming a faithful supporter.

SANDY & JIM GOLDMAN One of the main reasons we moved to Sarasota was because of the abun-dance of artistic venues. After moving here in 2001, we immediately joined Florida Studio Theatre and the company never ceases to amaze us. The talent is wonderful, and the play selection and variety is al-ways exciting and different. There have been many changes to the theatres since then and they all have allowed the theatre to reach more people and to remain current. We are also so impressed with the effort they make to reach out and enrich our com-munity. We look forward to each season with antic-ipation, and they always deliver wonderful theatre.

SEASON UNDERWRITERS

CO-PRODUCERS

Recognizes our Gold Circle members for their commitment to the Art of FST, establishing an endowed fund to support cherished programs for life.

FST FORUMS

A Carnival of Characters by Michael Nichols The origins of the style of theatre captured in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder are found within Commedia dell’arte, an early form of professional theatre that was popular in Europe from the 16th through 18th centuries. This age-old art form can be recognized by its colorful assortment of stock characters, perhaps the most famous being the harlequin. Here are a few of them:

• THE CAPITANO: Major Lord Bartholomew D’Ysquith fills the role of Commedia dell’arte’s braggadocious Capitano. You know this guy–the lunk slamming his weights in the gym, the man at the end of the bar talking about the one time he fought off six men with nothing but his wits and his dashing good looks. He’s all talk and very little action.

• THE DOTTORE: The talkative Reverend Lord Ezekiel D’Ysquith echoes the irrepressible Dottore. If you’ve ever had someone talk your ear off, you’ve met a Dottore. Imagine a professor gleefully speaking to a room of college freshmen, going way too in depth about an esoteric subject that no one cares about.

• THE PANTALONE: Good ol’ Pantalone. The pincher of pennies and behinds. Miserly and mischievous, he chases women and hoards his possessions. This stock character is perfectly represented by Adalbert D’Ysquith Jr. His song “I Don’t Understand the Poor,” is a ditty so fabulously selfish and catchy, you’ll feel bad just for singing along.

• THE LOVERS: The iconic Lovers are timeless personalities, and if your heart has ever skipped a beat when that special someone walked in the room, you’ve been a Lover, too. Sibella Hallward is one of the lovers in this show. A creature of passion and pragmatism, she puts a new spin on this character. Phoebe D’Ysquith also inhabits the persona of the Lover. Her infatuation with Monty is as sweet and innocent as first love.

• THE COLOMBINA: Miss Shingle is a crafty woman, knowing a little more than she lets on in typical Colombina fashion. If you’ve met anyone who likes to start the gossip and keep it going, you’ve run into a real-life Colombina.

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TOM WILSON & PATRICK CRIMMINGS Sarasota’s vibrant arts scene was a big factor in choosing to retire here. Prominent in that scene is FST and its five stages, offering a wide variety of theatre expe-riences at very affordable prices. And, the children’s WRITE A PLAY and Education programs produce amazing results. We’re hooked on FST!

FST FORUMS

From PAGES TO PLAY by Michael Nichols Steven Lutvak swears that he was casually watching television one sleepless night when he glimpsed a scene from the 1949 British film Kind Hearts and Coronets, and suddenly he knew it had all the makings of a musical both marvelous and macabre. He shared his inspiration with friend, Robert L. Freedman, who he met in the late ‘70s while attending NYU’s graduate level theatre writing course, and together they began developing A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.

The initial work received a significant amount of success, earning the prestigious Fred Ebb award as well as the Kleban Prize in Musical Theatre. But just as things were looking up, the company behind the movie, Kind Hearts and Coronets, withdrew their lease of the film’s rights. Suddenly it was back to square one.

Choosing to divest their work of all of the movie’s influences, the playwrights returned to the film’s source material, an early 20th century tale written by the English novelist Roy Horniman. Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal is a dramatic story of passion and death that follows anti-hero Israel Rank as he murders his way through the Gascoyne lineage in pursuit of earldom. But when parts of the novel proved too grim for musical adaptation, Freedman and Lutvak discovered a creative middle ground to turn their musical from a re-staging of the film, to a darkly comic experience all its own.

Despite their best efforts, copyright controversy continued to haunt the production. Its 2009 showing in La Jolla, California was preceded by a lawsuit issued by the entity that held the rights of Kind Hearts and Coronets resulting in a grueling thirteen months of adjudication. The final hurdle centered around the casting of the D’Ysquith family. The rights-holding entity argued that Freedman and Lutvak could not cast one actor to play the role of every family member because that idea was used in the movie. The duo countered with the fact that double casting is a common convention of the theater and cannot be monopolized. The judge eventually sided with the young playwrights, stating “ultimately the movie and the musical are two completely different iterations of the same underlying material. The movie plants its tongue firmly in its cheek and the musical sticks its tongue out.”

Thus A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder was born! Liberated from ties to both the book and movie that preceded it, this show seems to take the best of both pieces and delivers a story as clever and charming as it is edgy and entertaining.

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FST COMPANYBOARD OF TRUSTEES

President ............................................... Dennis McGillicuddyVice-President ............................................. Richard HopkinsSecretary/Treasurer .......................................Jennifer MichellTrustee ..............................................................Gaele BartholdTrustee ...............................................................Georgia CourtTrustee .......................................................... Patricia CourtoisTrustee ................................................................Jeff HotchkissTrustee .............................................................Robert IsraeloffTrustee ..............................................................Barbara LupoffTrustee ................................Chief Judge Charles E. Williams

EXECUTIVE STAFFProducing Artistic Director ....................... Richard HopkinsManaging Director ......................................Rebecca Hopkins

ARTISTIC STAFFAssociate Director At-Large .........................Kate AlexanderCasting/Hiring Coordinator .......................... James AshfordResident Pianist ..................................................... Jim ProsserAssociate Artist ................................................. Jason CannonAssociate Artist .......................................Catherine RandazzoDirector of Improvisation ......................................Will LueraAssistant to the Artistic Director .....................Doris IemoloLiterary Associate ................................................. Meg Gilbert

PRODUCTION STAFFProduction Manager ............................................. Bruce PriceMainstage Stage Manager ...................................... Roy JohnsAssistant Stage Manager ................................. Jynelly RosarioTechnical Director ........................................... Mike SchwentCostume Shop Manager ...........................Adrienne WebberSound Supervisor .................................................Thom KorpProps/Paint Supervisor .............................. Kristine KreutzerLead Carpenter ................................................. Marco Acosta

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFFGeneral Manager .............................................Jill ZakrzewskiDirector of IT .................................................... Clarke WeigleDirector of Finance ....................................... Orville Cordero Business Manager .......................................Carmen GonzalezBusiness Office Associate. ...........................Reanna BourqueBusiness Office Associate ................................David WallaceAsst. to the Managing Dir ..........................Phyllis SilvermanFacilities Manager .......................................Joseph Goepfrich Facilities Technician .............................. Mark Quackenbush Company Manager ...........................................Luke JohnsonDirector of Marketing .....................................Becca JenningsPublic Relations Associate ................................. Lydia BaxterDigital Marketing Associate. ............................ Emily Blazek Marketing Assistant. ............................................ Sarah HaleyDirector of Indiv. Giving ................ Melody Mora-ShihadehDevelopment Associate .................................Samus HaddadDevelopment Associate ..................................Melanie SlusarPatron Services Manager ....................Kelsey Wehde Wilson Box Office Manager ......................................... Ryan SimpsonAsst. Box Office Manager ..............................Mateo Cristiani Asst. Box Office Manager ...................................Gigi DelperoAsst. Box Office Manager ...........................Noah ScheibmeirEvents Coordinator ........................................Matthew QuickRestaurant Manager .............................................. Tom CurryRestaurant Manager ..........................................Karen KrasterRestaurant Manager ........................................... Josh RodoskiAsst. Restaurant Manager .................................. Kristy PlumReceptionist/ Volunteer Coord ....................... Joan O’Dowd

EDUCATION & TOURSDirector of Children’s Theatre .....................Caroline KaiserDirector of Education ...............................Christine HopkinsEducation Administrator .................................Pamela SmithTeaching Artist/YPF Coordinator ...................Adam Ratner Education Group Sales Assoc ......................Hannah BagnallTeaching Artist .....................................................Denee Lortz

COMMUNITY RESOURCE GROUP

AUDIENCE ENRICHMENT GROUP

OUTSIDE ASSISTANCEHouse Counsel ................................................. John PattersonFacility Custodian .....................................Carlos De Oliveira...............................................Confidence Cleaning CompanyCaretaker ................................................................ Doctor Nik

INTERN PROGRAMActing Apprentice ...............................................Kayla FainerActing Apprentice ......................................... Emily HardestyActing Apprentice ..........................................Austin HowethActing Apprentice ......................................... Nora McAuliffeActing Apprentice ............................................. Jamie MolinaActing Apprentice ...............................................Drew Norris Acting Apprentice ................................................Erin PaxtonActing Apprentice ....................................... Ben SoutherlandActing Apprentice .............................................. Liam TannerActing Apprentice .................................... Anna WeatherwaxActing Apprentice ..................................................Liv Wilson Artistic Intern ............................................... Cynthia MullinsCompany Management Intern .............................. Ali Durso Development Intern ......................................... Jordan FaddisLighting Intern ............................................Shannon O’LearyLiterary Intern ............................................................ TJ LewisLiterary Intern ............................................... Michael NicholsLiterary Intern .................................................... Jenna TonsorLiterary & Directing Intern ...........................Irene MartinkoLiterary & Playwriting Intern ........................Sarah DurhamMarketing Intern ............................................. Emma RhynerScenic Production Intern .................................... Eva Hoesch Scenic Production Intern ..................................Justen Zhang Production Management Intern .......................... Erin SpenoProduction Assistant Intern ....................Kelsey PeavyhouseSound Intern ....................................................... Joseph ParisiStage Management Intern ...................................... Meg GreyStage Management Intern ....................................Liora JacobStage Management Intern ................................... Tanner LiasStage Management Intern ....................... Maddie LugenbeelStage Management Intern ............................. David Sabbagh

Dr. Eddy Regnier Ina Schnell

Commisioner Willie Charles Shaw

Howard TevlowitzChief Judge Charles E.Williams

Hon. Larry L. EgerTrevor HarveyThe Jewish Federation of Sarasota-ManateeGilbert KingMichéle D. Redwine

Jan ColemanLarry ColemanShirley FeinMaddy FreshwaterCarol GilbertSy Goldblatt Jim GoldmanSandy GoldmanRobert GradyWendy GradyBonny IsraeloffValerie Joels

Patricia KordisMarie Kropp

Susan LandauFrank MalicksonMatty Matheson

Graci McGillicuddyIna Schnell

Alan SchottensteinLois Schottenstein

Lois StulbergCharlie Ann Syprett

Martin Taffel