Who`s Who - Center REPertory Company

Center REPertory Company would like to thank
our generous season supporters.
CENTER REPERTORY COMPANY OF WALNUT CREEK
THANK YOU for making great theatre in Walnut Creek possible!
We could not do it without you!
presents
Michael Butler, Artistic Director
SEASON SPONSOR
SEASON PARTNER
SEASON MEDIA SPONSOR
Chevron Corporation
Diablo Regional Arts Association
Contra Costa Times
BENEFACTORS
$2,001 - $5,000
Patricia Stull
Howard & LaVergne
Thomas
ANGELS
$1,000 - $2,000
Gary & Jean Pokorny
Nancy Salsig
Wealth & Tax Planners of
Walnut Creek
PRODUCERS
$500-$999
Gil & Ann Berkeley
Jake & Janice Bronson
Bob & Sharon Burke
Rochelle Clements
Steve & Merry Dalcino
Curtis & Phyllis Duggan
Tom & Ann French
Dick & Sally Ingraham
Holly Ingraham &
David Julius
Margaret Kidd
Cheryl & Jay Powell
Leigh & Ivy Robinson
Stephen M. Schwarcz
Cliff & Laura Seaholm
Karen B. Williams
BACKERS
$300-$499
Michael Butler
Gail & Norman Correia
Benjamin Cruz
Kerri & Scott Denison
John Guthrie
Frank Haegeland
Julie & Steve Moore
John & Nilda Rego
Tom & Cindy Silva
Ben Slomoff
Bridget & Weldon Waller
INVESTORS $150-$299
Charles Beavers
A. & H. Bevan-Thomas
Amos & Carla Blackmon
Ray & Mary Camezon
Louise Chalkley
Chelle Clements
Frank Dobson
Francis J. Ebert
Clifford & Grete Egan
Gloria J. Forrest
Rudolf Glauser
Shirlee & Scott Graff
Frank & Mary Grannis
Richard & Martha Johnson
Jerry & Kathy Hicks
Bob Kaliski
Paul Lorton, Jr.
Arthur & Karren Lusignan
Arlee & Paul Maier
John & Linda Makowsky
Rosalie Malatesta
R. C. Penfield
Mairi Pitcaithley
Ana Regalia
William & Cynthia Rainey
Deborah Sedberry & Jeff Klingman
James & Kathryn Simms
Ron & Judy Smith
Bill & Aileen Souveroff
Romer & John Stevenson
Ronald & Patricia Vandenberghe
John Wade
John & Judith Wagner
Bob & Judy Wilkenfeld
Don Williams
SUPPORTERS $100-$149
Kris Alvarez
Keith & Blanca Anderson
Mrs. Robert Angell
Barbara Barlow
Virginia Beardsley
Sara Behman
Claude & Carol Benedix
Jody Benkly
Robert & Lynn Binsacca
Kathy Bishop
Elizabeth & Robert Clark
Molly Clopp
Edward & Miriam Cole
Mark & Tamara Crownover
George Day
Gennaro DeVito
Tom & Nancy Donohoe
Robert & Zella Donovan
Mr. & Mrs. Leon E. Dulac
Tim Durant
Robert & Norma Evans
Tom Fannin & Ann Carson
May Firman
Gloria S. Fischer
Marjorie Frederick
Ruth & Larry Goldenberg
Barry & Nicki Gordon
Lee Grabel
Lavelle & Wes Hallmeyer
Celia N. Hasbrook
Ralph & Loella Haskew
Theresa Hogoboom
Roman & Mary Hruska
Penelope Johnson
Fred Glass & Maureen Katz
Helen Kelly
Judy Kienle & Jim Wilson
Kathy Klein
Margaret Kotzebue
James Lane
Bob Latham
Betsy Llosa
Frank N. Lockwood
Scott & Alisa Mac Cormac
Rita & Bob MacKay
Terry & Jane Macken
J. H. & J. G. Margolis
Suzanne Masella
June McBade
Stephen & Joyce McCord
Oren McDonald
Miriam W. Mellen
David B. Mills &
Mary Catherine Hearney-Mills
Janice Miller
George Millington
Carolyn Mowris
Robert Muller
Patrice & Louis Olds
Mary & Dave O’Neill
Gail Preston
Jane & Jim Price
Maria & Charles Ranlett
Rayna Ravitz
Richard Ravitz
Chris Ritter & Jill Stevenson Ritter
Sonya Ruehl
Robert & Edith Shaheen
Frances & Kirby Slate
Harold & Jean Somerset
Linda & Paul Stich
Terry Stiffler
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Tharratt
Nicholas Torre
Micki Walls
Mr. & Mrs. Robert F. Walsh
William & Elizabeth Walsh
Lou Weckstein & Karin DeNevi
Richard Westin
Ted & Marilyn Westphal
Mr. & Mrs. Gary Willcuts
Elizabeth Wood
Bonnie Young
Jim & Linda Zumwalt
SUSTAINERS $25-$99
Doanld Anderson
Shiva Berman
Charles Bloomer
Suzanne Greenley Boyd
Barbara Branton
Linda Breth
Harold Brock
Barbara Campbell
Margo & Peter Carroll
Darcy & Barb Cattolica Hodges
Harvey & Phyllis Ceaser
David Clark
Kenneth & Ellen Cuozzo
Richard Decker
Judith De Martini
Gary & Nancy deWeese
Art & Mary Alice Donaldson
Barbara & Gary Drummond
Shirley Ellsberry
Marvin L. Engel
Hugh D. Erskine
Barbara & Scott Farmer
Hugh & Anna Fehrenbach
Ilene Ferguson
David & Sandra Fisher
Matthes Fluhrer
Carol & Jim Frane
Duane & Lanya C. Gates
Evan Gillespie
Rae & Ernest Gilmore
Phyllis Goldston
Donald Hadaway
L. Jay Helms
Carol Henshaw
Donna Herriman
Hubert Heuer
Sonja Hongisto & Brent Bowman
Art Hughes
Thomas & Nancy Humiston
Fa Lu Hutson
Robert & Judith Ilgen
Mr. & Mrs. Ted Iverson
Kumiy Roy Iwao
Jacquel;ine & Yorke Jacobson
Joan Jacobson
Hilary & Susan Jones
Pieter & Virginia Joosen
Mac & Mary Jordan
Norman Justman
Dr. Sharon Kantor, Esq.
Ursula & Ara Kaprielian
Harriet & Oshri Karmon
Gail Kezerian
Thomas & Barbara Keehbauch
William F. Kieffer
Audrey Kinnee
C. J. Koeber
Barbie Koncher
Ralph & Carolyn Kraetsch
Eunice Kritscher
Hannelore Kutz
Beth B. Lamb
Susan Lancaster
Daniel Lawrence
Daniel & Judy Lazarus
Erma & Alan A. Leighton
Mary Lembke
Hilary J. Lerner, M. D.
James & Marjorie Livingston
Suzanne Lowe
Jennifer & Larry Mack
Sharon Maher
Stephen & Lauren Mason
Robert Mayne
Leonard Morgenstern
Mr. & Mrs. Carl Moore
Elizabeth Moreskine
Joyce Munson
Jan Muto
Rebecca O’Connor
Thomas & Barbara Olwin
Carol O’Neill
Jackie Osborne
Janice Peacock
Hildred C. Pehrson
Lela Peterson
Fisk & Barbara Phelps
Lloyd & Joyce Plank
Jeffrey & Tammara Price
John & Jessie Quigley
Carol Rand
Frank Ransome
Robert & Patricia Rezak
Marcia Roberta Ribner
Ellen Ristad
Arlene Saidman
Barbara Santina
Bonnie & Robert Scott
Joyce Seelinger
Harry Shibata
E. A. Sierecki
Wayne Stephenson
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Stithem
Donald & Susan Swartz
James Tallman
James M. Taylor
Robert W. Taylor
James Thomas
William & Betty Todd
Connie Tomcik
Theodore Turgeon
Ralph Uppman
Carylon Van Essen
Sid Wallace
Beverly J. Walsh
Sarah & Franz Wassermann
Paul & Loretta Wilhelmson
Margo Williamson
Sylvan Winocur
Harry Wolf
Ralph Wolff
Cecily Wood
Suzy Ziegler
Scott Denison, Managing Director
The Fats Waller Musical Show
Conceived and Originally Directed by
Richard Maltby, Jr.
Based on an idea by Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby, Jr.
Vocal & Musical Concepts by
Jeffrey Gutcheon
Originally Choreographed by
Arthur Faria
Orchestration & Arrangements by
Luther Henderson
Musical Arrangements by
Jeffrey Gutcheon & William Elliott
Originally produced by The Manhattan Theatre Club
Originally produced on Broadway by Emanuel Azenberg, Dasha Epstein, The Shubert Organization, Janet Gaynor & Ron Dante
Cast
Anika Bobb
Clinton Derricks-Carroll
Marcie Henderson
Tareek Lee Holmes
Anise E. Ritchie
Scenic Designer
Eric Sinkkonen
Sound Designer
Jeff Mockus
Lighting Designer
Kurt Landisman
Casting Director
Leslie Martinson
Costume Designer
Cassandra Carpenter
Stage Manager
Briana Fahey
Musical Direction by Thaddeus Pinkston
Directed & Choreographed by Robert Barry Fleming
Ain’t Misbehavin’ is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
421 West 54th Street, New York NY 10019
Phone: 212-541-4684 Fax: 212-397-4684
www.MTIShows.com
Costumes provided by COSTUME WORLD THEATRICAL, Deerfield Beach, FL www.costumeworld.com
September 4 - October 11, 2008
Lesher Center for the Arts
Margaret Lesher Theatre
Season Sponsor
Season Partner
Season Media Sponsor
The Actors and Stage Manager employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association,
the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
The Scenic Designer, Costume Designer, Lighting Designer and Sound Designer are members of United Scenic Artists Union
CAST
Anika Bobb
Clinton Derricks-Carroll
Marcie Henderson
Tareek Lee Holmes
Anise E. Ritchie
MUSICAL NUMBERS
Act One:
Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1929)
Lookin’ Good but Feelin’ Bad (1929)
‘t Ain’t Nobody’s Biz-ness If I Do (1922)
Honeysuckle Rose (1939)
Squeeze Me (1925)
Handful of Keys (1933)
I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling (1929)
How Ya Baby (1938)
The Jitterbug Waltz (1942)
The Ladies Who Sing with the Band
Yacht Club Swing (1938)
When the Nylons Bloom Again (1943)
Cash for your Trash (1942)
Off-Time (1929)
The Joint is Jumpin’ (1938)
Act Two:
Spreadin’ Rhythm Around (1935)
Lounging at the Waldorf
The Viper’s Drag (1943)
Mean to Me (1929)
Your Feet’s Too Big (1936)
That Ain’t Right (1943)
Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now (1932)
Find Out What They Like (1929)
Fat and Greasy (1939)
Black and Blue (1929)
Finale:
I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter (1933)
Two Sleepy People (1938)
I’ve Got My Fingers Crossed
I Can’t Give You Anything but Love (1928)
It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie (1933)
Honeysuckle Rose (Reprise)
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
Anika Bobb is thrilled to be making her
debut with Center REPertory Company.
She is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon
University and a proud member of
Actor’s Equity. Some of her favorite
roles include: Bettina in Casper with
Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera; Brenda
in Smokey Joe’s Cafe with Westchester
Dinner Theater; and Dionne in Hair at the Emelin Theater.
She has also performed with Palo Alto Theater Works
as well as St. Louis MUNY. She was last seen on stage in
American Musical Theater’s production of The Wizard
of Oz. She would like to dedicate this performance to her
family and friends for their constant love and support.
Clinton Derricks-Carroll is happy
to be back after appearing in Center
REP’s production of Hank Williams:
Lost Highway. He has enjoyed a varied
career on both sides of the Atlantic.
His notable theatre credits include
the Broadway productions of I Have
a Dream, Your Arms are Too Short
to Box with God, But Never Jam Today, and Dreamgirls.
In the U. S., Mr. Derricks-Carroll trained at H. B. Studios,
The Urban Arts Studio, Michael Shurtleff, David LeGrant,
and Joan Darling. Mr. Derricks-Carroll also has many
television achievements such as Sanford, Sliders, The Steve
Harvey Show, Any Day Now, Hill Street Blues, Highway to
Heaven, and movies - Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, The
Ambush Murders, etc. While residing in London, Clinton
studied at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and was
featured in the West End Productions of Grand Hotel,
Five Guys Named Moe, Time and Miss Saigon. He also
appeared in many regional plays and productions while there.
Marcie Henderson is making her
Center Rep debut! Last seen in the Bay
Area as Mayzie LaBird in Seussical
at Woodminster. A San Francisco
native, she has appeared locally for
TheatreWorks (Music Hall Singer –
Violet Dean Goodman Recipient), The
Lorraine Hansberry Theatre (Cora
Dix - Homer G and the Rhapsodies In the Fall of Detroit…),
Campo Santo (Kendra - Language of Angels), Thick
Description (Leila Rivers - Joe Louis Blues), San Francisco
Mime Troupe, New Stage Theatre Company, Stage Masters
of Alameda, American Conservatory Theatre, Curran Theatre,
and others. New York Credits: Ground Up Productions
(Blind Willy Carter - The People Vs Mona (2008 New York
Innovative Theatre Award Nomination), and on the all-star
cast recording of The People Vs Mona with Lillias White,
Christiane Noll, Ron Raines, Marc Kudish and Natalie Torro
for Jay Records and The York Theatre Company; Michael
John LaChiusa’s The Wild Party Columbia University; Violet
The Gallery Players. Regional Credits: Disney’s When You
Wish and Hair Houston Theatre Under The Stars; Beehive
Ogunquit Playhouse and Foothills Theatre; Nunsense Totem
Pole Playhouse, Ain’t Misbehavin’ Bristol Riverside Theatre.
Tareek Lee Holmes is proud to be
making his Center REP debut in this
fabulous show.
Previous credits
include: Jim Conley in Jason Robert
Brown’s Parade, The Willows Theatre
production of Jesus Christ Superstar,
where he played the role of Judas,
Performance Riverside’s production
of Once on this Island, Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center’s
production of Seussical the Musical. Other credits include:
The Universal Studios Company: Frankenstein in Universal
Studios Japan Monsters Rock and Roll Review, Curtis in
Universal Studios Hollywood Blues Brothers R&B Review.
Tareek would like to thank the wonderful cast and crew,
his beautiful wife Mayu Azuma Holmes for loving him
and always beng there for him, his savior Jesus Christ, it’s
because of Christ’s love for me that this is who I am today.
Anise E. Ritchie lives in San Diego
and is making her debut at Center
REP. She is very proud to be part of
this cast. Her career started performing
the role of Crystal in Little Shop of
Horrors in Portland and Ashland’s
famed Shakespeare Theatre. San
Francisco Bay Area stage credits
include several productions of Ain’t Misbehavin’ (tour).
Also performing in Menopause the Musical (tour), How
the Grinch Stole Christmas (Auntie Who) in San Diego,
CA. under the direction of Jack O’Brien, AfterShocks, Hal
Sparks, Once On This Island (Euzlie) Dance on Widows
Row (Simone), Blue (Peggy), Beehive, Sophisticated Ladies,
Showboat (Julie), A Grand Night for Singing, Smokey Joe’s
Café, and Caroline, or Change as the Moon. Anise has
also worked with Lamb Players Theatre in San Diego in
Boomers. Anise performed the National Anthem for the
Golden State Warriors for 4 years in Oakland, California.
She has appeared in many television commercials and has
recorded many radio spots. Anise has also toured Europe
as lead vocalist for Emmitt Powell and the Gospel Elites
in Finland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
Anise is proud to be a member of Actor’s Equity Association.
the rent by charging the guests), and soon he developed a
performing career. He was an excellent pianist--now usually
considered one of the very best who ever played in the stride
style--but his songwriting and his lovable, roguish stage
personality (“One never knows, do one?”) overshadowed
his playing. Before his solo career, he played with many
performers, from Erskine Tate to Bessie Smith, but his
greatest success came with his own five- or six-piece combo,
FATS WALLER AND HIS RHYTHM. He collaborated with
the Tin Pan Alley lyricist Andy Razaf and had a commercially
successful career which, according to some music critics,
eclipsed his great musical talent. His nickname came about
because he weighed nearly 300 pounds. Waller also made
a successful tour of the British Isles in the late 1930’s, and
appeared in one of the earliest BBC Television broadcasts. He
also appeared in several feature films and short subject films,
most notably Stormy Weather in 1943. With Razaf he wrote
“What Did I Do (To Be So Black and Blue)?” which became
a hit for Louis Armstrong. This song, a searing treatment of
racism, black and white, calls into question the accusations
of “shallow entertainment” leveled at both Armstrong and
Waller. On December 15, 1943, at age 39, Waller died aboard
an eastbound train in the vicinity of Kansas City, Missouri,
following a west coast engagement.
Robert Barry Fleming (Director/
Choreographer)
Directing
and/or
choreography credits include: The
Game of Love and Chance (San
Jose Repertory), Twelfth Night (The
Alabama Shakespeare Festival) Honk!
(Circuit Playhouse) Ma Rainey’s Black
Bottom (Theatre Memphis) Sueno,
Marat/Sade and Songs for a New World. He has performed
in leading roles in productions like Ragtime and Stand-Up
Tragedy on Broadway, Insurrection: Holding History at The
Public Theatre, Young Jelly in the world premiere of George
C. Wolfe’s Jelly’s Last Jam at the Mark Taper Forum. He can
be seen in the films and television programs L. A. Confidential,
Twilight of the Golds, Rooftops, Family Matters, and as a series
regular on the Disney Channel’s Adventures in Wonderland.
He is also a Dialect and Vocal Coach and his credits include
The Adding Machine, Most Wanted, and The Wiz (La Jolla
Playhouse) A View from the Bridge and Death of a Salesman
(Arena Stage) and Sight Unseen (The Old Globe). Robert is
an Associate Professor and the Director of Theatre Arts at
the University of San Diego and received his M.F.A. from
The University of Alabama/ Alabama Shakespeare Festival/
Professional Actor Training Program. Upcoming: Robert
will be directing The Little Dog Laughed at the Diversionary
Theatre (Spring 2009). Many thanks to Alison & Joel Ply and
the entire swing community for their generosity.
CREATIVE TEAM
Thaddeus Pinkston (Musical Director) has been playing
piano since the age of 4 and started playing professionally
in musical theater at age 13. He studied music at San Jose
State University and Santa Clara University, and was tutored
in composition and orchestration by Professor David Conte
from the San Francisco Conservatory. His skills as a sensitive
and impeccable accompanist in all styles of music, from
classical to jazz and everything in between, have earned him
the highest respect of the singers and musicians with whom
he has worked. As Musical Director, his many credits include
the international tour with The Fifth Dimension of Ain’t
Misbehavin’ under the direction of Arthur Faria and Andre De
Shields, Blues in the Night at the Post Street Theatre starring
Maurice Hines, Freda Payne, Carol Woods and Paulette Ivory
and most recently, One Night Only Cabaret with the cast
of The Color Purple at the Marines Memorial. Thaddeus
co-composed the Off-Broadway musical Saint Tous with
Andre De Shields. He has also accompanied a host of stellar
performers including Steve Miller, Tommy Tune, Janis Page,
Lisa Vroman, and appeared at the Telluride Jazz Festival with
the legendary Stan Getz and blues singer Koko Taylor.
Fats Waller (Composer) was an AfricanAmerican jazz pianist, organist, composer
and comedic entertainer. He was born
Thomas Wright Waller in New York City.
Waller studied classical piano and organ
before apprenticing himself to legendary
Harlem stride pianist James P. Johnson,
who introduced him to the world of rent
parties (a party with a piano player, designed to help pay
Eric Sinkkonen (Scenic Designer) Member United Scenic
Artists Local 829. He has designed 19 productions for
Center REPertory Co. In addition, he has designed for the
Houston Playhouse, Detroit’s Hilberry Classic Theatre, San
Francisco and Berkeley Shakespeare Festivals, Georgia
Shakespeare Festival, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, San
Francisco Repertory and San Diego Repertory Theatres,
San Francisco Mime Troupe, Summer Repertory Theatre,
CitiArts Theatre, Harbor Theatre, Marin Theatre Co.,
TheatreWorks, Sacramento Theatre Co., Aurora Theatre,
San Jose Repertory Co., California Shakespeare Theatre,
San Francisco’s Magic Theatre, and designed the world
premiere of Mart Crowley’s The Men from the Boys at New
Conservatory Theatre, S.F., and the Los Angeles premiere
of The Men from the Boys at the Fountain Theatre. He is the
recipient of several Dean Goodman Choice Awards, East
Bay Shellie Awards and was nominated for outstanding
achievement in set design by the San Diego Theatre Critics
Circle for his set and lighting designs for Master Harold….
and the boys. His designs were included in an exhibit of
American stage designers which toured the United States,
including Lincoln Center in New York City and the John F.
Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
Kurt Landisman (Lighting Designer) Local audiences
will be familiar with his work through past productions
designed for Center REP including Musical of Musicals
(The Musical!), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The
Mousetrap, How the Other Half Loves, Around the World
in 80 Days, and Fugitive Kind. His designs have been
seen throughout the Bay Area at many theaters including
San Francisco Opera, ACT, Berkeley Rep, San Jose Rep,
Theatreworks, California Shakespeare Festival, The Magic
Theatre, and Marin Theatre Company. Locally his work
has garnered 15 Bay Area Critics Circle Awards and 5 LA
Dramalogue Awards. Nationally, his work has been seen at
many regional opera & ballet companies, including the Los
Angeles Opera, Minnesota Opera, Virginia Opera, Tulsa
Opera, and Ballet Arizona. His designs have also been
presented off-Broadway, represented at Circle Rep, and the
Douglas Fairbanks Theatres. Other designs internationally
include world premieres of plays by Sam Shepard in Japan,
and Singapore, as well as the San Francisco Opera in
Shanghai, China, and the Moscow Circus in Tokyo, Japan.
Cassandra Carpenter (Costume Designer) Her recent
credits at Center REP include: Musical of Musicals (The
Musical!), Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Picasso at the
Lapin Agile, Anna Christie, The Countess, Pygmalion*
and the ’96-‘99 A Christmas Carol* (*Shellie Award).
She has designed in the Bay Area for over 10 years; her
credits include ACT, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The
Aurora Theatre, The Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Co.,
Word for Word, Thick Description, and San Jose Rep. In
addition to design Cassandra has been on the costume staff
of Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Old Globe Theatre,
The Berkeley Repertory Theatre and director of costume
for both the San Jose Repertory Theatre and California
Shakespeare Festival. Other Design projects include Smuin
Ballets S.F., ODC, Chanticleer and Nightletter Theatre.
Cassandra owns and operates her own independent
costume studio in San Francisco, CMC & design, building
costumes for numerous theatrical and commercial clients
including ACT, Smuin Ballet, SF Ballet, Baz Lurman’s
La Boheme and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas.
Jeff Mockus (Sound Designer) For Center REP: Musical
of Musicals (The Musical!), Nixon’s Nixon, Hank
Williams: Lost Highway, A Christmas Carol (2006-7),
Around The World In 80 Days, and The Marriage Of
Figaro. For CCMT: Beauty & The Beast, Urinetown,
Guys And Dolls, and Fiddler On The Roof. In residence
at San Jose Rep (1994 - 2007): 64 production credits,
including: This Wonderful Life, Mary’s Wedding, ART,
and Old Wicked Songs. A Lecturer for UCSC’s Theater
Arts Department, his recent work includes: The Rainmaker
for American Conservatory Theater, Tracy’s Tiger for
the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Lend Me A Tenor:
The Musical for The Utah Shakespearean Festival.
Briana Fahey (Stage Manager) is delighted to be
joining Center REP for the first time with such a talented
group of people. A native of Wisconsin, she has recently
transplanted to the Bay area and recently worked on An
Ideal Husband with California Shakespeare Theater.
Other regional theater credits include Milwaukee
Repertory Theater and the Utah Shakespearean Festival.
Michael Butler (Artistic Director) begins his third season
as Artistic Director of Center REP, where he directed
Around the World in 80 Days, Picasso at the Lapin Agile,
The Marriage of Figaro, How the Other Half Loves, Hank
Williams: Lost Highway, Nixon’s Nixon, A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, as well as playing Paravicini in REP’s
production of The Mousetrap. His directing work has also
been seen at San Jose Rep, Cleveland Playhouse, Seattle
Rep, Marin Theatre Company, Aurora Theatre Company,
San Jose Stage, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and The Juilliard
School, of which he is a graduate. As an actor, Michael has
worked on Broadway and off, in regional theatres, film and
television. He is a published songwriter and the co-writer
and composer of numerous music-theatre pieces, which
he has directed and performed in NY, LA, and at festivals
in India and Morocco. In his career as a performer he has
also danced with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company,
portrayed the villainous Pierre LeChance on The Guiding
Light, and played guitar and harmonica in many rock, blues,
and country western bands at all the notable dives in NYC.
and East County Times. The Times, read by nearly a half a
million people each day in Contra Costa, eastern Alameda
and southern Solano counties, was judged the best newspaper
in its circulation category in the state five times in a six-year
period by the California Newspaper Publishers Association.
In 2005, it won the prestigious national Freedom of
Information Award from Associated Press Managing Editors.
And, in 2007, it was honored by the California Newspaper
Publishers Association for its leadership on public records.
Bay Area News Group-East Bay print and online products
reach more than 2.7 million adults over the course of one
week. The California Newspapers Partnership, headquartered
in San Ramon, CA, is the largest newspaper publisher in the
Bay Area and the state. Its co-owner MediaNews Group is
the fourth largest publishing company in the United States.
Scott Denison (Managing Director) has directed over 150
productions, including Center REP’s highly successful
production The Wizard of Oz and CCMT’s Disney’s Beauty
and the Beast, Cinderella and the last ten productions of A
Christmas Carol. Mr. Denison is the director and co-founder
of Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble, and the creator of the
Contra Costa County Shellie Awards. He has also designed
lights for over 250 productions, including Center REP’s
production of Hank Williams: Lost Highway, Laughter on
the 23rd Floor, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Cowgirls, Suds,
Shirley Valentine and Dear Liar, and CCMT’s Titanic and
Guys and Dolls. As General Manager of the Lesher Center
for the Arts, he coordinates over 900 events annually.
THE BAND
Alan M. Close - Saxophone/Clarinet
Dave Hubbard - Trombone
Mark Lee – Drums
Joe McKinley – Bass
Thaddeus Pinkston - Piano
Don Ramsey – Saxophone/Clarinet
Mark Wright – Trumpet
OUR SPONSORS
Chevron (Season Sponsor) has been the leading corporate
sponsor of Center REP and the Lesher Center for the
Arts for the past eight years. In fact, Chevron has been
a partner of the LCA since the beginning, providing
funding for capital improvements, event sponsorships
and more. Chevron generously supports every Center
REP show throughout the season, and is the primary
sponsor for events including the Chevron Family Theatre
Festival in July. Chevron has proven itself not just as a
generous supporter, but also a valued friend of the arts.
Diablo Regional Arts Association (DRAA) (Season
Partner) is both the primary fundraising organization
of the Lesher Center for the Arts (LCA) and the City of
Walnut Creek’s appointed curator for the LCA’s audience
outreach. DRAA’s role in the community is all about
building partnerships with the focused goal of enhancing
artistic quality at the LCA and providing opportunities for
everyone to enjoy the arts. Through partnerships with the
LCA and its producers, individual donors, corporate and
foundation sponsors and the City of Walnut Creek, DRAA
plays a vital role in advancing the arts for the betterment
of the community. Please visit us online at www.draa.org.
Contra Costa Times (Season Media Sponsor) In the East
Bay, the largest newspaper of the Bay Area News Group
is the Contra Costa Times and its sister editions, the West
County Times, Valley Times, San Ramon Valley Times
THANK YOU TO OUR
OPENING NIGHT DINNER SPONSORS:
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
The San Franciscan
CITY COUNCIL
Gwen Regalia, Mayor
Gary Skrel, Mayor Pro Tem
Charlie Abrams
Susan McNulty Rainey
Cindy Silva
CITY MANAGER
Gary Pokorny
DIRECTOR
Arts, Recreation and Community Services
Barry Gordon
ARTS COMMISSION
Michael Fotheringham, Chair
Fritz Brunner, Vice Chair
Lonna Coleman
Carol Fowler
Reginald Marshall
Suzanne Masella
Jacquelyn Smith
Center REPertory Company
Managing Director - Scott Denison
Artistic Director - Michael Butler
Audience Servuces
Audience Services Coordinator
Ty Sutton
Ticket Office Staff
Rebecca O’ Connor
Faye Antaky
Caroline Dennis
Caitlin Downing
Ryan Harris
Karla Kopfhammer
Sean Wihera
Production Services
Production Services Coordinator
Toni Kilcoyne
Technical Staff
Doug Alvey
Joe Coe
John Earls
Nicole Iannaccone
Sid Lucas
Iain McKay
Steve Pino
Garrick Schuster
Josh Stouffer
Education
Education Directors
Kerri Shawn
Jeffrey Draper
Administration
Asst. to the Managing Director
Gail Pfeifer
Program
Linda Nomura
Usher Coordinator
Jody Cook
Costumes
Costume Manager
Melissa Paterson
Assistant Costumers
Michael A. Berg
Amy Nielson
Marketing
Marketing Director
Gabe Marin
Marketing Associate
Brian Katz
Production
Production Manager
Jeff Collister
Technical
Technical Director
Jim Peliwo
Master Electrician
Tirzah Tyler
Carpenters
Henry Perkins
Lara Shimasaki
Assistant Stage Managers
Justin Cesarin
Jessica Darneille
Production Assistants
Leah Chole
Kevin DeLoach
Brianna Lempesis
Alex Logemann
Jessica Martens
Kel McCormac
Erin Repp
Julia Slater
Seth Wright
Mary Zdorova
ADDITIONAL THANKS TO:
Massimo’s Ristorante
Walnut Creek Baking Company
Waters Moving and Storage
Associated Services-Alta Water
Selix Formal Wear of Walnut Creek
Shannon and Mike Demers
Contra Costa Musical Theatre
DLOC