Director's Note - Pioneer Theatre Company

u Director’s Note. . . . . . . 1
Les misérables May 3 - JUNE 1 2013
u 2013-2014 Season . . . . . 1
u Content Advisory . . . . . 2
u Take Two: Cassidy &
Mitchell Interviewed. . . 4
u Fantine Returns . . . . . . 5
u Time Line for Les Mis . . . 6
u Equity Cast . . . . . . . . . . 7
u Loge Gallery/Thanks . . . 8
Backstage
talk
Previewing OF “LES MISérables”
presented by Pioneer theatre company.
Director’s Note
by Charles Morey, Director and PTC Artistic Director from 1987-2012
It is an enormous pleasure to return
to PTC and once again direct
Les Misérables alongside Karen
Azenberg, with whom I had the pleasure
of collaborating six years ago on PTC’s
production of this amazing piece of
musical theatre. One of the great joys
of this incredible play is the fact that
it translates the heart of Victor Hugo’s
original novel so faithfully. Graham
Robb, in his biography of Hugo, writes:
“Les Misérables etches Hugo’s view
of the world so deeply in the mind that
it is impossible to be the same person
after reading it – not just because it takes
a noticeable percentage of one’s life
to read it. The key to its effect lies in
Hugo’s use of a sporadically omniscient
narrator … a narrator who can best be
described as God masquerading as a
law-abiding bourgeois. In this way two
points of view are constantly in play:
society’s disgust and God’s pity.”
And Hugo in his preface to his
masterpiece states:
Continued on page 2
Director Charles Morey (R) discussing scenes with Kevin Vortmann as Enjolras.
“Something’s
Afoot” for the
2013-2014
Season
Artistic Director Karen Azenberg discusses
the titles selected for the upcoming
season.
Pioneer Theatre Company’s 2013-2014
season includes three musicals, Utah
premieres of two dramas, a thriller,
and one of Shakespeare’s most light-hearted
comedies.
The season includes the musical-comedy
murder-mystery Something’s Afoot, which
runs September 20 through October 5,
2013; the Utah premiere of the 2012 Outer
Critics Circle Award-winning drama Other
Desert Cities, running October 25 through
November 9, 2013; Elf–The Musical,
running December 6 through December 24,
2013; the military courtroom drama A Few
Good Men, running January 24 through
February 8, 2014; Shakespeare’s romantic
comedy Much Ado About Nothing, running
from February 21 through March 8, 2014;
the thriller Deathtrap, running from March
28 through April 12, 2014; and the songand-dance
musical Sweet Charity, running
May 9 through May 24, 2014.
Continued on page 3

Director’s Note continued from page 1:
“So long as there shall exist, by reason of law and custom,
a social condemnation, which, in the face of civilization,
artificially creates hells on earth, and complicates a destiny
that is divine, with human fatality; so long as the three
problems of the age: the degradation of man by poverty, the
ruin of woman by starvation, and the dwarfing of childhood
by physical and spiritual night, are not yet solved; as long
as, in certain regions, social asphyxia shall be possible; in
other words, and from a yet more extended point of view,
so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, books like
this cannot be useless.”
Clearly, Hugo’s intent is to make a grand moral, ethical,
social, political and spiritual statement. He does so
however, by hanging those thematic elements on a series
of immensely compelling and moving human stories.
Towering above all the plot threads is the story of Jean
Valjean’s journey towards grace and the intersecting
arc of Javert’s journey to self-knowledge and ultimate
inability to accept grace. In addition, it is the story of the
Thénardiers’ rapacious attempts to control the world around
them by denying the possibility of grace. It is the story of
Fantine’s sacrifice, Marius and Cosette’s journey towards
love, Enjolras’ and the student revolutionaries’ idealistic
and ultimately futile attempt to change the world. It is
these human stories, of course, that are the “stuff” of this
musical play. But it is virtually impossible to consider this
play without confronting head-on its deep and abiding
sense of the spiritual. Trevor Nunn, the musical’s original
director, wrote very astutely about the spiritual aspect
of the novel that he wanted to ensure was explicit in the
English language re-write of Boublil and Schönberg’s
original French work: “Javert is someone who believes in a
vengeful Old Testament God who will bring down plague
and pestilence on all those who disobey the law; Valjean,
in the light of his own experiences, has come to believe
in redemption and that justice can exist in our world;
Thénardier not only believes that God is dead but that he
died a long time ago…”
The power of the musical Les Misérables lives in the fact
that the authors were scrupulously faithful to Hugo’s vision
of a spiritual humanism. It is not a vision rooted in creed or
sect. In fact, at the time of his death the French Parliament
rushed through a decree restoring the Panthéon from a
Church to a secular building to house the “great atheist.”
Hugo violently rejected all organized religion and on his
deathbed his heirs specifically refused the Arch Bishop
of Paris’ offer of last rites. The words of Hugo’s Will had
become public knowledge: “I shall close my terrestrial eye,
but my spiritual eye will remain open, wider than ever. I
reject the prayers of all churches. I ask for a prayer from
every soul.”
—Director Charles Morey
d
Know before you go...
Content Advisory
Les Misérables
SYNPOSIS: Les Misérables tells the epic story of Jean
Valjean, an escaped prisoner being pursued by the implacable
Inspector Javert in France in the thirty years following
the French Revolution. Valjean becomes the protector
of Cosette, the orphaned daughter of Fantine. As the
student rebellions swirl around them, Cosette falls in love
with student leader Marius, Javert pursues Valjean, and
Valjean finds himself drawn to the barricades as violence
erupts all around them.
LANGUAGE: There is a small amount of profane and
bawdy language, principally in the two musical numbers
“Lovely Ladies” and “Master of the House.”
SMOKING AND DRINKING: One song is titled “Drink
With Me,” so there will certainly be drinking.
SEX: Fantine is forced into prostitution to get money to
care for her child Cosette, whom she has left in the care
of the Thénardiers. “Lovely Ladies” is sung by prostitutes
to their customers; the lyrics and staging are sexually
suggestive. “Master of the House” contains bawdy sexual
innuendo as well, but is a comic number.
VIOLENCE: During the student rebellion on the barricades,
most of those fighting are killed. Javert, spared by
Valjean, commits suicide by throwing himself in the river.
FOR WHICH AUDIENCES?: Les Misérables is a towering
musical based on a major novel of world literature.
The dark elements of the musical—the sexual content and
violence—are redeemed by the story’s overarching vision
of grace and redemption. Les Misérables is suitable for
most general audiences, including children aged 10 and
older. Extremely conservative audience members may be
put off by the sexual innuendo of “Lovely Ladies” and
“Master of the House,” and children under ten should
attend at a parent’s discretion.
RATING: As a movie, Les Misérables was recently rated
“PG-13.”
RUNNING TIME: Two hours and 45 minutes, which
includes a 15-minute intermission.
801-581-6961 www.pioneertheatre.org page 2

2013-2014 Season ontinued from page 1:
Remarking on the season, Artistic Director Karen Azenberg said,
coined.”
“What excites me the most about this season, and I hope it excites
our audience as well, is that, with the exception of Much Ado
About Nothing, which we last did 21 years ago, all of the shows
in the season have never been done at Pioneer Theatre Company
before. While I think we have selected some real crowd-pleasers,
almost everything in the season will be brand new to Utah
audiences. Even if you’re familiar with the titles, I’d bet you’ve
never seen the stage versions of these shows—so I hope you’ll
jump on board and come along for the ride.
“The season begins and ends with two
musicals I’ve loved and wanted to direct for
years. Something’s Afoot is a wonderful cross
between an Agatha Christie murder mystery
and a traditional musical comedy—two types
of theatre that our audiences have always
loved; it’s a show I saw twenty-five years ago
and just fell in love with. To close our season,
we’re doing Sweet Charity, one of the great
under-appreciated song-and-dance musicals
of all time, with a score that features “Hey
Big Spender!” and “If My Friends Could See Me Now” and will,
I promise, have some of the best razzle-dazzle dance routines
you’ve ever seen on stage. Pioneer Theatre Company has never
done either of these musicals and, as far as I can tell, it has been
quite a while since they have been produced in Utah.
“We’re doing a musical at
Christmas again this year,
Elf–The Musical, based
on the hit movie. I saw
every holiday show on
Broadway last year, and
Elf was by far the most
enjoyable. Not only that,
but my teenaged daughter
watches the movie at
least twenty times every
Christmas, which I take
as a good indicator of its
appeal. The rights to Elf–The Musical have not been generally
available, so we will be one of the first regional theatres in the
country to produce it.
“For the non-musicals, I was surprised to discover that PTC has
never produced A Few Good Men, which was written as a stage
play by Aaron Sorkin before it was adapted into the hit movie, and
before he went on to write the popular television series The West
Wing. Deathtrap, also a PTC premiere, is one of the all-time great
laugh-one-minute-shriek-in-terror-the-next thrillers. It’s by Ira
Levin, who also wrote The Stepford Wives and Rosemary’s Baby.
Our second show of the year will be a Utah premiere—Jon Robin
Baitz’s Other Desert Cities, which was one of the two breakout
hits from the 2012 Broadway season. And, of course, Much Ado
About Nothing is a lovely romantic comedy by Shakespeare, who
was writing romantic comedies before that expression was even
“I saw every holiday show
on Broadway last year, and
Elf was by far the most
enjoyable!”
Ticket prices for most performances have not been increased for
the 2013-14 season (Saturday matinee prices have increased).
Season tickets range from $84 to $307, which means that season
ticket patrons pay between $12 and $44 a ticket to see shows that
cost over $125 on Broadway or National Tours.
For the price of one or two tickets to a Broadway show,
theatergoers can have a full season of entertainment at PTC, and
be assured of the best seats and the convenience of exchanging
their tickets if they can’t make their regular performance.
And, as our long-time patrons know, you’ll
be seeing the same actors who appear on
Broadway stages, and the same spectacular
sets and costumes that you would see on
Broadway.
For season tickets contact Pioneer Theatre
Company’s Box Office at 801-581-6961 or
visit online at www.pioneertheatre.org.
d
SEASON TICKET
PACKAGES
The 7 Play Package
Get tickets for all seven shows in our season, and receive a
discount of up to 63%.
The Pick 5 Package
This option allows patrons to select any five shows in the
season and receive both a season ticket discount and
preferred seating.
The Flex Pass
This season package provides patrons with $250.00 worth of
credit redeemable at the discounted season ticket rate for any
shows the patron wishes to see.
$84 Upper Balcony Package
Patrons can purchase tickets to all seven shows for only
$84.00. Seats in this package are in the Upper Balcony
section.
The $99 Rush Pass
This is a season pass that allows patrons to come to the
theatre an hour before any show and get the best available
single ticket for that night, based on availability.
801-581-6961 www.pioneertheatre.org page 3

TAKETWO
with Kirsten Park, Director of Marketing
Backstage Newletter talks with Joe Cassidy
who plays Jean Valjean, and Melissa
Mitchell, who plays his adopted daughter
Cosette, on their paths as actors and on
these roles in particular.
When did you know you wanted to be a performer?
Melissa Mitchell: I began performing in musical theatre at the age of
8, and immediately fell in love with being on stage. I never doubted
that I would pursue a career in theatre as an adult, and though I studied
Psychology as an undergraduate at UCLA, I continued performing
at regional theatres in the greater Los Angeles area. Shortly after
graduation, I made the move across the country to NYC where I have
continued my pursuit of musical theatre.
Joe Cassidy: I actually came a little late to this party. I didn't know
what I wanted to do in college, so I got a basic liberal arts degree.
I took a year off after graduating, and then went to law school for
a year. After that first year, though I was fascinated by what I was
learning, my heart wasn’t in it. I'd dabbled in a lot of things musical
in high school and college, but never thought about pursuing it as a
career. After playing a few solo gigs with my guitar in that year after
leaving law school, I happened upon a few auditions for some community
theater shows in town, and that started the ball rolling. I was
very fortunate in those early years to have had a supportive family, as
well as wonderful teachers & mentors. I was guided to an agent who
got me into auditions for the 1993 Harold Prince revival of Show
Boat. It was over the span of a couple of years and with several
dashed hopes, before I finally booked the show when it moved from
Toronto to Broadway. I was hired as an ensemble member, also
covering the role of Ravenal. Though I was the second cover, a few
times I got to sing with and kiss Rebecca Luker—not a bad introduction
to Broadway! I used the time during that show's long run to take
classes and study as much as I could. I was once again lucky to fall in
with some wonderful teachers who really helped to guide me. I think
of my acting teacher every time I work on new material—he changed
the way I worked and I am forever grateful to have met him.
What was your first professional role? Your favorite?
MM: My first professional lead role was playing the title role in
Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella at Cabrillo Music Theatre in
Thousand Oaks, CA opposite my childhood friend and successful
performer, Derek Klena and the effervescent Sally Struthers. My
favorite role was originating the lead role of Holly in the World
Premiere of Roger Bean's Summer of Love. Being a part of a world
premiere was an incredible creative experience as an actor because
we had direct input in the development of the characters.
JC: My first real paying job was at a little theater in the Midwest:
The Clinton Area Showboat Theater in Clinton, IA. It was an actual
old refurbished show boat, dry-docked along the Mississippi. I made
$150/week (I'd used my skills as an ersatz lawyer to get a raise from
the initial offer of $110), and shared a tiny dorm room with another
actor. I did three shows that summer, but the first was Maltby &
Shire's Baby, playing Nick. I was WAY too young to play it, but I
loved it, and had a great time that summer. My favorite role to date is
a toss-up between my current one—Valjean—or Dan in Next To
Melissa Mitchell as Cosette and Joe Cassidy as Jean Valjean.
Normal which I know PTC regionally premiered with the amazing
Judy McLane a few years back. I'd done a lot of work on N2N
in its development stages, and had become deeply invested in that
character. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it was tough not getting to
move on with the show. Alas, that happens a lot in our business. You
have a choice to either dust yourself off and move forward, or pack
up and go home. But, I was so happy for that team, and am friends
with many folks who were ultimately in that incredible Broadway
production. They created something truly special, and I am proud to
have played a part in the show's journey. N2N's authors Brian Yorkey
and Tom Kitt have a new show headed to Broadway in 2014 called
If/Then, and it looks likely that I'll be a part of it—very exciting!
Les Misérables resonates with our audience, and since the movie,
the general public. When was the first time you saw Les Misérables
performed and what was most memorable about it for you?
JC: I first fell in love with the show's recording, learning it inside
and out well before ever seeing a stage production—I had not
heard anything like it at that time. I saw Les Mis for the first time
in NYC shortly after moving there, about seven years after it had
opened. Truth be told, although the cast was filled with exceptionally
talented performers, it was, shall I say, a little dispassionate. But I
was fortunate enough to see the show again a few years later, right
before a rather substantial cast-change was being implemented, and
it was a performance I'll never forget. Those actors played and sang
every moment as if they might never do it again, and it was thrilling.
Having now done the show, and coming back to it again, I can find
something beautiful in the smallest of its moments. But the one scene
that always breaks me down is the scene with the Bishop. Whatever
you felt about the movie, you have to admit that it was a real casting
coup on the producers part, getting Colm Wilkinson to play the Bishop.
Continued on page 5
801-581-6961 www.pioneertheatre.org page 4

Take Two continued from page 4:
Unless you've a heart made of stone, the scene already knocks you
down just on its own merits. But when they had the original Valjean
ostensibly "passing the torch" if you will..? I was done—just, done.
MM: I was a freshman in high school the first time I saw Les Misérables
on stage. I saw the national tour in Los Angeles and was
immediately gripped by the poignant, anthem-like music. I've seen the
show many times since that first time, and have understood the story
to greater depths each time. The beauty of redemption and grace, and
the humility and compassion that is born from the acceptance of that
grace, as exemplified by Valjean's life, affects me deeply every time I
see the show, hear the music, and now, every time I perform the show.
It is a timeless story that tells of the human journey toward truth and
ultimate freedom through multiple characters, and the power of the
triumph of the human spirit never fails to bring me to tears. It is a
beautiful story that I feel blessed to help tell.
Melissa, Cosette is credited with bringing humanity to Jean Valjean;
she affected him deeply. Who do you credit with helping guide you
in your career?
MM: In the same way that Valjean and Cosette's relationship as father
and daughter instills a confidence and freedom in each of them, my
immediate family is my foundation and rock in all facets of my life.
My mom and dad have spent countless hours and dollars to ensure
my two younger sisters and I have had opportunities to pursue what
we love. My mom even sacrificed time to herself to homeschool
my sisters and me so that we had more time to spend pursuing the
entertainment industry. To this day, I will perform whatever songs and
sides I'm currently working on for my family over Skype to get their
constructive criticism and feedback. Their love for me has instilled
a confidence in me as a person and a freedom to share my heart
with people onstage and off. It is this kind of love that characterizes
Valjean and Cosette's relationship, as well as my own with my family.
The kind of love that transforms our hearts and frees us to share the
love we've been given with everyone we encounter.
Joe, what have you learned from Jean Valjean?
JC: That's a tough question. As an actor/singer playing a role: Valjean
is really the Hamlet or King Lear of tenor, music theatre roles. I was
lucky to have gotten to perform it in the show's first go-around on
Broadway, but only as an understudy. Though exhilarating, no matter
how many times you get to go on, you don't really get to make a role
yours in that position. The demands of this role are not unlike tackling
a marathon (I hear). Setting aside the reality that "Oh yeah, I have to
act this too…" the range of the singing is over two octaves, so not
only are you required to sing in the stratosphere (both full-throttle and
with copious finesse) but you also spend a great deal of time singing,
with some heft, lower than tenors are usually asked to sing. It's
therefore very easy to over-sing, and figuring out how to pace yourself
within that vocal range and all of its commensurate physical action is
real challenge. But I welcome it, as I never feel stronger as a singer
than when I am singing this music eight times a week. I imagine it's
how dancers feel doing Jerry Mitchell choreography. Oh yeah, liftingup
that Marius kid eight times a week is no picnic either—fortunately
our Perry likes to do lots of yoga!
As for lessons learned from the character himself: Valjean's a tough
act to follow. He's just so darned good! For me though, one of the
most powerful things he does in the show is to forgive—both those
who've mistreated him, and himself. We should all be so kind.
d
You're returning to PTC to play the same role you played in
2007; what is it like to be back?
Kelly McCormick: I'm truly honored to return to play this role
I love so much. PTC is a theatre actors look forward to returning
to (as you can see by the number of repeat visitors in our cast) for
many reasons: high production values; working with some of the
best professionals in our business (cast and creatives); a supportive
working environment; and some of the nicest housing in regional
theatre! It’s great to be back, digging even deeper into a show I
know well, and enjoying this glorious Utah Spring! I’ve not played
Fantine since I was last here, but would welcome any opportunity
to be back on the Barricade (are you reading this, Cameron
Mackintosh?)!
Fantine is often described as being the heart of the show. Why?
KM: Part of the brilliance of Les Mis is the way it takes grand,
universal themes (e.g., oppression of lower socio-economic classes
and the need for social reform; persecution and redemption) and
translates them into the personal stories of the characters. And the
final thought we’re left with at the conclusion of the Epilogue is,
“To love another person is to see the face of God.” Fantine embodies
this in the purest way possible: the love of a mother for her
child. She suffers a series of misfortunes yet continues to sacrifice
whatever she has left—her beauty, her health, her dignity—for the
sake of her daughter. Each of us is a child of our parents; some of
us are parents of children. Fantine’s story speaks to that part of all
of us—the most primary, visceral relationship human beings have.
How has playing Fantine affected you?
FANTINE
Returns
Kelly McCormick, shown
to the left, returns
to PTC as Fantine,
reprising her role from
the 2007 production.
with Kirsten Park, Director of
Marketing
KM: Fantine was the first role that I understudied (on the 3rd
National Tour) that I actually performed. I had understudied before
for very healthy people who never missed a show! Being able
to step into a role on a moment’s notice on a regular basis did
unbelievable things for my confidence and changed the way I saw
myself as an actor going forward.
Is it daunting to play the role that now is identified as "Anne
Hathaway's” (who played Fantine in the recent movie, and won
an Oscar for the part) role?
KM: For so long, this role was “Patti Lupone’s.” For some people,
it’s “Anne Hathaway’s.” For me, it’s always been mine. I suspect
that many women who have played Fantine feel the same way. We
all bring something unique to this role that no one else can—and
the writers have given us this incredible vehicle through which we
can share those parts of ourselves.
d
Box Office 801-581-6961 www.pioneertheatre.org page 5

Time line for Les Misérables and historical events in France
Les Misérables, considered one of the greatest pieces
of literature ever written, took at least 17 years to write.
Present-day events informed author Victor Hugo during its
creation. The time line below shows significant events in
history paralleled with events in Les Misérables.
1770 – The fictional Jean Valjean is born. He grows up a poor,
illiterate peasant in Brie.
1774 – Louis XVI assumes the throne of France.
1778 – France declares War on Britain in support of the American
Revolution.
1789 – July 14, the fall of the Bastille, and the date we commonly
accept as the beginning of the French Revolution.
1793 – The execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The Reign
of Terror under Robespierre swings into high gear. Napoleon makes
his first military success as an artillery commander at the siege of
Toulon.
1794 – The battles to defend the revolution against England and
Austria, later Prussia and Russia, begin.
1796 – Jean Valjean, a worker in the orchards, is sentenced to the
prison galleys in Toulon for five years for breaking the window of
a bakery and seizing a loaf of bread.
1799 – A coup d’etat ends the Directory and places the Consulate in
power. Napoleon named First Consul.
1800 – Jean Valjean attempts to escape and is re-captured.
1802 – Victor Hugo is born.
1804 – Napoleon crowns himself Emperor and France dominates
Europe militarily for the next nine years.
1810 – Jean Valjean attempts to escape and is again re-captured.
1812 – Napoleon’s ill-fated Russian campaign.
1813 – Napoleon is defeated at the Battle of Nations at Leipzig in
October.
1814 – Paris is surrendered to the Allies. Napoleon abdicates and
is exiled to the Island of Elba. The Bourbon King, Louis XVIII, is
restored to the throne of France by the Allies.
1815 – Napoleon escapes from Elba and lands in France. He is
defeated “100 days” later by Wellington and Blucher at Waterloo,
June 18, 1815. Napoleon is exiled to the South Atlantic island of St.
Helena. Louis XVIII is restored for the second time to the French
throne. Immensely fat, not particularly bright and surrounded
with vengeful and malicious returned aristocrats, he institutes a
reactionary regime with a semblance of constitutional monarchy.
Talleyrand, the great survivor who served both Bonaparte and the
Bourbons as foreign minister, comments famously “The Bourbons
had learned nothing and forgotten nothing.”
1815 – Jean Valjean is released from imprisonment.
1816 – 1823 Jean Valjean arrives at Montreuil-sur-Mer, calling
himself “M. Madeleine.” He invents two simple processes that
bring efficiency to the production of small pieces of jewelry,
which in turn bring him great wealth, as well as prosperity to
his workers and community. He teaches himself to read and do
mathematics and becomes the well-loved mayor of the town.
1823 – Jean Valjean, having revealed his identity to save a misidentified
convict, escapes from Javert, recovers Cosette from
the Thénardiers and they both escape to Paris, first hiding in a
convent under the protection of M. Fauchlevant.
1824 – Louis XVIII dies and is succeeded by his brother, the Duc
d’Artois, crowned as Charles X. In attendance at his coronation in
Rheims is a young, celebrated and a then ardently Royalist poet,
Victor Hugo.
1827 – 1830 – A series of bad harvests contributes to an economic
downturn and the rise of a liberal opposition in the Chamber of
Deputies.
1830 – (February 30). Victor Hugo’s play Hernani premieres at the
Comedie Francaise. It is, in effect, the arrival of the tidal wave of the
French Romantic movement in literature.
1830 – (March) A “no confidence” vote from the Chamber of
Deputies on Charles X regime brings the political situation to a crisis.
On July 25th Charles X issues the “Four Ordinances” effectively
dissolving any semblance of democracy. The liberal press mobilizes
immediately. Charles attempts to shut down the newspapers. The
urban poor of Paris – motivated more by economic hardship than any
idealistic motives about defending freedom of the press – throw up
barricades. A mob sacks the Tuileries palace. Charles’ Swiss Guards
flee in panic. The army under the old Napoleonic leader Marshal
Marmont has no heart for the fight and he quickly withdraws. By July
29th, Paris is completely in control of the revolutionaries. Charles X
goes into exile in England. In his place, a coalition of the Chamber
of Deputies, wealthy landowners and a rising merchant class call
upon Louis-Phillippe, the Duc D’Orleans, to assume the throne. He
becomes known as “The Citizen-King” and “The People’s King” and
less flatteringly as “The Grocer King.”
1831 – Riots in Lyons and Paris, protesting continuing bad economic
conditions.
1832 – June 5, half of Paris is taken over by young insurgents, mostly
students, protesting the lack of any perceptible political or economic
change in the two years since the July 1830 revolution. The students
are armed with a few muskets. The National Guard turns cannon
against the barricades. The general populace of Paris does not rise
to support the students. Eight hundred students are massacred at the
church of Ste. Merry alone. This event, among others, turns Victor
Hugo into a radical. The events of the second act of the musical Les
Misérables play themselves out around the events of June 5 and 6,
1832 in Paris.
1862 – Victor Hugo, self-exiled in protest against the reactionary
regime of Napoleon II, publishes Les Misérables.
1885 – Victor Hugo dies. More people attend his funeral than lived in
the city of Paris at the time.
801-581-6961 www.pioneertheatre.org page 6

J. Michael Bailey
Ensemble
Ginger Bess Simons
Ensemble
Joe Cassidy
Jean Valjean
Chad Coudriet
Ensemble
Josh Davis
Javert
Mary Fanning Driggs
Ensemble
Dara Hartman
Ensemble
Dale Hensley
Thenardier
Justin Ivie
Ensemble
Michael D. Jablonski
Ensemble
Sarah Killough
Ensemble
Anne Stewart Mark
Ensemble
Kelly McCormick
Fantine
Melissa Mitchell
Cosette
Our Equity Cast
*Members of Actor’s Equity
CHARLES MOREY (Director) returns to PTC after stepping down as Artistic Director in 2012, after 28
years. He has directed over ninety productions including the 2007 Les Misérables.
J. MICHAEL BAILEY* (Ensemble, u/s Valjean) recently played Jean Valjean in Utah Shakespeare
Festival’s popular production of Les Misérables.
GINGER BESS* (Ensemble) returns to PTC, after also being in Les Misérables in 2007. Other PTC
productions include: A Christmas Carol: The Musical, Rent and Sunset Boulevard.
JOE CASSIDY* (Jean Valjean) makes his PTC debut. Broadway: Catch Me If You Can (Hanratty); Next
to Normal; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Freddy); 1776 (Rutledge); Show Boat (Ravenal); Les Misérables
(Valjean); and A Christmas Carol (Young Scrooge). TV/Film: Law & Order; Brando; Freefall.
CHAD COUDRIET* (Ensemble, u/s Enjolras) makes his PTC debut. He recently toured Japan with the
Tokyo Philharmonic orchestra as Gaston in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
JOSH DAVIS* (Javert) returns to SLC after being in PTC’s original run of Les Misérables. Other New
York and regional theater credits include: Disney’s Beauty and The Beast, White‘s Lies, My First Time,
The Last Five Years, Guys and Dolls and One Red Flower.
MARY FANNING DRIGGS* (Ensemble, u/s Madame Thénardier) returns to PTC. Ms. Driggs has
appeared in 15 PTC productions, including Les Misérables, Sunset Boulevard, White Christmas, 42 nd
Street, The Producers, My Fair Lady, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Smokey Joe’s Cafe.
DARA HARTMAN* (Ensemble, u/s Eponine) Favorite credits: All Shook Up (Natalie/Ed), Happy
Days: A New Musical (Joanie), Cabaret (Sally Bowles), Children of Eden (Eve), Our Country’s Good
(Mary), Virtually Me! (Chloe, original cast).
DALE HENSLEY* (Thénardier) returns to PTC where he played Roger DeBris in The Producers.
He has appeared on Broadway in La Cage aux Folles (2010 revival), The Drowsy Chaperone, La Cage
(2005 revival), Sunset Boulevard, Guys and Dolls, Cats and Anything Goes.
JUSTIN IVIE* (Ensemble) returns for Les Misérables, his 29th appearance at PTC.
MICHAEL D. JABLONSKI* (Ensemble, Dance Captain) was last at PTC in West Side Story. Other credits:
Broadway: The Book of Mormon, West Side Story (Riff u/s performed) & Cry-Baby. Film: The Producers.
SARAH KILLOUGH* (Ensemble) makes her PTC debut with this production. Regional credits
include A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Hartford
Stage), and more.
ANNE STEWART MARK* (Ensemble) returns for her 61 st Equity appearance at PTC, most recently
having been seen in Annie and Emma last season.
KELLY McCORMICK* (Fantine) is honored to return to PTC, where she appeared as Fantine in the
2007 production of Les Misérables. National Tours: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Truly Scrumptious); Les
Misérables (Factory Girl, Fantine u/s).
MELISSA MITCHELL* (Cosette) makes her PTC debut in Les Misérables. Off-Broadway: Giant
(Public Theater). Film: Anger Management, Holes. TV: Unsolved Mysteries, Star Search.
MANNA NICHOLS* (Eponine) makes her PTC debut. Prior credits include Eliza in My Fair Lady at
Arena Stage, Kim in Miss Saigon at Fulton Theatre, Tuptim in The King & I at both North Shore Music
Theatre and Walnut Street Theatre, and Mulan in Disney’s Mulan at Imagination Stage (Premiere).
PERRY SHERMAN* (Marius) PTC debut! 1st National Tours: Next to Normal (Henry/Gabe Standby)
and Spring Awakening (Chair of Rock).
DANIEL T. SIMONS* (Ensemble) returns to PTC after many shows, including Man of La Mancha,
Rent, Sunset Boulevard, 42 nd Street, Miss Saigon, and others.
DAVID SPENCER* (Bishop, Ensemble, u/s Thénardier) returns to PTC after his last appearance in the
first production of Les Misérables six years ago, but his association with PTC dates back to 1985’s Candide.
JEFFREY SCOTT STEVENS* (Ensemble) returns to his PTC family. At PTC: Miss Saigon, A Chorus
Line, Sunset Boulevard and Annie. NY credits include The Christmas Rose at Carnegie Hall starring Jane
Seymour (Featured Tenor).
MATT STOKES* (Ensemble, u/s Javert) Credits include the 2012 Broadway revival of Jesus Christ
Superstar and the 1 st National Tour of South Pacific (Lincoln Center Theatre Production).
CHRISTIANNE TISDALE* (Madame Thénardier) Broadway/West End: Belle – Disney’s Beauty and
the Beast; the occasional Leonide - Triumph of Love; On a Clear Day…; Caroline
Neville -Titanic (1 st National Tour) and Molly - One Touch of Venus. Television/
film: The popular web series Wallflowers.tv, 30 Rock, David Letterman, Law &
Order: CI and A Tale of Cinderella.
KEVIN VORTMANN* (Enjolras) makes his PTC debut in Les Misérables.
Broadway: A Little Night Music. Off-Broadway: Death Takes a Holiday, On the
Town, Applause, Face the Music, Fiorello, Lost in the Stars, Stairway
to Paradise, Juno and For Lovers Only.
801-581-6961 www.pioneertheatre.org page 7
Christianne Tisdale
Mme. Thenardier
Manna Nichols
Eponine
Perry Sherman
Marius
Daniel T. Simons
Ensemble
David Spencer
Bishop
Jeffrey Scott Stevens
Ensemble
Matt Stokes
Ensemble
Kevin Vortmann
Enjolras

Loge Gallery
TRAVIS TANNER + BLUE CRITCHFIELD +
LAURA SHARP WILSON + MARILYN READ
Listening to the
Silent Revolution
Left: “It Grows Back” by Blue Critchfield; Right: “Stock Exchange Detail” by Travis Tanner.
Pioneer Theatre Company’s Loge Gallery presents “Listening to the Silent Revolution,” an exhibit of
paintings by four local artists: Travis Tanner, Blue Critchfield, Laura Sharp Wilson and Marilyn Read.
The collection will be on display during PTC’s production of Les Misérables, May 3 through June 1, 2013.
The exhibit can be experienced on the mezzanine level of the Roy W. and Elizabeth E. Simmons Pioneer Memorial
Theatre. The gallery is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday for the general public,
and before, after and during intermission of performances for ticket holders.
Thank you
The following sponsors have generously
provided support for this production:
Backstage Newsletter is published seven times per year by
Pioneer Theatre Company and available online.
Please send comments to Kirsten Park • Director of Marketing and Communications
801-581-6270 • Fax: (801) 581-5472 • Email: kirsten.park@ptc.utah.edu
Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre • 300 South 1400 East • Room 325, Salt Lake City, UT 84112–0660
PTC Box Office: (801) 581-6961 • PTC Online: www.pioneertheatre.org
801-581-6961 www.pioneertheatre.org page 8