The Muhlenberg College Department of Theatre & Dance presents

March 24–28, 2010

The Department of Theatre & Dance

The Muhlenberg College Department of Theatre & Dance

The Muhlenberg College experience offers a direct learning partnership among faculty and students in the classroom, laboratory and performance studio.Muhlenbergoffersstudentsopportunitiestofosterthemostimportantgoalof the liberal arts education—education of the whole person.

An American Tragedy

In Theatre and Dance, faculty and staff have developed a multifaceted approachtoeducationthatcombinesexcitingcreativeexperiencewithrigorousprofessional standards.The production program reinforces the belief that as academic disciplines,theatreanddancemustbeintellectualandpractical. Serioustrainingand intenseinteractionbetweenfacultyandstudentsprovideacollaborativeratherthan competitive atmosphere in the department. Students are challenged as artists in the studio and classroom, working closely with distinguishedfacultyandnationallyrecognizedguestartiststoachieveaconceptual understandingandapracticalworkingknowledgeoftheartsandtheprofession.Stage experienceisconsideredoneofthemostimportantelementsinthetrainingprocessfor actorsanddancers,directorsandchoreographers,productionstagemanagers,designers andtechnicians.Studentsprovideconsiderabletalentandleadershipinthestagingof both mainstage and studio projects. PerformingArtsgraduatesofMuhlenbergCollegearepreparedforstudyatthegraduatelevel,pursuelivesasprofessionalartists,andcontributecreativeleadershipinmany othercareers.Theblendofacademicworkintheliberalartswithaprofessionallevelof trainingintheatreanddancehaspreparedthemtoworkasactors,directors,designers, stagemanagers,choreographers,dancersanddanceeducators,andproductionassistantsandartsadministratorsonBroadway,infilmandtelevision,andinmajorregional and educational theatres across the nation.

presents

Based on the Novel by Theodore Dreiser Music by Charles Strouse Lyrics by Lee Adams & Charles Strouse Original Book by David Shaber Revised Book & Lyrics by Mark St. Germain Orchestrations by Vincent Trovato Directed by Charles

Richter & Barbara Siman Musical Director Vincent Trovato Choreographer Barbara Siman Set Designer Tim Averill Lighting Designer John McKernon Costume Designer Liz Covey Wigs and Makeup Constance Case Sound Designer Andrew Zepp Production Stage Manager Rael Linder

MuhlenbergCollegeisrankedthenumberfourundergraduatetheatreprograminthe United States by The Princeton Review 2009. The 2009 edition of the Fiske Guide to CollegesranksMuhlenbergamongthetop20smallcollegeprogramsinthenationin both theatre and dance—one of only eight schools in the country to appear on both lists. Muhlenberg College is one of only 30 schools from across the nation selected to perform at the 2008 National American College Dance Festival in New York City.

This project is generously supported by the Dexter F. and Dorothy H. Baker Foundation

For more information, visit our website at www.muhlenberg.edu/depts/theatre.

March 24-28, 2010

Production Staff General Manager...................................................................................................................Jessica Bien Technical Director.............................................................................................................Damon Gelb Master Electrician................................................................................................... Paul E. Theisen, Jr. Costume Shop Manager............................................................................................Caroline LaRoche Assistant Technical Director ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Eric Covell Student Technical Director ...................................................................... Lou “Lumberjack” DiLeo Guest Carpenter ..................................................................................................... Gordon Sanfancon Production Stage Manager ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������Rael Linder Assistant Director and Dog Wrangler ���������������������������������������������������������������������� Felicia Rudolph Literary Manager.......................................................................................................Samantha Sembler Assistant Stage Managers............................................Judith Mandel, Molly Serpi, Hannah Zucker Light Board Programmer...................................................................................................Ryan Killeen Light Board Operator...............................................................................................Maggie Robertson Scenic Artist .........................................................................................................................Julie McCoy Projections............................................................................................................................Scott Snyder Staff Stitchers.................................................................Alexis Gurst, Judith Kohn, Marilyn Mazsa, Brenda McGuire, Samantha Southard Work Study Stitchers..........................................Elizabeth Earle, Kelsey Gamble, Nina Giacobbe, Sarah Ochocki, Angela Palaggi, Abbey Rabinovich, Rebecca Schlauch, Molly Serpi, Abby Tapper, Imani Nia Williams Stagecraft Stitchers...............................................Olivia Alvarez, Kiera Bianchini, Hannah Brown, Eleonore Condo, Kathryn Krull, Ariel Messica, Casey Moser, Nick Picknally, Maggie Rubin, Gina Schumann, Jacqueline Smith, Mary Jean Stack, Rebecca Stein, Emily Thomas, Shannon Leigh Wittenberger Carpenters..........................Ann Barkin, Stephen Bauder, Justine Brannon, Andrew Clark, Louis DiLeo, Nelle Ed, Adrian Graham-Chesnavage, Eric Hedden, Stephanie Katz, Rachel Kitch, Alayna Martin, Jeramie Mayes, Mary McGee, James McMaster, Nicole McVinua, Harry Merck, Kelsey O’Keeffe, Denise Ozer, James Patefield, Nathan Renner-Johnson, Patrick Scheid, Abby Tapper, Anna Treichler Student Electricians...........Douglas Bucci, Matthew Caraway, Kathleen Franklin, Ryan Killeen, Aubrey Kupstas, Riva Rubenoff, Christopher Szczerbeinski, Andrew Zepp Wardrobe Crew Head............................................................................................................... Liz Earle Wardrobe Crew...............................................................Margot Bennett, Erin Murphy, Lana Slater, Rebecca Stein, Abby Tapper Wig Crew.................................................................... Kiera Bianchini, Kathryn Krull, Rachel Lang, Nichole Sahagian, Monique St. Cyr Run Crew............................................................................... Sarah Edlin, Katie Lowery, Leah Trank Followspot Operators...........................................................................Lily Dwoskin, Amanda Jacobi Box Office Staff ....................... Olivia Alvarez, Amelia Coccaro, Kimberly Dodson, Nick Flatto, Jenna Hochman, Dana McGowan, Chris McNiff, Greg Paradis, Scott Parkinson, James Patefield, Erika Samsky, Anna Stressenger, Hannah Zucker House Manager....................................................................................................................... Steph Bell Program Manager................................................................................................................Heather Mill Poster Design.................................................................................................................... Kristin Sgarro

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The Cast

In Order of Appearance Mother................................................................................................................ Amber Gray Hester....................................................................................................................Taylor Ross Charley Griffin..............................................................................................Scott Parkinson Gilbert Griffin................................................................................... Erik Magnus Fiebiger Julia Griffin.............................................................................................. Brooke Benedetto Hilda..............................................................................................................Justine Brannon Samuel Griffin.....................................................................................................Jack Powers Elizabeth Griffin.........................................................................................Caitlin O’Meally Leslie Cranston..............................................................................................Rachel Clausen Digger............................................................................................................................Cherie Mary................................................................................................................Jessie MacBeth Lena............................................................................................................Angela DeAngelo Roberta Brown.................................................................................................Allison Lobel Band Leader....................................................................................................... Josh Shapiro Morton.................................................................................................................Ethan Sachs Emcee............................................................................................................ Ryan Doncsecz Sid Syzmanski...................................................................................................George Kelly Happy Jablonski.............................................................................................Peter Stonbely Bertha...................................................................................................................Sarah Evans Eagan............................................................................................................. Ryan Doncsecz Mead.................................................................................................................... Josh Shapiro Adie..................................................................................................................Kimmy Fanok Nina..............................................................................................................Emily Spadaford Mrs. Schuyler.......................................................................................................Sarah Evans Grant Temple....................................................................................................Daniel Farley Perley Hart...................................................................................................... Stefano Fuchs Kathryn.......................................................................................................LeeAnn Williams Mr. Cranston............................................................................................... John Wentworth Mrs. Cranston.........................................................................................................Casey Gill Cliff Ames.........................................................................................................George Kelly Sheriff ................................................................................................... Christopher McNiff District Attorney Mason............................................................................. Keenan Barrett Detective Newcomb................................................................................. Gabriel Martinez Attorney Alvin Belknap..................................................................................... Nick Flatto Attorney Carl Jephson.......................................................................................Ethan Sachs Judge.................................................................................................................Peter Stonbely Guard..................................................................................................................... Joe Spiotta Ensemble...........................Rachel Abbate*, Matthew Austin*, Keenan Barrett, Sarah Biren†, Justine Brannon, Ryan Doncsecz, Doug Dulaney, Sarah Evans, Kimberly Fanok, Dan Farley, Nick Flatto*, Stefano Fuchs, Casey Gill*, George Kelly, Christopher McNiff*, Taylor Ross, Ethan Sachs, Lauren Schorr*, Josh Shapiro, Emily Spadaford, Joe Spiotta, Peter Stonbely, Sean Vanin*, John Wentworth, LeeAnn Williams * Denotes Dance Ensemble Member

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†

Denotes Dance Captain

Synopsis of Scenes and Songs Act I

~ Intermission: 15 Minutes ~

1926 — Late Spring

Act II

Scene 1: The Mission — Denver Sweet is the Life Filled with Love........................ Mother, Charley, Congregation Scene 2: On the Rails and Lycurgus Station A Train in the Night....................................................................................Charley Scene 3: The Home of Samuel Griffin in Lycurgus The Griffin Name......................Mother, Samuel, Julia, Gilbert, Leslie, Charley Scene 4: The Factory Good Morning Song.......................................................Samuel, Gilbert, Workers The Millionaire Blues............................................................... Robert, Mary, Lena Scene 5: The Lake Club If I Made a Million..............................................................................Band Singer Who’s To Say................................................................................................Charley I’ll Always Stay................................................................................................Leslie Scene 6: The Park I’m Not in Philadelphia............ Happy Jablonski “The Polka King,” Ensemble Scene 7: Crum Lake

1926 — Late Summer Scene 1: Outside the home of Samuel Griffin They Look to Us................................................Samuel, Gilbert, Elizabeth, Julia Scene 2: The Park Scene 3: Pine Point Scene 4: The Lake at Pine Point Pretty Rich Girl................................................................................................Leslie Scene 5: The Factory Women’s Washroom What Do You Do.................................................................. Roberta, Mary, Lena Scene 6: Charley’s Office / Pine Point The Letter........................................................................................................Leslie Scene 8: Pine Point

Scene 8: The Park Cozy Little Cottage......................................................................................... Bertha

Scene 9: Crum Lake Lost in the Dark...........................................................................Charley, Roberta Don’t Leave Me Now...................................................................................Roberta

Scene 9: A Street in Lycurgus

Scene 10: The Shore and the Woods

Scene 10: Roberta’s Street What’s Right.................................................................................Charley, Roberta

Scene 11: Pine Point Will You Remember Me................................................................................Charley

Scene 11: The Factory Scene 12: Samuel’s Office The Man in the Griffin Shirt...............................................................Eagan, Mead Scene 13: Adie’s Hat Shop Hats...................................................................Leslie, Julia, Nina, Charley, Adie Scene 14: The Park Scene 15: Charley’s Rooming House The Invitation.................................................Leslie and the Upper Crust Ladies

Scene 12: The D.A.’s Office / The Factory / Alvin Belknap’s Law Office / Police Interrogation Room / Samuel Griffin’s Office / The Mission Scene 13: The Courtroom The Trial.............................................................. Orville Mason, Alvin Belknap, Grant Temple, Lena, Mary, Ames Scene 14: Prison Finale.............................................................................Charley, Mother, Samuel, Gilbert, Leslie, Roberta, Band Singer

Scene 16: The Home of Lesley Cranston and Roberta’s Rooming House Counting All the Days......................................................Leslie, Charley, Roberta

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A Note from Charles Richter The real story behind An American Tragedy began July 11th, 1906, when the body of Grace Brown, a worker at the Gillette Skirt factory, washed up on the shores of Big Moose Lake in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. Chester Gillette, the nephew of the factory owner and secret lover of Grace Brown, was arrested for the murder. Gillette’s trial was one of the first sensationalized American crime trials; reporters from all over the globe covered the event, and the newspaper clippings collected by Theodore Dreiser became the basis of his novel, An American Tragedy, considered one of the great works of American fiction. The novel was adapted for the stage not long after its publication in 1925, and the first film adaptation appeared in 1931. A later film adaptation, A Place in the Sun (1951) with Montgomery Clift, Shelly Winters, and Elizabeth Taylor, was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won six, including Best Screenplay and the Best Director award for George Stevens. Composer Charles Strouse had the initial idea for a musical play based on the novel in the mid-1990s. With David Shaber (book) and Lee Adams (lyrics), he produced the first version of the piece. Ellen Baker Ghelardi, with whom I had worked on the management team of the Pennsylvania Stage Company, suggested that I attend a backer’s audition for the musical in New York. At the reading I was struck by Strouse’s haunting score for the dark morality tale. I felt the story of young people caught in a web of desire and betrayal was perfect material for production in a college theatre. The memory of the piece never left me. Years later, I asked Ellen if there had ever been a production of the play. She approached the Strouse office and we discovered that An American Tragedy, the musical, had never been mounted. After viewing our fall 2008 production of Oklahoma!, Charles Strouse and Barbara Siman graciously agreed to allow us to present the premiere. In the spring of 2009 a group of Muhlenberg College senior theatre majors did a reading of the play in New York with musical director Vincent Trovato. After the reading we decided that the original book for the musical needed revision, and Mark St. Germain joined the project as librettist. Barbara Siman signed on as co-director and choreographer. We did a staged reading of the revised libretto in the fall of 2009 for the entire Department of Theatre and Dance, and then we began work on the full production this January. This production is an important point in the development of a major American musical. I am sure An American Tragedy will go through many changes as it goes on to future productions, but the work on the play to this point has been an exhilarating creative experience for all of us. I want to express my deepest appreciation to all who have been involved in the performance you are seeing tonight. Sincere thanks go to the Dexter F. and Dorothy H. Baker Foundation, whose support was crucial in making this

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fully mounted production possible. The two casts of the staged readings and the present cast, crew, and stage management team have brought great talent and serious commitment to the work. Tim Averill (sets), John McKernon (lights), and Liz Covey (costumes) — the terrific professional design team whose work is on display before you — gave us valuable input throughout the process. Mark St. Germain, a very fine playwright, made collaboration a pleasure. Vincent Trovato has had perhaps the most daunting task; his magnificent orchestrations and work as musical director have been critical in the creation of the production. Aside from being one of the finest composers ever to write for the American theatre, Charles Strouse is an inspirational figure, whose warmth and generosity of spirit have nourished numerous artists working on the musical stage. Finally, I will be forever grateful to Barbara Siman, choreographer and co-director of An American Tragedy. She has taught all of us about what it means to create quality work in the musical theatre. Thanks for joining us on this exciting journey. Charles Richter

Special Thanks Members of the American Tragedy orchestra for their wonderful work on this production. Paul Fredrick MenStyle, Fleetwood, Pa. Mary Kickel Carolyn Rossi Copeland Marilyn Roberts Shawn Proctor The MacBeth Family Robert Garvan Snyder & Melinda Essig

The Orchestra Conductor....................................................................................................Vincent Trovato Reed 1 (Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet, Alto Sax) ����������������������������������������������������� Kim Seifert Reed 2 (Clarinet, Flute, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax) ����������������������������������������� Mark Rabenold Reed 3 (Oboe, English Horn, Clarinet, Tenor Sax) �������������������������������������� Greg Hulse Trumpet........................................................................................................ Donald Hughes Trumpet...............................................................................................................Greg Seifert Trombone.............................................................................................................Jim Daniels French Horn..................................................................................................... Derek Foster Violin............................................................................................................ Inna Eyzerovich Cello.........................................................................................................Andrew Jurkiewicz Piano/Keyboard......................................................................................... Nancianne Metz Drums/Percussion........................................................................................Robert Stevens Upright Bass...................................................................................................... John Gafney Orchestra Contracting by Theatre Musicians Organizations, LLC

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Author & Composer Profiles Charles Strouse (Music and Lyrics) — The music of Charles Strouse has touched the life of almost every American in the last half century. Strouse has written the score to more than 30 stage musicals, 14 for Broadway, four Hollywood films, two orchestral works and an opera. He has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Theatre Hall of Fame. He is a three-time Tony Award winner and a two-time Emmy Award winner, and his cast recordings have earned him two Grammy Awards. His recently published memoir celebrating his career is titled Put on a Happy Face. Strouse’s first Broadway musical, Bye Bye Birdie, was written with long-time collaborator Lee Adams. Both Bye Bye Birdie (1960) and Applause (1970) won Strouse the Tony Award and the London Critics’ Best Foreign Musical Award. Strouse teamed with lyricist Martin Charnin and librettist Thomas Meehan on Annie, which opened on Broadway in 1977, and the composer won his third Tony Award. Strouse earned Tony nominations for his scores for the Broadway musicals Golden Boy (1966), an adaptation of the Clifford Odets’ classic starring Sammy Davis, Jr.; Charlie & Algernon (1980), a musical based on the Daniel Keyes’ novel Flowers for Algernon; Rags (1986), a collaboration with Stephen Schwartz and Joseph Stein, starring opera star Teresa Stratas; and a musical based on Dashiell Hammett’s Thin Man characters, Nick and Nora (1991), written with Richard Maltby, Jr. and Arthur Laurents. Strouse’s other musicals presented on Broadway and/or London’s West End are All American (1962), a musical starring Ray Bolger, featuring a book by Mel Brooks, direction by Joshua Logan and the popular ballad “Once Upon a Time”; It’s a Bird …It’s a Plane …It’s Superman (1966), a stage adaptation of the comic strip, produced and directed by Hal Prince; the West End musical about Queen Victoria called I And Albert (1972), directed by John Schlesinger; A Broadway Musical (1978); Bring Back Birdie (1981), the sequel to Bye Bye Birdie; and Dance A Little Closer (1983), written with Alan Jay Lerner. He wrote both the music and lyrics for off-Broadway’s Mayor (1985), an adaptation of Ed Koch’s book, and teamed again with Martin Charnin to create Annie Warbucks (1993), the stage sequel to Annie. Strouse’s film scores include Bonnie & Clyde (1967), for which he received a Grammy nomination for Best Original Film Score, There Was a Crooked Man (1970, with Henry Fonda and Kirk Douglas), The Night They Raided Minsky’s (1968), Sidney Lumet’s Just Tell Me What You Want, and the animated feature All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989). His two biggest stage hits have also been adapted for the screen. Bye Bye Birdie (1963) starred Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh, Ann Margaret, Maureen Stapleton, and Bobby Rydell and was recently included in Entertainment Weekly’s Top-40 best high school movies. Annie, directed by John Houston and starring Carol Burnett, Albert Finney, Ann Reinking, Tim Curry, Bernadette Peters, and Aileen Quinn, was one of the top-grossing films of 1982. Strouse has recently worked with Lee Adams on their musical version of Paddy Chayefsky’s Marty; and he is also working with lyricist Susan Birkenhead on Minsky’s, based on a movie he scored in 1968, The Night They Raided Minsky’s.

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Lee Adams (Lyrics) began his professional life as a journalist with degrees from Ohio State and the Columbia School of Journalism. He is a long-time collaborator with Charles Strouse, beginning with the lyrics for the award-winning Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway. They also collaborated on All American, Golden Boy, and Applause. In addition to his notable Broadway and London West End credits, Adams is also active in films and television. Lee Adams was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989. More recently, Adams and Strouse created the lyrics for an earlier version of An American Tragedy, and they are currently working on their musical version of Paddy Chayefsky’s Marty. Mark St. Germain (Revised Book and Lyrics) has written the plays Camping with Henry and Tom (Outer Critics Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award), Out of Gas on Lover’s Leap and Forgiving Typhoid Mary (Time magazine’s “Year’s Ten Best”), Ears on a Beatle and The God Committee, all published by Samuel French and Dramatists Play Service. His play Freud’s Last Session premiered last summer to at the Barrington Stage Company in the Berkshires and will open in NYC in July 2010. With Randy Courts, Mark has written the musicals The Gifts of the Magi, Johnny Pye, and the Foolkiller, winner of an AT&T New Plays for the Nineties Award, both produced at the Lamb’s Theater, NYC. Jack’s Holiday was produced at Playwrights Horizons. Mark’s musical Stand By Your Man: The Tammy Wynette Story was created for Nashville’s Ryman Theater and has toured nationally. Mark co-wrote the screenplay for Carroll Ballard’s Warner Brothers film Duma. He directed and co-produced the upcoming documentary My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story, which will be relased by New Video in May, 2010. My Dog features Richard Gere, Lynn Redgrave, Isaac Mizrahi, and Edward Albee among many others. It was selected for inclusion in the Heartland Film Festival and the Sedona International Film Festival. Television credits include writer and creative consultant for The Cosby Show and Dick Wolf ’s Crime and Punishment. Mark has recently written the children’s book Three Cups. He is an alumnus of New Dramatists, where he received the Joe A. Callaway Award, a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Writers Guild East, and a board member of the Barrington Stage Company. He was awarded the New Voices in the American Theatre Award at the William Inge Theatre Festival. David Shaber (1929–1999) (Original Book) was a producer and writer for the screen and stage. He wrote 40 commissioned screenplays, eight of which were made into fulllength feature films, including Nighthawks, Rollover and Those Lips, Those Eyes. Shaber was a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and producer of the 1962 Broadway run of A Gift of Time and the off-Broadway production of Noel Coward’s Conservation Piece. He taught advanced screenwriting at Columbia University, and at the time of his death was working on the original book for this stage musical based on Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy.

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Faculty and Guest Artist Profiles Tim Averill (Set Designer) is associate professor of scenography in the Muhlenberg College Department of Theatre and Dance. He has been scenographer for Muhlenberg theatre productions of Orpheus Descending, Life’s a Dream, Tartuffe, Juliet and her Romeo, Pentecost, Cloud Nine, The Mikado, and Dido and Aeneas, among others. He has been awarded the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival Medallion for his service to the mid-Atlantic region states. His professional experience includes work for Glimmerglass Opera, Yale Repertory Theatre, Powerhouse Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Syracuse Opera, Arena Theatre of Buffalo, Theatre of the First Amendment, and MacHaydn Theatre. His designs for the Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre include Anything Goes, The Pirates of Penzance, Gypsy, 42nd Street, Kiss Me, Kate, Evita, and Godspell, among others. Liz Covey (Costume Designer) previously designed costumes for A Flea in Her Ear, Venus, Life’s a Dream, Anything’s Dream, Scenes from an Execution and Summerfolk for Muhlenberg. Recent work includes The Diary of Anne Frank for the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; Misalliance for the Pearl Theatre, NYC; Wittenberg for the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia; The Millionairess and Night Must Fall for the Olney Theatre in Maryland; Betrayal for Capital Rep in Albany, N.Y., and Frost/Nixon for the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Geva Theatre in Rochester, N.Y. Other designs include The History Boys, Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, Heartbreak House, Witness for the Prosecution, Pirandello’s Henry IV, Humble Boy, Frozen, The Crucible, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Gamester, A Flea in Her Ear, Major Barbara, The Heiress, An Ideal Husband, Gross Indecency, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Constant Couple, and Cyrano de Bergerac. Her work has been seen at most of the major regional theatres in this country including Princeton’s McCarter Theatre, ACT in San Francisco, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Hartford Stage Company, The Denver Center, and Pittsburgh Public Theatre. A native of England, Liz lives in Manhattan and is coauthor of two books on theatrical costume. She has been a member of the faculties of Barnard College/Columbia University, Marymount Manhattan College, and Bennington College, Vermont. John McKernon (Lighting Designer) has designed the lighting for a variety of Muhlenberg shows, including Orpheus Descending, Life’s a Dream, and MSMT’s The Who’s Tommy, The Sound of Music, and Forever Plaid. His other credits include the Broadway production of One Mo’ Time and the acclaimed Signature Theatre production of The Trip to Bountiful. He also has designed lighting for many different dance companies and regional theatres. For more than 20 years he has worked with Ken Billington on Broadway shows and architectural projects, and he is the author of Lightwright, the software used by lighting designers and electricians around the world.

directed, among others, Life’s a Dream, Cabaret, The Pirates of Penzance, Wonderful Town, The Mikado, West Side Story, A Chorus Line, Hamlet, and Oklahoma! He is a founding artistic director of the Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre, former artistic director of the Pennsylvania Stage Company, and a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. Charles directed the world premiere of On the Sporadic by Muhlenberg alum Jim Ryan at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York City in May 2006. His productions for the summer stage also include the world premiere production of Once Upon a Time in New Jersey, as well as The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Candide, Annie Get Your Gun, Crazy for You, 42nd Street, and Man of La Mancha, among others. Barbara Siman (Director, Choreographer) — Barbara Siman’s career as a director/ choreographer includes Broadway, off-Broadway, and National and International Tours. As a student of Balanchine and Ailey, her work has spanned from the contemporary to the classical. Her New York City credits include: Mayor, Little Me, and A Lot of Living! (a 40-song tribute to the music of Charles Strouse, starring Linda Lavin), as well as Invitation to the Dance, conducted by Skitch Henderson and performed by the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. She conceived and directed several benefit performances of Seeds of Peace at Carnegie Hall, starring Broadway Tony Award winners. Ms. Siman has been honored to work on regional productions, touring productions, and revues with such marquee-makers as Mary Rodgers, James Hammerstein, Christine Baranski, and Marvin Hamlisch. International productions include the English premiere of Nightingale, starring Sara Brightman, the Tokyo premiere of Lyle, productions of Annie and Annie Get Your Gun in Korea, and London’s hugely successful A Lot of Living! with Bonnie Langford and Dave Willetts. Some of her many National Tours include: 42nd Street, The Rothschilds, My Fair Lady, The Music Man, Peter Pan, and On the Twentieth Century, starring Judy Kaye. Regionally, she has directed and choreographed Rags at The Paper Mill Playhouse, Coconut Grove Playhouse and The Walnut Street Theatre. She also directed and choreographed Real Men and No Way to Treat a Lady at the Coconut Grove Playhouse. Ms. Siman has written, directed, and choreographed a new work, Stolen, which had its international debut at the Landor Theatre in London, and will soon be produced regionally and then in New York City. Ms. Siman is an active member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. Vincent Trovato (Orchestrations, Musical Director) has conducted the MSMT orchestra for productions of The Who’s Tommy, Fiddler on the Roof, Carousel, and George M!, and was on-stage conductor and pianist for Godspell, most recently. He has worked as conductor, arranger, pianist, and musical director for many MSMT productions, including A Chorus Line, Once Upon a Time in New Jersey, Candide, Anything Goes, and Crazy for You. He has worked regionally on Jesus Christ Superstar, Oliver!, The World Goes ’Round, Once on This Island, Forbidden Broadway, and the New York City revival of Rags.

Charles Richter (Director) is the director of theatre at Muhlenberg College, where he has taught and directed for more than 30 years. His productions of The Good Woman of Setzuan, The School for Scandal, and Spring Awakening were selected for presentation at American College Theatre Festival regional festivals; he has also

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Company Profiles Rachel Abbate (Dance Ensemble) has performed in the MTA mainstage production of Oklahoma!, the studio production of Godspell, and The Sound of Music with SMT. Rachel also performed in Dance Emerge in the fall of 2009. On campus, Rachel is a student advisor, a Cardinal Key, and a member of the MDA and of the Dynamics a cappella group. Matthew Austin (Dance Ensemble) has performed in Muhlenberg College’s Oklahoma! and The Sound of Music, and was assistant stage manager for Assassins. Other credits include My Fair Lady, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Beauty and the Beast. He is a member of Chamber Singers and Chaimonics. Keenan Barrett (District Attorney Mason, Ensemble) — At Muhlenberg, Keenan has performed in Oklahoma! Past credits include Into the Woods, High Sign, The Wizard of Oz, Carousel, and Sweeney Todd. On campus, he sings with the Dynamics. Brooke Benedetto (Julia Griffin) makes her MTA mainstage debut after premiering the role of Julia in the workshop of An American Tragedy. Brooke performed in last year’s studio production of Assassins. Other favorite credits include Les Misérables, Once on This Island, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. On campus, Brooke is the president of NoteWorthy and the fundraising coordinator of the MTA. Sarah Biren (Dance Captain/Lead Dancer) is proud to make her Muhlenberg Theatre debut. Previously this year she was in Master Choreographers and Moving Stories. Professional credits include various ballets with Pennsylvania Ballet and Orlando Ballet, originating the role of Young Caroline in the off-Broadway play At Risk, and she was a guest artist at the Youth American Grand Prix Gala at Lincoln Center. Sarah has studied with Gelsey Kirkland, Fernando Bujones, and Julie Kent. She is a double major in dance and sociology with a concentration in neuroscience. Justine Brannon (Hilda, Ensemble) makes her MTA debut after serving as assistant stage manager for Al Takes a Bride and Love’s Labor’s Lost and as dramaturg for Twelfth Night. Other credits include Honk and Crazy for You at the Academy of the New Church, as well as The King and I and The Sound of Music at Bryn Athyn Community Theater. Justine is a member of the Chaimonics. Rachel Clausen (Leslie Cranston) was last seen in Out of the Ash in New Voices 2009. She originated the role of Leslie in the staged reading of An American Tragedy, and will be performing in the Cabaret later this semester. Rachel was a 2009 Presidential Scholar in the Arts for musical theatre, as well as a finalist for YoungArts Week 2009 for the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts. Rachel is a member of the Dynamics and studies with Jeremy Slavin. Angela DeAngelo (Lena) was last seen in MTA’s The Increased Difficulty of Concentration and Twelfth Night. Previously she acted as Annie in a National Tour of Annie and performed in a National Tour of The Music Man. She acted in Les Misérables and is a member of The Broadway Kids. She won most memorable leading actress and most

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Company Profiles cont’d memorable female vocal at the YNOT awards. On campus, she is a member of College Choir and Chamber Singers, and she works in the Student Life Office. Ryan Doncsecz (Eagan, Emcee, Ensemble) has performed in the MTA’s Oklahoma!, Zanna Don’t!, and Ruddigore. He has also been in Genesius with the Civic Theatre of Allentown, and he is a member of College Choir, Chamber Singers, AcaFellas, and Phi Kappa Tau. Doug Dulaney (Ensemble) has previously performed in the MSMT production of The Sound of Music. He has also performed in MTA’s studio productions of The Audience Enters and Assassins. Community credits include Little Shop of Horrors, Peter Pan, Oliver!, and Urinetown. Doug also performs on campus with the Chaimonics. Sarah Evans (Bertha, Ensemble) has performed in Muhlenberg College’s Oklahoma! and Ruddigore. She is a member of Muhlenberg College Choir, Chamber Singers, Opera Group, and NoteWorthy. Kimmy Fanok (Adie) has previously performed in Bat Boy at Muhlenberg College. She recently performed in MSMT’s The Sound of Music. Other experience includes Seussical, A Tale of Two Cities, The Laramie Project, Anyone Can Whistle, Anything Goes, and High School Musical. Daniel Farley (Grant Temple) is a sophomore at Muhlenberg and is proud to be performing in his fifth MTA show. Other Muhlenberg productions include the An American Tragedy workshop, A Flea in Her Ear, Assassins, and Oklahoma! In 2007 Daniel performed in the Papermill Playhouse’s Summer Conservatory, and in the past he has been involved with voiceover work with Scholastic and Oxford Press. He is a member of the Muhlenberg Dynamics and studies voice with Ed Bara.

Casey Gill (Mrs. Cranston, Dance Ensemble) has performed in Muhlenberg’s productions of Hatching, A Flea in Her Ear, Oklahoma! and MSMT’s The Who’s Tommy. She is a theatre and dance major, as well as a residential assistant and tour guide on campus. She has choreographed and performed in several student dance concerts, studied abroad in London, and modeled for Capezio, and she is a competitive figure skater. Amber Gray (Mother) makes her MTA mainstage debut after performing in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Goldilocks and Jane. She was recently seen in TACTICC’s summer production of Seussical. Amber is a resident advisor on campus and a Dana Scholar. George Kelly (Sid Syzmanski, Cliff Ames, Ensemble) has performed in the MTA’s Ruddigore, Oklahoma! and Rehearsal for Murder. He is the president of the Muhlenberg Gaming Society and a member of Chaimonics a cappella group. Rael Linder (Production Stage Manager) last stage managed The Possibilities and Miss Julie and assistant stage managed MTA’s New Voices 2007 and Zanna Don’t! She acted in The Crucible at Great Neck South High School and appeared in many theatre productions at French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts. On campus Rael plays the viola for the chamber group Forteffect. Allison Lobel (Roberta Brown) has performed in Muhlenberg College’s Ruddigore, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kiss Me, Kate and Fiddler on the Roof. Other credits include Sweet Charity, Anything Goes, Something’s Afoot, and Zombie Prom.

Erik Magnus Fiebiger (Gilbert Griffin) has previously performed in Master Choreographers (2007, 2008, 2010), and Moving Stories (2006, 2007, 2008). Erik studied dance at the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy. He is a brother of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, a member of the Muhlenberg Dynamics a cappella group, and a member of the Muhlenberg Theatre Association. Nick Flatto (Attorney Alvin Belknap, Featured Dancer) was last seen in Bat Boy, in which he played Rick Taylor and Lorraine. He has also performed in MSMT’s Carousel; Fiddler on the Roof; and Kiss Me, Kate. MTA credits include Urinetown, Corps, and Ruddigore. Other credits include Hatching, Spoon River Anthology, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, George M!, and Hello, Dolly! at the Gretna Theatre, Pennsylvania Youth Theatre, Pennsylvania Playhouse, and Civic Theatre of Allentown. He is also a member of the MDA, College Choir, Chamber Singers, and NoteWorthy. He is a box office manager and a Baker Scholar for Theatre. Stefano Fuchs (Ensemble) was a part of last semester’s workshop of An American Tragedy. He is thrilled to join the Muhlenberg theatre community after attending the Walnut Hill School, a private performing arts high school in Massachusetts. This is his first mainstage performance.

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Company Profiles cont’d Jessie MacBeth (Mary) was a part of the staged reading of Legendary by Association and the workshop production of An American Tragedy. She is also a member of InAcchord a cappella group. Judith Mandel (Assistant Stage Manager) is excited to be working on this production after serving as an ASM for Uncommon Women and Others in New Visions last semester. Judith is a graduate of Long Island High School for the Performing Arts as a drama major. Gabriel Martinez (Detective Newcomb) performed in MTA productions of Bat Boy, A Flea in Her Ear, Ruddigore, and Oklahoma!, for which he received an Irene Ryan Award nomination. SMT credits include Forever Plaid, The Who’s Tommy, and A Year with Frog and Toad. Other favorite credits include The Wiz, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Guys and Dolls, and Jesus Christ Superstar. Gabe performs with Hambone Kelly’s Great Nostalgia Band and the Bob Martinez Swingin’ Blues Band. Christopher McNiff (Sheriff, Todd Taylor, Dance Ensemble) was recently seen in Out of the Ash in New Voices 2009. He will also be appearing in the Broadway Time Capsule Showcase this spring. He has participated in the Informal Dance Concert for two semesters, he is a member of InAcchord a cappella and College Choir, and he works in the box office.

duction of Zanna, Don’t! and the studio production of Working: the Musical. Felicia studied abroad at Goldsmiths in London in Fall 2008. She also has two summers of experience interning with Telsey + Company Casting in New York. Ethan Sachs (Morton, Attorney Carl Jephson) makes his MTA mainstage debut. Last semester, Ethan performed in Legendary by Association (New Voices staged readings), Persistence, and the workshop of An American Tragedy. Lauren Schorr (Dance Ensemble) makes her mainstage debut. Lauren is from Tucson, Ariz., where she performed in The Wedding Singer, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Hair, Pippin, and A New Brain. On campus, Lauren is a member of NoteWorthy. Samantha Sembler (Literary Manager) has performed in Persistence, War in Heaven, and the Genderswap Cabaret. Samantha also served as the assistant dramaturg for New Voices 2009, the assistant stage manager for Assassins, and the stage manager for Mud. Samantha has attended the National Critics Institute at KCACTF, interned with the artistic director of HERE in SoHo, and helped with shows at Dixon Place and Joe’s Pub. Samantha writes for The Muhlenberg Advocate and is a tutor and an RJ Fellow. Molly Serpi (Assistant Stage Manager) was the assistant stage manager for The Increased Difficulty of Concentration in New Visions last semester. Molly is from Waynesboro, Pa., and has experience working with various high school and community theatre productions.

Caitlin O’Meally (Elizabeth) has performed in Uncommon Women and Others in New Visions 2009, The Possibilities, and Miss Julie. She also performed in The Sound of Music in last year’s Summer Music Theatre season. On campus, Caitlin is a house manager for the Theatre and Dance Department, and performs with Choir and Chamber Choir, as well as Opera Group. Caitlin enjoys sailing in her spare time. Scott Parkinson (Charley Griffin) has been seen in Muhlenberg College’s Ouch, That Hurts!, A Flea in Her Ear, Twelfth Night, Ruddigore, Trojan Women, The Sound of Music, Kiss Me, Kate, Fiddler on the Roof and The Emperor’s New Clothes. He is a member of The Henry Project and Muhlenberg Dynamics, and is a box office manager. Jack Powers (Samuel Griffin) has previously been seen in MTA mainstage productions of Ruddigore and Life’s a Dream, as well as the staged reading of Book: A Play. Jack wrote Ouch, That Hurts! which appeared in the New Voices festival last semester. Other credits include The Bacchae in the DC Fringe Festival and Romeo and Juliet at VpStart Crow Theatre. Taylor Ross (Hester/Ensemble) is proud to make her MTA mainstage debut after performing in the workshop of this production last semester. Taylor was an assistant stage manager for Caw, and did hair and make-up for Oklahoma! Favorite credits include Les Misérables, West Side Story, Bat Boy, and Madame Butterfly. Taylor is a tour guide on campus and is a member of the Cardinal Key Society, as well as College Choir and Chamber Singers. Felicia Rudolph (Assistant Director) also assistant-directed the MTA mainstage pro-

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Company Profiles cont’d Josh Shapiro (Band Leader) makes his MTA debut after participating in the workshop of An American Tragedy last semester. Josh has spent four years in Hazamir International Chamber Choir and six years in Playmates Youth Theater. Emily Spadaford (Nina, Ensemble) was last seen in Bat Boy. Other Muhlenberg credits include Caw, The Sound of Music and Like, Whatever. She has also been in Beauty and the Beast, Grease and Les Misérables. She is a proud member of UIP and Live in Color, and she studies voice with Christa Warda. Joe Spiotta (Ensemble) performed in Bat Boy at Muhlenberg College. Other credits include Beauty and the Beast, Godspell, Les Misérables, High School Musical, and Seussical at Paper Mill Musical Theater Conservatory. Joe is a campus tour guide. Peter Stonbely (Happy Jablonski, Judge) has performed in the Muhlenberg Theatre Association’s productions of Cabaret, The Twilight Zone, and The Library. Sean Vanin (Dance Ensemble) has previously performed in Master Choreographers. He performed in Moving Stories (2009) and the Informal Dance Concert (2009). Other performance experience includes The Nutcracker and Cinderella. John Wentworth (Mr. Cranston, Ensemble) has been seen in Muhlenberg College’s Increased Difficulty of Concentration, Assassins, Alexander…, Mud and Trojan Women. He is a part of The Henry Project and a member of Delta Tau Delta and InAcchord a cappella group. LeeAnn Williams (Kathryn, Ensemble) makes her Muhlenberg Theatre Association debut. Past roles include Martha Cox with the Triarts Company in Sharon, Conn., Beauty and the Beast, Much Ado about Nothing, Jekyll and Hyde, and A Christmas Carol at Dover High School. Hannah Zucker (Assistant Stage Manager) returns backstage after stage managing MTA’s studio productions of New Voices, The House of Yes, and Assassins, and MDA’s Dance Emerge 2009. While studying at Friends Academy, she stage managed Les Misérables, Into The Woods, and The Who’s Tommy. She is a member of MTA and GSA, and she works as a box office associate.

Architectural Antiques Salvaged building materials and restoration supplies bought and sold. 3080 Bedminster Road (Route 113), Perkasie, PA

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Muhlenberg College Department of Theatre & Dance THEATRE FACULTY Timothy Averill – Associate Professor: Scenic & Lighting Design Constance Case – Lecturer: Costume Design, Stage Makeup, Stagecraft Holly Cate – Assistant Professor: Acting Michael Chin – Lecturer: Acting, Stage Combat Karen Connell – Instructor: Speech Curtis Dretsch – Professor: Scenic, Costume, and Lighting Design, Director of Design/Technical Theatre Troy Dwyer – Assistant Professor: Acting, Voice and Speech, Theory Bill Mutimer – Instructor: Acting for Non-Majors Leslie Pasternack – Visiting Assistant Professor: Acting, Theatre History James Peck – Associate Professor: Directing, Theatre History, Performance Studies; Department Chair Charles Richter – Professor: Directing, Theatre History; Director of Theatre Francine Roussel – Associate Professor: Acting Beth Schachter – Associate Professor: Acting, Directing, History & Theory

DANCE FACULTY Charles O. Anderson – Associate Professor: African Dance & Culture, Modern, and Composition Kathleen Bibalo – Instructor: Jazz Pattie Bostick – Instructor: Jazz, Ballet Sarah Carlson – Assistant Professor: Modern, Dance & Society, Teaching Methods Corrie Franz Cowart – Lecturer: Modern, Composition, Dance On Camera Susan Creitz – Instructor: Improvisation, Movement for Actors and Dancers Karen Dearborn – Professor: Ballet, Composition, Dance History; Director of Dance Gayanne Grossman – Instructor: Anatomy and Kinesiology for Dancers Ellen Troy Mulcahy – Instructor: Jazz, Ballet Shelley Oliver – Instructor: Tap; Director of Muhlenberg Tap Ensemble Tara Repsher – Instructor: Jazz; Director of MCDC Lynn Wiener – Instructor: Dance Jeff Arnal, Paul Fejko, and Jon Verbalis – Dance Musicians

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Jessica Bien – General Manager Eric Covell – Assistant Technical Director Damon Gelb – Technical Director Tracy C. Kline – Secretary Caroline LaRoche – Costume Shop Manager Kristin M. Sgarro – Presidential Assistant: Marketing & Development Associate Scott Snyder – Marketing & Development Manager Paul E. Theisen, Jr. – Theatre Technician Theatre & Dance Department Offices : 484-664-3335

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Muhlenberg Theatre Association

- Executive Board President ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ Stephen Balliet Vice President ��������������������������������������������������������������������������Mike Bloom Executive Secretary ����������������������������������������������������������� Jeffrey Brancato Business Manager ������������������������������������������������Nathan Renner-Johnson Historian �������������������������������������������������������������������������Julia Korzeniewski

The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival XLIII sponsored in part by Stephen and Christine Schwarzman The Kennedy Center Corporate Fund U.S. Department of Education The National Committee for the Performing Arts Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation This production is entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). The aims of this national theater education program are to identify and promote quality in college-level theater production. To this end, each production entered is eligible for a response by a regional KCACTF representative, and selected students and faculty are invited to participate in KCACTF programs involving scholarships, internships, grants and awards for actors, directors, dramaturges, playwrights, designers, stage managers and critics at both the regional and national levels. Productions entered on the Participating level are eligible for inclusion at the KCACTF regional festival and can also be considered for invitation to the KCACTF national festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC in the spring of 2011. Last year more than 1,300 productions were entered in the KCACTF involving more than 200,000 students nationwide. By entering this production, our theater department is sharing in the KCACTF goals to recognize, reward, and celebrate the exemplary work produced in college and university theaters across the nation.

- Associate Board Community Service �������������������������������������������������������Allison Brzezinski Concessions Patrick McTamany. Patrick M Fundraising ��������������������������������������������������������������������Brooke Benedetto Master Carpenter ����������������������������������������������������������������������� Peter Smith Master Electrician ���������������������������������������������������������������������Doug Bucci MDA Liason ������������������������������������������������������������������������� Rachel Abbate Publicity ������������������������������������������������������������������������������James McMaster Social Coordinator �������������������������������������������������������Christopher Alvaro Special Productions ���������������������������������������������������������� Roxy Schoenfeld Studio Productions �������������������������������������������������������������Taylor Johnson

Muhlenberg Dance Association

- Executive Board President.................................................................................Maggie Griffin Vice-President .......................................................................... Laura Baehr Secretary .............................................................................Nicole Aboyoun Treasurer............................................................................. Danielle Laurion Public Relations..............................................Kaitie Burger, Sarah Scuteri Community Service......................... Rebecca Glassman, Renee Hopkins MTA/MDA Liaison...........................................................Sari Weinerman Class Representative ’12........................................................ AlexJo Natale Class Representative ’13...............................................Meredith Stapleton Muhlenberg Theatre Association & Muhlenberg Dance Association are supported by funds provided by Student Government and the Department of Theatre and Dance.

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