1455845664 sex%20with%20strangers%20program issuu
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http://geffenplayhouse.com/_px/_files/1455845664_Sex%20with%20Strangers%20Program-ISSUU.pdfTRANSCRIPT
AUDREY SKIRBALL KENIS THEATER AT THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE
WELCOME TO LAURA EASON’S CAPTIVATING new play, Sex With Strangers. Friends and colleagues for many years,
Laura and I first crossed paths 25 years ago in a booming Chicago
theater community, and so welcoming her to the Geffen is certainly
my pleasure.
Infused with ideas that examine what it means to live in the modern
world, Sex With Strangers dares us to discern between public and
private personas, no small task in today’s realm of online personalities
and sound bite sum-ups of the human condition. How do two people talk
to one another when these distractions are taken out of the equation?
Real conversation plus sex and literature — what could be better?
Chicago director Kimberly Senior has assembled an incredible team
of designers, who have skillfully rendered both the rural bed and
breakfast where writers Olivia and Ethan seek escape from the noise
of their lives and the urban apartment where the two must later face
reality. Guided by Kimberly and Laura, stellar actors Rebecca Pidgeon
and Stephen Louis Grush have brought to life two writers who share a
common angst about how their work is perceived by the outside world.
As the characters muddle through a quagmire of doubt, first about
themselves, then about one another, they take us on a funny, deeply
personal journey that is recognizable to us all. In a partnership of any
kind, our audience of one can be our greatest supporter or our harshest
critic. Laura’s characters walk the line between encouragement and
ego with great delicacy and humor.
While this play promises a fun, sometimes silly, always sexy ride, it also
poses questions that we hope you will continue to contemplate during
your ride home and long after.
Enjoy the show!
Randall Arney ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P1
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WELCOME TO THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE
FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
LETTER FROM THE CO-CHAIRS BOARD OF DIRECTORSMARTHA HENDERSONCO-CHAIR
PAMELA ROBINSONCO-CHAIR
PATRICIA KIERNAN APPLEGATERANDALL ARNEYARTISTIC DIRECTOR
BETH BEHRSDR. GENE D. BLOCKKEVIN BRIGHTHAROLD A. BROWNGIL CATES JR.EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
MICHAEL CENTENOMARY ANN CLOYDMERLE DANDRIDGEDR. BRAD EDGERTONMARK FLEISCHERHERBERT M. GELFANDCHAIRMAN EMERITUS
PATRICIA L. GLASERSAM GORESADI GREENBERGARTHUR GREENBERGJOAN KALOUSTIANLORETTA EVERETT KAUFMANDR. GERALD S. LEVEYCARLA MALDENSUSAN MALLORYGINNY MANCINIBARRY MEYERSCOTT MINERDSTEVEN A. OLSENHOLLY RICELINDA BERNSTEIN RUBINTERI SCHWARTZRICHARD SHERMANFRED SPECKTORLORRAINE SPURGE CYNTHIA P. STAFFORDHOWARD TENENBAUMVICE CHAIRMAN
FOUNDING TRUSTEESKIRSTEN COMBS ROBERT A. DALYDAVID GEFFENQUINCY JONESJEFFREY KATZENBERGGLORYA KAUFMANFRANK G. MANCUSOCHAIRMAN EMERITUS
RON MEYERLESLIE MOONVESJERRY MOSSJERRY PERENCHIOBRUCE M. RAMERFOUNDING CHAIRMAN
VICTORIA MANN SIMMSANDY SPAHNSTEVEN SPIELBERGSTEVE TISCHDR. CHARLES E. YOUNGCHAIRMAN EMERITUS
IN MEMORIAMGILBERT CATESFOUNDER
MARCIA ISRAEL-CURLEYAUDREY SKIRBALL KENISCHARLES KENISKARL MALDENEDIE WASSERMAN LEW WASSERMAN
PETER ROSENLEGAL COUNSEL, LATHAM & WATKINS LLP
P2 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
MARTHA HENDERSON
PAMELA ROBINSON
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AT THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE
to kick off 2016 in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater with Sex With
Strangers, written by Laura Eason and directed by Kimberly Senior. This
provocative new work is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat!
As we dive into the new year, we invite you to save the date for our 14th
annual Backstage at the Geffen event on Saturday, May 21, 2016. Our
biggest fundraiser of the year supports our Education, Veterans and
Community Engagement programs, as well as the artistic performances
on stage. This special evening promises to keep you totally entertained,
as surprise musical performances and guest artists take the stage to
share their favorite backstage stories and hilarious behind-the-scenes
memories of life as an artist. Our guest performers have included Lady
Gaga, Samuel L. Jackson, Helen Mirren, Tom Hanks, Anjelica Huston,
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Andy Garcia, Arturo Sandoval, Steve Carell and
Jennifer Garner, just to name a few. We are delighted to share that David
Geffen has graciously agreed to be our Honorary Chair this year, and we
look forward to announcing the honorees soon.
We hope you will consider joining us on May 21 to help support Geffen
Playhouse’s critical Education, Veterans and Community Engagement
programs. We are committed to changing lives through theater,
and Backstage at the Geffen makes this possible. Be a part of this
change and join us on May 21! For more information, please contact
Regina Miller, Chief Development Officer, at 310.208.6500 ext. 112 or
We hope you enjoy the show!
Martha Henderson Pamela Robinson CO-CHAIR, GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE CO-CHAIR, GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE
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Violinist Lee England Jr. with
legend Quincy Jones
2015 host Nathan Fillion greets
storyteller Samuel L. Jackson
Storyteller Anjelica Huston
2015 honoree Elton John with Lady Gaga,
who opened the show
As of printing date February 17, 2016.
SAVE THE DATE
BACKSTAGE at the GEFFENSaturday, May 21, 2016
YOU NEVER KNOW WHO WILL TELL A STORY ...WHO WILL PERFORM ...
AND WHO WILL STEAL THE SHOW!For more information please contact Regina Miller
at 310.208.6500 ext. 112 or [email protected]
T I T L E S P O N S O R P R E S E N T I N G S P O N S O R
GEFFENPLAYHOUSE.COM/BACKSTAGE
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P4 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
IN LAURA EASON’S SMART, SAUCY PLAY, SEX WITH STRANGERS, WE ARE INTRODUCED TO TWO CHARACTERS, BOTH WRITERS BY PROFESSION. While Olivia has taken a more traditional route of
writing and selling novels, to mediocre success, Ethan
has completely embraced the world of the online
persona including a blog, a Twitter presence and
constant interaction with fans, successfully monetized.
This phenomenon, due to the combination of product
exposure and personal invisibility that online life
creates, is relatively new in our culture, but the curation
of a persona for the sake of one’s art is ages old.
Before the ease and simplicity of being able to
craft a persona behind the comfort of one’s computer
screen, there were plenty of people working to
create these alter egos in other forms. Take stand-
up comedians as a prime example of the difference
between a person and the persona they project.
What we witness on stage, or even in interviews, is,
granted, a part of who the artist is, but the attributes
they emphasize have been turned up so loud that the
person they are at their core is barely visible. Joan
Rivers’s persona was that of an insult-hurling, crass,
nasty woman who had a bone to pick with everyone.
Ask the majority of people with whom she worked
and they will tell you they’ve rarely met a more
generous, open-minded, hard-working, lovable and
loving woman. With that said, her true personality did
not suffer fools gladly, and that key part of her was
integrated and exponentially amplified in her onstage
persona. Stephen Colbert is another example of the
person versus the persona. The character of “Stephen
Colbert” on The Colbert Report had a political agenda
completely at odds with Colbert’s own. He used this
enormously conservative persona to comic purpose
— so effectively that many actually believed that the
persona he created in fact held his political views. In
an interview in which he spoke as himself and not as
his TV personality, he stated that he didn’t allow his
children to watch his show because he never wanted
them to see him being so entirely insincere.
THE PERSON IN PERSONACURATING IDENTITY IN THE DIGITAL AGEBY AMY LEVINSON
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P5
THE PERSON IN PERSONA
There are those too, in our popular culture, who are
famous solely for their personas. Society’s obsession
with the Kardashians or Hiltons, famous for being
famous, is further proof that we often fail to separate
the people from their personas and this can make for
challenging interpersonal relationships — a theme
Eason explores in Sex With Strangers to great interest.
With the internet playing such an important role
in all of our lives, this idea of creating a version of
one’s self for public consumption has been taken to
new heights. Using Eason’s play as inspiration, let us
consider the world of online dating. The first thing
one is asked to do when entering into the fray of
connections made via computer (and I choose the
word “fray” carefully — it’s a minefield out there) is
create a profile. While you are ostensibly being asked
to talk about yourself, in the “creation of a profile”
there is an automatic response to lean into the best
version of one’s self. Unlike a job interview, where
we certainly bring our personality A game to the
table, in these online profiles, we can be whomever
we wish. And this is not lying, per se. It is akin to the
persona of the comedian, but instead of turning up
negative attributes for the sake of humor, we focus
on the positive. And presumably we’re going to ‘sell’
our best selves when creating an online profile, but
this is often taken to extremes as people strive to
get noticed in a sea of competition for attention.
Interestingly, what often emerges is a sense of the
generic. Time and again, in reading online profiles
(which, of course, I did purely for research purposes
for this article), one is struck by the similarity in
descriptions, as people put forth what they assume
others will find attractive. Recurring themes include
“sense of adventure, well-travelled, strong sense of
self, successful and romantic.” No one focuses on
their desire to binge watch Netflix in yoga pants
and order in. Not unlike the job interview, where,
when we are asked what our biggest weakness is,
we don’t admit our propensity for procrastination
or our ongoing need to beat everyone we know in
online Scrabble (again, purely for research). We talk
about our perfectionism being our greatest downfall.
But what can’t be hidden in an interview — how well
spoken one is, knowledge about one’s field (or lack
thereof), social aptitude, etc. — is writ large in that
first meeting. Online, one can pretend to be all of
those things. The “confident, hard-working, sensitive
person” you read about in a profile may in fact be
an “arrogant, career-obsessed person with anger
management issues.” It’s all online spin.
Of course, many of these profile “facts” are easily
sorted upon a first meeting. And this is just where
Eason’s play begins. By choosing for the internet to be
down when the first meeting between Ethan and Olivia
occurs, Eason immediately creates a scenario where
two strangers have no choice but to deal with one
another face to face, without electronic interruption or
online fact-finding. Ethan, who has had great success
with an online persona (a magnified, exaggerated
version of himself), is introduced to us and to Olivia as
the person, and not until Act II are we exposed to the
online persona. As the play progresses, we and Olivia
are confronted by the differences between the two.
Apart from how these two sides of Ethan’s
character impact the interpersonal aspects of this
play, there is much focus on the selling of one’s
self professionally and the spin required to make
headway in an over-saturated market. Art, whether it
be visual, literary or performance, needs to cultivate
an audience and also falls prey to the pitfalls of mass
media online. When we turn on our computers and
log on anywhere, our “likes” lead us into a maze of
advertising catered directly to our online habits.
Inevitably, art becomes something that can be mass
marketed according to the likes and dislikes of
consumers. An algorithm finds an audience for art
and vice versa. Therein lies a similar problem to how
an online profile becomes watered down to hold the
most appeal for the largest audience. The algorithm
can only pull out the most generic attributes of what
we read, listen to or attend. As Olivia strives to write
something that separates her from the masses, Ethan
wants her to focus on what makes her work saleable
to the greatest number of readers, and often these
elements are diametrically opposed.
Sex With Strangers navigates between the personal
and the professional lives of these two characters
by making them inextricably linked and, in doing so,
makes each side of their lives a metaphor for the other.
In Eason’s play — indeed, as in our own lives — it is
an inarguable fact that we are slaves to our obsession
with the online world. We have had to employ the term
“unplugging” to define turning off our electronics and
paying attention to the people in the room. But on- and
offline, we seek the same thing. Eason understands
our fundamental need as humans to be seen and
recognized in our work, in our art and in our lives. And
this deep recognition never comes in regards to the
persona, which is only click-bait; it comes in seeing the
person across from us.
P6 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
OPENING N IGHT SPONSORS
Opening Night: Wednesday, March 9, 2016
THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE PRODUCTION OF
Directed by Kimberly Senior
Scenic Designer Sibyl Wickersheimer
Costume Designer Elisa Benzoni
Sound Designer Cricket S. Myers
Lighting Designer Josh Epstein
Written by Laura Eason
Production Stage Manager Julie Haber
Casting Director Phyllis Schuringa, CSA
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS CIRCLE MEMBERS
Laurie & Bill Benenson • Martha Henderson • Pamela Robinson Hollander & Robert Hollander Loretta Everett Kaufman & Victor Kaufman • Jason & Yvonne Lee • Gail & Andrew Roth
Linda Bernstein Rubin & Tony Rubin • Miranda & Brett Tollman
New York Premiere produced by Second Stage Theatre, New York, 2014
Carole Rothman, Artistic Director
“SEX WITH STRANGERS” was developed through Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s
New Play Initiative, was presented as part of its First Look Festival of New Work and
the world premiere was produced by Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago, IL;
Martha Lavey, Artistic Director and David Hawkanson, Executive Director
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P7
CAST OF CHARACTERS(In alphabetical order)
Ethan .................................................................................................................................. Stephen Louis Grush
Olivia ......................................................................................................................................... Rebecca Pidgeon
SETTING ACT I: A bed and breakfast in rural Michigan
ACT II: Olivia’s apartment in Chicago
RUNNING TIME Approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes There will one 15 minute intermission.
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PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES
STEPHEN LOUIS GRUSH
(Ethan)
Stephen Louis Grush makes his Geffen Playhouse debut. Recent theater credits include: Airline Highway, The March, Sex With Strangers, The Tempest, Dublin Carol, Good Boys and True and Last of the Boys (Steppenwolf Theater Company); he was also commissioned to write and direct Adore as a part of Steppenwolf’s initial Garage Rep Series in 2009. Other recent Chicago credits include: The Seagull, A True History of the Johnstown Flood, Oedipus Complex and Pericles (Goodman Theatre); Cymbeline, Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); True West (American Theater Company); and Topdog/Underdog (Congo Square). Recent television credits include: Longmire, Gracepoint, Lucky 7, The Mob Doctor, Powers, Cooper and Stone, Detroit 187, The Chicago Code and Starting Under. Recent film credits include: The Free World, Catch Hell, Return to Sender, At Any Price, The Express, Left Alone, Nightlights, Dead Girl, Attrition, Lac Du Flambeau and Lifeguard.
REBECCA PIDGEON (Olivia)
Rebecca Pidgeon has starred in the films: The Spanish Prisoner, The Winslow Boy, State and Main, Heist, Red, Two Bit Waltz and most recently played a role in The Divergent Series: Allegiant. Her television credits include Phil Spector for HBO and Jesse Stone: Sea Change for CBS. She had recurring roles on the hit series The Unit for CBS and The Shield for FX and played a regular role on In Justice for ABC. She starred in Uncle Vanya for the BBC, and in Samuel Beckett’s Catastrophe opposite Sir John Gielgud and Harold Pinter for Channel 4. Pidgeon played “Deeny” in The Old Neighborhood on Broadway and “Claire” in Boston Marriage at the Geffen Playhouse. She originated the role of “Carol” in Oleanna Off-Broadway, which had its world premiere at the Orpheum Theatre. As a member of The Royal National Theatre in London, she starred in its productions of Speed-the-Plow and The Changeling. She is a member of the Atlantic Theater Company and is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. In addition to her career as an actress, Pidgeon is a singer/songwriter whose album Slingshot was nominated for a Grammy award. Her latest album is Bad Poetry.
LAURA EASON
(Playwright)
Laura Eason is a screenwriter, playwright of both original work and adaptation, and a musical book writer. As a screenwriter, she recently finished her third season on the Emmy-nominated Netflix drama, House of Cards (WGA nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series), sold a drama pilot to 20th Century Fox TV/FOX network, executive produced by Danny Strong, and is writing a feature film for Sarah Jessica Parker’s company, Pretty Matches. Her more than twenty produced plays include Sex With Strangers (Second Stage Theatre, NYC; Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago; Sydney Theatre, Australia; Blackwing Productions, Buenos Aires, Argentina; fifteen productions in 2015–2016 including the US, UK, Spain and Australia) and Around The World In 80 Days (recently at the St. James, London, world premiere at Lookingglass Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, KC Rep., also New Vic and Royal Exchange Theaters, UK). Her musical Days Like Today, music and lyrics by Alan Schmuckler, has its world premiere at Writers Theatre, Chicago. Laura is a long-time Ensemble Member of Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago, recipient of the 2011 Regional Theatre Tony Award, and served as the company’s Artistic Director for six years. In New York, she is a member of Rising Phoenix Rep, New Georges and an alumna of the Women’s Project Playwright’s Lab. Laura is a proud graduate of Northwestern University. Born and raised
in Chicago, she now lives in Brooklyn, NY with her family. Information and updates at lauraeason.com and @LeasonNYC.
KIMBERLY SENIOR
(Director)
Kimberly directed the Broadway premiere of Disgraced, which she previously directed Off-Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater. Her other Off-Broadway credits include The Who & The What (Lincoln Center Theater). Her regional credits include Disgraced (Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre), The Who & The What (La Jolla Playhouse), Little Gem (City Theatre); Murder on the Nile and A Few Good Men (Peninsula Players); and Mauritius (Theatre Squared, Fayetteville, AR). Her many Chicago credits include Disgraced and Rapture, Blister, Burn (Goodman Theatre); Marjorie Prime, The Diary of Anne Frank, Hedda Gabler, and The Letters (Writers Theatre); 4000 Miles and The Whipping Man (Northlight Theatre); Want and The North Plan (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Inana, My Name is Asher Lev, and Dolly West’s Kitchen (TimeLine Theatre); Disgraced (American Theater Company); The Great God Pan, After the Revolution, Madagascar, The Overwhelming, and The Busy World Is Hushed (Next Theatre); The Cripple of Inishmaan, Bug, The Pillowman (Redtwist Theatre); Old Times, Uncle Vanya, Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters (Strawdog Theatre Company); Thieves Like Us (The House Theatre of Chicago); and Waiting for Lefty (American Blues),
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P9
among others. Senior is the Founder of Collaboraction, a resident director at Writers Theatre, and an Associate Artist at TimeLine Theatre Company. Senior was named the 2012 Best Director in Chicago by Chicago Magazine. She has been nominated for several Joseph Jefferson Awards and Citations, was a finalist for both SDC’s Zelda Fichandler and Joe A Callaway Awards and is the recipient of the 2010 Excellence in Teaching Award from Columbia College. Senior lives in Evanston with her two children, Noah and Delaney, and is a proud member of SDC. kimberlysenior.net
SIBYL WICKERSHEIMER
(Scenic Designer)
Sibyl’s regional set design credits include productions at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Portland Playhouse, Berkeley Rep, Arizona Theatre Company, The Kirk Douglas Theatre, Geffen Playhouse and South Coast Rep. In Los Angeles, Sibyl has designed for numerous companies, including 10 productions at The Actors’ Gang of which 1984 and The Trial of the Catonsville 9 have toured to five continents. Outside of the traditional theater space, her art installations and sculpture have been exhibited in galleries throughout Southern California. Sibyl’s set design for The Unfortunates at OSF was recently displayed at the Prague Quadrennial for Performance Design and Space, and will be exhibited at the 2016 USITT conference in Salt Lake City. Sibyl is also
an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California in the School of Dramatic Arts.
ELISA BENZONI
(Costume Designer)
Elisa is an Italian born costume designer working in LA and San Diego. She is currently the resident costume designer for North Coast Repertory Theatre. Select Credits include: The Who and The What, Our Town; Tall Girls; Brahaman/I; Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir (La Jolla Playhouse); Pericles, Reckless, Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure (Old Globe/USD); Snakeskin, Lifeblood Harmony, Chagall; A Man Found Wanting (Malashock Dance); The Storm; The Threepenny Opera; A Man, His Wife, and His Hat (UCSD). Assistant costume credits: Dialogues des Carmelites (Teatro Petruzzelli, Bari), Paradise Found (Menier Chocolate Factory, London), Milk Like Sugar (La Jolla Playhouse), As You Like It, Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Old Globe). Elisa holds a costume design MFA from UCSD where she is now an adjunct lecturer. www.elisabenzoni.com
JOSH EPSTEIN
(Lighting Designer)
Josh has designed lighting for many of the top regional theaters in the country including: the Mark Taper Forum, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, The Guthrie, The Goodman, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Trinity Repertory Company, Baltimore Center Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Alliance Theater, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Playmakers Repertory and
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. He has served as a lecturer at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television since 2014. Josh received his MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He is a recipient of the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Designers and a Member of the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference Artistic Council. Josh lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three daughters. www.joshepsteindesign.com.
CRICKET S. MYERS
(Sound Designer)
On Broadway, Cricket earned a Tony Nomination and a Drama Desk Award for her design of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. Off Broadway designs include The Marvelous Wonderettes. She has also designed regionally at Geffen Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, The Ahmanson, The Mark Taper Forum, Berkley Rep, Arena Stage, South Coast Rep, The Kirk Douglas Theatre and Pasadena Playhouse. Other selected L.A. designs include NoHo Arts Center, The Rubicon, Ghost Road Theater Company, The Celebration Theater, and Circle X. She has earned 18 Ovation Nominations, as well as winning The Kinetic Award for Outstanding Achievements in Theatrical Design, an LADCC and a Garland Award. www.cricketsmyers.com
JULIE HABER
(Production Stage Manager)
Julie is delighted to be working again with director Kimberly Senior, with whom she just completed a Berkeley Rep/Seattle Rep co-production of Disgraced, by Ayad Akhtar. She has
stage managed at many regional theaters around the country, including Pasadena Playhouse (A Song at Twilight), as well as Magic Theatre in San Francisco and four summer seasons at Santa Cruz Shakespeare (formerly Shakespeare Santa Cruz). She served as Administrative Stage Manager at American Conservatory Theater for three seasons and as Company Stage Manager at South Coast Rep for 20 seasons. She enjoys working on children’s theater at MainStreet Theater Company in Rancho Cucamonga. Julie received her MFA from Yale School of Drama, has taught stage management at UC Irvine, UC San Diego, Cal Arts and Yale and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity.
PHYLLIS SCHURINGA, CSA
(Casting) Phyllis has been the casting director at Geffen Playhouse for 12 years and now is also the Artistic Associate. Recent plays at the Geffen include Barcelona; Bad Jews; The Night Alive; Switzerland; The Country House; Wait Until Dark and American Buffalo. Before joining the team at the Geffen, she was the casting director for Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago where her favorites include Frank Galati’s adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath (also La Jolla Playhouse, National Theatre in London, and Broadway, where it received the Tony Award for Best Play), the original production of Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile (and subsequent productions including Westwood Playhouse and Briar Street Theater in Chicago), Austin
PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES
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Pendleton’s Orson’s Shadow and Charles L. Mee’s Time to Burn. Broadway transfers include One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Tony Award for Best Revival) and The Song of Jacob Zulu. She teaches auditioning at Steppenwolf West and is a member of the Casting Society of America.
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 Outside Mullingar, The Night Alive, Reasons to Be Pretty, Slowgirl, American Buffalo, Superior Donuts, The Female of the Species, The Seafarer, Speed-the-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 state-of-the-art theater which is Steppenwolf’s current home. Broadway transfers under his leadership include The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, The 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.
GIL CATES, JR.
(Executive Director)
Gil Cates, Jr. has proudly served on the Geffen Playhouse Board since 2012 and has years of producing and directing experience in theater, film and television. Gil’s theater credits include the award-winning Names (Matrix Theatre) starring Dixie Carter and Greg Mullavey, The Night I Knocked Out Joe Frazer and Lost 90 Pounds (Gardner Stage Theater), as well as Three Sisters and David Mamet’s A Life in the
Theatre (both at Syracuse Stage). Gil’s film credits include The Surface (starring Sean Astin and Geffen Playhouse alumnus Chris Mulkey), Jobs (starring Ashton Kutcher, Josh Gad, Dermot Mulroney, as well as Geffen Playhouse alumni Matthew Modine and Ron Eldard) and the 2011 feature film Lucky (starring Colin Hanks, Ari Graynor, Ann-Margret and recent Golden Globe winner Jeffrey Tambor). In addition, Gil produced and directed the critically acclaimed Life After Tomorrow, featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, which won best documentary at the Phoenix Film Festival and later had its premiere Christmas Eve on Showtime. His other films include Deal (starring Burt Reynolds, Bret Harrison and Charles Durning), The Mesmerist (starring Geffen Playhouse alumnus Neil Patrick Harris), and the critically acclaimed independent film Order of Chaos. Gil also made his TV directorial debut with an episode of the NBC comedy, Joey, starring Emmy winner Matt LeBlanc. He studied at the National Theatre Institute in Waterford, Connecticut, and holds a BFA in Drama from Syracuse University in 1991.
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, The Clinton Foundation, Ben Affleck’s Eastern Congo Initiative, Hank Azaria’s Determined to Succeed, Charlize Theron's Africa Outreach Project, Water.org, Codenow.org 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.
PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES
PRODUCTION STAFF FOR SEX WITH STRANGERS
Assistant Director Kristen Osborn
Assistant Set Designer Yuri Okahana and Dreem Qin
Assistant Lighting Designer Ning Ji
Wardrobe Supervisor Kit Peterson
Sound Board Operator Michael Gunderson
Production Assistant Marissa Putnick
Stage Crew Alex Norkus
Properties Artisan Cami Viand
Properties Artisan Devin Lennon-Davey
Properties Artisan Lilian Bartenstein
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Set provided by Scenic Highlights
Lighting Equipment provided by 4Wall Entertainment Lighting
Sound Equipment provided by Jon Sound Inc.
Production Photographer Michael Lamont
Media Filming Four Leaf Media
SPECIAL THANKS
UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television Scene, Prop, Sound and Costume Shops; London Cleaners
UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM AND TELEVISION
Geffen Playhouse is affiliated with the University of California at Los Angeles,
specifically the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. 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. Geffen Playhouse also draws upon the distinguished experts in the
university to enhance the theater’s programs and research.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS GEFFEN AT A GLANCE
ADDRESS
Geffen Playhouse10886 Le Conte Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024
Administrative Offices ... 310.208.6500
Mon – Fri ................. 10:00 am — 6:00 pm
Box Office Phone Line ... 310.208.5454
Daily ........................... 7:00 am —6:00 pm
Subscriber Hotline .......... 310.208.2028
Mon – Fri ................. 10:00 am — 6:00 pm
Sat & Sun ................ 12:00 pm — 6:00 pm
Please visit geffenplayhouse.com for
hours, parking and more information
TICKET SERVICES
BOX OFFICE WINDOWWhen shows are not in performance,
the box office window is open:
Mon – Fri ................. 10:00 am — 6:00 pm
Sat & Sun ................ 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.
ACCESS
ACCESSIBLEACCOMMODATIONGeffen 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 SEATINGShould 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 seated in 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.
ASL
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P11
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.
The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
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.
P12 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
ANNUAL DONORS
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 December 1, 2014 and February 1, 2016.
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.
CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE$50,000+
AnonymousAudi of America, IncBen/Joyce Eisenberg FoundationMrs. Carol K. Block & Chancellor Gene D. BlockClaudia & Kevin BrightCity National BankElizabeth Lacey & Gilbert Cates, Jr.Mary Ann CloydDavid Geffen FoundationEdgerton FoundationThe Edward A. & Ai O. Shay Family FoundationJoyce Eisenberg-Keefer & Melvin KeeferHerbert M. & Beverly J. GelfandIn Memory of Alice Ghostley & Felice OrlandiSam GoresThe Adi & Jerry Greenberg FoundationGuggenheim Partners Investment
Management Holdings, LLCCarole & Bill HaberHarold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable TrustMartha HendersonRabbi Uri D. Herscher & Dr. Myrna HerscherCindy & Alan HornHSBC Private Bank USAMarilyn & Jeffrey KatzenbergGlorya KaufmanLoretta Everett Kaufman & Victor KaufmanKenneth T. & Eileen L. Norris FoundationKeyes Automotive GroupRobert K. KraftSandra Krause & William FitzgeraldL&N Andreas FoundationLatham & Watkins LLPThe Lauder FoundationMr. and Mrs. Jason & Yvonne LeeSusan & David LevetonGeorge Lucas Family FoundationGinny ManciniFay & Frank MancusoJohn McCrite & Juan LopezDonna McKenna & Flynn ChernosKelly & Ron MeyerScott MinerdAnn & Jerry MossMoss FoundationParadigm Talent AgencyRalph M. Parsons FoundationPricewaterhouseCoopersMadeline & Bruce Ramer
Pamela Robinson Hollander & Robert HollanderLinda Bernstein Rubin & Tony RubinRichard & Barbara ShermanShubert FoundationSkirball FoundationKaren & Vic SmithCynthia P. StaffordJodi & Howard TenenbaumUCLAThe Walt Disney CompanyKen Willner & Jim StineElaine Wynn Family FoundationJudy & Chancellor Charles E. YoungDirk & Natasha Ziff
ARTISTIC CIRCLE $25,000 - $49,999
AnonymousKatie McGrath & J.J. AbramsAegon Transamerica FoundationPatricia Kiernan ApplegateAria Resort & SpaAriel InvestmentsRobert C. BaralStephanie & Jonathan CarsonValarie De La Garza & Michael CentenoCenterStagingKathy & Mitch ClarkClassic Party RentalsClay Lacy AviationDreamWorks AnimationDwight Stuart Youth FundFox Entertainment GroupCarol & Paul FrimmerGang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown, Inc.Jim & Ann GianopulosGoldman SachsAndy & Carlo Brandon-GordonGreater Los Angeles New Car Dealers AssociationMellody HobsonThe Lear Family FoundationLos Angeles County Arts CommissionLos Angeles magazineMarcia Israel Foundation, Inc.Sandra E. MilkenNapa Valley GrilleHolly RiceJudith & Bruce SternShel & Cynthia StoneWarner Bros. EntertainmentSamantha & John WilliamsAnthony P. Zinge
PRODUCER $10,000 - $24,999
AnonymousBeth BehrsCharles A. Black, Jr.Board of Supervisors County of Los AngelesHeather Thomas & Skip BrittenhamBrotman Foundation of CaliforniaAmanda Brown & Justin ChangEileen & Harold BrownBulgari Corporation of AmericaRoma Downey & Mark BurnettThe Capital Group Companies Charitable
FoundationThe ChatwalCity of Los Angeles Department of Cultural AffairsCarole Bayer Sager & Robert A. DalyEdward AvedisDr. & Mrs. Paul EisenbergSusan & Mark FleischerThe Friedman GroupSarinda & Gian FulgoniGagosian Gallery, IncDr. Hilary GarlandGhurkaThe Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert FoundationPatty Glaser & Sam MudieManuela & James GorenArthur GreenbergC. Curtis GrishamIn Memory of Morris A. HazanHBOSamantha & Eric HeerHilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & SpaStanley Iezman & Nancy StarkVicki Iovine & David CoiroJoseph Drown FoundationJoan KaloustianFred LatskoJanine & Peter LowyCarla MaldenMona MaldenMalibu Family WinesSusan & Peter MalloryNancy & Michael McClellandWendy & Barry MeyerMOCA FoundationMarcia & Brett MolotskyLeslie Moonves & Julie ChenMorgan StanleyJames L. Nederlander
& Margo MacNabb NederlanderNorthern Trust, NALaurie MacDonald & Walter ParkesPopland StudiosJudith Reichman, MDGail & Andrew Roth
ANNUAL DONORS
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Richard Ruskell PastriesThe Richenthal FoundationRonen Levy EventsLoren Rothschild
& Hon. Frances RothschildThe Simms/Mann Family FoundationFred Specktor & Nancy HellerSugarfishSteve TischMiranda & Brett TollmanU.S. BankUnion BankWell Done CateringWestfield GroupWilliam Morris
Endeavor EntertainmentLinda YellinRuth ZieglerRichard & Mae Ziman
DIRECTOR $5,000 - $9,999
AnonymousJehan F. Agrama & Dwora FriedAMCAmgen FoundationHilary & Jack Angelo The Alec Baldwin FoundationAVIDThe Baxter International FoundationRuth & Jake BloomAnnette BlumMara & Jonathan BlumThe Eli & Edythe L. Broad FoundationGlenn & Lynn Cardoso Marcy CarseyComcast | NBC UniversalMerle DandridgeDebra DavisDream Warrior GroupFielding Edlow & Larry ClarkeJo & Larry FeldmanLawrence N. FieldEric Flamholtz & Yvonne RandleSusan & Eric FleishmanFour Seasons Resort Maui at WaileaKiki & David GindlerPriscila GiraldoGloria & Peter GoldGrand Wailea,
a Waldorf Astoria ResortLeo S. Guthman FundBucky Hazan, Teles PropertiesGail & Stanley HollanderBernice & Wendell JeffreyYvonne & Damien JordanMarvin Jubas & Janet WaldMannon KaplanSally & Dr. Manny J. KarbelnigJulie & David KavnerWendy KurtzmanLa ValenciaAlan & Cindra Ladd
Eileen & Kase LawalDrs. Gerald & Barbara LeveyPadma & Rao MakineniMerle & Jerry MeaserJudy Zaban Miller & Lester MillerKate Moran & Mikki RosenbergLiza & Conan O’BrienChristine Marie OfieshMo OstinPure CheesecakesKay & Bob RehmeJoyce ReyJane Rissman & Richard SondheimerHoward RoseRikki RosenThomas L. SafranSheri SalataHon. Nicole A. Avant & Ted SarandosJudi & Bruce SchindlerJody & Arthur SchmidKen & Carol Schultz FoundationSteve & Paula Mae SchwartzHelen & Martin ScorseseSidley Austin LLPThe Simon-Strauss FoundationSinger Family FoundationSondheimer FoundationLorraine Spurge & Patrick MitchellSusan & Don StarrArnold StiefelEric StonestreetTanino RistoranteTanzy RestaurantBarbara & Larry TenanLynda ThomasThomas Safran & AssociatesJanet & Michael SchwartzMichael & Glenda ShawTheatre Communications GroupKaren Zoller, MD & David Tillman, MDThe Travel CorporationAlice & Norman TulchinJennifer von SchneidauDeborah & Michael E. WalshWest LA PokerRita Wilson & Tom HanksKaren & Rick WolfenPaula Wolff, Ph.D.
& Wayne W. WhalenJennifer Young & Katrina NasonGail ZappaLeslie & Robert ZemeckisRuth & Stan ZicklinIn Loving Memory of Herman ZieglerEllen & Ken ZiffrenZiffren Brittenham LLP
SPONSOR$3,000 – $4,999
Janis Adams & John LyonsPat & Sandy AdamsShelly & Libby BergenSusan Booth & Christopher WaddenVan Boyd
Robert Brook & Jacqueline KosecoffDr. Fanya Carter, PhDScott, Susan & Joshua CorwinMica ErtegunStephen Sass & Steven HochstadtDora & Neil KadishaBarbara & Ronnie KahnThea & Neal KossRenee & Meyer LuskinVicki Fisher MagasinnSherry MartinRio & Frank MorseBenedicta & Geoffry OblathJudi & Tim RitchieMaria Rodriguez & Victoria BullockSue RosenwasserLori & David RoussoJudy & Mike SapirLeigh SilvertonAllen Blue & Kira SnyderKaren & William TimberlakeVernon, Barry & Dale Tyerman
In Honor of Ruth Tyerman LentzUniworld River Cruises IncThe Waterman Family FoundationLeslie White & Al LimonLynn & Mark WilliamsPatricia Youngman
PARTNER$1,500 - $2,999
Anonymous (3)Miriam AguiarOlga S. AldersonMargaret & Howard ArveyAversano Family TrustRobert E. & Maria H. BarronRichard Bautzer & David McDowellPatricia & Mark BenjaminMartin BloomDebra CapposPat & Bill ChinDarcy ChristalLaurel & Aaron ClarkLinda & John ColemanDavid Conney, M.D.Shelley Wike CranleyPam DawberSusan & Jonathan DolgenVictoria DummerRobert & Sonia FreedmanHelen & Arthur GeoffrionKitzia & Richard GoodmanThe Guerin FoundationAlan & Michelle HeilpernMel & Faith HenkinIn Honor of DevelopmentRoger & Linda HowardNancy & Len JacobyCarrie JohnsonManny KlausnerKatherine KleindienstJanis B. McEldowneyCarol & Alan Ostroff
Cheryl PetersenLisa PierozziTara & Robert PietriHerbert & Marilyn PikenLindy RobbinsSonny & Cynthia RodriguezWil RosserSusan Schwarz BertonJackie & Charles SchwartzDominique SheltonRita & Jose SigalSnyder Family FoundationBruce & Patti SpringsteenMitch & Sherry SteinLisa StonichAudri & Stan TendlerPaul TetreaultDaniel TongbaiSusan & Peter Van HaftenRoberta WeintraubGelena & Seth WeissmanCherie WrigleyBarbara & Stanley ZaxMarcie & Howard ZelikowEllen & Arnold ZetcherDavid Zuckerman
& Ellie Kanner-Zuckerman
EDUCATION ADVOCATE $1,000 - $1,499
Anonymous (3)Harry & Gay Abrams/Abrams
Artists AgencyDr. Richard Ackerman
& Miriam ShakterLaura & Harvey Alpert
Charitable FoundationMerryl & David A. AlpertBonnie & Bill ApfelbaumAudioQuestRuss, August & KabatCarol Ann & D.C. BakemanRichard & Shelley BayerJerry BeckmanSusan & Eric M. BenderPeter & Barbara BenedekPaula & Bruce BennettWendy & John BergquistJohn Bjorge & Mary McKelveyJoe Blackstone & Jamie MohnThe Bordy & Leibovic FamiliesBrenda & Alan BorsteinDr. Wallace P. BrithineeWendy & David BrotmanThe Busch-Schifino FamilyChancellor Albert Carnesale
& Mrs. Robin CarnesaleScott Carter & Bebe JohnsonDavid Cates & Christine VavakJane CatesJonathan & Elena CatesMelissa Cates & Roger ClamanSteven Cerasale
& Mary Katherine Cocharo
P14 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
ANNUAL DONORS
Martha ChaseSachiko T. Cochran MD& Joseph T. ArakiJanine CristianoRuth DaughertyDeluscious CookiesCarolyn Dirks/Brett DoughertyDennis & Jeralyn DotyJan & Thea DrayerGerald & Sally DucotWilliam DuncanMarilyn P. DunnDr. & Mrs. William M DuxlerColleen M. EllisTerri & David ElstonThe English Language CenterCarl & Courtenay EnrightCarol & J.B. EsterkinMichael & Lynne FeldmanDonnovan FieldBarbara FodorSteve FreedmanBen & Susan FriedmanG2 Graphic Service, Inc.Pat & Sandy GageJeanne & Arnold GeffnerDiane & Bruce GewertzThe Gibbs FamilyCharlotte GoldDr. Irene GoldenbergMarion GoldenfeldHelene GordonAdrienne Grant & Paul JenningsJack Grossbart & Marc SchwartzSunny & Alvin GrossblattMichael GrunwaldDeidre HallMonty & Marilyn HallSalli HarrisMichael Parks & Judith HaywardMurray & Gail HeltzerLynda Klein & Neal HershDavid Coleman
& Jean Himmelstein ColemanDr. John D. Hofbauer & Dr. Laura E. FoxTamara Horwich & Gerry LipshutzToni HoytLynn Hunt & Margaret JacobNancy & Len JacobyLinda JangerJoseph B. Gould FoundationLinda & David KagelJoyce & Don KaisermanMarcy Kaplan & Eric GoldKarney Guren Family FoundationSabrina Kay Charitable FoundationLenny & David KeltonBarbara & Stuart KlabinKent Klavens & Judy VourlasLeslie & Norman KoplofCarol KrauseDeborah Lacusta & Daniel CastellanetaBethany Joy LenzLydia & Chuck LevySteven & Nancy LippmanJeffrey & Elisabeth Lipsman
Judith Locke & Dennis MassieLondon Cleaners, IncKaren & Frederick LorigThe Jennifer and Greg Malins
FoundationEric G.C. MarkSue McHugh & Herb SeeseThe Miles FamilyCraig & Catherine MillerAndrew & Laura MintzerJoanne & Joel MogyLon Morse & Toni Hollander MorseAlbert & Barbara NicholsJohn NickollDeborah & Stacey OlliffMichael R. OppenheimOrnest Family FoundationGia Paladino & Michael WiseCarol Parry & John FoxPhilip & Leslie PatonAmanda Crick & Glenn PfefferCraig PiligianIn Memory of Michael PillerBerta & Lou PittRuth PopkinRichard Rasiej & Joan HermanHarvey & Joyce ReichardRabbi Steven & Didi Carr ReubenDonald B. & Susan F. RiceIn Memory of Frances Esther & Howard RichmondBeth Roberts & Warren SmithRichard RobertsCraig E. RogersBrad & Nancy RosenbergNancy Stephens & Rick Rosenthal and
The Rosenthal Family FoundationDavid A. & Karen Richards SachsSusana SalazarMark San FilippoNancy & Ted SanbornSavitsky Satin & BaconLizbeth SchiffToni & John SchulmanJoanna & Jonathan SchwartzPeggy and Robert ShapiroIn Memory of Diane Barnett-ShapiroJohn & Lori ShawPhyllis & Martin ShephardDoris & Michael ShermanHolly & Larry ShulmanSteven Siegel & Lily CareyRon Silverman & Soraya RossJoan & Jerry SnyderDrs. Matthew & Marion SolomonThe Somaini FamilyMarcella, Joy & Grant StanleyJordan Strauss PhotographyDavid & Katherine StritzingerEric Strom & Eileen GoodisAaron & Melissa StroudKaty SweetThe Tatasciore FamilyJohn Teeples & Nicolas Martinez, Jr.Joyce & Josh TrabulusCatherine & Leonard Unger
Daniel & Shauna ValenzuelaAlan Van VlietPeter & Denise WalshJulie & Peter WeilDoris WeinbergJoanne & Ken WeinmanAlison Whalen & Steven MarenbergMarcia Williams & Gene LuceroAnna & Stephen YallourakisDebra Zavala
ARTISTIC ADVOCATE $500 - $999
Anonymous (2)Laurence & Ilene AbramsonSylvia AlmstadtPatti & Harlan AmstutzAres Management LLCBonnie ArnoldJeanne BaileyJanet & Irwin BarnetAlan BelinkoffJoanne & Miles BenickesMadelyn Bennett & Eric GibsonJim & Diane BerlinerKristen BirdBlack Market GelatoJanet & Mark BrownLee & Shelby ChadenElsbeth Collins & James GreeneTed CordesDonald & Zoe CosgroveMorgan DameronGeraldine DarrowDaniel & Gayle DevinThe Milton L. & Betty J. Dranow
Family FoundationRoni & Ethan EllerDavid & Joyce EvansMarjorie & Arthur FineSydney M. Finegold, M.D.The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable FundMichael & Lynne FlynnMyrna ForestBurt & Nanette ForesterLois & Gerald GallopSharlene & Sol GalperThe Gewecke FamilyBenita & Bert GinsbergDr. Diane & Michael GlazerAnnie & Tom GoepelLouis & Linda GoldsmanAbner & Roz GoldstineEllie GoodmanLori & Robert GoodmanRoger GordonDiana & Ronald GranitGaby & Rob GreenbergMarcy & Edgar GrossMadeline GussmanCarolyn & Bernie HamiltonKay HarringtonArlene S HarrisRichard HartSheila & Chester Hasday
Zvia HemplingJack Hileman & Roxanne HuddlestonMrs. Dorothy HoffmanRand Hoffman & Charlotte RobinsonKelley M. HoganGerald IsenbergTerry & Marc J. JacobyBrad & Kay JensenBrett JohnsonRobert JonesDrs. Elaine & Jeff KamilMr. & Mrs. Bernard KamineStan KastenPatricia KeatingNancy Mette & Barnet KellmanCorie & Michael KossDonald KottlerJeffrey KramerTam & David LachoffJoan & Christopher LarkinJeanne & Christopher LavagninoSandi LawlessJoyce LedererBrenda & Warren LincolnWendy LindleyNeil L. & Ora D. MacfarlaneGeorge ManetElizabeth MarcellinoMr. & Mrs. Phillips H. MarshallJoel MendelsohnRichard MillingAllan M. Mohrman Jr.Paula Moseley, EdDSandra MossErika & James MuhlfeldSherri & Arnie NelsonChris & Richard NewmanShelby NotkinBarbara & Peter PatmanLinda & Manny RiderDolores RogersRonda & Fred RoseBlanche & Bruce Joel RubinCrystal SalapatasJay SandrichNancy & Steven SchneiderDavid & Margaret SchwankeDr. Daniel SchwartzTraci SheltonCarol & Arthur SilbergeldRobin & Robert SillsMartin & Leah SklarDr. Jerry & Marci SmithTrudy SokolSold Out CrowdDr. Jerry E. Spicer & W. Todd StevensSharon SuarezAlec SulkinMr. & Mrs. David TannNancy ThomasIra & Laurie WaldmanMarcia & Dr. Charles WassermanConnie & John WestonGeoffrey & Susan WhartonPhilip & Judith WinikJay Weinstein & Lori Woldar
ANNUAL DONORS
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P15
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ASSOCIATE $250 - $499
Anonymous (5)Emanuel & Nancy AbramsNorman & Toshka AbramsPatricia AbramsTerry & Richard AbramsActors Equity Foundation, IncAnne Adair & Steve GanzbergBarbara AdamsElaine & Michael AgranAKWCharles & Annick AllenJan & David AltemusPaul AlterRobert C. AndersonPhilip Angerhofer
& Stephen A. JonesEloise & Mark AppelJc & Jack AppelbaumMark ArcherSteven D. AriasBarbara & Ethan AronoffMarc & Elizabeth AxelrodLynne & Lee BabbittDeborah BaineAimee BakhshandehpourCecilia BallEdward Barad & Carol McCullyLinda BarnettIrene BaronRandy BayardJudith & Thomas BeckmenDawn & Marshall BeinDr. Timothy Belavich
& Bernie KnobbeYvette BergeronKaren Berko-GibsonBarbara BerkowitzMarsha C. BerkowitzJoAnn BernardBeverly BiererClaudia & Ronald BitzerMarjorie BlattPamela & Bill BohnertFrances & Thomas BoothMichael J. BordyToby BornsteinJudge & Mrs. Anthony BorwickDeanne BosnakBurt BoyarCarol J. BradshawPaula BrandMona BrandlerJohn & Debbie BrinckoLeah Lynn BroidyMarshall BullDavid & Kathy BurkeLaura D. CampbellMarlene & David CapellAndrew CarlbergPhil CarlinTia CarrereMiss Irene CastaldoIn Memory of Gil CatesLing ChanSandra ChanBarry CharlesDiane ChernanskyNancy ClarkMike ClementsAnselm ClinardKen CoelhoDonell CohenIn Memory of Dr. Alan CohnGinger ConradIvan ContrerasLionel ConwayGail CottinghamLinda Covette
Susan Georgine CraigNorman & Nancy CravensValerie & Donald CravitzShawn CunninghamIngrid Curtiss, MDAmes CushingIn Loving Memory of Ed CypertMuriel Dance & Alvin MartinCol. Tony, Donna & Taylor DaniellHedva & Dr. Dudley DanoffJeffrey S. DavidsonRuth B. Davis & Pearl SchultzBrian DemseyRobert DitullioSuzanne & Bruce DoddsCarol Jean DoehringPenelope DonnellyFred & Marilyn DorerDaryl & Paul F. DoucettePaul DowlingHelina DreicerJacki & Murray DrechslerEarthlings.comMichael EastChiedu EgbuniweLarry & Elke EreshefskyEllen FarwellJanet FattalAleyne Larner FawcettMimi Alpert FeldmanJudy & Jerry FelsenthalAbby & Malcolm FieldPaul & Karen FinkelDonna FinleyEvaline FishmanMargaret FlandersWilliam & Elisabeth FleischmanMyrna ‘Pepper’ ForestRosella ForteSandy & Mitch FrancisDolores FrancoGilbert & Marilyn FrankJulia FranzFran Fredella & Scott RubinDonald & Sandy FrenchKenneth J. Friedman & Marilynn J.
Friedman Family FoundationLaurelle Frome & Brady FromeGina FurthLori GalinLee GardenswartzLarry & Judith GarshofskyRussell GerstenAndrew Glassman
& Pilar Frausto-GlassmanRichard & Lori GlucksmanHannah GodwinMark & Molly GoldbergMarshall & Patti Goldberg and FamilyFrancine Golden
& Marvin SchlossmanDr. Peter GoldmanDina GoldsteinEllie & Barry GoldsteinMae GoodsonJo-Ann GordonDavid GorenLiz Gottainer & David SadkinJoan GreenPaul & Louise GreenbergRandi & Jerome GreenbergEve Haberfield & David N. JohnsonJanet S. HadleyRoberta L. HaftKambiz HakimMary & Alan HalkettRoberta HamiltonKatherine HardieTess HarperEugene HarrisMarcia Harrow
Dr. & Mrs. Samuel HavesonAllan HeinbergCarla & Alan A. HerdMichael & Candice HermanMatthew HerrmannJim Hliboki & Hildi SnodgrassCina HodgesGayle HookerDale & John HopmansLynn & David HorowitzJonathan HowardMr. & Mrs. John HuberLonnie Levi IsraelJackie & Warren JacksonFrederic A. & Nancy JacobusBarbara & Buford JamesMartha Jones & Paul ZerellaRobert Jones
& Julie Anne RobinsonCarolyn & Dan JordanJerry JosephYolla KairouzPat & Stan KandelJean KaplanJo Ann & Charles KaplanOwen KatoDana KatzDean Kauffman & Carlos Andres
Mosquera-TangarifeBeverlee Bickmore & James KellyWilliam & Renee KendallDebra KesslerIrwin KishnerAnnette & Charles KleemanDonna & Jeffrey KleinDr. Phyllis KleinLaurie & Milton KlormanDolph Kornblum & Florence RobinsJohn & Kimberly KruseDoctors Mark & Lena LaboweEleanor & Mark LainerLynne LainerBruce LandauCarol D. LandeJill & Michael LaskyHelene & Arthur LaubSusan LavaIn Memory of Katie LaymanGinger LeibovitzAnn LelandCharles LetzgusSteve & Valerie LevRon & Marcia LevensonDonna LeviMarla E. LevineSuzann LevineBeth Levy & Lloyd BookmanRick & Vivian LevyLawrin & Linda LewinReuben LimLee & Therese LindenVictor & Madeline LindenheimBonnie LisleCynthia LlacaLeslie & Adam LobelAnne L. LynchGuillaume & Crystal MailletJohn & Susan MamerCarol & Doug MancinoPauline MarksTracy & Noah MazeDavid Israeli & Dr. Marie MazzoneDouglas Mcavoy, Jr.Jim & Kathy McCafferyCheryl McCormick
Patrick W. McDivittMarlene McRae & Terry WinterRobert MercerEileen & Paul MeshekowErik & Melanie MesserschmidtReed & Linda MetzgerNorma & Larry MeyersPhilip & Joan MillerTeddie J. MilnerPeter Minarik & Sharon VeraFarbod MirfakhraiMatlin & Robert MirmanShelagh MoriartyCarol & Jerry MuchinBill MullinsMy-PetiteMurray & Lenore NeidorfMark & Diane NeubauerTom NevermannJeff NewmanRobert & Anita NittaAdrienne & Arthur OmanskyDr. Ronald & Iris OnkinCynthia & Todd PalmEdward ParkerJoanne PattenKathy & Jeff PerkinsRebecca PerlowNaidu & Jane PermaulZazi PopeMichael & Rose PorterfieldDiane & Michael PoryesLance PowellJeff PraterSarah & Christopher PriorePhilip PritchettNeil & Lisa Greer QuatemanElyse ReschJoyce S. RichMr. & Mrs. James RichardsCarlene RingerLindy RobbinsCharles RobertsonBarbara & David RognlienJanis & Avi RojanyRobert RosaniaBarry Rosen & Neil BokalAdrienne RosenthalBeverly & Melvin RosenthalJoyce & Deane RossLawrence Ross & Linda NussbaumTerry RossVirginia RossGeorgina & Alan RothenbergBert RoyalTyler RubinMr. & Mrs. Simon SalloomPenny Grosz Salomon
& Eugene KorneyTawny & Gerry SandersNan SarnoSusan & Kenneth SarnoEllen SassaMaxine SavitzClifford SchafferJoel & Sonia SchneiderGary & Karen SchneiderElaine Carey
& Vincent J. SchodolskiJane & Bill SchopfChristine SchultzSusan & Peter SchwabJohn H. ScottNell ScovellMichele & Peter Serchuk
Andrea SextonScott ShagrinElise ShanfeldAnnette & Leonard ShapiroSasha & Eugenia ShapiroSteven & Annabelle ShulmanMelinda & Yossi SidikaroSeymour & Dorothy SiegelNancy & Bruce SilvermanAdam SingerEvelyne & Joel SmasonDiane Good & Frank SmithBarbara Meissner & Hal SmithJames Smith & Loreen AyerMarcia L. & Mark J. SmithJean Smith-MooreKaren SmitsChristine SorgiDr. Robert & Margo SorrentinoDebra SpectorLynette SperberM Leslie StearnsArthur SternRoger K. StewartSy StrasbergWilliam StringerKathryn & Mark SullivanMr. Kayser Sume
& Dr. Renee SabshinAnn SunderlandKatherine SungKeith & Judy SwayneLance & Maureen TanJames TatePhyllis & Franklin TellRobyn TenenbaumTroy ThompsonMarjorie ThomsonJay & Courtney TobinJacqueline G. TousleyBrigitta TroyBeryl TurnerLeon & Stephanie VahnDeborah ValdezAnthony VasekBobette VikanArnold & Carol VinsteinCarole Wagner-Vallianos
& Peter VallianosDr. & Mrs. William WalshGloria WaltherMarvin WassermanSeth Freeman & Julie WaxmanSherry WeinmanBen & Rose WeinsteinMarsha & Steven WeissPat WestHaskell & Rita WexlerRae Jeane WilliamsPatrick WilsonBruce & Marci WisemanMarc WishingradShana WongDiana Lynn WoodsJoseph WuKaren & Frank WurtzelThe YarkinsGerald YoshitomiArnold & Tricia ZaneHarriet ZaretskySandy 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
Randall Arney Artistic Director
Gil Cates, Jr. Executive Director
ARTISTIC
Amy Levinson Artistic Associate / Literary DirectorPhyllis Schuringa Artistic Associate / Casting DirectorYoung Ji Artistic Coordinator / Company ManagerRachel Wiegardt-Egel Literary AssociateLauren Buangan Artistic InternEmily Zetterberg Artistic InternClara Shader-Seave Literary Intern
DEVELOPMENT
Regina Miller Chief Development OfficerEllen Catania Senior Vice President, DevelopmentJessica Brusilow Rollins Director of Education Partnerships & Donor RelationsJamie Mikelich Associate Director of Individual Giving & Spotlight ManagerKristen Smith Eshaya Development & Education Programs CoordinatorScott Kriloff Development Concierge ManagerClay Dzygun Development AssociateTaylor Dearden Development AssistantJessie Sherman Development AssistantJustin Baer Development InternSophia Jane Wilkof Development Intern
EDUCATION
Jennifer Zakkai Director of Education & Community EngagementCarolyn Marie Wright Manager of Education & Community EngagementMariel Higuera Education AssistantCorky Dominguez, David Guerra, McKenna Kerrigan, Kristina Leach, Juan Rivera, Connor White Teaching ArtistsRichard Tucker, Jr. Education Intern
ADMINISTRATION
Behnaz Ataee Chief Financial OfficerFrankie Ocasio Executive AssistantPeter Banachowski Accounting and Payroll ManagerSamone Watts Accounts PayableMarguerite Harris Receptionist
PRODUCTION
Daniel Ionazzi Production ManagerJill Barnes Associate Production Manager / Company ManagerSam Craven-Griffiths Technical Director Evan Friedman Assistant Technical Director Rich Gilles Properties MasterJames Grabowski House Sound SupervisorDarren Rezowalli Lighting & Video SupervisorRamine Ameli Production ElectricianJoel Fullerton Stage Supervisor
MARKETING & SALES
Karen Gutierrez Director of Advertising & Sponsorships
Brian Dunning Graphic Design Manager
Kevin O’Brien Marketing & Graphics Coordinator
Mark San Filippo Ticket Services Director & Database Administrator
Stephanie Strand Audience Services Manager
Janice Bernal Box Office Manager
Bryan Martin Box Office Manager
Zack Hamra Box Office Assistant Manager
Korie Benavidez, Kaitlin Huwe, Richard Martinez, Cameron Reck, Celia Rivera, Christine Rivera, Celeste Russi, Alyssa Tyson Box Office Staff
COMMUNICATIONS
Katy Sweet, Pam Giangregorio Katy Sweet & Associates Public Relations
Sue Fleishman Consultant, September Media
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Karim Bouzzit System Administrator
FRONT OF HOUSE
Jeni Pearsons Director of Special Events
David Gerhardt Supervising House Manager
Jane Phillips Harper Deputy Supervising House Manager
Josiah Davis, Brett Donaldson, Amy Farkas, Caroline Harrison Kohler, Roxana Meyers, Jonathan Schwartz House Managers
Ally Aberrotman, Rebecca Birstock, Kailey Bray, Christopher Caron, Taylor Cerny, Vianney Cossyleon, Taylor Dearden, Ida Herndon, Mariel Higuera, Netta Lee Joseph, Brigid Leahy, Nathaniel Meek, Keith Mitchell, Aaron Newman, JoJo Nwoko, Shannon O’Hara, James Porter, Juan Rivera, Luis Ruiz, Oliver Vaughn, Cody Williams, Dennis Woullard Ushers
Rob Mersola Bar Manager and Mixologist
Manuel Mayorga Weekend Bar Manager
Adam Carr, Brenda Davidson, David Gregory, Mariel Higuera, Lyndsi LaRose, Kimberly Legg, Ryan Turner Bartenders
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
Miguel del Castillo Facility Manager
Mario Santillan-Perez Custodial
Juan Carlos Umaña Cleaning Custodial
P16 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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.
Geffen Playhouse, a not-for-profit theater company, is proudly affiliated with the University of California at Los Angeles.
GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE STAFF