O Beautiful - School of Theatre

P E N N S T A T E
CentreStage
W elcome
to
P enn State C entre S tage
From the President of Penn State
Whether you’re a longtime patron or a first-time ticket holder, you’re in for a remarkable
theatre experience when you attend a Penn State Centre Stage production. As our resident professional theatre, Penn State Centre Stage brings together talented students,
faculty and professional guest artists to create, collaborate, engage and entertain. It
also provides training opportunities for the next generation of theatre professionals.
Penn State Centre Stage has been a cultural treasure for nearly 30 years, and the new
productions promise to continue the tradition of excellence. Please join me in supporting the gifted artists and the hardworking staff behind Penn State Centre Stage, and
most importantly, enjoy the show!
Eric Barron
President, Penn State
From the Dean
Welcome to Penn State Centre Stage, where our productions are as varied and
vibrant as our audiences.
Our 2014–15 season includes Tony Award-winning plays and musicals, some with
provocative and controversial content. Theatre is more than entertainment—it’s a
vehicle for discussion and raising awareness about issues that may be difficult to
address. The School of Theatre and Penn State Centre Stage are proud to play a role
in opening up those “difficult” discussions.
The Penn State Centre Stage season is developed via a collaborative process with
faculty and graduate students, taking into consideration students’ educational needs
as they prepare for professional careers in the theatre. It’s not an easy process, nor one that we take lightly.
What you will see on stage this season is the result of a joint venture in creativity, hard work, and dedication
to producing theatre that entertains while challenging us to ponder relationships and issues that face our
society. As dean of the College of Arts and Architecture, it’s an honor for me to witness the tremendous commitment of our School of Theatre faculty, staff, and students.
Thanks, as always for your support.
Sincerely,
Barbara O. Korner
Dean, College of Arts and Architecture
College of Arts
and Architecture
This publication is available in alternative media on request.
The University is committed to equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment for all persons. It is the policy of the
University to maintain an environment free of harassment and free of discrimination against any person because of age, race, color,
ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, sex,
sexual orientation, marital or family status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, physical or mental disability, gender, perceived
gender, gender identity, genetic information, or political ideas. Discriminatory conduct and harassment, as well as sexual misconduct
and relationship violence, violates the dignity of individuals, impedes the realization of the University’s educational mission, and will
not be tolerated. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to Dr. Kenneth Lehrman III, Vice Provost for Affirmative
Action, Affirmative Action Office, The Pennsylvania State University, 328 Boucke Building, University Park, PA 16802-5901; Email:
[email protected]; Tel 814-863-0471.U.Ed. ARC 15-136
From the Artistic Director
The School of Theatre continues to evolve, just as our art form and, indeed, higher
education do. While we will always look back and honor our roots in order to learn
what we can from our cultural history, we are more focused than ever on preparing
our students for the world they will make their own during the next half century or so
of their working lives. The most public facet of that shift is, of course, our selection of
shows for production.
While every season is distinct in and of itself, this particular season can best be defined
as “Contemporary,” as it features some of the best shows today’s crop of writers has to offer. These are
exciting works that will provide incredible opportunities for our students as well as wonderful evenings in the
theatre for the more adventurous among our audience. There is a distinct au courant flavor to these shows—
a hipness, if you will. We hope they engage you in the joy and wonder live theatre offers at its best.
Enjoy!
Dan Carter, Producing Artistic Director
Penn State Centre Stage
About the Author
THERESA REBECK is a widely produced playwright throughout the United States and abroad. New York
productions of her work include Dead Accounts at the Music Box Theatre; Seminar at
the Golden Theatre; Mauritius at the Biltmore Theatre in a Manhattan Theater Club
production; The Scene, The Water’s Edge, Loose Knit, The Family of Mann, and Spike
Heels at Second Stage; Bad Dates, The Butterfly Collection, and Our House at Playwrights Horizons; The Understudy at the Laura Pels Theater in a Roundabout Theatre
Company production; and View of the Dome at New York Theatre Workshop. Omnium
Gatherum (co-written, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2003) was featured at the Humana
Festival, and had a commercial run at the Variety Arts Theatre. Her newest work, Poor
Behavior, premiered at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in 2011. Dead Accounts,
commissioned by the Cincinnati Playhouse, premiered January 2012. Seminar continues to run on Broadway.
In television, Ms. Rebeck has written for Dream On, Brooklyn Bridge, L.A. Law, American Dreamer, Maximum
Bob, First Wave, and Third Watch. She was the creator of the NBC drama Smash. She has been a writer/
producer for Canterbury’s Law, Smith, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and NYPD Blue. Her produced feature
films include Harriet the Spy, Gossip, and the independent features Sunday on the Rocks and Seducing
Charlie Barker, an adaptation of her play, The Scene. Awards include the Mystery Writers’ of America’s Edgar
Award, the Writers’ Guild of America Award for Episodic Drama, the Hispanic Images Imagen Award, and
the Peabody, all for her work on NYPD Blue. She has won the National Theatre Conference Award (for The
Family of Mann), and was awarded the William Inge New Voices Playwriting Award in 2003 for The Bells.
Mauritius was originally produced at Boston’s Huntington Theatre, where it received the 2007 IRNE Award
for Best New Play, as well as the Eliot Norton Award. Other awards include the PEN/Laura Pels Foundation
Award, the Athena Film Festival Award, an Alex Award, a Lilly Award, and in 2011 she was named one of the
150 Fearless Women in the World by Newsweek.
~Excerpts from Theresa Rebeck website
Director’s Notes
The Second Coming (1919)
By William Butler Yeats
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
This poem, now almost a century old, is an uncanny reminder of how prophetic and powerful the arts
can be when they get it right. The insights offered by this Irish poet have never been more relevant than
they are today. Notice, however, that no solution is offered, merely a clarion call of warning.
In the theatre, one of our prized traditions is to serve the same function as the Shakespearean Fool—
that is, to cleverly observe on occasion that “the emperor has no clothes.” The Fool’s questioning can
be gentle or abrasive, depending on the demeanor and receptivity of the personage needing to rethink
his position or beliefs. While this was traditionally reserved for a king or other highborn person of power,
in a society without a formal class system (“Every man a king”), the Fool must embrace a much broader
audience.
As we take up this mantle, however, we are reminded to emulate the humility of the Publican of the parable rather than the arrogance of the Pharisee, who aggrandized himself by praying: “I thank thee, that
I am not as other men are.” As artists we are members of a community and share all the privileges and
responsibilities thereof except that we also possess the Fool’s license–and obligation–to challenge the
status quo from time to time—NOT to provide answers but to stimulate thought and conversation.
One of the most difficult challenges we face in a public institution is to remain secular and all-inclusive
even as we instruct our students to become socially responsible, thoughtful artists. In this particular
play, I believe we have found a way to address all these things, as this is not a polemic on any of the
issues driving the plot. Rather, it both honors and challenges the point of view of all its characters. The
only time it takes sides is on behalf of Civil Discourse, which does not deny passion but relies on mutual
respect. If only…. ~ Dan Carter
Penn State Centre Stage
presents
O BEAUTIFUL
by Theresa Rebeck
O Beautiful was originally commissioned and produced by the Resident Ensemble
Players (REP) of the University of Delaware, through a grant from the Interdisciplinary Humanities Research Center. O Beautiful opened on April 22, 2011 under
the direction of REP Producing Artistic Director Sanford Robbins.
Scenic Designer
Dominique Coughlin
Lighting Designer
Nathan Hawkins
Costume Designer
Laura Robinson
Projections Designer
Sasha Scherlinsky
Stage Manager
Carolyn Quinn
Sound Designer
John McKenna
Technical Director
Todd King
Directed by
Dan Carter
October 7–18
Playhouse Theatre
Cast
JESUS.......................................................................................... Jake Wentlent
TY JANALERIS...........................................................................Vaughn Davis
SONDRA JANALERIS............................................................ Jerrie Johnson
ALICE FLETCHER............................................................... Libby Rosenfield
ARLENE FLETCHER................................................................... Holly Thuma.*
DON FLETCHER..............................................................Larry John Meyers.*
LENNIE RYAN...................................................................................Kevin Clay
LINDA RYAN.........................................................................Courtney Brown
BRIAN RYAN............................................................................... Steve Snyder.*
ERIK WATERS...................................................................... Connor McElwee
BRENDA WATERS............................................................. Nicole Johndrow.*
LUKE SIMPSON...........................................................................Tommy Hart
JOE SIMPSON/PATRICK HENRY.......................Erik Raymond Johnson.*
GWEN TURNER........................................................................Katrina Diehm
MARCIA TURNER/JOAN OF ARC.....................................Megan Pickrell
MRS. LOOMIS...................................................................... Annie McGregor
SAINT PAUL/ALEXANDER HAMILTON..................................Chris Hults
SIMON WEST....................................................................................Dave Saxe
THOMAS JEFFERSON.......................................................... Aaron Densley
JOHN ADAMS.................................................................Richard Robichaux.*
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN................................................... Bruce D. Fleischer
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the professional association of actors and stage managers
There will be a Fifteen-Minute Intermission between acts.
Acknowledgment
Special thanks to Dick’s Homecare Inc. for the use of the power chair.
O Beautiful is presented by special arrangement with Creative Artists Agency.
Acting Company
COURTNEY BROWN (Linda Ryan), a second-year
M.F.A. Acting candidate, originally
hails from St. Louis, Missouri. She
received her B.F.A. in theatre from
Stephens College. Past credits
include Hermia in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, Roxie Hart in Chicago, Grease (international Tour
with Phoenix Entertainment), and Fame, The Musical (international tour with Nederlander Worldwide
Entertainment). Television: Treme (HBO).
KATRINA DIEHM (Gwen Turner) is thrilled to be
performing in her second Centre
Stage production at Penn State
(last seen in the Leonard Bernstein
MASS)! She is a junior Theatre B.A.,
business minor, and studies voice
with Beverly A. Patton. Recent credits
include Glinda in Wizard of Oz, Pinky
Tuscadero in Happy Days: The Musical, Babe in
Crimes of the Heart, and Suzanne in Don’t Dress
for Dinner. http://katrinadiehm.com.
KEVIN CLAY (Lennie Ryan) is a senior B.F.A. Musical Theatre major and is so excited to
be performing in a play once again.
Previously at Penn State, Kevin has
been seen as John in John and Jen,
Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls,
and Kenny in From Up Here. This
past summer, he also performed in the company at
Music Theatre Wichita as Arab in West Side Story
and the Canaan Days soloist in Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
BRUCE D. FLEISCHER (Benjamin Franklin)
Originally from California, Bruce and
his family moved to State College in
1998. In California, Bruce practiced
law with several firms and as a solo
attorney. After moving to Pennsylvania, he became the Executive
Director of the Centre County Bar Association, until
October of 2013, when he officially retired. He was
also the local host for the NPR news show, Morning
Edition, on WPSU, for more than nine years. Now
completely retired, Bruce spends his time with his
family, building wooden ship models and putting out
fires for the State College Community Theatre, of
which he is the current president. He has directed
six plays for SCCT, including The Man Who Came
To Dinner, Spamalot, and this year’s Rabbit Hole.
VAUGHN DAVIS (Ty Janaleris) was born and raised
in the vehicle city (Flint, Michigan).
He is an actor, rapper, community
activist, and spoken word artist.
Recently he graduated from the
University of Michigan-Flint with
his B.F.A. in theatre performance.
He is a second-year M.F.A. Acting candidate at Penn
State. All of his inspiration, trials, and tribulations
come from his hometown; the place that has given
him culture and many survival skills.
AARON DENSLEY (Thomas Jefferson) is a second year M.F.A. Acting candidate at
Penn State. He has a B.F.A. in musical theatre from Indiana Unviersity.
Some of Aaron’s theatre credits
include Lucentio in the Indiana Festival Theatre production of Taming
of the Shrew; Tony Kirby from IFT’s
production of You Can’t Take It With You; Albert
in the Heitzman and Reid workshop of their new
musical Solana; and the Bloomington Playwrights
Project with the production of a new Nicole Parker
and Jeremy Schoenfeld musical Kissing Frogs (Bill).
Upcoming projects include the Penn State School
of Theatre production of Spring Awakening and
independent projects in both film and theatre.
TOMMY HART (Luke Simpson) is a junior B.F.A.
Musical Theatre major from Dallas,
Texas. Recent credits include Penn
State Centre Stage’s Next to Normal
(Henry), Guys and Dolls (Big Jule),
and the School of Theatre’s Crimes
of the Heart (Doc). He also spent last
summer performing in Ocean City
Theatre Company’s productions of Guys and Dolls
(Big Jule) and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat (Pharaoh).
Acting Company
CHRIS HULTS (Saint Paul/Alexander Hamilton) is
an actor and director from the
San Francisco Bay Area, who
has worked locally with The Next
Stage, Nittany Valley Shakespeare
Company, Tempest Productions,
and State College Community
Theatre. He is a senior Theatre and English B.A.
and is honored to be in his first Centre Stage production. Favorite roles include C.S. Lewis in Freud’s
Last Session, Touchstone in As You Like It, Seth
Regan in Harper Regan, and husband/father in his
wonderful family.
NICOLE JOHNDROW (Brenda Waters) made her
solo New York cabaret debut in
2011 with Mixtape Confessions:
The Diary of a Teenage Optimist,
an autobiographical one-woman
show, written with her musical
director (and Penn State graduate), Warren Freeman. Having
performed to five sold-out audiences in New York City, they have also taken Mixtape
to Virginia, Ohio, and upstate New York. At New
York City’s Birdland, she premiered several new
songs by composer Scott Evan Davis, who wrote a
song specifically for her cabaret for the Village Life
Arts Series in Warwick, New York, where she is a
recurring guest. She is also featured on Mr. Davis’s
album, Cautiously Optimistic, singing You Make Me
Crazy, available on iTunes. Theatrical credits include
the national tour of Cats (Jellylorum/Grizabella), The
Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at the Ogunquit
Playhouse opposite Sally Struthers, The Full Monty
at Westchester Broadway Theatre and Arkansas
Rep, and the Off-Broadway musical revue Back in
Pictures. Nicole is a proud native of Lowville, New
York, and has recently moved to State College from
Oxford, Ohio, where she was an adjunct professor for
the Miami University Department of Theatre.
ERIK RAYMOND JOHNSON (Joe Simpson/Patrick
Henry) is excited to be returning to
Penn State Centre Stage. A Penn
State M.F.A. in Acting alum, his
favorite past roles include Jack in
Race, Chris in All My Sons, M in
Cock, and The Narrator in The Good
Doctor. As a movement coach and
fight choreographer, Erik has choreographed multiple
shows. Erik is a certified martial arts instructor, a
lifelong practitioner of multiple forms, and continues
to teach students of all ages.
JERRIE JOHNSON (Sondra Janaleris) is a junior
B.A. Acting major. She has appeared
in many shows, her favorite being For
Colored Girls in which she played
Lady Brown and served as the
show’s director. This is Jerrie’s second mainstage show, her first being
last fall’s Funk It Up About Nothin’.
CONNOR MCELWEE (Erik Waters) is a senior
majoring in Telecommunications and
minoring in Theatre. He is an active
member of both the Penn State Thespians and No Refund Theatre, Penn
State’s student-run acting troupes.
Recently he appeared in a Princeton
Summer Repertory production of
Queen Jane at Princeton University. When not on
stage, he enjoys the outdoors and spending time on
the water fishing.
ANNIE MCGREGOR (Mrs. Loomis), a long time
member of the School of Theatre
faculty, specializes in literature,
history, and criticism. This work has
often informed her role as dramaturg
or director. Her latest focus has been
on the plays of Mary Zimmerman,
including directing her plays The
Odyssey and Arabian Nights. She is pleased to be
both the dramaturg and the redoubtable Mrs. Loomis
in this production of O Beautiful.
LARRY JOHN MEYERS (Don Fletcher) is making
his debut with Penn State Centre
Stage in O Beautiful. He also has
performed this year in Madagascar
for Pittsburgh’s Quantum Theatre,
Clybourne Park for Florida Rep in
Ft. Myers, A Number for Chester
Theatre in Massachusetts, and
in the independent films, Arms and the Man, The
Race, and Andiamo. In December, he’s set to play
Magwitch in Great Expectations for Pittsburgh Irish
Classical Theatre at home in Pittsburgh. Larry is a
proud thirty-year member of the acting unions, AEA
and SAG-AFTRA.
Acting Company
MEGAN PICKRELL (Marcia/Joan of Arc) is thrilled
to be making her Penn State School
of Theatre debut! She recently
moved to Happy Valley to pursue
her M.F.A. in Acting. Previously,
Megan could be seen at Orlando
Shakespeare Theatre, Muse of
Fire (Chicago), Redlands Shakespeare Festival
(California), and Georgia Shakespeare. A graduate
of California State University, Fullerton’s B.F.A. acting
program, Megan also classically trained at the British American Dama Academy. Some of her favorite
roles include Miranda (The Tempest), Annie Dalton
(Zombie Town), Olga (Three Sisters), Jane (Jane
Eyre), and Ariel (Footloose).
RICHARD ROBICHAUX (John Adams) can currently be seen in Richard Linklater’s
critically acclaimed film, Boyhood,
and recently co-starred opposite
Shirley MacLaine and Jack Black
in Bernie. His theatre credits include
the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C., Yale Repertory Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Syracuse Stage, and great
theatres in New York, California, and everywhere in
between. Film/television credits include roles on ABC,
NBC, CBS, Showtime, Comedy Central, as well as
the Sundance, Berlin, and Tribeca Film Festivals. He
holds an M.F.A. from Rutgers University and currently
teaches acting at Penn State.
LIBBY ROSENFIELD (Alice Fletcher) is thrilled to
be making her Penn State Centre
Stage debut! She is a sophomore
Musical Theatre major and was last
seen in Poems and Moon Songs at
Penn State. Some of her favorite
roles include Pennywise in Urinetown,
Rosa Bud in Mystery of Edwin Drood,
Woman 1 in Songs for a New World, and Gonzalo
in The Tempest.
DAVE SAXE (Simon West). If Dave bears any
resemblance in appearance, tone,
or politics to his character’s clone
(a media darling of the right known
as GB) he gratefully accepts that
as compliment to what must be the
perfect blend of genetics and acting
skills! This former AEA member from
way back in his youth and veteran of some 100
productions, is thrilled to be THE on-screen distrac-
tion amid this stunning and talented cast. In addition
to his professorly duties at Penn State, Dave is the
Producing-Artistic Director at the new Nittany Theatre
at the Barn, in Boalsburg, slated to open in May 2015
for a full summer stock season! As soon as we have
our website ready for the big roll out, come check us
out at: www.nittanytheatre.com
STEVE SNYDER (Brian Ryan) is proud to be part
of this company in his first production
with Penn State Centre Stage. Steve
is new to the School of Theatre faculty
and teaches acting and Shakespeare
performance to the incredible students in the program. Recent work
includes Mitch in Tuesdays with
Morrie, Prospero in The Tempest, and directing The
Rivals at Bradley University.
HOLLY THUMA (Arlene Fletcher) is delighted
to be at Penn State and appearing
in Centre Stage’s production of O
Beautiful. An actor and director,
Holly’s credits include productions
with Quantum Theatre, the Dallas
Theatre Center, City Theatre Company, and Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre,
as well as independent films. She has served as
dialect/vocal coach for many productions including
Carol Churchill’s Top Girls and Cloud 9, and this past
summer for To Chekhov with Love performed at the
Edinburgh Festival. www.hollythuma.com
JAKE WENTLENT (Jesus) is a second-year M.F.A.
Actor at Penn State. In 2008 he
recieved his B.A. in acting/directing from Binghamton University.
Outside Penn State, he has most
enjoyed playing Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lee in
True West, Mark Antony in Julius
Caesar, and The Mad Hatter in Wonderland (a
devised production).
Artistic Team
DAN CARTER (Director) is now in his twentieth
year as director of the School of Theatre. He was
formerly associate dean of the School of Theatre
at Florida State University and chair of the Department of Theatre at Illinois State University, where
he also served as producing director of the Illinois
Shakespeare Festival. Dan worked extensively as
actor, stage manager, director, and fight choreographer before joining the ranks of academe. As an
actor, he worked with many notables, including
sharing the stage with Al Pacino, Martin Sheen,
Farrah Fawcett, Orson Bean, and Judith Ivey, and
the screen with Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Ed Harris, Lloyd Bridges, Brian Keith, and Dom DeLuise.
He was stage manager of the New York revival of
Dames at Sea. Dan is immediate past president of
both the National Association of Schools of Theatre
and the National Theatre Conference. He served
Actors’ Equity Association for four years as area
liaison from the State of Florida. He is a recipient
of the Society of American Fight Directors’ Patrick
Crean Award. He was recipient of the Illinois State
University Alumni Achievement Award and is a
member of the Rock Valley College Hall of Fame.
He was inducted into the College of Fellows of the
American Theatre in 2008. This is the sixteenth
show he has directed for Penn State.
DOMINIQUE COUGHLIN (Scenic Designer)
is in her second year of pursuing her M.F.A. in
Scenic Design. Originally from Montréal, Canada,
she obtained her B.F.A. in design for the theatre
from Concordia University. Her past work includes
costume design for Peleus and Thetis, set design
for Witchcraft by Joanna Bailey, and assistant lighting
design for The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. Outside of
theater, Dominique studied Design de Présentation,
including display and exhibit design.
SASHA SCHERLINSKY (Projections Designer) is
a junior in the B.F.A.Theatre Design and Technology
program, dual majoring in Scenic Design and Sound
Design. Hailing from right here in State College,
Sasha credits her love for theatre to the amazing
community where she grew up in—which always
allowed her to experience the best that the arts has
to offer. Her previous Penn State credits include
media designer for the School of Music’s production
of Dialogues of the Carmelites, assistant charge
artist for the School of Theatre’s production of Blood
at the Root, and assistant props master for Penn
State Centre Stage’s No Place To Be Somebody.
Apart from her time in the sound and scenic shops,
Sasha is the current president of Penn State’s student
chapter of the U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology.
She encourages you to donate to Behind the Scenes,
the chapter’s chosen philanthropy, at the concessions
cart in the lobby.
LAURA K. ROBINSON (Costume Designer) is
pleased to be returning to Penn State Centre Stage.
She has designed costumes for Good People,
Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and The Apple Tree for Centre
Stage, and for Forever Plaid and Accomplice in
the 1990s. In the meantime, Robinson has worked
extensively as a theatrical tailor for theatres across
the country. These days, when she is not chauffering
her children around State College, Robinson can
be found working in the School of Theatre costume
shop. And yes, she wishes Simon and Garfunkel
had never written that song!
NATHAN HAWKINS (Lighting Designer) is a native
of California and in his final year in the B.F.A. Lighting
Design program. Previous productions include
lighting designer for Blood at the Root; associate
lighting designer for Into the Woods; Penn State
School of Theatre's haunted house, Dead State;
assistant lighting designer for Doubt: A Parable;
and master electrician for All Night Strut. Over the
summer, he was the technical intern for the Infinity
Theatre Company in Annapolis, Maryland, where he
was the master electrician for the mainstage season,
as well as the lighting designer and technical director
for The Emperor’s New Clothes, the company’s
children’s show for the season. Before coming to
Penn State, Nathan was the lighting designer and
master electrician at the Annapolis Summer Garden
Theater in downtown Annapolis for two years.
JOHN MCKENNA (Sound Designer) is a senior
B.F.A. candidate with a sound design emphasis.
He has designed two previous shows at Penn
State: All Night Strut and Into the Woods, directed
by Kasey Graham. John has worked professionally
for eight years doing live concert production,
working for performers like Yo Yo Ma, The New
York Philharmonic, and the Philadelphia Symphony
Orchestra.
Artistic Team
CAROLYN QUINN (Stage Manager) is a junior
B.F.A. Stage Management major. Past Penn State
credits include Rough Magic, Crimes of the Heart
(Acts II & III), No Place To Be Somebody, Spelling
Bee, The All Night Strut, and Penn State School of
Theatre’s haunted house Dead State. Carolyn spent
the past summer interning with Tinc Productions
working on the New York Musical Theatre Festival
in New York City. www.carolyn-quinn.com
TODD KING (Technical Director) is a faculty
member in Penn State’s School of Theatre. He came
to Penn State in 2005 with nearly sixteen years of
professional technical theatre experience, having
worked on more than ninety productions at a number
of different North American opera companies. While
working on his undergraduate degree in theatre
technology at the University of North Carolina at
Wilmington, Todd participated in Santa Fe Opera’s
technical apprentice program for two seasons.
Following graduation, he was an assistant rigger
at Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown, New York,
which led to a position as assistant technical director
at New York City Opera. In 2001, Todd moved to
Miami to work as technical director for Florida Grand
Opera. After a brief stint in Miami, Todd became both
the production manager and technical director for the
Sarasota Opera. He has always had a great interest
in teaching others about technical theatre and what
happens behind the scenes and is thrilled to be at
Penn State teaching students. He is the proud parent
of his 4-year-old son, Tyler.
Production Staff
Assistant Director
Vince Tran
Associate Technical Director
Val Narehood
Properties Master
Jason Winfield
Assistant Properties Master
Nicky Jara
Assistant Technical Director
Alex Freeman
Properties Artisans
Tiffany Anguiano
Kathleen Heckman
Scene Shop Foreman/Master
Carpenter
John E. Geisz
Master Electrician
Ian Starner
Production Carpenters
Alex Freeman
Jason Gottlieb
Dana Landis
Nicholas Lee
Matthew Lewis
Roderick McCladdie-McLeod
Jordan Sugg
Scenic Painters
Brie Vicek Rogers (Supervisor)
Eun Jeong Peik (Charge Artist)
Dominique Coughlin
Paige Eisenlohr
Elliot Gardner
Susan Garyantes
Dung Truong
Assistant Master Electrician
Sam Donatelli
Drapers
Anne Sorenson
Alex Hagman
Wardrobe Head
Sung Kim
Assistant Lighting Designer
Charlie Blymier
Light Board Operator
Cory Golusinski
Assistant Stage Manager
Jenn Gallo
Costume Shop Manager
Diane Toyos
Sound Board Operator
Erin Cleary
Assistant Costume Designer
Sung Kim
Front of House
Mary Brier
Courtney Costello
Costume Special Project
Chandler Blount
Hair/Make-up
Laura Clay
First Hand
Caitlin Yost
Production Crew
The following students will support the costume, scenic, and electric crews this semester.
Benjamin Nissen
Talia Suskauer
Catherine Holzman
Darah Donaher
Kathryn Nixon
Parker Sweeney
Christian Hopple
Samantha Donatelli
Molly O’Keefe
Isabella Tafa
Kaitlyn Hynson
Kevin Dort
Allsun O’Malley
Mariah Tarabocchia
Nichole Jara
Paige Eisenlohr
Eun Jeong Paik
Jacob Tarconish
Cassie Juzefyk
Matthew Frantz
Amanda Pasquini
Johnathan Teeling
Elizabeth Kelley
Alexander Freeman
Paulina Portela
Shea Transue
Paul Kim
Elliot Gardner
Nicholas Prowse
Tierney Thompson
Emily Kindya
Susan Garyantes
Carly Reeder
Dung Truong
Sungwon Kim
Daniel Geiger
Kehui Ren
Natalie Vero
Dana Landis
Sofia Gerrato
Eli Roe
Kameron
Matthew Lewis
Giuliana Giuffrida
Alison Robinson
Villavicencio
Samantha Littleford
Peyton Godfrey
James Rogers
Sandy Wei
Bingqian Lou
Cory Golusinski
Stephanie Rubock Abigaile Wiker
Shelby Luke
Jason Gottleib
Jonathan Savage
Fiona Winch
Emily Mahla
Breynne Guy
Erin Schaeffer
Maria Wirries
Roderick McCladdieAlexandra Hagman
Sasha Scherlinsky Caitlin Yost
McLeod
Carolyn Harper
Zhesheng Shen
Carly McCann
Margot Harvath
Meaghan Sniegowski
Jessica McGovern
Morgan Hecker
Elizabeth Sokolak
Wyatt Messinger
Kathleen Heckman
Paul Steinmetz
Dea Nardis
Andrew Heddleson
Jordan Sugg
Shiqi Ning
Julia Hemp
Joseph Allen
Kathlyn Allison
Tiffany Anguiano
Jonathan BardenRedavid
Caitlin Belcik
Justin Bergson
Glenn Bird
Chandler Blount
Charles Blymier
Jimmy BonillaZorilla
Siobhan Brier
Jazmaine Brown
Paige Campbell
Laura Clay
Erin Cleary
Dominique CoughlinVilleneuve
Courtney Costello
Christina Cramer
Emma Dickerson
School of Theatre Graduate Students
Graduate students fill a number of key positions in the School of Theatre. Common roles include assistant director,
paint supervisor, charge artist, property master, first hand, draper, and musical director, to name a few.
Acting
Courtney Brown
Vaughn Davis
Aaron Densley
Marco Munoz
Anastasia Peterson
Megan Pickrell
Malena Rodriguez
Cecil Starks-Blutcher
Elizabeth Stewart
Jake Wentlent
Costume Design
Sung Kim
Shelby Luke
Carly Reeder
Caitlin Yost
Musical Theatre Directing
Emmy Frank
Richard Roland
Courtney Young
Music Directing
Jordan Jones-Reese
Lily Ling
Voice Pedagogy
C.J. Greer
Don Marrazzo
Jared Trudeau
Scenic Design
Tiffany Anguainao
Dominique Coughlin
Nicole Jara
Dung Truong
Scenic Technology
James Rogers
Lighting and Sound Design
Andrew Haag
School of Theatre Faculty and Staff
Directing
William Kelly
Susan H. Schulman •
Matthew Toronto * •
Acting
Steve Broadnax *
Wendell Franklin *
Natalie Robichaux*
Richard Robichaux*
Steve Snyder*
Matthew Toronto *
Jim Wise *
Musical Theatre Acting
Cary Libkin •
Susan H. Schulman•
Matthew Toronto * •
Musical Theatre Voice
Pedagogy
Mary Saunders-Barton *
Musical Theatre Singing
Mary Saunders-Barton *
Raymond Sage *
Beverly Patton
Music Direction
Dan Riddle
Beth Burrier
Dance/Choreography
Elisha Clark Halpin
Michele Dunleavy •
Donna Dunmire
J. Austin Eyer
Kikora Franklin
Dramaturgy/History/Literature
William Kelly▲✎
William Doan▲✎
Annie McGregor
Susan Russell * ▲
Robert W. Schneider •
Voice/Speech
Charmian Hoare
Holly Thuma
Sound Design
Curtis Craig
Scene Shop
Todd King – Supervisor
John E. Geisz ▼
Rich Maczura
Val Narehood
Properties Shop
Jason Winfield – Supervisor
Scenic Design
Dan Robinson ♦
Milagros Ponce de León ♦
Lighting Design
William Kenyon ♦
Ken Friedhoff
Technical Direction
Eric Rouse ▼
Todd King
Paing Shop
Brie Vicek Rogers
Movement
Andrew Belser
Steve Broadnax * •
Costume Design
Richard St.Clair ♦
Suzanne E. Elder
Laura Robinson ♦
Stage Management
Travis DeCastro*
Ronda Craig
Costume Shop
Diane Toyos – Supervisor
Anne Sorenson – Draper
• Member of Society of Stage Directors and
Choreographers
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association
Member of United Scenic Artists,
Local USA-829
▼
Member of International Alliance of
Theatrical Stage Employees
▲
Member of The Dramatists Guild
✎
Member National Writers Union

Local 802 American Federation of Musicians
♦
School of Theatre Administration
Director of the School of Theatre
Dan Carter * ▲ •
Associate Director for Production
Travis DeCastro *
Associate Director for Instruction
Elisha Clark Halpin
Graduate Officer
William Doan
Marketing Director
Cheri Sinclair
Business Manager
Janet Bergamaschi
School of Theatre
Judy King – Administrative Assistant
Ronda Craig – Operations Coordinator
Stacie Chandler – Academic Records and
Theatre Minor Advisor
Carrianne Love – Receptionist
Shannon Ritter – Social Media Coordinator,
Admissions and Recruitment
Arts Ticket Center
Tracy Noll – Sales Director
Christine Igoe – Ticket Manager
Shannon Arney – Assistant Ticket Manager
Len Codispot – Sales and Development
Accounting Coordinator
Shannon Bishop – Downtown Ticket Manager
Sherren McKenzie – Group Sales Coordinator
House Management
Carole Pearce – Audience Services Director
Pam Calkins
Melinda Friedhoff
Pam Hagman
Contributors
Thank Y2014–15
ou to All of
Our 2014-15 Patrons!
Your loyalty and support have been the driving force behind our success. Thank you for your help in creating
something truly special in this community. The list below is current as of September 22, 2014. Every effort was made
to ensure its accuracy. We apologize in advance for any errors or omissions!
PRODUCER ($5,000 ~up)
Lois & Irvin Cohen
Central PA Convention and Visitors
Bureau
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
DIRECTOR ($2,500 ~ $4,999)
Ed Galus
PERFORMER ($1,000 ~ $2,499)
Blake & Linda Gall
Don Hamer & Marie Bednar
John Lloyd Hanson & Neil Hoff
Richard & Sally Kalin
National Penn Bank
Barbara Palmer
Penny & Donald Rhoades
Scott & Karen Shearer
Drs. Graham & Sandra Spanier
John & Judith Vicary Swisher
David & Susan Werner
Werner Eye Associates
SUPPORTER ($500 ~ $999)
Bonnie & Elliot Abrams
Ned & Inga Book
Dr. John & Debbie Carder
Dan Carter & Ruby Allen
Mimi Barash Coppersmith
Janet Fowler Dargitz & Karl Stoedefalke
John & Connie DiNunzio
Bruce Fleischer & Heidi Nicholas
Ed Galus
Charles & Elaine Herlocher
Kris Holzwarth & Bud Graham
John & Jackie Hook
Bill & Honey Jaffe
Eileen Leibowitz
Bruce & Judy Ligenfelter
Colleen & Frank Miceli
Mark & Minda Morath
John & Valerie Nisbet
Nationwide Foundation
Shirley Palermo
Shirley Sacks
Louis Silverman & Veronica Samborsky
Colleen & Jim Small
BENEFACTOR ($250 ~ $499)
Jill Anderson & Sydney Brown
Alan M. Brown
Roger & Corinne Coplan
Katie & John Dawes/Kitchen
Kaboodle
Manuel & Gale Duque
Peg & Joe French
Barbara & James Korner
Kay Kustanbauter
Barry & Judi Kur
Helen Manfull
Thomas & Grace Mulligan-Kurtz
Polly Rallis
Joseph & Jacqueline Sobel
Rex & Carol Warland
Jane W. Zimmerman
FRIEND ($100 ~ $249)
Ellis & Lynn Abramson
Caran Aikens
Anonymous
Stephen & Patricia Benkovic
Martin Eli Brooks/Studio City CA
Courtney & Mary Burroughs
In memory of Doug Cook
Roger & Corinne Coplan
Marie Doll
Marjorie W. Dunaway
Mark & Deborah DuMars
Mack Emmert
Robert & Heather Fleck
Steve Garban & Mary Ann Lucas
Drs. Alicia Grandey & Timothy
Simpson
Geoffrey & Katharine Harford
Mary Heflin
Steven Herb & Sara WilloughbyHerb
John & Gina Ikenberry
Millie Jeffries
Harry Kropp & Edward Legutko
Benson & Christine Lichtig
David & Sharon Lieb
Herbert & Trudy Lipowsky
Kenneth & Dorothy Lutz
Gerald & Sally Mahan
Gary & Judy Mitchell
Don & Carol Miller
Joyce Turley Nicholas
Larry & Judith Orkus
Janet Pontius
Jason Pizzi
Robert Potter
William Rabinowitz
B.J. & Jim Rhodes
Philip & Judy Roberts
Martena Rogers
Ernest & Kay Salvino
Catherine Breese Shannon
Sally Schaadt
Barry & Ellen Stein
Gerald & Elizabeth Susman
Jolaine A. Teyssier
Patricia Tracy
Ray Walker
John & Maureen Welesko
William & Mary Jane Wild
John & Ann Wolf
Joseph & Maureen Yanoshik
Calvin & Pam Zimmerman
You can make a tax-deductible donation to Penn State Centre Stage by phoning 888-800-9163, or by visiting
GiveNow.psu.edu/PSCentreStage. Specify “Centre Stage” when you make a credit card gift by phone. You can also
mail a check to: Centre Stage/Penn State Annual Giving, 17 Old Main, University Park, PA 16802-1506.
In-Kind Sponsors
Penn State Centre Stage thanks the following businesses for their in-kind
contributions of goods and services to the 2014–15 season:
Director ($10,000 ~ $14,999)
Performer ($5,000 ~ $9,999)
Supporter ($2,500 ~ $4,999)
Benefactor ($500 ~ $2,499)
Town&Gown
townandgown.com
Avánt Garden
Information provided as of September 22, 2014
Woodrings
Floral Gardens
Ensuring the Future of Live Professional Theatre
Special thanks to the following:
Irvin and Lois Cohen Musical Theatre Endowment
Margaret M. and George A. Downsbrough Endowment
for Penn State
Penn State Centre Stage Endowment
Class of 1935
Sid and Helen Friedman Endowment
for Penn State Centre Stage
Honey and Bill Jaffe Director’s Endowment
for Penn State Centre Stage
Marlin C. ‘Matty’ and Laura A. Mateer Endowment
for Penn State Centre Stage
Robert K. and Jane W. Zimmerman Endowment
for Penn State Centre Stage
Professional Member Organizations
Actors' Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 49,000
actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance,
promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. AEA negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of
benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO,
and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions.
The AEA emblem is our mark of excellence. www.actorsequity.org
Member of U/RTA, the country’s oldest and largest consortium of professional theatre training graduate programs
and associated professional theatre companies, and utilizes that association to facilitate and manage contracts with
members of the various theatrical unions. These include
Actors’ Equity Association, the Society of Stage Directors
and Choreograhers, and United Scenic Artists.
Penn State Centre Stage Board of Directors
2014–2015 Season
President
Vice President
John Hook
Secretary
Treasurer
Katie Dawes
Connie DiNunzio
Katie Dawes
Penny Rhoades
Frank Miceli
George Arnold
John Carder
Marie Doll
Kris Holzwarth
John Hook
Kay Kustanbauter
Grace Mulligan-Kurtz
Frank Miceli
Shirley Palermo
Penny Rhoades
Shirley Sacks
Lou Silverman
Colleen Small
Edward Galus
Judith Vicary Swisher
Vinh Vuong
Susan Werner
Ex-Officio Members
Barbara O. Korner
Dan Carter
Cheri Sinclair
Janet Bergamaschi
Dave Lenze
MAINSTAGE: FALL
SPRING AWAKENING
Winner of eight Tony Awards, including
Best Musical
Spring Awakening explores the journey from
adolescence to adulthood with poignancy
and passion you will never forget. This
electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality, and
rock and roll music is exhilarating audiences
like no other musical in years. Partial nudity
and mature subject matter.
November 4–18
Pavilion Theatre
R rated
THE MOTHERF**KER
WITH THE HAT
Struggles with addiction, friendship, love,
and the challenges of adulthood.
R rated
Focusing on the challenges of recovery
from addiction and what he sees as a
fundamental disconnect between men
and women, playwright Stephen Adly
Guirgis spins a comic tragedy out of a
situation that would almost certainly be
described by one of his characters as
totally f**ked. A tough-minded,
unromantically romantic comedy that
keeps you laughing, then sends you home
thinking.
November 17–December 6
Penn State Downtown Theatre Center
P E N N S T A T E
PSCentreStage
College of Arts
and Architecture
Tickets: 814-863-0255 • 800-ARTS-TIX • www.theatre.psu.edu