FLORIDA REPERTORY THEATRE SEASON

Transcription

1 FLORIDA REPERTORY THEATRE SEASON HISTORIC ARCADE THEATRE FORT MYERS RIVER DISTRICT ROBERT CACIOPPO, PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PRESENTS STARRING ensemble member BRENDAN POWERS* and MOLLY COYNE* MATTHEW FAISON* COURTNEY FEIMAN BRIAN HATCH TAYLOR ANTHONY MILLER* NATE RITSEMA KATE YOUNG* DIRECTED BY ROBERT CACIOPPO** ensemble member SET DESIGNER DENNIS MAULDEN*** PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER AMY MASSARI* ensemble member COSTUME DESIGNER CHARLENE GROSS*** ASST. STAGE MANAGER AARON MARTIN LIGHTING DESIGNER TODD O. WREN*** ensemble member THE MOUSETRAP is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC GRAND SEASON SPONSORS SOUND DESIGNER JOHN KISELICA ASST. SOUND DESIGNER RHIAN FRANCHEBOIS The Fred & Jean Allegretti Foundation Naomi Bloom & Ron Wallace Dinah Bloomhall Alexandra Bremner Bruce & Janet Bunch Gholi & Georgia Darehshori Mary & Hugh Denison Ellie Fox David Fritz/Cruise Everything Dr. & Mrs. Mark & Lynne Gorovoy John Madden Sue & Jack Rogers Arthur Zupko This entire season sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. Florida Repertory Theatre is a fully professional non-profit LOA/LORT Theatre company on contract with the Actors Equity Association that proudly employs members of the national theatrical labor unions. *Member of Actors Equity Association. **Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. ***Member of United Scenic Artists.

2 CAST (in order of appearance) Mollie Ralston...COURTNEY FEIMAN* Giles Ralston...TAYLOR ANTHONY MILLER* Christopher Wren...NATE RITSEMA* Mrs. Boyle...KATE YOUNG* Major Metcalf...MATTHEW FAISON* Miss Casewell...MOLLY COYNE* Mr. Paravicini...BRENDAN POWERS* Detective Sergeant Trotter...BRIAN HATCH* TIME & PLACE ACT ONE Scene I: 1952, winter. The Great Hall at Monkswell Manor, outside London. Late Afternoon. Scene II: The following day after lunch. ACT TWO Ten minutes later. THE MOUSETRAP will be performed with one 15-minute intermission. The video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever is strictly prohibited. Asst. Costume Designer: Kim Griffin Wardrobe Supervisor: Pingwei Li Lighting and Sound Board Operator: Chris Patterson Understudy: Sarah Katherine Zanotti ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT AGATHA CHRISTIE is the author not only of The Mousetrap, the longest-running stage production in history, but also Witness for the Prosecution and And Then There Were None, to name but a few of her greatest stage successes. Her novels have sold more than two billion copies around the world, and she is outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Born in 1890, in Torquay, Devon, England, to an American father and English mother, she wrote her first play Black Coffee (the only play in which she chose to feature Poirot) in 1930 having been disappointed by the way The Murder of Roger Ackroyd had been adapted into Alibi in She adapted her bestselling novel And Then There Were None for stage in 1943, giving it a different ending, followed by, in quick succession, Appointment with Death (1945), Murder on the Nile (1946) and The Hollow (1951). With The Mousetrap (1952), Witness for the Prosecution (1953), and Spider s Web (1954), she became the only female playwright to have three plays running in the West End at the same time. Later plays include Towards Zero (1956) co-adapted with Gerald Verner, Verdict (1958) possibly her most unusual play, Go Back for Murder (1960), and Rule of Three (1962) a series of three one-act plays. After a hugely successful career and a wonderful life, Ms. Christie died peacefully on January 12, You can read Agatha Christie s own account of her life in An Autobiography which was published after her death in Member of Florida Repertory Theatre s Ensemble of Theatre Artists. See page 23 for the entire ensemble. *** * The Actors & Stage Manager employed in this production are members of Actors Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. **

3 MOLLY COYNE* (Miss Casewell) is thrilled to return to Florida Rep after having been a part of the Intern Class of Season 15 (Luisa in The Fantasticks). Since then, she has made Atlanta her home, working at the Alliance Theatre, Georgia Shakespeare, Georgia Ensemble Theatre, Horizon Theatre, Theatrical Outfit, and the Atlanta Lyric Theatre. She is especially glad to return to Florida Rep with her fellow intern, best friend, and love of her life, Brian Hatch, who she can t wait to marry in October of next year. Love to Mom, Dad, Nunu, Little Stink, and Toby. Proud member of AEA. MATTHEW FAISON* (Major Metcalf) grew up in Hollywood, Florida and after a stint in the Navy and college at UF and Penn State, he began appearing all over the country from the Old Globe Shakespeare Festival in San Diego to Actor s Theatre of Louisville, Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Southcoast Rep in Newport Beach, and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival where he played the title role in Hamlet. In Los Angeles he guest starred in more than 120 film and television roles ranging from M*A*S*H* to E.R. He and his wife Brenda live on a small lake in rural north central Florida where they keep track of a blended family that includes seven children and four granddaughters. COURTNEY FEIMAN (Mollie Ralston) hails from Atlanta, GA and is a graduate of High Point University with a degree in music and theatre performance. Some of her recent credits include Chesapeake Shakespeare Company s Three Musketeers and As You Like It with the Maryland Renaissance Festival. Courtney is thrilled to be back with her Florida Repertory Theatre family, where you may have seen her in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, One Slight Hitch, and Dividing the Estate back in Season 17. She would like to thank her wonderful family and friends for always supporting her and encouraging her to follow her dreams! CREATIVE TEAM BRIAN HATCH (Detective Sergeant Trotter) is delighted to return to his first theatrical home! Brian began as an acting intern during Florida Rep s 15 th season (Camping with Henry and Tom and The Little Foxes), and you may also remember him as Sergeant Cadwallader from last season s The Unexpected Guest. In the time since, he has worked in Atlanta: Synchronicity Theatre, Actor s Express, Georgia Ensemble, Horizon Theatre, Stage Door Players, Fabrefaction and High Museum. Brian has also worked for commercial clients like Zaxby s, AT&T, Mississippi State and can be seen on Adult Swim, Netflix, and Discovery Channel. Brian is overjoyed to share the stage with his fiancé, and fellow Season 15 intern, Molly Coyne. TAYLOR ANTHONY MILLER* (Giles Ralston) is excited to be making his debut at Florida Rep! NYC: Asking for Trouble 2016 (Ensemble Studio Theater), The Believers (Storm Theater, BAM; NY Innovative Theater Nom), Much Ado About Nothing (American Globe), Clean (Looking Glass). He has worked at regional theatres including Gablestage, Palm Beach Dramaworks, Peterborough Players, Allentown Shakespeare, and more! TV: Law and Order: SVU, Magic City, Law and Order, Chicago PD, Leverage, Burn Notice. Taylor enjoys making his own films, such as his Cross Streets series on YouTube and Facebook, and his short film Deal, which he wrote and produced. Thanks to Bob, Jason, the cast and crew, and his family and Rachel for the constant motivation and support. BRENDAN POWERS* (Mr. Paravicini) Select Florida Rep credits over the past eight seasons include The Cocktail Hour, A Christmas Story, The Unexpected Guest, Dividing the Estate, Around the World in 80 Days, The Fantasticks, Doubt, Opus, Boeing-Boeing, and The Glass Menagerie. He is married to fellow Florida Rep ensemble member Rachel Burttram and also serves as a Development Associate. Other credits include the Tony Award-winning play, Art, and The Big Knife, both with Alec

4 Baldwin, the Noel Coward revue, Oh, Coward! at Off-Broadway s Irish Repertory Theatre, God of Carnage, August: Osage County, Our Town, Arsenic and Old Lace, and numerous others. TV work includes FBI Agent Rick Cranston on Graceland (USA Network), and David Weller in the Netflix original series, Bloodline, starring Sissy Spacek. He can also be seen driving the big blue Cadillac in a series of national commercials for Alabama Road Trips. His cartoon captions have been winners for various contests including The New Yorker, Hartford Courant, Denver Post, Moment Magazine, Clinical Psychology, Inside Higher Ed, and the Greensboro News-Record. CREATIVE TEAM film and television credits include Houseguest, Roommates, Diabolique, Citizen Cohn, and What She Doesn t Know. A native San Franciscan now living in Chicago, Kate trained in London at LAMDA, Brown University, the University of Pittsburgh, and New England Conservatory. RHIAN FRANCHEBOIS (Asst. Sound Designer) is a first-time intern at Florida Repertory Theatre. She recently graduated from Flagler College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts. This is her first job after college, and she hopes she pleases your ears. NATE RITSEMA (Christopher Wren) is an acting intern here at Florida Rep. Originally from Leesburg, VA, Nate graduated from Christopher Newport University where he majored in Theatre, with a concentration in acting, and a minor in dance. Favorite roles include Macbeth, Pericles, and Peter Shaw in Silent Sky. He is looking forward to making great friends who love what he loves, and growing by learning from them. He s always looking to incorporate new ideas and methods into his process, and Florida Rep appears to be a great place for that. KATE YOUNG* (Mrs. Boyle) returns to Florida Rep where she was last seen as Mrs. Warwick in The Unexpected Guest and Julia in Lend Me A Tenor. Other Florida appearances include Mad Cow Theatre (Painting Churches), Miami Theatre Center (Hedda Gabler), Gulfshore Playhouse (The Importance of Being Earnest, Naples Daily News Award for Best Comedy, 2013), and freefall Theatre (Bernarda Alba, Theatre Tampa Bay Awards nominations, 2013). In Chicago she just completed a run of Shaw s Misalliance as Mrs. Tarleton with ShawChicago. Other regional credits include the Human Race Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, Milwaukee Shakespeare, Royal George, Drury Lane, Light Opera Works, Northlight, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, and Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival. Her performances have been recognized with Jefferson nominations and DayTony Awards as well as with Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Tribune Review citations. Her CHARLENE GROSS*** (Costume Designer) is thrilled to return for her second season at Florida Rep. She is currently also the Resident Costume Designer and the Production Manager for Ohio Light Opera, where she has designed over 40 productions. During the academic year, Charlene is the Resident Costume Designer for the Theatre and Dance Department of The College of Wooster. Her costume designs for theatre, dance, and opera have been seen on and off Broadway in New York City, across the country, and on the West End London stage. Theatre credits include the Cleveland Playhouse, The Sands Casino (Atlantic City), Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Royal Theatre, The Public Theater (NYC), The Ingenuity Festival, Cleveland Museum of Art and The Manhattan Theatre Club. Designs for dance include GroundWorks, Joyce SoHo, The Yard, The Juilliard School, Dance Space and Kunningham Studios. Charlene is a member of USA Local 829. JOHN KISELICA (Sound Designer) is a graduate of West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in lighting and sound design. He is the Resident Sound and Lighting Designer for Endstation Theatre Company in Central VA and acts as the Lighting and Sound Supervisor for year round consultation and project specific work. He has worked on a national tour, Buddy: the Buddy Holly Musical, as the master electrician after a contract with Royal Caribbean International as a stage technician. Commercial theatrical work includes installing Prodigy Hoists, an automated rigging system from Electronic Theatre Controls. John continues to freelance in addition to his seasonal position with Florida Rep in the professional, academic, and community theatre circles.

5 AMY MASSARI* (Production Stage Manager) is pleased to be returning for her eighth season as Florida Rep s resident stage manager and an ensemble member. Amy has been a proud member of Actor s Equity Association for the past 26 years, working in some of the country s finest regional theatres: the Alley Theatre (Houston, TX), the Dallas Theatre Center (Dallas, TX), Stage-West (Springfield, MA), the Pioneer Memorial (Salt Lake City, UT), and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival (Boulder, CO). Among her favorite Florida Rep productions are The Dingdong, Split In Three, The Fantasticks, Lend Me a Tenor, August: Osage County, Sylvia, and God of Carnage. Amy has been happily married to her husband of 20 years, Michael. Michael is a terrific partner and father to their children Jesse Cheyenne and Caleb Dakota. DENNIS MAULDEN*** (Set Designer) is delighted to be working with Florida Repertory Theatre again after having designed Twelve Angry Men last season. He has served since 1985 as the Resident Scene Designer at Flat Rock Playhouse, the State Theatre of North Carolina where he also serves as Apprentice Administrator. He has headed design programs at the University of Florida and the University of South Carolina, where he also was Departmental Director of Graduate Studies. Maulden, a scene designer since 1970, has designed in other university, community, and regional theatres as well as in New York. SPECIAL THANKS: Ohio Light Opera The College of Wooster ACTORS EQUITY ASSOCIATION (AEA) was founded in 1913 as the first of the American Actor unions. Equity s mission is to advance, promote and foster the art of theatre as an essential component of our society. Today, Equity represents more than 40,000 actors, singers, dancers and stage managers working in hundreds of theatres across the United States. Equity members are dedicated to working in the theatre as a profession, upholding the highest artistic standards. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions and provides a wide range of benefits including health and pension plans for its members. Through its agreement with Equity, this theatre has committed to the fair treatment of the actors and stage managers employed in this production. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. For more information, visit CREATIVE TEAM T I C K E T S In addition to a long list of theatre classics, he considers himself privileged to have designed many premiere productions of straight plays, musicals, and operas. He received his MFA in Design from UNC-Greensboro in 1977 and is a member of USA, NY Local #829. TODD O. WREN*** (Lighting Designer) is delighted to participate in Florida Rep s continued growth as an ensemble member. A special thanks goes to you, the audience, for your support. Todd s theatrical credits include: Goodspeed Musicals, Cleveland Playhouse, People s Light and Opera Company, The Royal Manitoba Theatre Center, Merrimack Repertory, Barter Theatre, Tennessee Repertory, John F. Kennedy Center, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Charlotte Repertory, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Town and Gown Theatre, Casa Manana, and Flat Rock Playhouse. Todd is a member of United Scenic Artists, New York Local #829. AARON MARTIN (Asst. Stage Manager) is a recent graduate of Jacksonville State University. He is very excited to be a stage management intern for Florid Repertory Theatre. Aaron will be working on the following shows for the season: Over the River and Through the Woods, The Mousetrap, Shear Madness, and Doublewide. He would like to thank his family and friends for all their support, because without them he would not be where he is today. FLORIDA PROFESSIONAL THEATRES ASSOCIATION (FPTA) is a statewide organization of professional theatre companies and theatre professionals interested in the development and promotion of professional theatre throughout Florida. Florida Repertory Theatre is a proud FPTA member theatre. THE NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK is the country s alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays. The NNPN strives to pioneer, implement, and disseminate ideas and programs that revolutionize the way theaters collaborate to support new plays and playwrights. Florida Repertory Theatre is proud to be an Associate Member of the National New Play Network. Florida Repertory Theatre is a member of THEATRE COMMUNICATIONS GROUP (TCG), the national organization for the American Theatre.

6 The Ambassadors Theatre DRAMATURGICAL NOTES THE LONGEST-RUNNING PLAY IN HISTORY! Running continuously for over 60 years, The Mousetrap has broken records in London s West End and established Agatha Christie as a playwright in the public eye. Since its debut in 1952 it has become the longest running play in the history of London s West End with the 25,000 th performance taking place on November 18, The 25,000 th performance was marked with a one-off star studded performance, introduced by Christie s grandson Mathew Prichard and featuring Patrick Stewart, Julie Walters and Miranda Hart. The performance accompanied the unveiling of the Agatha Christie memorial statue in Leicester Square which commemorated her great works and her contributions to the theatre. When The Mousetrap premiered in 1952, Winston Churchill was British prime minister, Joseph Stalin was Soviet ruler, and Dwight D. Eisenhower was president-elect. Christie, already a hugely successful English mystery novelist, originally wrote the drama for Queen Mary, wife of the late King George V. Initially called Three Blind Mice, it debuted as a 30-minute radio play on the queen s 80th birthday in Christie later extended the play and renamed it The Mousetrap a reference to the play-within-a-play performed in William Shakespeare s Hamlet. On November 25, 1952, 453 people took their seats in the Ambassadors Theatre for the London premiere of Christie s Mousetrap. Richard Attenborough and his wife, Sheila Sim, were the first stars of The Mousetrap. To Zolan Henderson and Rachel Burttram in The Mousetrap, 2002 SOURCES David S. Howard, Jason Parrish, Sara Morsey date, more than 300 actors and actresses have appeared in the roles of the eight characters. David Raven, who played Major Metcalf for 4,575 performances, is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world s most durable actor, while Nancy Seabrooke is noted as the world s most patient understudy for 6,240 performances, or 15 years, as the substitute for Mrs. Boyle. The Mousetrap is not considered Christie s best play, and a prominent stage director once declared that The Mousetrap should be abolished by an act of Parliament. Nevertheless, the show s popularity has not waned. Asked about its enduring appeal, Christie said, It is the sort of play you can take anyone to. It is not really frightening. It is not really horrible. It is not really a farce, but it has a little bit of all these things, and perhaps that satisfies a lot of different people. In 1974, after almost 9,000 shows, the play was moved to St. Martin s Theatre, where it remains today.

7 DRAMATURGICAL NOTES A LOOK AT THE WORK OF DAME AGATHA CHRISTIE ( ): Christie is the author of over 80 novels and short stories, writer of the world s longest running stage play, mastermind behind countless murders, creator of world-famous detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, and is commonly referred to as the Queen of Crime. She defined a genre of mystery writing, and followed in the footsteps of Edgar Allen Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle. An author whose works are counted as some of the most best-selling in the world behind the Bible and Shakespeare. HERCULE POIROT: Hercule Poirot is one of the most famous fictional characters of all time, and has been synonymous with waxed moustaches, and perfectionism for over ninety years. His first appearance was in Christie s first published story, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, in The character has been played onscreen by Peter Ustinov, Albert Finney, Tony Randall, Alfred Molina, and most notably by David Suchet in the PBS series that ran from 1989 to 2013 (pictured above). MISS MARPLE: Miss Jane Marple doesn t look like your average detective. Quite frankly, she doesn t look like a detective at all. But looks can be deceiving. Her first appearance in literature was in Christie s 1930 novel, Murder at the Vicarage. Miss Marple has been played on screen by Joan Hickson, Geralidine McEwan, Margaret Rutherford, Helen Hayes, and Angela Lansbury in the 1980 film, The Mirror Crack d (pictured left) a portrayal that launched Lansbury s longtime portrayal of Jessica Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote. FURTHER READING CHECK OUT THESE NEW BOOKS ABOUT AGATHA CHRISTIE AND HER WORK Agatha Christie: A Biography by Janet Horgan Using family papers and other protected material, Janet Morgan sheds light on Agatha Christie s life, work and relationships. Little Grey Cells: The Quotable Poirot Discover the man behind the moustache in this book of one-liners by the world s most famous Belgian detective, revealing the wit and wisdom of Hercule Poirot and his creator, Agatha Christie. Curtain Up - Agatha Christie: A Life in Theatre Curtain Up is the first ever book devoted to Agatha Christie s writing for the stage. It offers a revealing and witty insight into how Agatha Christie became the world s most successful female playwright. A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie Christie used poison to kill her characters more often than any other murder method, with the poison itself being a central part of the novel, and her choice of deadly substances far from random. SOURCES

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