CAST
Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of management. Patrons with disabilities: wheelchair seating is available in a variety of theatre locations. When ordering tickets, please indicate any special needs. For our hearing-impaired guests, the theatre is equipped with listening devices; please contact an usher for assistance.
CAST (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
Carolanne ............................................................................................................
Etheline Cotgrave
James
Should an understudy substitute for a listed performer it will be posted in the lobby at the time of the performance.
UNDERSTUDIES
Carolanne / Etheline Cotgrave
Lou ....................................................................................................................
James
Caron Buinis
Caroline Hendricks
Michael Holding
STAGE MANAGER
Julie Jachym
SETTING: PRESENT DAY, LONDON
Paranormal Activity will be performed with one fifteen minute intermission.
Lou
Cher Álvarez
Shannon Cochran
Kate Fry
Patrick Heusinger
PATRICK HEUSINGER
KATE FRY
SHANNON COCHRAN
CHER ÁLVAREZ
CARON BUINIS CAROLINE HENDRICKS MICHAEL HOLDING
WHO’S WHO
CHER ÁLVAREZ (Lou). Television: Sugar (Apple TV); Leverage: Redemption (Amazon); NCIS Hawai'i (CBS); Chicago Med, Chicago PD (NBC); Station 1 (ABC); Shameless (Netflix). Education: BFA in Musical Theatre, Webster Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. Chicago Shakespeare: Debut. Chicago: Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Writers Theatre, Drury Lane. Regional: Berkeley Repertory Theatre, American Players Theatre.
SHANNON COCHRAN (Carolanne). Off-Broadway: Bug (Barrow Street Theatre, Obie Award winner). Tour: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, August: Osage County, Cabaret. Regional: Mark Taper Forum, Geffen Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, Old Globe Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Cincinnati Playhouse. International: Bug (Gate Theatre), The Man Who Came to Dinner (Steppenwolf Theatre/Royal Shakespeare Company). Film: Lullaby (October), The Twin, The Ring, Star Trek: Nemesis, Captive State. Television: Ballard, Scandal, The Office, Modern Family, Star Trek: DS9, The Next Generation Chicago: The Importance of Being Earnest, Dance of Death (Joseph Jefferson Award Winner), Buried Child (Writers Theatre), The Christians (Steppenwolf Theatre), The Little Foxes, (Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, MarriottLincolnshire Theatre.) Education: Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Awards: Obie Award, Theatre World Award, several Joseph Jefferson Awards. Cochran recently directed Fallen Angels at American Players Theatre.
KATE FRY (Etheline Cotgrave). Off-Broadway: A Minister’s Wife (Lincoln Center Theatre). Regional: McCarter Theatre Center, Center Theatre Group, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Chicago Shakespeare: Henry V, As You Like It, Henry IV parts 1 and 2 (Royal Shakespeare Company), The Merchant of Venice, The Molière Comedies, The Taming of the Shrew, Love’s Labor’s Lost, The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Chicago: The Cherry Orchard; A Winter’s Tale; Ah Wilderness!; A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre); Birthday Candles; Mother of the Maid; The Beauty Queen of Leenane; Outside Mullingar (Northlight Theatre); Wife of a Salesman; Marjorie Prime; Hedda Gabler; Oh Coward! (Writers Theatre); Mousetrap; The Belle of Amherst; Electra; Arcadia; Twelfth Night; Piano; The Romance Cycle; An Ideal Husband; Caroline, or Change (Court Theatre); In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play (Victory Gardens Theatre). Awards: Four Joseph Jefferson Awards, Sarah Siddons Award, Court Theatre’s Nicholas Rudall Award, Chicago Tribune actress of the year.
PATRICK HEUSINGER (James). Los Angeles: Max in Moises Kaufman’s production of Bent by Martin Sherman (Mark Taper Forum/Center Theatre Group). International: Originated the
role of James in Paranormal Activity (Leeds Playhouse, UK). Broadway: Next Fall by Geoffrey Nauffts, dir. Sheryl Kaller, Fiddler on the Roof, dir. David Leveaux. Off-Broadway: Next Fall (Naked Angels). Regional: Lancelot et al in Spamalot, dir. Mike Nichols (First Nat’l Tour), Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s Abigail/1702, dir. David Esbjornson (New York Stage and Film). Film: Main villain in Jack Reacher: Never Go Back starring Tom Cruise (Paramount Pictures/Skydance), Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha, Ali Selim’s Sweet Land Television: Absentia (Sony/Amazon), Casual (Hulu), Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce, Royal Pains, 30 Rock, Gossip Girl.
CARON BUINIS (Understudy). Regional: Asolo Rep, Penobscot Theatre, Forward Theatre, George Street Playhouse, Nebraska Rep. Film: Lacy’s Christmas Do-Over, Silent as the Grave. Television: Chicago Fire, Chicago PD (NBC). Chicago Shakespeare Theater: All’s Well That Ends Well. Chicago: True West, The Full Monty, Cabaret, Oklahoma! (Paramount Theatre), The Music Man, Oliver! (Marriott Theatre), Murder on the Orient Express, An American in Paris (Drury Lane Theatre), How Blood Go (Congo Square/Steppenwolf 1700), I Am A Camera, (Porchlight Revisits), Chimerica (TimeLine Theatre), King Liz (Windy City Playhouse), Education: MFA Theatre, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
CAROLINE HENDRICKS (Understudy). Film: Room Six. Television: Chicago Fire (NBC). Chicago Shakespeare: Debut. Chicago: Infernal (Proboscis Theatre Company); Hooded, Or Being Black for Dummies (First Floor Theater, Joseph Jefferson Award Nominated Ensemble); The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience (Netflix/Shondaland/Fever); Chicago Comedy Hour (The Second City’s de Maat Studio Theater); Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook (Merle Reskin Theatre); Liquidation Sale! (Judy’s Beat Lounge); Graduate Showcase: TenneSHE William’s The Glass Ceiling Menagerie (e.t.c. Theater at The Second City); It’s a Wonderful Laugh (Bughouse Theater). Education: BFA in Acting and Minor in Digital Cinema, The Theatre School at DePaul University, The Second City Conservatory Graduate at The Second City Training Center Chicago.
MICHAEL HOLDING (Understudy). Regional: TheatreSquared, Lakeside Shakespeare Theatre. Film: Reversed, Vampirus, Finn and the Sea of Noise. Television: Deli Boys (Hulu), Chicago Med (NBC), South Side (Comedy Central). Chicago Shakespeare: Debut. Chicago: Translations (Writers Theatre); Rutherford and Sons (Timeline Theatre), We are Proud to Present… (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Koalas (16th Street Theatre), Posh (Steep Theatre), Truth and Reconciliation (Sideshow Theatre), Shining City (Irish Theatre of Chicago), The Diviners (Organic Theater), The Madness of Edgar Allen Poe, The Merchant of Venice (First Folio Theatre). Education: BFA in acting, Illinois Wesleyan University.
MELANIE J. LISBY (Production Stage Manager). LA Debut! Broadway: Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Tina–The Tina Turner Musical, Grand Horizons, On the Twentieth Century. OffBroadway: Dark Disabled Stories, american (tele)visions, Our Dear Dead Drug Lord, Hurricane Diane, Wild Goose Dreams, Jersey Boys, Pacific Overtures, Dead Poets Society, Mobile Unit’s Hamlet, Once Upon A Mattress. Regional: Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Williamstown Theater Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Two River, Pig Iron, Gulfshore Playhouse, The Barnstormers, Crossroads Rep. Education: Indiana State University. Lisby has also worked on numerous showcases, readings, galas, and events and now makes her living as an Independent Travel Advisor.@ChooseJoyAdventures For Dad.
JULIE JACHYM (Stage Manager). Center Theatre Group: Debut. Chicago: Paranormal Activity, Sunny Afternoon, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Henry V, The Lord of the Rings A Musical Tale (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre). Prayer for the French Republic, 2 Pianos 4 Hands, Selling Kabul, Dial M For Murder (Northlight Theatre). Frida… A Self Portrait, Every Brilliant Thing, Hot Wing King, Athena, Wife of a Salesman, Dishwasher Dreams (Writers Theatre). Another Marriage, Chlorine Sky, Bald Sisters, The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington, Choir Boy, Seagull (Steppenwolf Theatre). How I Learned What I Learned, Welcome to Matteson (Congo Square Theatre). Judy’s Life’s Work, Fairview, ALAIYO, WHITE (Definition Theatre). Memorabilia, La Havana Madrid, Bernarda!, The Dream King, Enough to Let the Light In, Somewhere Over the Border (Teatro Vista Productions). A Christmas Carol 2019 (Goodman Theatre). Julie is a Definition Theatre Ensemble Member and a proud member of Actors Equity. juliejachym.com
LEVI HOLLOWAY ( Written and Restaged by). (Writer) Broadway: Grey House. Chicago: Pinocchio (Chicago Children’s Theatre) Haven Place, Grey House, Turret (A Red Orchid Theatre). (Director) Chicago: Pinocchio (Chicago Children’s Theatre), Turret (A Red Orchid Theatre) Co-founder: The Neverbird Project, Jeff Award Best New Work 2020 (Grey House), Best Production 2024 (Turret).
FELIX BARRETT (Director). Off-Broadway: Viola’s Room (The Shed), Sleep No More (The McKittrick Hotel), Luna Luna (The Shed).Regional: Sleep No More (Boston). International: Sleep No More (Seoul), Paranormal Activity (Leeds Playhouse), Viola’s Room (London), The Burnt City (London), Sleep No More (Shanghai), The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable (London), The Crash of the Elysium (Manchester International Festival), The Duchess of Malfi (London), Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (National Theatre UK), It Felt Like a Kiss (Manchester International Festival), The Masque of the Red Death (London), Faust (London), The Firebird Ball (London). Television: The
Third Day (HBO). Music: Shakira’s Sun Comes Out global tour, Mumford & Son’s Delta tour. Education: Degree in Drama and Honorary Doctorate from the University of Exeter. Awards: MBE in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours, BAFTA nomination for The Third Day, Special Citation Obie Award for Sleep No More, Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement Sleep No More, Shanghai.
FLY DAVIS (Scenic & Costume Designer). Theatre credits include: Caroline, Or Change (West End/ Broadway New York, Olivier and Tony nominated Best Costume Design); The Enormous Crocodile The Musical (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre UK and USA Tour); Tao of Glass with Philip Glass (NYU North Carolina and International Tour). International: Ocean at the End of the Lane (National Theatre, nominated for What’s On Stage Best Set Design Award), Groan Ups (West End/UK Tour), The Human Body, Henry V, Appropriate (Donmar Warehouse, nominated for Evening Standard Award Best Set Design Award), Beginning, Middle, Pericles, I Want My Hat Back (National Theatre, Olivier Award-nominated for Outstanding Achievement), 50 First Dates The Musical (The Other Palace), Macbeth (RSC and The Barbican), Second Best (Riverside Studios), The Winter’s Tale, The Hour That we Knew Nothing of Each Other (Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh) Othello (Shakespeare’s Globe, Sam Wanamaker) A Streetcar Named Desire, Scuttlers (Royal Exchange Theatre), I’d Rather Goya Robbed Me of My Sleep Than Some Other Arsehole, Image of an Unknown Young Woman (Gate, Winner Off West End Award for Best Set Design), How Do You Lycett? (UK Tour and Channel 4), The Best and Worst of Mr Swallow, Show Pony, A Christmas Carol-ish The Musical (Soho Place, West End). Music: McFly music video for "Love is Easy". Opera: La Boheme (Gothenburg Opera House Sweden), Opera for the Unknown Woman (Welsh Millenium Centre). As Costume Designer: The Odyssey (National Theatre), Unreachable (Royal Court), Shipwrecked (Almeida). Training: Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and Motley Set Design Institute. Chicago Shakespeare Theatre Debut.
ANNA WATSON (Lighting Designer). International Theatre: Giant (West End/Royal Court), Anna Kerenina (Chichester Festival Theatre), Otherland (Almeida Theatre), The Unseen (Riverside Studios), Imposter 22, Hope has a Happy Meal, That is not who I am, Poet in da Corner (UK tour), All of it, Pity, You for Me for You, Plaques & Tangles, A Time to Reap (Royal Court Theatre), Paranormal Activity (Leeds Playhouse), The Band’s Visit, Appropriate, Becoming: Part One, Salt Root & Roe (Donmar Warehouse), All of Us (National Theatre), Three Sisters, Othello, The Winter’s Tale, Hamlet, Henry VI, Richard III (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse), Gaslight (Watford Palace), Christmas Carol (Bristol Old Vic), Leave to Remain, The Seagull, Shopping & Fucking (Lyric Hammersmith), The Fantastic Follies of Mrs. Rich, Snow in Midsummer, The Roaring Girl (Royal Shakespeare Company), Box of Delights (Wilton’s Music
Hall), King Lear (Globe Theatre), Dutchman, The Secret Agent, Fireface, Disco Pigs, Sus (Young Vic), Bank on it (TheatreRites/Barbican), Paradise, Salt (Ruhr Triennale, Germany). Dance: Merlin (Northern Ballet), Mothers, Soul Play (The Place), Refugees of a Septic Heart (The Garage), View from the Shore, Animule Dance (Clore ROH). Opera: Don Carlo (Grange Park), Orlando (WNO/Scottish Opera/San Francisco), Cendrillon (Gyndebourne), Ruddigore (Barbican/Opera North/UK Tour), Critical Mass (Almeida), Songs from a Hotel Bedroom, Tongue Tied (Linbury ROH), The Bartered Bride (Royal College of Music), Against Oblivion (Toynbee Hall). Chicago Shakespeare: Debut.
GARETH FRY (Sound Designer). Broadway: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Encounter. Off-Broadway: Blackwatch (St Anns Warehouse), Shun-kin (Lincoln Centre). Regional: Let The Right One In (Berkeley Rep). International: Viola’s Room (Punchdrunk), Hamlet Hail To The Thief (Royal Shakespeare Company), The Land of the Living (National Theatre), Macbeth (Donmar Warehouse/Harold Pinter Theatre). Education: Theatre Design, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Awards: two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, three Olivier Awards, two Helpmann Awards, one WhatsOnStage award and an Evening Standard award. Books: He is the author of Sound Design for the Stage. Chicago Shakespeare: Debut.
LUKE HALLS (Video Designer). Broadway: West Side Story. International: Aida (Circustheater); The Starry Messenger, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, The Moderate Soprano, Frozen, 2071, The Nether and The Lehman Trilogy (West End); Shipwreck and Oil (Almeida); Linda and Girls & Boys (Royal Court); Miss Saigon (Austria, Japan, New York and UK tour); Antony and Cleopatra, Man and Superman, Ugly Lies the Bone, and The Great Wave (National Theatre); The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage, Talking Heads, A Christmas Carol, Alys, Always, and My Name is Lucy Barton (Bridge Theatre); Local Hero (Royal Lyceum Theatre); Desire Under the Elms (Crucible Theatre); Elegy for Young Lovers (Theater an der Wien); Half a Sixpence (Chichester Festival Theatre); Mary Poppins (Touring); Hamlet and The Master and Margarita (Barbican), I Can’t Sing (The London Palladium), The Little Big Things (Soho Place). Opera: Boris Godunov (Teatro alla Scala); Lucia di Lammermoor and Otello (Metropolitan Opera); The Merry Widow (Bergen National Opera); Atlas (LA Philharmonic); Don Giovanni and Król Roger (Royal Opera House); The Hobbit, The Cunning Little Vixen, Don Giovanni, and Der Freischütz (Danish Royal Opera); Zeitgeist (Coliseum); Das Liebesverbot (Teatro Real); Tristan und Isolde (Festival d’Aix-en-Provence), The Flying Dutchman (Finland National Opera), West Side Story (Malmö Opera); Don Giovanni (Barcelona Opera and Houston Opera); Marco Polo (Guangzhou Opera House); Madame Butterfly and Carmen (Bregenzer Festspiele); Porgy and Bess (National Opera, Amsterdam, and Met Opera). Dance: Like Water for Chocolate
(Royal Opera House, Costa Mesa, and Metropolitan Opera), Malgorzata Dzierzon (Ballet Rambert), Connectome (Royal Ballet). Television: The Cube (ITV). Awards: BAFTA for The Cube (2012), Knight of Illumination Award for Don Giovanni at the Royal Opera House (2014), Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Projection Design on West Side Story on Broadway (2020), Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Video / Projection Design on The Lehman Trilogy (2021/22), Telly Awards for Use of 360, Animation, and Interactivity on Frameless Immersive Art Gallery London (2023). Additional professional industry credits include Paris Fashion Week, Olympic and Paralympic 2012 closing ceremonies, FIFA World Cup Opening ceremony 2022. Halls has designed visuals for performing artists such as Adele, Rolling Stones, Genesis, Rihanna, Elton John, U2, and Dua Lipa. Chicago Shakespeare: Debut.
CHRIS FISHER (Illusions). Broadway: S tranger Things: The First Shadow (Marquis Theater), Back to the Future: The Musical (Wintergarden Theater), Company (Bernard B. Jacobs Theater), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Lyric Theater), Angels in America (Neil Simon Theater). London West End: Dr Strangelove (Nöel Coward); Stranger Things: The First Shadow (Phoenix); Back to the Future: The Musical (Adelphi); The Prince of Egypt (Dominion); Ballet Shoes, The Witches, Peter Gynt, Julie, Treasure Island (National Theatre); 2:22 A Ghost Story (Nöel Coward); Company (Gielgud); The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Gillian Lynne); Big The Musical (Dominion). UK Regional: Paranormal Activity and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Leeds Playhouse), Merlin (Northern Ballet). International: The Illusionist (Tokyo), The Ghost and the Lady (Tokyo), Wicked (Germany). Awards: Special Tony Award 2025 for Illusions and Technical Effects for Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Chicago Shakespeare: Debut.
BOB MASON (CST Artistic Associate/Casting Director). OffBroadway: Rose Rage: Henry VI, Parts 1, 2 and 3, directed by Artistic Director Edward Hall (The Duke on 42nd Street), Marionette Macbeth (New Victory), Ride the Cyclone (MCC), Broadway: SIX (Tony nomination—Best Musical), The Notebook. International: The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale (CST, Auckland, NZ), Pacific Overtures (CST, Donmar Warehouse–Olivier Award, Outstanding Musical), Henry IV, Parts One and Two (RSC). Chicago Shakespeare: 150 plus productions over 24 years, including 35 plays in Shakespeare’s canon and eight Stephen Sondheim musicals. Chicago: Bounce (Goodman Theatre). Regional: SIX (CST, American Repertory Theater–Artios Award, Ordway Center, The Citadel), Ride the Cyclone (CST, Fifth Avenue Theatre/A Contemporary Theater, Alliance Theatre). Prior to casting, Mason enjoyed a career as an actor and singer and has been a visiting educator at Northwestern University and multiple college programs across the country.
what iF We Productions (Co-Production Technical Supervisor) delivers production management and technical direction for theatre, live experiences, and special events worldwide. Recent projects include Rob Lake Magic with Special Guests the Muppets, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, Heathers the Musical, Ava: The Secret Conversations, The Secret Garden, and Message In a Bottle. Learn more at whatifweproductions.com.
Oren Peli (Original Filmmaker) is a filmmaker best known for creating the blockbuster horror franchise ParanormalActivity and producing the Insidious films.
MELTING POT (Commercial Producer) is an independent theatre and film production company. We develop, produce and manage all of our own productions, which have won Academy Awards, Tony Awards, BAFTAs, and Olivier Awards. Simon Friend founded the company in 2015 (as Simon Friend Entertainment Ltd) and has been named in The Stage 100 most influential people in British theatre, and was joined by Hanna Osmolska in 2017. West End and London credits include: Paranormal Activity (Ambassadors), Ghost Stories (Peacock), Second Best (Riverside Studios), The Real Thing (The Old Vic), The Crown Jewels (Garrick Theatre), Life of Pi (Wyndham’s Theatre), Bad Jews (Arts Theatre), The Girl on the Train (Duke of York’s Theatre), The Starry Messenger (Wyndham’s Theatre), Admissions (Trafalgar Studios), The Height of the Storm (Wyndham’s Theatre), The Philanthropist (Trafalgar Studios), Million Dollar Quartet (Royal Festival Hall), The Father (Wyndham’s Theatre and Duke of York’s Theatre), Bad Jews (Arts Theatre, again!), Speed-the-Plow (Playhouse Theatre), Relative Values (Harold Pinter Theatre) and Fences (Duchess Theatre). UK tour and regional credits include: One Day-The Musical, The Battle, Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts, The Girl on the Train, Ghost Stories, Paranormal Activity, Here You Come Again, Drop the Dead Donkey, Life of Pi, Minority Report, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Da Vinci Code, Dial M for Murder, Dr Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Entertainer, The Girl on the Train, The Messiah, Titanic the Musical, Around the World in 80 Days, and The Wipers Times. US credits include: Paranormal Activity (Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Center Theatre Group, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and American Conservatory Theater), Life of Pi (Broadway, Schoenfeld Theatre, Toronto’s Ed Mirvish Theatre and US Tour), The Height of the Storm (Broadway, Samuel J. Friedman Theatre), The Closet (Williamstown Theatre Festival) and Around the World in 80 Days (US tour). International credits include: Here You Come Again (Australian Tour), Life of Pi (Abu Dhabi, Mumbai, China & Taiwan Tour, South Korea), Million Dollar Quartet (New Zealand and India) and Titanicthe Musical (Germany). Film & Television: The Father, starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman (winner of 2 Academy Awards & 2 BAFTAs), and The Grinch Musical (NBC & Sky).
CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER (CST) is the nation’s largest year-round theatre dedicated to the works of Shakespeare. Led by Artistic Director Edward Hall and Executive Director Kimberly Motes, the Regional Tony Award recipient is committed to creating vivid, entertaining theatrical experiences that invigorate and engage people of all ages and identities by illuminating the complexity, ambiguity, and wonder of our world. With Shakespeare at the heart of the artistic work, CST also produces compelling, contemporary stories through North American and world premieres. CST annually welcomes more than 20,000 students and teachers to performances and programs, serving more than any theatre in the city. Free programs like Shakes in the City bring performances to parks and community spaces across Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. Shared humanity and unforgettable stories—now THIS is Chicago Shakespeare. chicagoshakes.com
SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY For nearly 40 years, the Tony Award-winning Shakespeare Theatre Company has been recognized as the nation’s premier classical theatre. Classical plays are realized best not by originalism but by walking the path Shakespeare himself followed, creating works that spoke to his own contemporary audience. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Simon Godwin and Executive Director Angela Lee Gieras, STC tells vital stories in audacious forms, stories that are Shakespearean in the deepest sense, even if (and especially when) they are not written by Shakespeare. By focusing on works with profound themes and complex characters, STC’s artistic mission is unique among regional theatres: to bring to vibrant life groundbreaking, thought-provoking, and eminently accessible theatre. shakespearetheatre.org
AMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEATER
is an essential gathering place that brings artists and communities together to inspire and provoke. Under the leadership of Tony Awardwinning Artistic Director Pam MacKinnon and Interim Executive Director David Schmitz, A.C.T.’s mission is to engage the spirit of the San Francisco Bay Area, activate stories that resonate, promote a diversity of voices and points of view, and empower theatre makers and audiences to celebrate liveness. A.C.T. values inclusion, transformational learning, participation and rigorous fun. A.C.T. is a Tony Award-winning nonprofit theatre serving almost 200,000 people in the San Francisco Bay Area annually through theatre, training, education and community programs. act-sf.org
CENTER THEATRE GROUP
SNEHAL DESAI (Artistic Director, he/him) was appointed Center Theatre Group’s third artistic director in 2023. As an artistic leader, Snehal has sought to raise awareness on social issues that affect Angelenos through impactful and empowering storytelling. Previously, he was the Producing Artistic Director of East West Players. A Soros Fellow and the recipient of a Tanne Award, Snehal was the Inaugural Recipient of the Drama League’s Classical Directing Fellowship. He has served on the boards of the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (Caata), Theatre Communications Group (TCG), and currently serves on the board of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT). Snehal was on the faculty of USC’s graduate program in Arts Leadership and is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.
MEGHAN PRESSMAN (Managing Director/CEO, she/her) joined Center Theatre Group in 2019. Previously, she served as Managing Director of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (D.C.), Director of Development for Signature Theatre (N.Y.), and Associate Managing Director of Berkeley Rep. She is a graduate of Yale School of Drama/Yale School of Management and serves as a mentor in the Theater Management program. Meghan has served as the Vice-Chair for the Theatre Communications Group Board of Directors and is a member of the Broadway League.
DOUGLAS C. BAKER (Producing Director, he/him) joined Center Theatre Group in 1990. Doug is an active member of the Broadway League, the Independent Presenters Network (IPN), and is a proud member of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers (ATPAM). In 2013, Doug received the Broadway League’s prestigious Outstanding Achievement in Presenter Management Award.
GORDON DAVIDSON (Founding Artistic Director) led the Taper throughout its first 38 seasons, guiding over 300 productions to its stage and winning countless awards for himself and the theatre—including the Tony Award for theatrical excellence, Margo Jones Award, The Governor’s Award for the Arts, and a Guggenheim fellowship. The Kentucky Cycle and Angels in America (Part One) won the Pulitzer in consecutive years and, in 1994, three of the four plays nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play were from the Taper (Angels in America won). In 1989, Gordon took over the Ahmanson and, in 2004, he produced the inaugural season in the Kirk Douglas Theatre.
LINDSAY ALLBAUGH (Associate Artistic Director, she/her).
Associate Artistic Director for Center Theatre Group and Los Angeles-based director and producer. Recent productions: Our Dear Dead Drug Lord by Alexis Scheer at the Kirk Douglas Theatre and Cry It Out by Molly Smith Metzler (Best Production: Ovation Award, LADCC Award, Stage Raw Award) at the Echo Theatre Company. Co-Artistic Director of the Elephant Theatre Company from 2004–2014. Selected CTG producing credits include—Mark Taper Forum: Hamlet adapted by Robert O'Hara, American Idiot with Deaf West Theatre, Slave Play, Archduke, Bent, Waiting for Godot; Kirk Douglas Theatre: Creative Producer behind Block Party, Tambo & Bones, Good Grief, Endgame, Women Laughing Alone With Salad, Chavez Ravine, The Nether.
ERIC SIMS (General Manager, Presentations, he/him) joined CTG in 2005 and has served in various capacities, including as the Director of Operations for the Kirk Douglas Theatre from 2008-2018. Previously, he was the Managing Director of the Powerhouse Theatre in Santa Monica. He is the Vice President of the Culver City Downtown Business Association and was the Co-Chair of the Ovation Rules Committee, producing the Ovation Awards from 2015-2019.
CENTER THEATRE GROUP, one of the nation’s preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles’ leading notfor-profit theatre company, which, under the leadership of the Brindell & Milton Gottlieb Artistic Director Snehal Desai, Managing Director/CEO Meghan Pressman, and Producing Director Douglas C. Baker, programs the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, and the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. CTG is one of the country’s leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics, and circumstances to serve Los Angeles. Founded in 1967, CTG has produced more than 700 productions across its stages, including such iconic shows as Zoot Suit; Angels in America; The Kentucky Cycle; Biloxi Blues; Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Children of a Lesser God; Curtains; The Drowsy Chaperone; 9 to 5: The Musical; and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. CenterTheatreGroup.org
ADDITIONAL STAFF
Assistant Director Travis A. Knight
Associate Scenic Designer Frank McCullough
Associate Lighting Designer Abby May
Associate Sound Designer Will Pickens
Associate Video Designer Lianne Arnold
Illusions Associate Daniel Weissglass
Illusions Consultant Skylar Fox
Intimacy/Fight Director Chels Morgan
Dialect Coach Susan Gosdick
Music Supervisor Brian Meiler
Production Assistant Dylan Dolson Gonzalez
Co-Production Technical Supervisor what iF we Productions Luke Ricca, Jonathan Cottle
MELTING POT
Director Simon Friend
Director Hanna Osmolska
General Manager Amy Hendry
General Manager Aaron Rogers
General Manager Sophie Visscher-Lubinizki
Production Coordinator Mia Franey
Production Assistant Poppy Maxwell
Production Assistant Humnah Abdullah
Finance Director George Bradley
Payroll Toni Palmer & Francesca Oldnall
Trainee Accountant Daniel O’Brien
CREDITS
Scenery by Hudson Scenic Studios
Trucking by Clark Transfer
Lighting by Christie Lites
Special Thanks: Stephen Carmody, Camille Etchart
MUSIC CREDITS "JUST"
By PHILIP JAMES SELWAY, THOMAS EDWARD YORKE, JONATHAN GREENWOOD, COLIN CHARLES GREENWOOD and EDWARD JOHN O'BRIEN WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC LTD (PRS) All rights administered by WC Music Corp.
“Pain In My Heart"
Written By NAOMI NEVILLE
Published by BMG Platinum Song US (BMI) obo Arc Music Corp (BMI) Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers of the United States. This theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
The Director is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Inc., an independent national labor union. The House Managers employed in this production are represented by the Association of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers.
The following employees are represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Machine Operators, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, its Territories and Canada, AFL-CIO, CLC: Stage Crew Local 33; Treasurers and Ticket Sellers Local 857; Wardrobe Crew Local 768; Make-up Artists and Hair Stylists Local 706
United Scenic Artists represents designers and scenic artists for the American Theatre.
Center Theatre Group is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the American Arts Alliance, the Broadway League, Independent Producers’ Network (IPN), the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT), and the Theatre Communications Group (TCG).
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
DEC5 – JAN 4
SURPRISE GUESTS EVERY NIGHT!
DEC12 –21
Additional Music and Lyrics by Tom Brady
Book & Lyrics by Suhayla El-Bushra
Music by Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab
SNEHAL DESAI The Brindell & Milton Gottlieb Artistic Director | MEGHAN PRESSMAN Managing Director/CEO | DOUGLAS C. BAKER Producing Director
GORDON DAVIDSON Founding Artistic Director
Center Theatre Group would like to thank its exceptional staff for their ongoing commitment, dedication, and extraordinary efforts.
ARTISTIC
LINDSAY ALLBAUGH♦ Associate Artistic Director
BRANDON IVIE Artistic Producer
SONIA DESAI Director of Literary and Dramaturgy
PAIGE VEHLEWALD Artistic Programs Manager
TIFFANY SLAGLE° Artistic & Literary Associate
RANDOLPH MEREDYTH-DRAKE Executive Assistant to the Artistic Director
EXECUTIVE
NAIMA OROZCO-VALDIVIA° Executive Programs Manager
MADISON QUIROZ Executive Office Liaison
MANAGEMENT
NAUSICA STERGIOU♦ General Manager
ERIC SIMS♦ General Manager, Presentations
KATIE SOFF ♦ Associate General Manager
JEFFREY UPAH♦ General Management Associate
KIARA BRYANT Company Manager
TAYLOR ANNE CULLEN Assistant Company Manager
EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
CAROLINA SAN JUAN Interim Director of Arts Education
JESUS REYES♦ Director of Learning and Community Partnerships
TRACI KWON♦ Arts Education Initiatives Director
AURORA ILOG Creative Workforce Initiatives Director
MEIGHAN LA ROCCA Program Manager
COURTNEY CLARK° Digital Learning Manager
NATALIA QUINTERO-RIESTRA Programs Associate
JORDAN GELOTTE Education & Community Partnerships Coordinator
ESTELA GARCIA, CHRISTINE BREIHAN Resident Teaching Artists
ZACHARY BONES, REBECCA GRAUL, ELIJAH GREEN,° AJA HOUSTON,
JOHNATHON L. JACKSON, CARENE ROSE MEKERTICHYAN, MARA PALMA, ROBERT PATERNO, MADDOX PENNINGTON, MARTA PORTILLO,TARA RICASA,
TIANA RANDALL-QUANT, MONIQUE SYPKENS Teaching Artists
MIRIAM CERVANTES Dramaturgy Apprentice, Touring Project
PAUL GALAVIZ Directing Apprentice, Touring Project
PRODUCTION
JOE HAMLIN♦ Director of Production
SHANNON G. BICKNELL Senior Production Manager
LESLEY GONZALEZ Associate Production Manager
CAMBRIA CHICHI° Production Supervisor
ISAAC KATZANEK Technical Director
SHAWN ANDERSON♦ Head Carpenter (Ahmanson Theatre)
SCOTT LUCAS Head Properties (Ahmanson Theatre)
JARED BATTY Head Electrician (Ahmanson Theatre)
ROBERT SMITH♦ Head Sound (Ahmanson Theatre)
SHANE ANDERSON Head Flyrail (Ahmanson Theatre)
MICHAEL GARDNER♦ Wardrobe Supervisor (Ahmanson Theatre)
MARY BORGIA Hair & Make-up Supervisor (Ahmanson Theatre)
CHRISTINE L. COX♦ House Manager (Ahmanson Theatre)
EMMET KAISER♦ Head Carpenter (Mark Taper Forum)
MARY ROMERO Head Properties (Mark Taper Forum)
AARON STAUBACH♦ Head Electrician (Mark Taper Forum)
CHRISTIAN LEE Head Sound (Mark Taper Forum)
LORETTA BUSSEN Wardrobe Supervisor (Mark Taper Forum)
THERESE LEVASSEUR Hair & Make-up Supervisor (Mark Taper Forum)
MERRIANNE NEDREBERG♦ Shop Director
KATE REINLIB Associate Prop Director
ERIC BABB♦° Associate Prop Director
RAUL VEGA MARTINEZ° Shop Supervisor
SHANTA FARIA DE SA Costume Shop Manager
CAYLYN DABNEY Resident Assistant Costume Designer
ASHPHORD JACOWAY Costume Shop Coordinator
TAYLOR DECKER First Hand/ KDT Wardrobe Supervisor
OPERATIONS
PETER WYLIE Operations & Facilities Director
CARLOS AYALA Facilities Manager
VANESSA DE LOERA Facilities Associate
JULIO A. CUELLAR,♦ OSCAR DOMINGUEZ, MADIE GILLETTE Facilities Assistants
JASMINE BRAFF
Operations Manager
SIMON MARTIN Operations Assistant
NATALIE MARCEAU, HERVIN HERNANDEZ, REGINA NILES, ANTONIO DIXON Drivers
VANESSA BRADCHULIS, OLIVIA CHOATE, PRESSLY COKER, MONICA GREENE, PAT LOEB, TWON POPE, SAM UDERO Stage Door Attendants
FINANCE, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, AND HUMAN RESOURCES
CHERYL SHEPHERD Chief Financial Officer
PETER BANACHOWSKI Controller
DENICE BEHDAD Assistant Controller
ANAHITA ASHRAFIPOUR Senior Accountant
XOCHITL ORTEGA Accounts Payable Supervisor
KERRY BETH KAUFFMAN° Accounting Assistant
JESSICA HERNANDEZ Payroll Manager
MYLAH BARRETO, TIFFANY GARDE Payroll Specialist
TOM MEGALE IT Director
JANELLE CABRERA TORRES Tessitura & Web Administration Director
JOEY LAMBERT-SOLANO Digital Product Manager
CRIS SPACCA♦ Information Technology Manager
JODY HORWITZ♦ Director of Human Resources
JERMAINE CARTER HR Generalist
MOSS ADAMS Auditor
MICHAEL C. DONALDSON, LISA A. CALLIF Legal Counsel
GIBSON, DUNN & CRUTCHER Legal Counsel
INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
SARAH SULLIVAN Director of Institutional Advancement
RICKY CARTER Director of Development
CRYSTAL DIAZ Director of Special Events
KATASHA ACOSTA-ROWE Director of Advancement Operations
PAULA MATALLANA Director of Institutional Grants
ANASTASIA RUTKOWSKI Corporate Relations Officer
GRACE PIPER Assistant Director, Prospect Research and Strategy
CORALEE YOUNG Assistant Director of Individual Giving
NICOLE SCIPIONE♦ Senior Individual Giving Officer
ZAIN PATEL Individual Giving Officer
CLAIRE PEARSON Institutional Giving Manager
NICKI BONURA Advancement Associate
RACHEL BONDS Senior Analyst, Gift Accounting and Reporting
ALICE PELAYO Donor Liason & Institutional Advancement Assistant
IRENE CHO Executive Assistant to the Director of Institutional Advancement
MEDIA AND CONTENT
BRETT WEBSTER Director of Media and Content
JESSICA DOHERTY° Associate Content Director
BOBBY MARTINEZ Content Associate
KEELEY BELL Media and Content Coordinator
DAVIDSON & CHOY PUBLICITY:
TIM CHOY, PETER GOLDMAN, VICTORIA WESTBROOK Publicity Consultants
DEANNA McCLURE♦ Design Director
JAVIER VASQUEZ♦ Digital Content Producer
LILA WAKILI Senior Graphic Designer
CHEYNE GALLARDE Senior Graphic Designer
CINDY ANDRADE Graphic Designer
MARKETING AND SALES
GARRETT COLLINS Director of Marketing and Sales
PAMELA KUHR Director of Membership
BRENNIE TELLU Ticketing & Customer Experience Director
CANDICE WALTERS♦ Marketing Campaigns & Operations Director
SKYPP CABANAS♦ Senior Manager, Ticket Operations
DEVANY HARDEN° Senior Manager, Audience Loyalty
KATHARINE MEANS° Senior Manager, Advertising
MIKE RATTERMAN♦ Senior Manager, Membership Engagement
ANDRESSA ROYER Senior Manager, Audience Development & Marketing Events
NINA PERRY Account Sales Manager
CHASE ANDERSON-SHAW Kirk Douglas Theatre Manager
ROMAN DICESARE Email Marketing Associate
MARC GOODMAN Senior Analyst, Sales Strategy & Data
TINTIN NGUYEN Ticket Operations Coordinator
PETER SULLIVAN Marketing Coordinator
AARON HIGAREDA° Membership Engagement Supervisor
MICHAEL AGUILO, LA'RAE CARMICHAEL, JOE CASPER, BRAD GRIFFITH, DAVID HUNTER, NATALIE KEEZER, KATHLEEN LITTLEFIELD, JOSEPHINE NUNEZ°, IAN PRICE, DONALD RIZZO, BENJAMIN SCHWARTZ♦ ,
DIANE WARD♦ Membership Engagement Representatives
CAROLINE THOMPSON/IMPACT 123 Media Planning
SANDY CZUBIAK♦ Audience & Subscriber Services Director
JENNIFER BAKER,♦
CHERYL HAWKER♦ Audience Services Senior Supervisors
JONATHAN FLORES Audience Services Supervisor
JURGEN SANTOS Audience Services Sales Associates
JOSHUA BADILLO, CLAY BUNKER, FRANK ENSENBERGER, DANIEL GARCIA, HARPAL KHOSLA, MICHAEL MUNOZ, SAMUEL ROQUE, DAVID SALAZAR, ASHLEY SANDOVAL, CHRISTINA WRIGHT Audience Services Representatives
JUSTINE PEREZ♦ Donor Associate
DANUTA SIEMAK♦ Subscriber Services Senior Supervisor
CHRISTINA GUTIERREZ♦ Subscriber Services Senior Supervisor
LIGIA PISTE,♦ PETER STALOCH♦ Subscriber Services Senior Representatives
MICHAEL VALLE♦ Box Office Treasurer
KEANA JACKSON, YULIZA BARRAZA 1st Assistant Treasurers
LUIS ESPINOZA, KAITLYN GALVEZ,
MICHAEL KEMPISTY♦ 2nd Assistant Treasurers
ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT & COMMISSIONS
As part of our commitment to supporting new plays and playwrights, we foster and develop a broad range of theatrical work from diverse artists locally, nationally, and abroad.
Artists creating new work commissioned by Center Theatre Group this season:
LA WRITERS’ WORKSHOP
Since 2005, we have invited local playwrights to spend a year researching and writing a new work with the feedback of their fellow writers and artistic staff as part of our L.A. Writers’ Workshop. Learn more at CTGLA.org/ARTISTS
2025/26 COHORT:
BERNARDO CUBRÍA
KEVIN DOUGLAS
KEIKO GREEN
CHRISTINA PUMARIEGA
MADDOX PENNINGTON
ERIKA SHEFFER
LA ARTIST RESIDENCIES
DIANA BURBANO
LARISSA FASTHORSE
MICHAEL JOHN GARCÉS
DANIEL ALEXANDER JONES
MADELINE SAYET
KRISTINA WONG
AMMUNITION THEATRE COMPANY
FOUR LARKS
NATIVE VOICES AT THE AUTRY
TEATRO DEL BARRIO
