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The Water
UM School of Music • Musical Theatre Department
November 18 - 21, 2004 • Trueblood Theatre
The University of Michigan School of Music
Musical Theatre Department
presents
The Water
Music by Georgia Stitt
Lyrics by Jeff Hylton
Book by Jeff Hylton and Tim Werenko
Director
Music Director
Scenic Designer
Costume Designer
Lighting Designer
Stage Manager
Brent Wagner
Cynthia Kortman Westphal
Gary Decker
Taran Muller
Andrew Fritsch
Margo Brenner
Setting:
Watertown, Missouri, Late April, 1997
There will be one intermission.
Latecomers will be seated at a suitable break or scene change. As a courtesy
to others, please set pagers to silent mode. Cellular phones and electronic
watch alarms should be turned off so they will not interrupt the performance.
Photography and videotaping are not permitted due to copyright restrictions.
Flash photography endangers performers by causing momentary blindness.
Cast of Characters
Lenny .................................................................................. Danny Binstock
Sandy ....................................................................................Nicholas Ardell
Will ........................................................................................ John Sloan III
Nicky ...................................................................................... Nick Gaswirth
Harv ................................................................................... Brian Mazzaferri
Cecil ............................................................................................ Odin Biron
Slim ...................................................................................Michael Mahoney
Rebecca .............................................................................. Stephanie Layton
Susan .................................................................................. Tessa Waldheger
Earline ......................................................................................Lorna McGee
Maddy ........................................................................................... Erika Foss
Joan ........................................................................................Kristin Shields
Townspeople ......................... Joel Bauer, Alexandra Brock, Mark Christine,
Bethany Heinrich, Jennifer Lorae, Lauren Rosental,
Patrice Seibel, Gregory Royce Pearl, Danny Wedel
Orchestra
Piano ................................................................ Cynthia Kortman Westphal
Drums ........................................................................................Alex Brumel
Guitar .............................................................................................Eli Zoller
Rehearsal pianists................................................. Adam Fry, David Gilliland
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to David and Joan Marshall for their generous support of new works
in musical theatre.
This production is entered in the Kennedy Center American
College Theater Festival (KC/ACTF). The aims of this national
theater education program are to identify and promote quality in college-level theater
productions. To this end, each production entered is eligible for a response by a
regional KC/ACTF representative, and certain students are selected to participate
in KC/ACTF programs involving awards, scholarships, and special grants for actors,
playwrights, designers, and critics at both the regional and national levels.
Scenes and Musical Numbers
ACT I
Scene 1: The Hope Café/Junior High School
Good, Good Morning ....................................................................... Townspeople
Ryan and the Water .................................................................................... Sandy
Maddy's Dam Report .......................................................................Maddy, Harv
Scene 2: Outside the Junior High School
Feel the Rain ................................................................................... Townspeople
Scene 3: The Hope Café
Wedding Plans................................................................................. Susan, Nicky
........................................................................................... Maddy, Lenny
Alive
Scene 4: Sandy and Becca's House
River Like Life ................................................................................. Becca, Sandy
Scene 5: Police Station
To Serve and Protect ...................................................................................... Earl
Scene 6: The Hope Café
The Rain Falls ............................................................Nicky, Sandy, Becca, Susan
Scene 7: Will's House/A Church Community Room
I Long For You...............................................................................................Will
River Like Life (reprise) .............................................................................. Sandy
Scene 8: Police Station
Scene 9: The Hope Café
Our Lives Live Here .............................................................. Sandy, Townspeople
ACT II
Scene 1: Claxton Armory Flood Shelter
Did I? ............................................................. Lenny, Susan, Harv, Townspeople
Scene 2: Around Watertown/The Hope Café
Home Sweet Home........................... Becca, Harv, Earl, Susan, Will, Townspeople
Condolences ................................................................................................Lenny
Maybe God's Mean ...................................................................................... Harv
Scene 3: The Hope Café
Fifteen ........................................................................................................Becca
Officer Darling .................................................................................... Harv, Earl
Scene 4: The Cemetery
Ryan and the Water (reprise) ...............................................................Sandy, Will
Scenes and Musical Numbers
ACT II, Continued
Scene 5: The Hope Café
This is Nicky ................................................................................... Nicky, Susan
Scene 6: Behind the Hope Café
Alive (reprise) ................................................................................. Lenny, Becca
River Like Life (reprise) ................................................................... Becca, Sandy
Epilogue: The Hope Café (8 Months Later)
Good, Good Morning (reprise) ......................................................... Townspeople
Director's Notes
The Musical Theatre Department production of The Water is a premiere. In April,
2004, the show had a two-week workshop at Theatreworks in Palo Alto, CA.
Staging new works is becoming more and more necessary in a performance
training program. After graduation, most Musical Theatre alums have the opportunity
to participate in readings and workshops of new musicals. These help the writers,
and often the producers, to understand whether the show is ready for commercial
production. For new works, this is a valuable tool in the overall process — one
which costs far less than the traditional out-of-town tryout. Almost every musical on
Broadway today began in a small-scale workshop.
Most college graduates arriving in New York City have had very little experience
with new musicals. Generally we learn a musical from recordings and sometimes
videos, but of course, these don’t exist with new works. The script and score are our
only guides. Enormous demands are placed on actors in an untried musical. They
must be prepared for ongoing changes, incorporate new ideas quickly, and collaborate
on character development, often sharing observations with the writers. Actors can
make lasting contributions to the development of a show.
Despite the large number of successful musicals, writing a new work remains a
somewhat unscientific process. Countless elements must come together seamlessly in
order for a show to ‘work.’ Despite the long rehearsal hours, no one knows exactly
how the various parts really function until the arrival of an audience, when phase two
of the learning process truly begins. Audience members become collective participants
in the process, helping the director, actors, and writers to know what the next steps
should be.
As we enter the 21st year of our Department, it’s worth noting that our graduates
are currently performing in numerous new musicals across the nation. Some of our
alums have even gone on to write new works for the stage. We are extremely grateful to
the writers of The Water for allowing us to join this important process by collaborating
on their new musical here at the University.
About the Creators
JEFF HYLTON (Book and Lyrics) has a degree from New York
University's Tisch School of the Arts, through Playwrights Horizon
Theatre School. He wrote lyrics and co-wrote the book and music
for The Elephant Man - The Musical, which was performed at
the 2001 New York International Fringe Festival and published
in the anthology Plays & Playwrights 2001. With Sean McCourt,
he wrote the musical Galileo’s Telescope and he, Tim Werenko, and Georgia Stitt are
working on a new musical comedy called The A-Bomb Follies. He is the co-author of
numerous speculative screenplays including the musical comedy Joyce!! (as in DeWitt!!)
and The Boob Movie!!, which he, Werenko, and composer David Azarow adapted
into a stage musical featured in the 2002 NY Fringe Festival. He and Azarow are
currently writing the new musical Lord Byron’s Monster. Mr. Hylton also wrote a funny
dirty horror novel called Hahrper & The Thing, which is available at Amazon.com &
BarnesandNoble.com. Jeff's work on The Water is dedicated with much love to his
grandfather, Jessie Leon Golden, who almost always deserves to be pinched. Hard.
GEORGIA STITT (Music) In addition to The Water, Georgia has
written Lizan with Bil Wright and is currently developing two new
musicals: My Mercury, a post-WWII story with playwright John
Jiler, and Sing Me A Happy Song, a musical revue with composer/
lyricist David Kirshenbaum. A Better Resurrection, a choral piece
premiered at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and was published this year by Walton
Music, and Alphabet City Cycle, a song cycle for soprano and violin with lyricist Marcy
Heisler. She is represented on Susan Egan’s new solo album, CoffeeHouse. Georgia
most recently worked as the Production Music Coordinator for the Disney/ABC TV
musical Once Upon A Mattress starring Tracey Ullman and Carol Burnett. Other credits
include the recent Broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors and the Encores! production
of Can-Can starring Patti LuPone as well as Avenue Q, Sweet Smell of Success, The Music
Man, Titanic, Annie, and the national tour of Parade. Georgia received her M.F.A. in
Musical Theater Writing from New York University and her B.Mus. in Music Theory
and Composition from Vanderbilt University. With director John Ruocco, she teaches
THE GYM, an ongoing professional musical theater performance class. She is married
to composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown. For updates on Georgia’s current projects,
please visit www.georgiastitt.com.
About the Creators
TIM WERENKO (Book) has directed two feature films, written several
screenplays and one novel called Onkeeton Ghosts. While this is the
first time he has had the pleasure of working with Georgia Stitt, he
has collaborated with Jeff Hylton in and out of the theater for years.
Mr. Werenko is currently a director and DVD producer in New
York. He lives with his beautiful wife and two wonderful children in New Jersey... next
to a river... on a flood plain.
About the Cast
NICHOLAS ARDELL (Sandy) senior, Portland, OR
JOEL BAUER (Townsperson) sophomore, Oak Creek, WI
DANNY BINSTOCK (Lenny) junior, Potomac, MD
ODIN BIRON (Cecil) sophomore, Duluth, MN
ALEXANDRA BROCK (Townsperson) junior, Houston, TX
MARK CHRISTINE (Townsperson) sophomore, Massillon, OH
ERIKA FOSS (Maddy) sophomore, Madison, WI
NICK GASWIRTH (Nicky) junior, Sherman Oaks, CA
BETHANY HEINRICH (Townsperson) junior, San Antonio, TX
STEPHANIE LAYTON (Rebecca) junior, Olympia, WA
JENNIFER LORAE (Townsperson) senior, Harrison, NY
MICHAEL MAHONEY (Slim) junior, Ann Arbor, MI
BRIAN MAZZAFERRI (Harv) junior, BFA Musical Theatre/BA Philosophy, Glenview, IL
LORNA MCGEE (Earline) senior, Fairmont, WV
GREGORY ROYCE PEARL (Townsperson) junior, Adrian, MI
LAUREN ROSENTAL (Townsperson) junior, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
PATRICE SEIBEL (Townsperson) junior, St. Clair, MI
KRISTIN SHIELDS (Joan) junior, DeWitt, MI
JOHN SLOAN III (Will) senior, Farmington Hills, MI
TESSA WALDHEGER (Susan) senior, Westlake, OH
DANNY WEDEL (Townsperson) sophomore, Madison, WI
The performers in this production are undergraduate students pursuing a BFA degree in
Musical Theatre in the School of Music unless otherwise noted. The designers are faculty
and undergraduate students in the Department of Theatre and Drama. Scenery, costumes,
properties, sound, and lighting were realized by the students and staff of University Productions,
the producing unit of the School of Music.
About the Artists
MARGO BRENNER (Stage Manager) is a senior BFA candidate in directing in the Dept.
of Theatre and Drama. UM: Stage manager - An Arthur Miller Celebration; asst. stage
manager - A Streetcar Named Desire; asst. director - Guys and Dolls, Don’t Dress for Dinner,
She’s All Yours; Basement Arts: Artistic Director, director - Three Days of Rain, stage manager
- Dinner with Friends; MUSKET: director - Damn Yankees. International Theatre: Royal
Shakespeare Company, student director: Hamlet, directed by Michael Boyd.
GARY DECKER (Scenic Designer) has designed more than 100 productions. In Michigan,
he has worked at the Gem, Attic, Birmingham, Boarshead, and Purple Rose Theatres.
Recent designs include the national tours of The Sunshine Boys and Same Time, Next
Year. His scenic design for Fully Committed at The Century Theatre earned the Detroit
Free Press 2002 Theatre Design Excellence Award. He has designed interiors or lighting
for commercial projects including: The Elwood Grill in Detroit, The Fashion Cafe in
New York, and The Arndale Centre in Manchester, UK. He has been a member of the
Theatre Department faculty since 1984.
ANDREW FRITSCH (Lighting Designer) is a junior BFA design & production major in
the Dept. of Theatre and Drama. UM: Don Giovanni, asst. lighting designer; Suor
Angelica/Gianni Schicchi, asst. master electrician & asst. lighting designer; Xerxes,
asst. master electrician; Rimers of Eldrich, asst. stage manager. Comic Opera Guild:
Die Fledermaus, lighting designer. Basement Arts: The Madness in Valencia, Blasted,
Flowers, lighting designer; Other People, lighting & set designer. Latino Culture Show
2003, lighting designer & master electrician. Other: Member I.A.T.S.E. Local 395.
TARAN MULLER (Costume Designer) is a senior BFA candidate double majoring in
costume design in the Dept. of Theatre and Drama and printmaking in the School of Art
and Design. UM: Costume designer: She’s All Yours; asst. costume designer: The Nutcracker,
Oklahoma!; Basement Arts: The Glue Factory. Regional Theatre: MI Shakespeare Festival,
wardrobe mistress: Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing.
BRENT WAGNER (Director) is the Chair of the Musical Theatre Dept. at UM. Regional
Theatre: Director of numerous musicals and revues throughout the United States and
Canada, including three premieres with lyricist/librettist Sheldon Harnick. Other:
Director of Musical Theatre Program, Syracuse University; Recipient of Arthur F.
Thurnau Professorship for outstanding contributions to undergraduate education.
Mr. Wagner has graduate degrees in music and in theatre from Indiana University.
About the Artists
CYNTHIA KORTMAN WESTPHAL (Music Director) is an asst. professor in the Musical Theatre
Dept. Broadway: The Lion King, The Gershwin's Fascinating Rhythm, Miss Saigon. National
Tours: Andrea Bocelli. Regional Theatre: Randy Newman's Faust, Chicago's Goodman
Theatre; The Gershwin's Fascinating Rhythm, Hartford Stage Co., Arizona Theatre Co.
(Arizoni Award, Best Music Direction); Heartbeats, American Stage Co. TV: Good Morning
America, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, PBS Great Performances. Other: Party of One, Don't
Tell Mama Cabaret (Bistro Award, Best Musical Revue); music director/pianist Westchester
Broadway Theatre, New York University, Manhattan College, NY Youth Theatre.
Staff for The Water
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Dean ......................................................... Karen Wolff
Office Assistants ......................................... Erin Farrell,
LeDetra Lindsey, Jessica Lukasik
MUSICAL THEATRE DEPARTMENT
Chair ....................................................... Brent Wagner
Faculty ............................... Melissa Beck, Jerry DePuit,
Linda Goodrich, Mark Madama, Joan Morris,
Melody Racine, Cynthia Kortman Westphal
PRODUCTION CREW
First Asst. Stage Manager....................... Katherine Hire
Asst. Stage Managers ..................................... Ryan Foy,
Stephen Sposito, Kristin Sheilds
Asst. to the Director ............................... Nick Blaemire
Associate Music Director ...................... David Gilliland
Fight Choreographer ............................. Elizabeth Hoyt
Sound Effects ....................................Daniella Marquez
Scenery ....................James Haven, Adrienne Escamilla,
Ed Morris, Nick Riley, Ronnie Smith, Barbara Vilece,
Joe Walls, Rebecca Whatley, students of Theatre 250
Paint...... Mikala Bierma, Cassidy Bloom, Adrian Gross,
Elyse Handleman, Esther Neff, Sherri Novis,
Lena Sands, Colter Starr, Kathryn Van Horn
Props ............Seth Anderson, Jenni Barber, Grant Bates,
Kyla Embrey, Felipe Gonzalez, Katherine Hire,
Matt Noellert, Michael Zahler, students of Theatre 250
Professional Stitchers ............................ Laurie Kantner,
Monica Prince, Kay Stefanski
Costumes ....................... Adam Caplan, Casey Goshen,
De’Lon Grant, Hee-Yun Kim, Chelsea Leinberger,
Lorna McGee, Erin McGrath, Alex Michaels,
Taran Muller, Esther Neff, Sarah Showalter,
Kendal Sparks, students of Theatre 250
Lighting .............................. Ellen Katz‡, Anup Aurora,
Melanie Berg, Jamie Burke, Andy Fritsch,
Justin Hyatt, Frank Maiorana, Joe Ostrander,
Monika Patel, Mary Roeder, Josh Rouah, Joe Schlenke,
Kathryn Van Horn, students of Theatre 250
UNIVERSITY PRODUCTIONS
Director ....................................................Jeffrey Kuras
Administrative Associate ......................Fatima Abdullah
Office Assistant III ................................... Shelda Smith
Marketing & Comm. Director ........Kerianne M. Tupac
Computer Administrator ..................... Henry Reynolds
Facilities Manager....................................Shannon Rice
House Manager ................................ Dianne Widzinski
Banner Artist ........................................... Janine Woods
Office Assistant .............LeDetra Lindsey, Metta Smeed
PRODUCTION STAFF
Production Manager.........................Amanda Mengden
Production Stage Manager ...................... Nancy Uffner
Technical Director (Frieze) ........Richard W. Lindsay, Jr.
Technical Director (Power) .................Douglas Edwards
Assoc. Tech. Director (Power)......... Donald C. Watkins
Carpenters ..................................... Cristian-Paul Badiu,
Robert Michael (on leave)
Scenic Artist ...........................................Toni Y. Auletti
Scenic Painter ................................................ Kate Shay
Properties Master .................................... Arthur Ridley
Properties Artisan ......................................... Dan Tracy
Master Electrician ...............................Mark Allen Berg
Costume Shop Manager ................................Jan Evans
Assoc. Costume Shop Manager ...............George Bacon
Drapers .................................................Martha Clarke,
Virginia R. Luedke, Lea Marzonie
Crafts Artisan/Stock Manager.......Elizabeth Gunderson
Sound Engineers ........... Roger Arnett, Henry Reynolds
House Technicians .............Ron Cypert, Mark Gordon,
Jim Haven, Barry LaRue
RUNNING CREW
Props .........Zach Barnes, Andrew Laudel, Riana Nelson
Light Board Operator ................................. Amos Wolff
Electrics ..Derek Krantz, Garen McRoberts, Ruth Pferdehirt
Sound ...............................................................Al Yang
Wardrobe ...................... Olli Haaskivi, Lauren Holmes,
Sydney Morton, Caitlin Smith,
‡ Member IATSE local 395
UM SCHOOL OF MUSIC
MUSICAL THEATRE DEPT.
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