Scott Carter - Geffen Playhouse
Transcription
Scott Carter - Geffen Playhouse
From the artistic Director Welcome to The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord. Reflect for a moment on the title of the play you are about to see. What could possibly bring Jefferson (a Founding Father, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and third President of the United States) into a room with Dickens (perhaps the greatest English novelist of the Victorian Era, prolific and famous in his time and creator of some of the world’s most endearing and enduring fictional characters) and Tolstoy (the 19th-century Russian realist, generally regarded as one of the greatest novelists in history)? The answer is revealed through the imagination of playwright Scott Carter, who has spent many years researching and honing this unique tale of an encounter between three historical giants of different eras. As they struggle to learn the identities of their companions, the purpose behind their gathering and how to escape it, these characters ignite philosophical, political and religious fireworks — making for a bracing and revealing ride. As a collaborator on the piece, director Matt August has taken this debate and helped to raise the stakes exponentially. With a deft hand, he, along with an ensemble of astonishing actors, has created an intellectual cat-andmouse wherein the cats and mice are forever changing places. In addition, Matt’s talented designers have created an environment that must be at once claustrophobic and yet expansive enough to contain three huge personalities. With Discord, we are happy to launch our first 2014/2015 season production in our beautiful and versatile Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater. From play to play and season to season, we strive to entertain and enlighten with a broad range of theatrical storytelling. As always, we are grateful to you for joining us. Enjoy the show. Randall Arney Artistic Director PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE P1 the gospel according to thomas jefferson, charles dickens and count leo tolstoy: discord Photo by Jeff Lorch Photography welcome to the geffen playhouse letter from the co-chairs BOARD OF DIRECTORS Martha Henderson Co-cHAIR Pamela Robinson Hollander Co-cHAIR Patricia Kiernan Applegate Randall Arney Beth Behrs Dr. Gene D. Block Harold A. Brown Gil Cates Jr. Vice Chairman Mary Ann Cloyd Dennis Doty Dr. Brad Edgerton Mark Fleischer Herbert M. Gelfand Chairman Emeritus martha henderson pamela robinson hollander Welcome to our first production of the 2014/2015 season in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater. Written by Scott Carter and directed by Matt August, this comedy is a hilarious and wonderful way to begin the season in the Audrey. This season, we look forward to learning more about you, our beloved patrons, loyal subscribers and extraordinary donors. For how many years have you been coming to see performances at the Geffen Playhouse? What inspired you to initially get involved in the theater? What about our work empassions and excites you the most? We want to know and get to know you. Tell us your story by contacting our Development department at 310.208.6500 or development@geffenplayhouse.com. For those who are new to the Geffen Playhouse this season, welcome to our family. You are in for a stellar season of plays, special events and education and outreach programs, designed to use theater arts to ignite positive change in the most in-need communities and schools in Los Angeles. To learn more about these programs and our impact on the children, youth, adults, schools and communities we serve, please visit geffenplayhouse.com/education or contact Chief Development Officer Regina Miller at 310.208.6500 ext. 112. Thank you for joining us for today’s performance. We are delighted to experience the 2014/2015 season with you and your family, friends and communities. Patricia L. Glaser Adi Greenberg Arthur Greenberg Joan Kaloustian Glorya Kaufman Loretta Everett Kaufman Dr. Gerald S. Levey Carla Malden Susan Mallory Ginny Mancini Barry Meyer Scott Minerd Ken Novice Steven A. Olsen Holly Rice Loren Rothschild Linda Bernstein Rubin Teri Schwartz Richard Sherman Fred Specktor Lorraine Spurge DeeAnna Staats Cynthia P. Stafford Howard Tenenbaum Michael Walsh founding trustees Kirsten Combs Robert A. Daly David Geffen Quincy Jones Jeffrey Katzenberg Frank G. Mancuso Chairman Emeritus Ron Meyer Leslie Moonves Jerry Moss Jerry Perenchio Bruce M. Ramer Founding Chairman Victoria Mann Simms Andy Spahn Steven Spielberg Steve Tisch Dr. Charles E. Young Chairman Emeritus Now we invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord. IN MEMORIAM Martha Henderson Co-Chair, Geffen Playhouse Marcia Israel-Curley Audrey Skirball Kenis Charles Kenis Karl Malden Edie Wasserman Lew Wasserman Pamela Robinson Hollander Co-Chair, Geffen Playhouse Gilbert Cates Founder Peter rosen LEGAL COUNSEL, latham & watkins LLP P2 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe Discordant & Harmonious Notes by scott carter the writing of this play began, really, in June 1986 as I awoke choking on a Sunday morning. As a lifelong asthmatic, this was not unexpected, but the attack was to be the most severe of my life and I spent nearly a week in the hospital. At that time, I was a struggling standup comic and, like many colleagues, I was either indifferent or hostile to God; Jesus was the ghost who came into my bedroom when I was a child and tried to choke me to death on a nightly basis. I was released from Bellevue that Saturday afternoon. At the intersection of 26th and First Avenue, I had an epiphany like Saul on the road to Damascus when a thunderbolt knocked him to the ground, scales fell from his eyes and he knew that Jesus Christ was his Lord and Savior. My metanoia was less-specific and more non-denominational; I went from cynical comic to nonaffiliated deist. I received the unshakable realization of God’s existence and that of grace — for which I thought myself unworthy but grateful. I guess that’s why it’s called grace. I entered into a bliss state — loving all whom I met and forgiving previous transgressions done to me. It lasted about a week. Then it faded and I felt a return to the petty life I’d always led. I didn’t want this to happen. I wanted to make this event into the B.C. / A.D. of my existence. But I had no strong religious affiliation to which to turn. My parents were devout believers in whatever Protestant community was closest and nicest. I grew up Episcopalian, Methodist, Presbyterian and Lutheran. Postservice coffee and donuts were sacraments as sacred as any wafers or wine. So I made a pact with the universe in the summer of 1986: I would remain open to signs and direction from anyone offering religious literature, conversation or ritual. On October 5, 1988, I watched an episode of A World of Ideas on PBS. Host Bill Moyers was interviewing Reverend Forrester Church of All Souls Unitarian in New York. And it was here that I learned about the Jefferson Bible. In 1804 President Jefferson bought two identical The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord playwright Scott Carter. PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE P3 Discordant & Harmonious Notes Intersecting Lives By Merl Reagle ACROSS 1 “Let the heart swell into what ___ it will” (Dickens, “Little Dorrit”) 5 Guitar’s five-string cousin 7 Add to one’s territory, as Russia did to Crimea in the 1700s 9 Jefferson used one to edit the gospels 14Acquaintance of Dickens and literary rival of Tolstoy, Fyodor ___ 16Having an unexpected twist 18Adams and Jefferson declared a ___ late in their lives after years of bickering 19More greasy 20Nonviolent Indian to whom Tolstoy wrote his last letter 21Character that Tolstoy threw under a train, Anna ___ 23Jefferson once received a 1,234-pound wheel of this as a gift 26Jefferson political foe who was shot by his former vice-president, Aaron Burr 28Dickens’ pen name 29Jefferson purchase that doubled the size of the U.S. 30Mountains that Dickens and Tolstoy once visited in the mid-1800s 32Figure out, as a mystery 33The Declaration of ___ 35Crucifixion site, “the place of the skull” 38While writing “Bleak House,” Dickens would often plunge his head into a ___ of cold water 39Subject of a “head on a platter” painting owned by Jefferson, John the ___ 40Name of Jefferson’s pet mockingbird, which was often on his shoulder when he answered the door (also, the nickname of a future president) 41Jefferson’s wise nickname, “the ___ of (11 Down)” 42“No nation is ___ where wine is cheap” (Jefferson) 23Least popular Dickens DOWN novel, “Martin ___” 1 “There is something ... burning in the heart of 24Tolstoy’s early “___ man that will not go out no Sketches,” about military matter how ___ the world life in Crimea’s capital becomes” (Tolstoy) during a siege in the 1850s 2 Dickens’ last completed 25Jefferson was the first novel, “___ Mutual Friend” president to live in it full time (2 words) 3 Tolstoy’s “___ and Peace” 4 Dickens novel, “Great ___” 27One more time 6 Day of Jefferson’s Declaration and death (2 words) 29“Anything is better than ___ and deceit!” (Tolstoy) 31Dickens novel, “The ___ Papers” 8 French leader from whom Jefferson bought 29 Across 34Evil One who tempted Jesus thrice 10The Promised Land (also, a national park in Utah) 11 Jefferson’s house, which means “little mountain” in Italian 12Tolstoy’s last novel, about the Christlike redemption of a nobleman 13String instrument played by Jefferson 15Jefferson didn’t like to do it in public 17Jefferson often powdered his hair to avoid wearing them 22“Art ___ life” 35Name of Dickens’ pet raven 36___ Lucerne (Dickens visited it in 1844) 37“No crib for ___” (line from “Away in a Manger”) MERL REAGLE is the Sunday crossword creator for the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and 50 other major papers. His “100th Anniversary Crossword Book,” the 17th in a series, was published in November 2013. Find the crossword solution online at geffenplayhouse.com/discordcrossword. P4 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe copies of the King James Bible. Needing both sides of each page for his project, he then, over three consecutive nights, used a razor to cut out only the verses he liked from all four gospels. Jefferson then pasted his chosen scraps of scripture into the pages of a blank book. He named his volume “The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth.” I became fascinated with the details of this history. What modern president would hatch such an idea and then spend his White House evenings executing it? For the next eight years, my fascination stopped short of creativity. I was getting jobs writing and later producing television. In 1993, HBO teamed me with Bill Maher to develop Politically Incorrect for Comedy Central. As that show took off, Jefferson gathered dust. In 1996 my wife and I moved from New York to Los Angeles. We rented a house near Larchmont Village where, one Saturday at the independent bookstore, Chevalier’s, I discovered The Life of Our Lord by Charles Dickens. I subsequently learned that Dickens, between 1846 and 1849, condensed the gospels for the first five of his ten children. He read it to them so often that they had it memorized before they learned to read. Dickens’ favorite word in the English language was “fancy.” And, as you will soon hear, Dickens embraced most of the gospel verses that Jefferson jettisoned. I now had a play to write: two great men debating whose version of the gospels is better. The first pages of these men’s fictive theological spat multiplied madly during the ensuing months. One day, while allegedly doing more research (procrastinating), I happened on this note in Stephen Mitchell’s superb The Gospel According To Jesus: “ … Tolstoy, too, compiled a gospel harmony, which he called The Gospel in Brief.” on HBO and scheduled in a way that allowed me to develop other projects. In December 2008, I found myself with three open months and re-read my play’s 151-page first draft. Every bit of Jefferson, Dickens and Tolstoy trivia had been thrown in; using the passage of time as perspective for this editing, I promptly removed most of it, focused on the Christ narrative, and distilled the page count from 151 down to 47 and increased the font size. But did I really have anything? I wanted someone to hear it who both had killer story chops and a spiritual simpatico. “But I had no strong religious affiliation to which to turn ... Post-service coffee and donuts were sacraments as sacred as any wafers or wine.” — Scott carter I called my friend, the brilliant writer, actor and comedian Garry Shandling. We were fellow Tucsonans who went to the same high school. He’d enjoyed my monologues and appeared on Politically Incorrect. We made dinner and reading plans for his house and I brought three little sticks with the heads of Jefferson, Dickens and Tolstoy to keep clear which character was talking. Garry interrupted me halfway through the stick puppet reading and gave me 23 pages of notes. We finished the play the following night with another round. I hosted reading after reading with friends and rewrote time and time again. Notes came from annotated scripts and post-reading discussions. Norman Lear, Stephen Mitchell (the translator who’d introduced me to Tolstoy’s gospel), Byron Katie (the author and Stephen’s wife), my wife, Bebe, Elaine Pagels, the Princeton Religious Studies professor who wrote The Gnostic Gospels (which you might know under its alternate title, Dan Brown’s DaVinci Code) and many others participated and I am grateful for it. After one reading, Arianna Huffington said: “We must have a performance at my house.” That December, the play was read in front of a 20-foot-high Christmas tree and 60 guests including Shirley MacLaine who, afterwards, gave me her phone number to discuss the play. We met in a dark corner of a Malibu restaurant. She ordered a bottle of red wine and, after a sip, asked, “Do you know why the star of Bethlehem hovered over the manger?” I responded that I did not. “It’s because,” she continued, “it was not a star. It was a spaceship. Let’s start there.” Then, with the world weariness of a Cassandra used to having her truth doubted, she told me that she had slept in Jefferson’s bed (in this lifetime, through a connection at Monticello). She said workers there report that his ghost roams the halls, whistling. Then she got to the purpose of our meeting: “You need a fourth character in your play … My friend Stephen Hawking believes that he is Sir Isaac Newton reincarnated. I really feel that Newton would have a lot to add to what those other three are saying.” I said, “Shirley, I appreciate you caring so much. But I’ve been working on this for 21 years. And I have to stop adding people or it will never get done.” My Cassandra looked at me, as through eyes of Fran Kubelick, of Irma La Douce, with an expression that said: Brother, you are making a big mistake. And maybe I am. But you’ll have to be the judge of that. Enjoy. PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE P5 the gospel according to thomas jefferson, charles dickens and count leo tolstoy: discord My excited first thought — adding Tolstoy to this debate — instantly gave way to an easily imaginable five more years of research to turn this duet into a trio. After the global success of War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Tolstoy suffered a Russian epic of a depression so severe that his family hid his hunting guns to avoid his suicide. He embarked on a 30-year spiritual quest, learning Greek and Hebrew to freshly translate scripture. The Gospels in Brief, unlike the work of Jefferson and Dickens, was published during Tolstoy’s lifetime — though not in Russia. His increasingly controversial works were smuggled into Switzerland and would later result in Tolstoy’s excommunication from the Russian Orthodox Church. Harmonizing this latest Tolstoy research with the other two was proving unwieldy and was going to require much more work. The Jesus narrative is hardly, “the greatest story ever told.” Yes, there’s a beginning and end but the middle is a structural mess. At the end of 1999, after producing the first 1,100 episodes of Politically Incorrect, I left to develop my play and knew I needed help. Michael Bruner, a graduate of Princeton Seminary and the University of Hamburg began to meet with me regularly over the next three years. We organized the messy muddle of Christ’s ministry into a 315 page multicolored volume. My literary agent shopped it around; no publisher was interested (at least not yet). Still, in 2005, this source material gave rise to the first draft of the play! It was universally hated. My wife hated it. My agent hated it. My lawyer hated it. And I felt guilty for wasting their time reading and so much of my time writing. I shelved it. But, please, no pity: I’ve had a long and lucrative career in televison. By then, Real Time with Bill Maher was THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE Production of Written by Scott Carter Scenic Designer Takeshi Kata Sound Designer Cricket S. Myers Production Stage Manager Maggie Swing Costume Designer Ann Closs-Farley Projection Designer Jeffrey Elias Teeter Dramaturg Amy Levinson Lighting Designer Luke Moyer Music Michael Nyman Casting Director Michael Donovan, CSA Directed by Matt August Opening Night: Wednesday, October 15, 2014 OPENIN G NI G HT SPONSOR s P6 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe (In order of appearance) Thomas Jefferson ..................................................................................................................... Larry Cedar Charles Dickens .................................................................................................................... David Melville Count Leo Tolstoy ....................................................................................................... Armin Shimerman understudies (In alphabetical order) Charles Dickens/ Count Leo Tolstoy �������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Greg Bryan Thomas Jefferson ................................................................................................................... Steve Marvel Setting A room. time Yes. running time Approximately 85 minutes There will be no intermission. Special gratitude to Kevin J. Bailey, Producing Director, and James J. Mellon, Artistic Director, of the NoHo Arts Center. Author’s Dedication: To my friends, Stephen Mitchell (with whom nothing is lost in translation) and his wife, Byron Katie (sanity’s siren). PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE P7 the gospel according to thomas jefferson, charles dickens and count leo tolstoy: discord cast of characters production biographies Larry Cedar (Thomas Jefferson) Larry Cedar recently debuted his original one-man play, Orwellian, based on the works of renowned author George Orwell, at The Hollywood Fringe Festival followed by an extended run at The Odyssey Theatre. Other plays: American Misfit (Boston Court), Lear in King Lear (produced by The Porters of Hellsgate), American Fiesta, Celadine, Billy Bishop Goes to War and Around the World in 80 Days (Colony Theatre). Musicals: Nightmare Alley (Geffen Playhouse), She Loves Me (Ovation Award — Best Featured Actor in a Musical), 1776 (Reprise!) and as Hoagy Carmichael in Hoagy, Bix and Wolfgang Beethoven Bunkhaus (Mark Taper Forum). Larry played opium addict “Leon” for three seasons on the critically acclaimed Deadwood (HBO) and starred for six seasons on PBS’s Square One TV. Other television: Community, House, Terminator, NCIS, Enterprise, Alias, The Closer, Gilmore Girls and Boston Legal. Film work includes The Crazies, Midnight Son, Towelhead, Hollywoodland, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and a starring role in the upcoming independent feature She Sings to the Stars. Please visit Larry on Facebook or go to larrycedar.com. David Melville (Charles Dickens) David Melville is co-founder of Independent Shakespeare Co. and the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival. Roles for P8 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe ISC include Hamlet, Richard II, Iago, Macbeth, Henry V, Benedick, Dr. Pinch, Feste, 8 seasons as Charles Dickens performing A Christmas Carol, a one-person Nicholas Nickleby, Charles Dickens in Discord, WH Ireland in the one man show Solemn Mockeries and Beauty Smith in the original musical Red Barn. As a composer David has written the music for most of ISC’s Shakespeare productions, Red Barn and many of the songs for Dr Pinch’s vaudeville show. London appearances include the Almeida Theatre productions of Hamlet (also Broadway) and Ivanov (both of which featured Ralph Fiennes), Mother Courage (with Glenda Jackson) and Henry VI in The Wax King (The Man in the Moon). TV and film includes: Lawrence of America; Ironclad; The Understudy and Perfection. Earlier in his career, David was a private detective and then brand ambassador for Bombay Sapphire — traveling the United States preaching the virtues of gin and discussing golf with liquor executives. David trained at the Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Armin Shimerman (Count Leo Tolstoy) Armin Shimerman is well known as Quark, on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Broadway: Three Penny Opera, St. Joan, I Remember Mama and Broadway. Selected Regional Theater: San Diego Repertory Theater: Lear’s Fool, Marius in Fugard’s Road to Mecca, Richard in Seafarer (San Diego Critics Circle Award for best actor); American Shakespeare Festival: Henry V; Indiana Repertory Theatre: Hoagy, Bix, Wolfgang Beethoven Bunkhouse; Guthrie Theatre: Three Penny Opera, Camille, Wild Oats. Selected Los Angeles Theater: Matrix Theatre: The Birthday Party (LA Drama Critics Circle Nom. Lead Performance); Odyssey Theatre: Misalliance, Juno and the Paycock (with wife, Kitty Swink), Standup Shakespeare; Mark Taper: Richard II. Associate Artistic Director at Antaeus Theater where he teaches Shakespeare, co-directed Crucible, and performed Seagull, Macbeth, many classic fests. TV: 80 different guest star roles, including Stargate, Principal Snyder on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Judge Hooper on Boston Legal, and recently CSI, Castle, Franklin and Bash. Voiceover: General Skarr, for three animated shows, many game voices, acclaimed for Dr. Nefarious in Ratchet and Clank franchise and Andrew Ryan in Bioshock. Scott Carter (Playwright) Scott Carter has served as Executive Producer for Real Time with Bill Maher since it debuted on HBO in 2003. He produced the first 1,100 episodes of Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher from its 1993 Comedy Central debut to its 1997 move to ABC. While at P.I., Carter received eight Emmy nominations and three consecutive CableAce Awards for Best Talk Series. He has served as creator, producer and/ or writer for, among others, Curb The Discussion with Susie Essman (TV Guide, 2010), Root Of All Evil With Lewis Black (Comedy Central, 2008), Earth To America (TBS, 2005), The Conspiracy Zone with Kevin Nealon (Spike, 2002-3) and Exhale with Candice Bergen (Oxygen, 2000-1). In 1997, Variety named him one of the “50 Creatives to Watch.” In 2007, he was a corecipient of the Producer’s Guild of America’s Johnny Carson Award for Real Time. A former stand up comedian, Carter has written and performed two full-length monologues, “Heavy Breathing” and “Suspension Bridge,” at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Aspen Comedy Arts Festival, The Kilkenny (Ireland) Murphy’s Cats Laugh Festival, the Cleveland Performance Festival, Dixon Place, Primary Stages, Manhattan Punchline, etc. He is former Producing Director and a founding member of The Invisible Theatre, now in its 44th season in Tucson, Arizona. Scott is represented by Joe Cohen and George Lane at Creative Artists Agency and by Nancy Rose at the firm of Schreck Rose Dapello & Adams LLP. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, interior designer Bebe Johnson, and their two daughters, Calla and Colette. Matt August (Director) Broadway: Dr. Suess’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (also all national tours, Madison Square Garden and Pantages); Broadway as Associate Director: Henry IV, Invention of Love, Imaginary Friends, Full Monty. Regional: Old Globe: Two Gentlemen of Verona, Time Flies (by David Ives) Pig Farm (coworld premiere by Greg Kotis), Food Chain; Pioneer Theatre: In the Heights, Much Ado About Nothing; Ford’s Theatre: Liberty Smith, A Christmas Carol; TheatreWorks: Baby Taj; The Acting Company (NYC): Two Gentlemen…, Merry Wives…, Staff Repertory Director; Hanger Theatre: Complete History of America Abridged, All in the Timing, Tempest; NoHo Arts Center: …Discord, Fourth Messenger (upcoming); Long Wharf: Sixteen Wounded (starring Martin Landau); LA Theatre Works: The Real Dr. Strangelove, Speech and Debate, Intelligence Slave (upcoming). He’s received fellowships and residencies from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Old Globe Theatre, Drama League, Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center, the Juilliard School, San Francisco’s Zen Center, received the Panavision New Filmmaker’s Grant and mentored upcoming directors through the SDC Observership Program and Drama League Fellowship. His productions have been recognized by the Helen Hayes, Bay Area Critics and Australia’s Helpmann Awards and appeared on year end top-ten lists in the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Oakland Tribune, SJ Mercury News and NPR/KQED. His award winning short family film How to Get to Candybar has played at festivals around the world. MFA from California Institute of the Arts. production biographies LUKE MOYER (Lighting Designer) Luke is the resident lighting designer for the NoHo Arts Center and Open at the Top, and his recent credits include Discord, One November Yankee, Red Room, Having it All Dracula (Ovation Award), Yo Ho Ho! A Pirates Christmas, East of Berlin, Departures, Pirates of Penzance, Feed, Jerusalem, Barnum, Elizabeth Rex (Ovation Award), Lizard, Bush is Bad, Bush is Bad 2, and the full staging of Angels In America. He is also the resident lighting designer for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Luke began his career at the Main Street Stage in Massachusetts where he designed PMS, Apartment 3A, Irma Vepp and Collected Stories. He has designed many shows for The Company Rep including Six Degrees of Separation, Camino Real, Split, The Comedy of Errors, The Fantasticks, The Pension Grillparzer, Season’s Greetings, Twelfth Night, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Play Strindberg. More west coast credits include Deathtrap (Ovation Award), Shooting Star, Year Zero, Grace and Glory, All Night Strut, Celadine, A Long Christmas Ride Home, Recent Tragic Events, The Intern, The Last Pitch, Generator Girl and Why’s The Dog Howlin’ Mama? Ann Closs-Farley (Costume Designer) Ann is honored to be back at the Geffen since Coney Island Christmas. Recent credits include Broadus, AnnaPurna, Stinky Cheeseman, Cunning Little Vixens, Last Act of Lilka Kadison, Carnage, Rabbit Hole, Broadway Bound, American Misfits, Eric Idle’s What About Dick?, The Pee-wee Herman Show, Disney’s Toy Story The Musical for Disney Cruise lines, Eric Idle’s An Evening Without Monty Python and Around The World in 80 Days at the lovely Cleveland Playhouse. Closs-Farley also styles and designs for The World Poker Tour, Kaiser Permanente Theatricals and Disneyland Parks and resorts. annclossfarley.com CRICKET S. MYERS (Sound Designer) Broadway: Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (Drama Desk Award, Tony Nomination). Off-Broadway: Marvelous Wonderettes. Regional: Play Dead, Wrecks, Some Girl(s), Emergency (Ovation, NAACP nomination) (Geffen Playhouse); Steward of Christendom, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Ovation nomination), Vigil, Burn This, The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Ovation nomination), Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, The Subject Was Roses (Mark Taper Forum); Twist Your Dickens (Ovation nomination), The Wake, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (Ovation nomination), The Little Dog Laughed (Ovation nomination) (Kirk Douglas Theatre); Sideways, The Nightingale (La Jolla Playhouse); Book Club Play (Arena Stage); In the Wake (Berkeley Rep); 4000 Miles, The Fantasticks, Parisian Woman, Elemeno Pea, Three Days of Rain, Trip to Bountiful (South Coast Rep); Stoneface, Above the Fold, Crowns, Orson’s Shadow (Pasadena Playhouse); Marvelous Wonderettes (Laguna Playhouse). Other selected L.A. theaters include The NoHo Arts Center, Ghost Road Theater Company, The Celebration Theater, The Colony Theatre, and Circle X. cricketsmyers.com JEFFREY ELIAS TEETER (Projection Designer) Jeffrey graduated from California Institute of the Arts and has worked on numerous world, West Coast, and New York premieres. He has designed and worked on: The Tallest Tree in the Forest and Tribes at the Mark Taper. On the Spectrum and Cyrano at the Fountain Theatre. A Guide to an Exhibitionist and Cleopatra, C.E.O. for Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre. Baby It’s You, written and directed by Floyd Mutrux at the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway. Lighting Director for Halloween Horror Nights, NBC Universal Studios Hollywood and several premieres for AMC. Brewsie & Willie, a collaboration with Center for New Performance and Poor Dog Group. All That Skate, an international ice skating show at the Staples Center. Piedra de Sol, directed by Maria Morett and presented at the Getty Villa. The Jesus Ride, Performed and written by Michael Schlitt for the New York Fringe Festival and Portland Center Stage. Kirk Douglas: Before I Forget, directed by Jeff Kanew at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Apollo, directed by Nancy Keystone and presented at Portland Center Stage. Norman’s Ark, directed by Peter Schneider at the Ford Amphitheater. Mycenaean, written and directed for Carl Hancock Rux and premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Festival. 11 Septembre 2001, directed by Robert Canterella at the National Theatre of Paris. The Mask and Can-Can at Pasadena Playhouse. A Hip Hopera, directed by Mary Lou Rossato at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Other projects include The Leading Matters and Stanford Challenge national tour. MAGGIE SWING (Production Stage Manager) Geffen Playhouse: The Country House, The Judy Show, American Buffalo. Off Broadway: Regular Singing, Sorry, Love’s Labors Lost, Sweet and Sad, Knickerbocker, Compulsion, That Hopey Changey Thing (The Public Theater), Slowgirl (Lincoln Center), Blood Knot, The Orphans’ Home Cycle (Signature Theatre Company). Regional: Bell, Book and Candle (CoProduction with Long Wharf), The Orphans’ Home Cycle, Dividing the Estate, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Christmas Carol, A Midsummer Nights Dream, The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore, The Bluest Eye, Our Town (Hartford Stage Company). AMY LEVINSON (Dramaturg) Amy is the Artistic Associate and Literary Director at the Geffen Playhouse. Dramaturgy credits include the commissions and world premieres of Donald Margulies’ Time Stands Still and Coney Island Christmas, Jane Anderson’s The Quality of Life and The Escort and Jeffrey Hatcher’s new adaptation of Wait Until Dark. Other credits include The Weir, Extraordinary Chambers, Build, Equivocation and Joan Rivers: A Work in Progress. At the Geffen she has helped to build programs for the purpose of fostering new work including the commissioning and development of plays. Also a translator of Yiddish drama, she holds an MFA in Dramaturgy from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Michael Donovan, CSA (Casting Director) Michael is the recipient of six Artios awards, given by the Casting Society of America for Outstanding Achievement in Casting. Theater credits include shows produced at the Hollywood Bowl, Pasadena Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, International City Theatre, Ebony Repertory Theatre, Laguna Playhouse, the Falcon Theatre, the Colony Theatre, The Theatre @ Boston Court, Ensemble Theatre of Santa Barbara, Arizona Theatre Company, Cleveland Playhouse, the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival and more. Michael has cast numerous independent films, over 1,200 commercials, and his TV credits include the series Blood Relatives. PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE P9 the gospel according to thomas jefferson, charles dickens and count leo tolstoy: discord Takeshi Kata (Scenic Designer) Geffen Playhouse: The Seafarer, Boston Marriage, Ruth Draper Monologues, Slowgirl and Reasons to Be Pretty. LA: November, Other Desert Cities (Taper), 2 Unrelated Plays by David Mamet, Forever (Kirk Douglas), Happy Days (Boston Court). NY: Through a Glass Darkly, Storefront Church, The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow (Atlantic Theatre Company), Adding Machine (Minetta Lane), Barrow Street Theatre, Playwright’s Horizons, Vineyard Theatre and Rattlestick. Regional: Alley, American Players Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Ford’s Theatre, Goodman, Hartford Stage, Long Wharf, Nashville Opera, Old Globe, Steppenwolf, Yale Rep. Kata has won an Obie award and has been nominated for Drama Desk, Ovation and Barrymore awards. He is an Assistant Professor at University of Southern California, School of Dramatic Arts. production biographies RANDALL ARNEY (Artistic Director) Randall Arney has been a theater professional for over 30 years and has served as Artistic Director of the Geffen Playhouse since 1999. In addition to his artistic programming and oversight at the Geffen, Arney has helmed more than 10 productions for the theater, most recently Reasons to Be Pretty, Slowgirl, American Buffalo, Superior Donuts, The Female of the Species, The Seafarer, Speedthe-Plow and All My Sons. Arney is an ensemble member and former Artistic Director of Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre where his directing credits include: Slowgirl, The Seafarer, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Death and the Maiden, Curse of the Starving Class, Killers and The Geography of Luck, among others. Arney also directed Steppenwolf’s world premiere of Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile, as well as the subsequent national and international acclaimed productions. Mr. Arney’s acting credits with Steppenwolf include Born Yesterday, Ghost in the Machine, The Homecoming, Frank’s Wild Years, You Can’t Take it with You, Fool for Love, True West, Balm in Gilead and Coyote Ugly. As the Artistic Director for Steppenwolf from 1987 to 1995, he oversaw the creation of a new stateof-the-art theater which is Steppenwolf’s current home. Broadway transfers under his leadership include The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, The P10 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe Song of Jacob Zulu (six Tony Award nominations) and The Grapes of Wrath (1990 Tony Award, Best Play). Mr. Arney has an MFA degree in Acting from Illinois State University and has taught master classes and workshops at UCLA, Steppenwolf, around the U.S. and in Tokyo. KEN NOVICE (Managing Director) Ken Novice’s career in the professional theater spans over 30 years and 300 productions. Prior to joining Geffen Playhouse, he served as Managing Director and Director of External Affairs at Pasadena Playhouse where his credits include the revival of Fences starring Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett and the world premieres of Sister Act the Musical, Ray Charles Live, Stormy Weather starring Lesley Uggams and many others. He was Director of Marketing and Public Relations for San Diego’s Tony Award-winning Old Globe Theatre where his credits include Jack O’Brien’s acclaimed revival of Damn Yankees, the Tony Awardnominated musical The Full Monty, Henry IV starring John Goodman and Sheldon Epp’s Tony-nominated hit Play On! among many others. His credits also include marketing and public relations for the Tony Award-winning Denver Center Theater Company and New York’s Circle Repertory Company. As Director of Programming for YouthStream Media Networks he developed national marketing and public relations programs for most of Hollywood’s major motion picture studios. Novice also served as Head of the Theatre Management MFA/MBA program at California State University, Long Beach and has been a guest lecturer at San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego. He holds a BA from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from San Diego State University. Novice was recently named the Secretary of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) after previously serving as a member of LORT’s Executive Committee. BEHNAZ ATAEE (General Manager) Behnaz Ataee is a financial professional with more than 27 years of experience in forprofit and nonprofit financial management and auditing. Behnaz joined the Geffen Playhouse in 1999 and this marks her ninth season as the theater’s General Manager. She began her career in the Bay Area as a partner in a small family start-up before joining FBS Management where she acted as Director of Accounting, overseeing the finances of more than 25 non-profit organizations. Behnaz continued her work with non-profits as an auditor for Trump and Van Sloten CPA and then returned to the for-profit sector at Ultratech, before ultimately landing at the Geffen Playhouse. Behnaz has a Master’s degree from Pepperdine University. REGINA MILLER (Chief Development Officer) Regina has been a development professional for over 18 years, working with non-profit institutions, foundations and corporations on strategy, analysis and fundraising. She has worked for Simon Wiesenthal Center, William J. Jefferson Clinton Foundation, Ben Affleck’s Eastern Congo Initiative, Hank Azaria’s Determined to Succeed, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Kind Campaign, Jewish Museum of Prague, among others. Prior to the Geffen, Regina served as the Director of Partnerships for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and the Inland Empire where she led strategic planning and development while executing policies that advanced the organization’s visibility and growth. Regina also has a strong passion for teaching. After graduating from University of North Carolina School of the Arts, she taught in preschools and kindergartens in New York. From the age of 13, Regina worked as a professional dancer on Broadway as well as with a number of prominent modern dance ensembles. Fusing two of her interests, she created a highly successful program which incorporated dance therapy and creative movement into an early childhood curriculum as well as wrote and produced a television show based on this concept. In addition to being a published author and photographer with Tallfellow Press and Prometheus Books, Regina has taught and lectured at numerous schools in New York, Los Angeles and abroad. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS GEFFEN AT A GLANCE ADDRESS PRODUCTION STAFF FOR the gospel according to thomas jefferson, charles dickens and count leo tolstoy: discord Geffen Playhouse 10886 Le Conte Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024 Assistant Set Designers Hyun Jin Ko and Victoria Ta Associate Projection Designer Grant Dunn Light Board Operator Ryan Tirrell Sound Board Operator Mitchell Hampton Production Assistant Leia Crawford Wardrobe Supervisor Lynne Marie Martens Stage Crew Alexandre Norkus Dialect Coach Paul Wagar Violence Designer Ned Mochel Administrative Offices.......... 310.208.6500 Weekdays.........................10:00 am — 6:00 pm ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TICKET SERVICES Set provided by Scenic Highlights Lighting Equipment provided by Entertainment Lighting Services Sound Equipment provided by Jon Sound Inc. Production Photographer Michael Lamont Media Filming Four Leaf Media Box Office Window When shows are not in performance, the box office window is open: Weekdays.........................10:00 am — 6:00 pm Weekends........................ 12:00 pm — 6:00 pm During the run of a show, the window will be open until curtain. Please note: the box office is unable to process exchanges and future sales one hour prior to curtain time on any performance day. SPECIAL THANKS UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television Scene, Prop, Sound and Costume Shops; London Cleaners; Keurig UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM AND TELEVISION The Geffen Playhouse is affiliated with the University of California at Los Angeles, specifically the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. The Geffen Playhouse values its role as an important educational resource by providing students with master classes, workshops and internships. Students are also able to work and learn from distinguished visiting Geffen artists such as Alan Ayckbourn, Jon Robin Baitz, Annette Bening, Ed Harris, David Ives, Neil LaBute, David Mamet, Donald Margulies, Terrence McNally, John Rando and Kathleen Turner in areas of directing, playwriting, acting, design, dramaturgy, management and production. The Geffen Playhouse also draws upon the distinguished experts in the university to enhance the theater’s programs and research. This theater operates under agreement between the League of Resident Theaters and Actors Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States. Box Office Phone Line........... 310.208.5454 Daily......................................7:00 am — 6:00 pm Subscriber Hotline.................. 310.208.2028 Weekdays.........................10:00 am — 6:00 pm Weekends........................ 12:00 pm — 6:00 pm Please visit geffenplayhouse.com for hours, parking and more information access ASL Accessible Accommodation The Geffen Playhouse is fully committed to ensuring a satisfying theater experience for our patrons with special needs or disabilities. Please contact the box office or an usher to discuss your needs. AT THE THEATER Late Seating Should you arrive late to the theater or vacate your seat during the performance, please expect to be held in the lobby until an appropriate pause in the action on-stage. To minimize disturbance to other patrons, you may be sat into the first available location by the house staff even if different from your assigned seat. Be advised that some productions or circumstances may not allow for late or return seating. This theater operates under agreement between the League of Resident Theaters and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, an independent national labor union. The scenic, costume, lighting and sound designers in LORT theaters are represented by United Scenic Artists Local USA-829, IATSE. PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE P11 annual donors The Geffen Playhouse recognizes the following individuals and organizations for their generous support of our Annual Fund and Backstage at the Geffen. Donors are listed at the Associate level and higher for gifts made between July 1, 2013 and August 31, 2014. In appreciation, donors enjoy a host of special benefits including house seats, complimentary drinks, receptions and much more. For more information, please call Jamie Mikelich at 310.208.6500 ext. 128. 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Sherman Shelly & Greg Sherwin Pearl Shultz Sideshow Rare & Remarkable Books, Art & Curiosities Renee & Joe Siegel Seymour & Dorothy Siegel Joan Silver Ronald & Linda Slates Stephanie Small, MFT & Constance Kaplan, MFT Evelyne & Joel Smason Diane Good & Frank Smith Diane Smith James Smith & Loreen Ayer Jennie Smith Marcia L. & Mark J. Smith Pamela Smith Bill Smitrovich Karen Smits Michael & Millie Sondermann Debra & Bruce Spector Rita Spiegel M Leslie Stearns Dr. Jay Stein & Mrs. Carol Stein Tom & Kerstin Stempel Arthur Stern Gloria Stroock Ms. Sally Stevens Susan Stockel Stanley & Dee Stone William Stringer Bonnie Sturner, PhD In Memory of Peter Silton Teresa L. Sufana Mr. Kayser Sume & Dr. Renee Sabshin Katherine Sung I.H. Sutnick Deepak Swarup Lance & Maureen Tan Phyllis & Franklin Tell Mr. & Mrs. Asadour Terterian Donna Thompson Dorothy Thornhill Jay & Courtney Tobin Brigitta Troy Laura & John Lincoln Uelmen Robin & Gary Ungar Leon & Stephanie Vahn Pia & Steve Vai Scott VanGerpen Arnold & Carol Vinstein Mandana Visi Vital Research LLC Lois Von Morganroth Carole Wagner-Vallianos & Peter Vallianos Dr. & Mrs. William Walsh Bunny & Jay Wasserman Julie & Peter Weil In Memory of Eunice Weiner Marion & Russell Weis Marsha & Steven Weiss Bruce & Marci Wiseman Marc Wishingrad Deborah Wiss Elaine & Donald Wolf Rowie & Jeffrey Wolf Jess Womack Lynn Woods Karen & Frank Wurtzel Arnold Zane Harriet Zaretsky Carol L. Zelden Lynn & Meir Ziv Dayle & Abram Zukor Sandy Zwirn Have we made an error? To report a misspelling or omission in these listings, please contact the Development Department at 310.208.6500 ext. 128 PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE P15 the gospel according to thomas jefferson, charles dickens and count leo tolstoy: discord ASSOCIATE geffen playhouse staff Randall Arney Artistic Director Ken Novice Managing Director ARTISTIC Behnaz Ataee General Manager Regina Miller Chief Development Officer MARKETING & SALES Mary Garrett Amy Levinson Phyllis Schuringa Shannon Noel Nick Johnson Artistic Manager Artistic Associate / Literary Director Artistic Associate / Casting Director Artistic Coordinator Literary Associate DEVELOPMENT Ellen Catania Director of Major Gifts & Corporate/Foundation Partnerships Jessica Brusilow Rollins Director of Education Partnerships & Donor Relations Jamie Mikelich Associate Director of Individual Giving Kristen Smith Eshaya Grants Manager & Major Gifts Executive Assistant Scott Kriloff Development Associate & Donor Database Administrator Jessie Sherman Development Assistant Ava Bogle Development Assistant Joseph Yoshitomi Director of Marketing & Communications Karen Gutierrez Director of Advertising & Sponsorships Mark San Filippo Ticket Services Director & Database Administrator Stephanie Strand Audience Services Manager Brian Dunning Graphics / Production Artist Jodi Feigenbaum Advertising & Promotions Assistant Janice Bernal Associate Box Office Manager Bryan Martin Associate Box Office Manager Korie Benavidez, Audrey Cain, Clay Dzygun, Zack Hamra, Richard Martinez, Lilach Mendelovich, Alyssa Tyson Box Office Staff COMMUNICATIONS Tim Choy, Peter Goldman, David Barber, Niki Blumberg Davidson & Choy Publicity EDUCATION FRONT OF HOUSE Jennifer Zakkai Director of Education & Community Outreach Connor White Resident Teaching Artist & Education Associate Jeni Pearsons Director of Special Events David Gerhardt Supervising House Manager Michelle Cantrell, Kevin Cernansky, Amy Farkas, Matt Jones, Roxana Meyers, Erik Odom House Managers Sevana Baghdasarian, Taylor Cerny, Vianney Cossyleon, Josiah Davis, Brett Donaldson, Dan Foote, Kari Hall, Sean Jones, Netta Lee Joseph, Brennan Kelleher, Erica Keller, Caroline Harrison Kohler, Nathaniel Meek, Keith Mitchell, Lindsay Nyman, Chase O’Donnell, Cassandra Orrantia, Luis Ruis, Jonathan Schwartz, Chelsea Smachetti Ushers Rob Mersola Bar Manager Manuel Mayorga Weekend Bar Manager Adam Carr, Brenda Davidson, Jared White, Lyndsi LaRose Bartenders ADMINISTRATION Frankie Ocasio Executive Assistant to the Managing Director Maryam Meehan Accounting and Payroll Manager Marguerite Harris Receptionist PRODUCTION Daniel Ionazzi Jill Barnes Matthew Carleton Thomas Watson Rich Gilles James Grabowski Darren Rezowalli Production Manager Associate Production Manager Technical Director Assistant Technical Director Properties Master Sound Master Master Electrician FACILITIES MANAGEMENT Miguel del Castillo Mario Santillan-Perez Juan Carlos Umaña Facility Manager Custodial Cleaning Custodial The Geffen Playhouse is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. This project was also funded in part by the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles. The Geffen Playhouse, a non-profit theater company, is proudly affiliated with the University of California at Los Angeles. P16 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe
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