program - Butterfield 8 Theatre Company

presents
Lady Windermere’s Fan
by Oscar Wilde
at Cue Productions Live
June 2 through June 26, 2011
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Butterfield 8 Theatre Company presents
Lady Windermere’s Fan
by Oscar Wilde
Featuring
Nathalie Archangel Ali Arman
Jean Butterfield
Alan Cameron
Beth Chastain
Jeremy Cole
Matthew Gardner
Kerry Gudjohnsen
Mark Hinds
Chris Mantione
Edwin Peabody
Becky Potter
Ian Williams
Maureen-Theresa Williams
Scenic Design
Costumes
John Butterfield
Liz Martin,
Pink Depford Design Studio
Lighting Design
Hair and Wigs
John Butterfield
Linda Wenzelberger
Properties
Sound & Light Operations
John Butterfield &
Maureen-Theresa Williams
John Butterfield
Jean Butterfield
Choreography
John Butterfield
Directed by John Butterfield
Notes
from the Director
O
scar Wilde rode a wave of notoriety; from his poetry to his
children’s works and articles about his travels, he was loved
and adored everywhere. But, he pushed the boundaries, and
pushed hard. Lady Windermere’s Fan is actually a stinging report on
Victorian society and the double standard that held for men and
women.
W
ilde traveled in the best circles and thought that his fame
would shield him. It did not. He poked the bear just once
too often and in the end it destroyed him. I often wonder what he
would have written had he not been thrown in jail, or if he had
heeded his friends’ advice to flee the country. As it stands, we have
a body of work that amuses and stings at the same time, for in many
ways a woman is still held to these Victorian standards. If a woman
has many conquests she is labeled a whore while a man is simply
worldly.
M
rs. Erlynne infuriates and fascinates the men of the play and
the men of her time. She plays the game, but she plays it by
her rules doing exactly as she pleases. She is victorious.
It is reported that the role of Mrs. Erlynne was written for (and
about) Lilly Langtry, reputed to be the mistress of Prince Edward
(true or not, it’s a juicy tidbit).
Cast
(in order of appearance)
PARKER, butler
LADY WINDERMERE
LORD DARLINGTON
THE DUCHESS OF BERWICK
LADY AGATHA CARLISLE
LORD WINDERMERE
MR. HOPPER
LORD AUGUSTUS LORTON
MR. CECIL GRAHAM
LADY PLYMDALE
MRS. ERLYNNE
LADY JEDBURGH
MR. DUMBY
ROSALIE, maid
LADY JEDBURGH alternate
(June 4 performance)
Mark Hinds
Becky Potter
Edwin Peabody
Beth Chastain
Ali Arman
Matthew Gardner
Ian Williams
Alan Cameron
Jeremy Cole
Maureen-Theresa Williams
Kerry Gudjohnsen
Nathalie Archangel
Chris Mantione
Maureen-Theresa Williams
Jean Butterfield
Setting
London, 1892
The action of the play takes place within twenty-four hours, beginning on a
Tuesday afternoon at five o’clock, and ending the next day at 1.30 p.m.
Act I
5:00 PM. Morning-room in Lord Windermere’s house.
Act II
11:00 PM. Drawing-room in Lord Windermere’s house.
intermission
Act III
2:00 AM. Lord Darlington’s rooms.
Act IV
1:00 PM. Morning-room in Lord Windermere’s house.
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Cast
N
athalie Archangel (Lady Jedburgh) is tickled pink to be in her second
production with Butterfield 8, and playing a woman no less! Since
moving from Los Angeles in 2008, Nathalie has appeared in East Bay
productions of Spitfire Grill, Harvey and Cotton Patch Gospel among others.
A recording artist for most of her adult life, Nathalie invites you to Google
her for at least two minutes of entertainment. If that is not sufficient, do feel
free to “Like” her Facebook page entitled Nathalie Archangel :), which was
created by her stunning 13 year old daughter Isabella. Nathalie dedicates
this performance, and all of her other mortal acts, to her daughters
Isabella, (and the equally fabulous) Wren and Olivia, and her righteously
supportive husband Mark.
A
li Arman (Lady Agatha Carlisle) is thrilled to be back with Butterfield
8, where she was last seen as Fabian in the female production of
Twelfth Night. She has worked in all facets of theatre with companies such
as CTA/Crossroads, Town Hall Theatre, and Diablo Actor’s Ensemble as
an actor, ASM, crew member, and teaching artist. In addition, Ali studies
theatre and music with YoungREP and ballet, tap, and jazz at Lareen
Fender’s The Ballet School. When she’s not in a theatre, she attends UC
Berkeley. Look for Ali as the long-suffering Mary in Pride and Prejudice,
Butterfield 8’s final production of the season. Proud member of Fantasy
Forum Actor’s Ensemble.
J
ean Butterfield (Lady Jedburgh alternate) has worked for Butterfield
8 in many capacities; performer, playwright, prop construction, set,
program, and publicity design. She currently works as a graphic designer,
illustrator and writer of fictions.
A
lan Cameron (Lord Augustus Lorton) last appeared with the
company as Malvolio in Twelfth Night, re-creating the role he played
in Butterfield 8’s 2004 production. He has been seen in past B8 productions
as the Lead Player in Hamlet, as Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being
Earnest, and in The Merchant of Venice as Shylock. He also directed the
company’s production of The Women in 2009. Alan is a Shellie Awardwinning actor who has worked in local theatre for over 30 years.
Cast
(continued)
B
eth Chastain (Duchess of Berwick) makes her debut with Butterfield
8. Though happily settled into life as the registrar at Las Lomas High
School in Walnut Creek, Beth is also an accomplished artist and actress
with far too many awards to list here. She is perhaps best known for
her portrayal of Nina in Chekov’s The Seagull performed in Moscow (yes
she speaks fluent Russian), for which she received the prestigious Ivan
Denisovich award, the equivalent of our Tony. She also received acclaim
in Milan last year for her one woman show Twelve Angry Women, a jaw
dropping performance that the local press described as “L’esposizione
più stupefacente veduta mai!” A consultant to Ken Burns, she is a major
contributor to his next documentary about the feminist movement of the
20th century to be seen on PBS later this year. In her spare time she enjoys
Asian fusion cooking, belly dancing and this summer will participate in
the Las Vegas Invitation Texas Hold ‘em Championship where she is the
odds on favorite to walk away with the $1,000,000 winner’s purse.
J
eremy Cole (Cecil Graham) returns to B8 after playing Maria in the allmale version of Twelfth Night. Normally a director, he has staged many
shows in the Bay Area, including Doctor Faustus, As It Is in Heaven and The
Winter’s Tale at Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, Great Expectations at Contra
Costa Civic Theatre, and Aaron Trotter and the Incident at Bikini Beach for
Thunderbird Theatre Company. He made his New York debut last year
directing Conviction Off-Broadway at 59E59 Theatres, and is starting up
his own company, Dramatic License, in the not-too-distant future. He
likes people to ask him how he is.
M
atthew Gardner (Lord Windermere) is honored to perform again
with Butterfield 8. He recently appeared as Sir Toby Belch in their
production of Twelfth Night. He has lived and performed in the Bay Area
for the last 20 years. He is a founding member of Third Rail Power Trip
where he has appeared as Henry Harry in Cindy Lou Johnson’s Brilliant
Traces and Jerry in Harold Pinter’s Betrayal. Other favorite roles include
Nick in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf with Mystic Bison
Theatre & Dance, Student/Valet/Young Adolph Hitler in Give Us This Day:
Loving Lotte Lenya at the Dominican University One Act Festival (where
he was named Best Actor), and McBush in Mike Hettinger’s The Tragedy
Cast
(continued)
of McBush at the Alice Arts Center. He is also proud to be a founding and
current member of Barewitness Films (www.barewitness.com), a group
of Bay Area filmmakers creating original improvised films. In addition to
acting, directing, and producing, he is honored to have edited numerous
films including “Served Cold”, which was awarded Best Editing for the
2007 San Francisco edition of the 48 Hour Film Project.
K
erry Gudjohnsen (Mrs. Erlynne) is a local actor/director who splits
her creative life between theater and filmmaking. This is Kerry’s
sixth adventure with Butterfield 8, having most recently played Duke
Orsino in the company’s all-female version of Twelfth Night (directed by
John Butterfield). Kerry has also portrayed Sylvia Fowler in the group’s
production of The Women (directed by Lady Windermere castmate Alan
Cameron), and Elvira in B8’s production of Blithe Spirit (directed by John
Butterfield). Some of her other favorite past roles include Emma in Harold
Pinter’s Betrayal (Third Rail Power Trip, dir.: Nancy Lawson), and Hermione
in Berkeley Actors Ensemble’s The Winter’s Tale and Queen Elizabeth
in Subterranean Shakespeare’s Richard III (both directed by castmate
Jeremy Cole). Kerry is also a proud member of Barewitness Films (www.
barewitness.com), a collective of actors and filmmakers that specializes in
improvised filmmaking. Kerry is truly grateful to John, Maureen, and the
whole Butterfield 8 gang for giving her so many opportunities to grow as
an actor and for making theater such a blast! She is also blessed to have the
love and support of so many family members and friends, without whom
she would never have the courage to keep doing this – THANK YOU!!!
M
ark Hinds (Parker) is happy to be here at Butterfield 8 and working
with this amazing cast. His previous credits most recently include
performances at UC Berkeley where he played P.T. Barnum in Philip
Kan Gotanda’s world premiere of I Dream of Chang & Eng, Baquin in
Slaughter City, and the Black Theater Workshop devise theater project At
Buffalo. Other favorite roles include Horace Vandergelder in Hello Dolly,
George in Chapter Two, Teddy in Arsenic & Old Lace, King Sextimus in
Once Upon A Mattress, Shem in Two by Two, Sosia in Olympus on My Mind
and Cheswick in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Mark graduated from
Berkeley this spring with a degree in Theater Performance Studies and
Procrastination. He holds the all time record at Cal for longest interval
between undergraduate performances (38 years).
Cast
(continued)
C
hris Mantione (Mr. Dumby) is pleased to once again appear with
Butterfield 8, having recently performed the role of Duke Orsino
in the all-male Twelfth Night. He has also worked with the company in
the capacity of fight choreographer on the past productions of Claire
Booth Luce’s The Women and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Chris holds
a certificate in acting from Solano College’s Actor Training program, an
Associates Degree in Theatre also from Solano College, and a B.A. in
Theater from U.C. Davis. He would like to thank his family for their love
and support and his beautiful girlfriend Sarah for her support, love and
understanding in his continued drive to achieve the dream. Chris dedicates
this production to all supporters of live theatre everywhere who, through
their continued support, truly bring the magic of live theatre to life.
E
dwin Peabody (Lord Darlington) has been performing locally since
1994 and with Butterfield 8 since 2008. He is excited to be working
again with John Butterfield and this fabulous cast and crew. He graduated
from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood in 2001 and is
married with six furry children living in the east Bay Area. Favorite roles
include Septimus in Arcadia (B8) and the title role in Cyrano de Bergerac
(Orinda Starlight Village Players). He dedicates this performance to his
beautiful wife, Jennifer.
B
ecky Potter (Lady Windermere) is always thrilled to be returning
to Butterfield 8 where she has appeared as Nerissa in The Merchant
of Venice, Nancy in the staged reading of Abigail Dreary, Cecily in The
Importance of Being Earnest, Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hero
in Much Ado About Nothing, Imogen in Cymbeline, Leona in Zelda’s Mama’s
Cookin’, Thomasina in Arcadia, Ophelia in Hamlet, and most recently,
Viola in Twelfth Night. Becky graduated from UC Irvine where some of
her favorite roles included Claire in Fuddy Meers, Silvius in As You Like It,
Dunyazade in Arabian Nights, and Ruthie in Bat Boy. In the Bay Area she
has been seen in such shows as In the Beginning, Fiddler on the Roof, Inherit
the Wind, Brimstone, and every performance of John Muir’s Mountain Days
(all for the Willows Theatre Company) and in Peter Pan (DLOC). Becky is
currently teaching theatre at Oakland School for the Arts.
Cast
(continued)
I
an Williams (Mr. Hopper) makes his fifth appearance with Butterfield
8, seen previously as the Changeling Boy in A Midsummer Night’s
Dream, Thurmond in Zelda’s Mama’s Cookin’, Gus/Lord Augustus (for one
performance) in Arcadia, and the Page in Hamlet. He made his theatrical debut
at the age of seven, appearing in the Willows Theatre Company production
of Children of Eden as a Young Storyteller, and later that year in the ensemble
of John Muir’s Mountain Days. He has just finished his freshman year at Las
Lomas High School, where he appeared in Hello, Dolly!.
M
aureen-Theresa Williams (Lady Plymdale/Rosalie) is a founding
member and Co-Artistic Director of Butterfield 8, and was last seen as
Maria in the all-female Twelfth Night. Her favorite roles with the company
include Ruth in Blithe Spirit, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Zelda in
Zelda’s Mama’s Cookin’, Edith Potter in The Women, and Hannah Jarvis in
Arcadia (the latter two earning her Shellie Award Nominations ). Favorite
roles outside the company include Dotty Otley in Noises Off and Veta in
Harvey (Contra Costa Civic Theatre), Miss Maudie in To Kill a Mockingbird
(Antioch Rivertown Theatre – Shellie Award Nomination), Queenie in
Bell, Book and Candle (Chanticleers – Company Outstanding Supporting
Actress Award), and Mrs. Pert in Look Homeward, Angel (Willows Theatre
Company). In addition, Maureen has been privileged to perform over
the past thirty-plus years with Act Now!, Angry Reynolds Productions,
Arclight Repertory Theatre, Civic Arts Rep, Odyssey Players, Onstage,
Subterranean Shakespeare, Theatrefest, Dramateurs/Town Hall Theatre
Company, as well as for Diablo Valley College and Cal State Hayward.
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Artistic Staff
J
ohn Butterfield (Director) is the founder and Artistic Director of Butterfield
8 Theatre Company, now in its fifth season at Cue Productions Live, and
has been directing and choreographing productions in the Bay area for
many years. He studied directing at Toi Whakaari/Victoria University in New
Zealand, and while there performed in Shifting; a devised work at BATS
theatre in Wellington. In 2009 he returned to New Zealand where he staged
Mates and Lovers to critical acclaim at BATS. He has taught theatre and dance
locally at CTA and San Ramon Dance Academy and is currently teaching
at Berkeley Ballet. As a dancer he has toured the US with Dance Through
Time and ODC, and was a member of Company Chaddick for 8 years. He is
a LEAP graduate from St. Mary’s College, and in addition to directing and
choreographing continues to perform both locally and in New Zealand. To
his whanau in NZ “Kaore i taea e au te huna taku manako te koe.”
L
iz Martin (Resident Costume Designer) has been involved in
theater for over 25 years. Her custom design business, Pink
Depford Design Studio (www.pinkdepford.com) has built costumes
for actors, re-enactors, wineries, and a squirrel. In addition to her prior
work with Butterfield 8 (Twelfth Night, Hamlet) she has worked with
several theater companies in the Bay Area: Ross Valley Players (The
Miracle Worker), Vagabond Players (Sound of Music) & Martinez Opera
(Madame Butterfly). She spends her winter holidays as the costume
director for The Great Dickens Christmas Fair (www.dickensfair.com).
She gives thanks everyday that she has the opportunity to make her
living doing two the things she enjoys the most: costuming and nails.
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Stephanie Morris, S. J. Parker, Eliza Washington
Milliner: Janice Sellers
Lady Windermere’s Act IV dress by Loran Watkins
Special thanks to: Michael Berg, Lynn Combs Costume Closet, Char’s Florist,
White Rabbit Boutique, Margo & Dave Foster, Deborah Coley, Kitt Wall, Suzette
Davidson, Rae Phillips, Brenda Lewis
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Dear Audience Member,
You may not be a millionaire, yet when you purchased your
ticket for this show you became a philanthropist and a supporter of the
arts in your community.
Every ticket that you buy for local theatre, every drink or snack
you purchase in the lobby, supports the hidden organization of people
behind the scenes who supply space for rehearsal and performance,
costumes, sets, props, programs, publicity, and all the hidden structure
that supports the work that the actors do.
Please, continue to be our philanthropist, and our partner, in
shaping and keeping the theatre alive.
Artistic Director
Butterfield 8
Glossary
*
“at home” : indicating a willingness to receive calls by visitors.
Generally calls were received between 3 and 6 in the afternoon.
Selby: Lord Windermere’s country estate.
“of age” : twenty-one years old.
Ball: a private function for two hundred to five hundred guests.
Balls existed mainly to introduce girls to eligible partners.
Dance: a private function for eighty to two hundred guests.
The distinction between a ball and a dance was relevant to the
exclusivity of the event at a time when society was becoming
larger.
“small and early”: a
small dance that would
finish early. The polite
time for guests to depart
was midnight, the
fashionable time was
between 2:00 and 3:00
am.
“the odd trick”:
reference to whist or
an early variation of
bridge. To lose the ‘odd’
trick was to lose by six
tricks to seven.
Curzon Street: a street in
Mayfair, a respectable
address.
Glossary
*
(continued)
The Season: The London Season was a pattern of social events,
which included private entertainments (like Lady Windermere’s
dance) as well as public entertainments like Ascot and the Private
View of the Royal Academy. The Season lasted from February to
July alongside the Parliamentary Session. Most members of Society
spent the Season in London, conducting business and partaking in
social gatherings and then returned to their country homes for the
rest of the year.
Club Train: luxurious express trains from London to Dover
designed to connect London to Paris for the 1889 Paris Exhibition.
They left London at 4:00pm and arrived in Paris at 11:30 pm
operating between 1889 and 1893.
Shrewsbury and Talbot: In 1880 Lord Shrewsbury and Talbot’s
rubber-tired and luxuriously appointed cabs were the quietest and
most comfortable cabs. They wheels were noiseless and therefore
the cabs were extremely popular
*Taken from the critical annotation from New Mermaids second edition of the
play, edited by Ian Small
Butterfield 8 productions are made possible in part by
contributions from the Lucky stores S.H.A.R.E.S program, the
Bank of America Matching Gifts Program, Judy & Jerry Potter, Pat
Church, and the generous donations of patrons like you.
Thank You
a
Note
from the Dramaturg
“One pays for one’s sin, and then one pays again, and all one’s life
one pays.”
-Mrs. Erlynne- Act III Lady Windermere’s Fan
L
ady Windermere’s Fan was Oscar Wilde’s first big hit on London’s
West End. Wilde’s trademark wit certainly makes it’s mark
in this society drama, but it is his jabs at the blatant hypocrisy
of English society that make the story of Lady Windermere an
important classic. The question of what makes good and bad
women are thrown around in the play, exposing the absurdity
of society’s mores in Victorian
England. Society drama at the
time was dominated by the
themes of social ostracism Wilde
explores within the play.
M
rs. Erlynne is the
centerpiece of the play,
and her fallen place in society as
a single woman with a past is a
point of contention throughout
the story. In Victorian England,
women like Mrs. Erlynne were
cast aside for their independent
behavior. Marriage was an
institution commonly debated in
society drama, and while gender
equality is clearly on Wilde’s
mind, the laws surrounding
the institution of marriage left
few rights and alternatives
for women. Once a woman
married a man the law required
that everything that was hers
belonged to him, as well as any
money she earned while married
to him. It was not until 1882, with
Note
(continued)
the enaction of the Married Women’s Property Act, that married
women were even given the right to own property in their own
names or keep their earnings. Divorce laws were reformed in 1857
but they still favored the husband, who might divorce his wife on
the grounds of adultery, but she could only divorce him if she could
prove him guilty of incest, bigamy or excessive violence.
W
ith the law against them, many women had no choice
but to stay in their marriages. Women like Mrs. Erlynne,
choosing to leave their husbands, were severely looked down
upon by polite society. She may have done nothing wrong, felt
extreme justification in her actions, and still she would have to quit
respectable society and be labeled as an outcast. A select group of
women made careers of living outside the social norm; the actress
Lily Langtry, a friend of Oscar Wilde’s, took up a career on the stage
after her liaisons with the Prince of Wales. In an earlier addition of
the play, Mrs. Erlynne makes reference that women in her position
were likely to leave England altogether, for “Homburg, or Paris, or
Aix, or some place where we can amuse ourselves.” However most
women were thrown into much more devastating plights. Many
turned to prostitution, a thriving practice in Victorian England.
Other women, pressured by the severe shame society inflicted
on them, were driven to suicide, often by drowning. When Mrs.
Erlynne warns Lady Windermere she has neither the wit nor the
courage to survive a life of social ostracism, she is speaking to
the harsh reality of Victorian society. The fact that Mrs. Erlynne
has managed to get herself back into society establishes her as an
extremely independent and self-sufficient woman, a rarity for the
time, which undoubtedly makes her the center of attention.
T
he success of the play certainly gives us an understanding of
what Victorian audiences enjoyed, and also the issues that were
pervading the public mind. Mrs. Erylnne’s sympathetic portrayal
shows movement toward the eventual equality of women and the
power playwrights like Wilde had on the advancement of social
mores.
Becky Potter
Thank You
from the Director
First to thank is Liz and her crew, who have done an amazing job on
an almost nonexistent budget. Her staff and volunteers have worked so
hard to bring us the costumes you see.
Linda for the wigs. Thank you for the great work.
Everybody who worked on the gala, from the artists to the people
behind the scenes. Thanks for keeping us afloat.
The cast that made me superfluous in the room. From the start you all
knew where the work needed to go and went there without hesitation.
Pat Church, always
My whanau both here and in New Zealand
Next From Butterfield 8
Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
adapted for the stage by Donald L. Hardy
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in
possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”
So begins Jane Austen’s enduring tale of manners, upbringing,
morality, education and marriage among the landed gentry of early
19th century England.
This four-act adaptation, created for Butterfield 8,
is presented in two parts.
August 4 through August 28, 2011
www.b8company.com/events.htm
Registration still available!
Call 925-957-2500 or visit us at
www.willowsconservatory.blogspot.com
T
he Mission of Butterfield 8 Theatre Company is to
provide audiences a fresh take on classic plays, and
foster the creation of new works.
O
ur Vision is to present audiences with examples of
both ends of the theatrical spectrum: new productions
of classic works, focusing in particular on text-driven plays
(such as the works of Shakespeare), and new works devised
by the company or written by local playwrights. Our
work often examines perceptions of gender, both within
the context of the play and the larger context of society as
a whole. We strive to create an immersive environment,
believing the audience’s experience starts when they buy
the ticket, and shouldn't end when they leave the theatre.
We honor that the audience has come for a live theatre
experience to engage with a story or an idea; to be taken on
a journey. This is our responsibility, and our craft.
W
e are always looking for people to be active members
of our Board of Directors. The job requires people
who have experience living and working in the world, with
an interest in helping us grow as a theatre company. If you
would like to help us achieve our vision, please contact John
Butterfield at (510) 282-6174 or [email protected].
www.theatrebayarea.org