Fringe Festival 2017!

Fringe Festival 2017! 

by PETER FINLAYSON (@FootLightsLA) 

FootLights is proud to be 

a part of the Hollywood 

Fringe as the Official Guide Sponsor 

since its inception in 2010 . Each year we 

work closely with the Hollywood Fringe 

Management to bring better opportunities 

to participants and to assure you get better 

coverage for you creative efforts. 

This year, Footlights is premiering a brand 

new 2017 Fringe Show Program. 

The Fringe Show Program is a special 

version of the regular FootLights magazine 

that is featured in theaters throughout the 

greater Los Angeles area. 

Each edition of the #HFF17 programs 

has many features that can be used as an 

effective marketing tool. Every show that 

you share a program with, is sharing all the 

information with their audience about the 

details of your production. Ultimately, your 

FootLights program will be a standout, 

professional quality, visual presentation 

of your show and a great keep-sake 

compendium to the Official Hollywood 

Fringe Guide. 

Peter Finlayson 

Features: 

• Each edition of the #HFF17 program will cover up to six different 

productions 

• Every show will have a full color image in front of either four or eight gray 

scale pages of information specific to your show 

• The reverse side of each cover image for every production will be used as 

advertising space exclusively for Fringe productions 

Benefits 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Effective marketing tool 

Audience cross-promotion for each show sharing a single guide 

Professional branded theater program with color images 

All program participants will be automatically listed on the FootLights 

website in a featured Hollywood Fringe section 

All program participants will have their Show Cover/Production 

automatically featured in FootLights’ unique Cover Carousel on our 

website at footlights.click 

Additional social media promotion through FootLights

Table of Contents 

Welcome to the Fringe page 1 

Chuck Berry page 3 

The Inventor and the Escort page 13 

That Pretty Pretty page 19 

Clybourne Part page 25 

The Aeroplane page 31 

Build page 41 

Vonnegut Comes to Sacred Fools page 51 

Each program section will consist of a 5.5”x8.5” full color cover photo, 

and each production will receive 350 copies for distribution. 

4 pages of content $175 

8 pages of content $300 

Advertising space for Fringe programs is available and those that use 

the FootLights programs will receve a 50% discount off of the listed ad 

prices. 

¼ page $150 

½ page $260 

full page $400 

All participants that use the FootlIghts program will have their 

production featured in our Cover Carousel ,which can be found at 

http:footlights.click, and will given special attention in our social media 

efforts. 

To Place you order go to 

http//footlights.clic/submityourlisting/ 

Please add the word Fringe to the front of the show title to tae part in 

this program.

Chuck Berry and Creating 

Commercialated Culture 

by K EV IN D ELIN (@k d e l in ) 

Chuck Berry may be dead but you know 

he won’t stay buried. He’s just too 

irrepressible for confinement to such a 

singular state. He was like his music: 

audacious and muscular. His huge 

hands easily enveloped the fretboard 

of his Gibson ES-335 and pulled 

sounds from it that would electrify the 

soul. Is it possible to remain still while 

experiencing the pure energy coming 

from his records? I wouldn’t know. I’ve 

never been able to do it. 

Today, his presence is everywhere in 

the American landscape. Urban streets. 

Country roads. Everyone can identify 

his songs from his lics. t’s hard to find 

anyone who can resist his hooks. 

Chuck Berry and his distinctive style 

have permeated the culture to its 

deepest sonic vocabulary. 

Yet, as an early rocker, he had a couple 

of obvious strikes against him. 

First, there was the issue of racism. 

Many consider Ike Turner’s 1951 record 

Rocket 88 the starting point of the rock 

‘n’ roll era, when “separate but equal” 

was still the law of the land. Though 

the doctrine was legally overturned by 

the 1954 Supreme Court’s unanimous 

decision in Brown v. Board of Education, 

the deeply-rooted “separate but equal” 

political and social legacy wouldn’t be 

overturned for years, even decades. 

In the 1950s, you could peddle jazz, 

blues, and R&B records to the black 

community and a few sophisticated 

whites in urban areas. To reach the 

wealthy demographic of baby-booming, 

white teens in the suburbs, however, 

required something more familiar. 

(Cont’d on page F4) 

visit footlights.click 

F1

Publisher - Editor-in-Chief 

Peter Finlayson 

Associate Editor 

Tracey Paleo 

Editor-at-Large 

Michelle Fox 

Columnist 

Kevin Delin 

Photography 

Mitsuo Kato 

Graphics 

Rejyna Douglass-Whitman 

Digital Technology 

Ibrahim Hayak 

P ubl i s he d b y F ot l i ght s P ubl i s hi ng, I nc . 

445 N M o s s S t ., B ur ba nk, C A 91502 

P hone : 818.762.0484 F a x: 818.436.5995 

F2 

f ot l i ght s .c l i c k

(Ch u ck B er r y f r om page F1 ) 

And by more familiar, I mean something 

white. 

Take, for example, Little Richard’s 

self-penned Tutti Frutti. Considered 

seminal in rock history, the record is a 

pure original in Little Richard’s unique 

style. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 

chart January 4, 1956. A mere two 

weeks later, Pat Boone’s diluted cover 

of the recording entered the charts. 

Little Richard’s record peaked at #21 

on February 18. That same week, Pat 

Boone’s cover peaked at #12 – nine 

places higher! (Boone’s recording 

would again hit #12 three weeks later.) 

Little Richard’s version stayed on the 

charts for 12 weeks, Pat Boone’s cover 

for 18 weeks, 50% longer. 

Apparently Pat Boone’s paler version 

played better to, well, paler audiences. 

In 1956 anyway. 

In addition to race, there was the 

matter of Chuc’s age. His first single 

Maybellene, hit the charts in 1955 

when Chuck was at the ripe old age of 

29. He was years older than his music 

peers Little Richard (22), Jerry Lee Lewis 

(19), Johnny Cash (23), and Elvis Presley 

(20). The only real precedent was Rock 

Around The Clock’s puffy, hillbilly, old 

white man Bill Haley who was a year 

older than Chuck. And what teenager 

wants to go see someone practically 

their parent’s age play something in the 

spirit of youth and rebellion? 

Chuck’s race and age fueled in him 

a focused financial drive essentially 

unique in all rockers, early or modern. 

As anyone who has read his 1987 

autobiography, Chuck Berry: The 

Autobiography, or seen the revealing 

documentary, Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll, 

can attest, Chuck was about bucks. 

Chuck Berry could (and would) discuss 

the payday of practically every gig he 

played – even those of decades past. 

“Too Much Money Business” could have 

been the title to his autobiography. 

No pure artist was he. He knew the teens 

in the white neighborhoods didn’t play 

his favorite musicians (T-Bone Walker, 

Louis Jordan, and the like). And the 

teens in the white neighborhoods were 

where the money was. As he admits in 

his autobiography: 

Whatever would sell was what 

I thought I should concentrate 

on, so from “Maybellene” 

on I mainly improved my 

lyrics toward the young adult 

and some even for the teeny 

boppers, as they called the tots 

then. 

So out came songs universal to the 

pre-adult experience of the time: cars, 

school, and a more innocent love than 

the sweaty heat described in Tutti Frutti. 

But if Berry’s topics tended towards 

the simple, his lyrics were not. As 

John Lennon put it: “He was writing 

good lyrics and intelligent lyrics in the 

1950s when people were singing ‘Oh 

baby I love you so.’” Like Shakespeare, 

Chuck Berry invented words (such 

as “motorvating” and “botheration“) 

to enforce metric rhythms while 

maintaining meanings. His phrases were 

likewise precise: students hoped to pass 

“American history and practical math” 

and Nadine walks towards “a coffeecolored 

Cadillac.” I once suggested No 

Particular Place to Go to a friend writing 

a linguistics term paper about bilabial 

stops. She got an A. 

Berry’s music also came from an unusual 

F4 


(Cont’d on page F6 )

(Ch u ck B er r y f r om page F4) 

place. His original band, Sir John’s 

Trio, was run by piano player Johnnie 

Johnson until Chuck took it over. The 

trio consisted of Johnson on piano, 

Ebby Hardy on drums, and Chuck on 

vocals and guitar. The instruments 

clearly suggest a band following a jazz 

groove. Contrast that to the countrywestern 

make-up of Elvis’ or Johnny 

Cash’s trios or the horn-heavy, big 

band sound of Little Richard. Keith 

Richards will tell you that Chuck Berry 

adapted Johnnie Johnson’s piano riffs 

for guitar “because of the key it’s in… 

you’re playing in piano keys, horn keys, 

jazz keys, Johnnie Johnson’s keys.” So 

important was ohnson’s inuence that 

Richards thought he should have gotten 

co-writing credit and royalties on the 

songs: “But Chuck being Chuck, you’d 

be lucky to get a quarter. Or you’d end 

up paying him. t’s not terribly difficult 

however, to listen to Johnson’s piano 

and hear the grounding for Chuck 

Berry’s riffs. 

So there you have it: sophisticated 

jazz riffs with tight literate lyrics about 

inoffensive, universal subjects. All by 

design. And Chuck went further. His 

strong diction on the records (the better 

to hear the meter) and subtle infusion 

of the country-western music popular 

in his hometown of St. Louis allowed 

a magical transformation to happen. 

If Elvis was, as Sun Records owner 

Sam Phillips surmised, the “white boy 

who could sound like a black man,” 

Chuck Berry was the black man who 

could sound white. As he put it in his 

autobiography: 

All in all it was my intention 

to hold both the black and 

F6 

visit footlights.click

white clientele by voicing the 

different kinds of songs in their 

customary tongues. 

Consequently, in Chuck’s early days, 

many deejays and promoters thought 

he was white. In his autobiography, he 

tells the story of a promoter outside a 

Knoxville venue who told him: 

“It’s a country dance and we 

had no idea that Maybellene 

was recorded by a niggra man.” 

They had sold out the place but 

couldn’t permit a black person 

to perform, as it was against a 

city ordinance. 

The local white band hired to back 

Chuck ended up replacing him. 

But even that story, set in the Jim Crow 

South, demonstrates the effectiveness 

of Chuck’s strategy to pull in the white 

audience he desired. Other examples 

are easy to find. n a 1 Saturday 

Night Beech-Nut Show television 

performance, a lip-synching Berry, 

unplugged guitar in hand fires up a 

bunch of neatly-clothed and wellbehaved 

teenagers who giddily clap 

their hands. These same teens would 

likely have to duck and cover in a 

school drill the following day. In an 

era where classroom discussions on 

the horrors of atomic bombing were 

routine, Chuck Berry knew how not 

to make his music frightening for 

white teens and, especially, their white 

parents. 

Chuck’s ability to create this magic never 

abated as the 1987 bio-documentary 

Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll proves. In 

the film Chuc erry performs in his 

racially mixed hometown of St. Louis. 

Camera pans of the audience during 

the concert reveal, however, a racially 

unmixed crowd. 

The same film also shows Chuc 

performing in a rehabilitated 

Cosmopolitan Club. Decades earlier, 

Sir John’s Trio was the house band for 

the original venue. Here again the film 

shows a racially unmixed audience – 

but of a different kind than in the grand 

concert and one that is more typical of 

East St. Louis. We also see a different 

(Cont’d on page F9 ) 

A Gibson ES-335 


F7

igger 

dream 

kentwood players presents 

a new Broadway Musical 

book by JOHN AUGUST music & lyrics by ANDREW LIPPA 

based on the novel by DANIEL WALLACE 

and the Columbia Motion Picture written by JOHN AUGUST 

MARCH 17 to APRIL 22, 2017 

Fridays & Saturdays 8 p.m. Sundays 2 p.m. 

WESTCHESTER PLAYHOUSE 

8301 Hindry Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90045 For Reservations call (310) 645-5156 

www.kentwoodplayers,org 

“Big Fish” is presented through special arrangement 

with Theatrical Rights Worldwide.

KADM Productions Presents 

Written and Directed by 

Matt Morillo 

Produced by 

Joanne Hartstone 

Starring 

Jessica Moreno and Jaret Sacrey 

Set and Lighting Designer 

Rene Paras Jr. 

Publicist 

Ken Werther Publicity 

Graphic Design 

Kiff Scholl/AFK Design 

Stage Manager 

J. Coldize

Jessica Moreno (Julia) is honored to be reunited with the 

original award-winning Edinburgh Fringe Festival team for 

another run of The Inventor and the Escort. This past summer, 

Jessica reprised her role of Amy in Matt Morillo's All Aboard 

the Marriage Hearse, which won the Encore! Producers 

Award at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, and where Jessica 

also received the Most Unleashed Performance Award. 

Following the HFF, she toured with the production to the 

Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Jessica recently appeared in Ted 

Lange's The Cause, My Soul at the Odyssey Theatre, and 

she will reprise her role in the show this summer at the National Black Theatre 

Festival in North Carolina. Jessica has performed in lead roles Off-Broadway 

in New York and Los Angeles, where she received a Stage Scene LA Award 

nomination for Outstanding Achievement by a Lead Actress in a Comedy. She 

has performed in numerous productions supervised by Anne Bogart of SITI 

Company with the Columbia niversity FA irecting Program. Selected film 

and TV credits include roles on General Hospital, One Life to Live, As the World 

Turns, and Important Things with Demetri Martin. She was featured in the 

award-winning Sundance Film Festival hit Love, Ludlow and the Oscilloscope 

feature film Breakup at a Wedding, produced by Anonymous Content and 

achary uinto. She was recently cast in the film Broken Bow featuring Martha 

Plimpton, which will shoot this spring. Jessica received her acting training from 

the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Playhouse 

West, Second City, and SITI Company. She graduated magna cum laude with 

Departmental Honors from Columbia University with a BA in Anthropology. 

Jessica is currently studying psychology, dance, and child development through 

the incredible Los Angeles Community College District where she is developing 

a theater and dance curriculum for underserved and at-risk youth. More at www. 

jessicamorenoactress.com and @JMorenoActress. 

Jaret Sacrey (Jeffrey) is thrilled to be revisiting this lovely, 

award winning play with the original team of Matt, Jessica 

and Joanne. An actor since childhood, Jaret has performed 

in plays in New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and 

Scotland. He’s the recipient of an L.A. Ovation Award for the 

West Coast premiere of Tracy Letts’s play, Killer Joe. Onscreen, 

aret can be seen in numerous T/film roles and commercials 

most recently on Showtime’s, Masters of Sex. His favorite 

film roles have been in the comedies Last Words, Lucky 

Day, Thunder Chance and the DOGGONE trilogy, which, 

by the way, his sons think are, “better than Star Wars!” He is a graduate of the 

American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, and a visual arts graduate 

of the Claude Watson School of the Arts in Toronto. Jaret lives in Los Angeles 

with his magnificent wife who lie a firm buttress has provided unwavering 

support, and his two young boys who will NOT be seeing this production.www. 

jaretsacrey.com

Matt Morillo (Writer/Director) All you need to know about Matt is that he was 

born in Queens, raised on the big, bad streets of Hicksville, Long Island, adopted 

by the Lower East Side and kidnapped by Culver City. You should also know Matt 

graduated from C.W. Post film school in 1999, and has written and directed three 

award winning films, produced seven short films, and two features. You should 

also know he then moved into the theater world and wrote the international cult 

hit Angry Young Women in Low Rise Jeans with High Class Issues, followed that 

up with another international cult hit All Aboard the Marriage Hearse (which 

recently took home an Encore! Producers Award in the 2016 Hollywood Fringe 

Festival), followed that up with American Soldiers and followed that up with 

Edinburgh Fringe Festival award winner The Inventor and The Escort, and then 

followed that up with Allen Wilder 2.0, which has its Los Angeles premiere on 

April 28th. You should also know Matt returned to the motion picture world by 

adapting Angry Young Women in Low Rise Jeans with High Class Issues into a 

hilarious web series which you can and should watch at kadm.com. You should 

also know you can find Matt on Facebook at facebook.com/mattmorillo and on 

Twitter @mattmorillo. Lastly, you should know that Matt finds thunderstorms 

romantic, likes hockey and doesn’t care for the way Katy Perry is treated by the 

media and wishes her and Rihanna would reconcile and his official website is 

mattmorillo.com. 

Joanne Hartstone (Producer) Hailing from the other side of the world (Australia), 

and having produced shows in Europe and Australia, Joanne is excited to produce 

her first American production and to take the lead on the theatrical division of 

KADM Productions. She is also excited to bring her one woman show The 

Girl Who Jumped Off the Hollywood Sign, which just wrapped a critically 

acclaimed run at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, to Hollywood. It will make its 

American premiere as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival in June. So look out 

for it! Producer/Production Credits include: We Live By The Sea, The Devil’s 

Passion, We Are Anonymous (Director), My Name Is Saoirse, Night Creature, 

Blink (Director), Nuclear Family, “Just let the wind untie my perfumed hair…” or 

Who Is Tahirih?, A Minute In The Schoolyard (Director), What Would Spock Do?, 

Thom Pain (based on nothing), Fable, Sherlock Holmes: A Working Hypothesis, 

Babylon, Allen Wilder 2.0, The Good Son, Call Mr Robeson, The Bunker Trilogy 

(Macbeth, Morgana, Agamemnon), Animal Farm, In The Window, Bill Clinton 

Hercules, Scaramouche Jones, Anthem For A Doomed Youth, Under Milk Wood, 

Fern Hill & Other Dylan Thomas, Who Wants To Kill Yulia Tymoshenko?, The 

Inventor and The Escort, The Strange Man (Director), Misery, Weights, Outland, 

The Boy James, The Event, Austen’s Women, The Sociable Plover, Smiler, Bully, 

The Ballad Of The Unbeatable Hearts, The Half, The Six-Sided Man, I, Elizabeth, 

Shylock, Goering’s Defence, Mussolini, Adolf, American Poodle, Phoenix Rising, 

Imperial Fizz, Driving Miss Daisy, Spitfire Solo, Westward Ho!, Que Reste-t'il?, 

Absolution, Long Live The King, Yasser, Vincent, Reasonable Doubt, I, Claudia, 

A Solitary Choice, Long Gone Lonesome Cowgirls (Director), Osama The Hero, 

Corvus. Performing Credits include: The Girl Who Jumped Off The Hollywood 

Sign, The Storm, Hamlet, Portrait of a Woman, Some Girl(s), Fitting Rooms, Ready

Set Go, Back to Before, Twinkle Twinkle, Zoe’s Lucky Charm, Ripple Effects - In 

Cabaret, Sing Your Own Musicals!, Oleanna, Misery, Molly’s Shoes, Two Sides, 

Changed Forever, Deadline Gallipoli, Mother Chook (with the Seraphim Trio). 

Rene Parras Jr. (Set & Lighting Design) Rene has worked on various projects 

across southern California ranging from set design and fabrication, graphic 

design and more. He is honored to have worked with KADM Productions. He 

is excited to bring another one if his design to the stage and hope you enjoy the 

show. 

KEN WERTHER PUBLICITY has been a staple in the Los Angeles performing 

arts community since 1982. Public relations, producing, directing. As producer: 

All Your Hard Work; The Good Boy; the Queer Classics productions of The 

Importance of Being Earnest and The Taming of the Shrew. Assistant director: Stop 

the World, I Want to Get Off (Musical Theatre Guild); The Women of Brewster 

Place (Celebration Theatre); The Woodsman (Coeurage Theatre Company). For a 

complete listing of PR activities, visit www.kenwerther.com. 

Kiff Scholl AFK Design (Graphic Design) www.kiffscholl.com 

Special Thanks 

Theatre Planners 

Racquel Lehrman 

Amber Bruegel 

Victoria Watson 

Richard West 

Crystal Field 

Theater for the New City 

Ines Wurth and Ines Wurth Presents 

Jenni Halina 

Joe Kilduff 

Illo Lighting 

Vistaprint 

Keep up with us! 

Twitter: @KADMProductions 

Instagram: @KADMProductions 

FB: facebook.com/KADMPro 

www.kadm.com

igger 

dream 













Will Bradley* Owen 

Betsy Moore° Jane Fonda 

Cindy Nguyen° Agnes 

Tope Oni° Rodney 

Paula Rebelo° Valerie 

* appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association 

° member of Son of Semele Ensemble 

Director: Marya Mazor 

Set: Aubree Lynn 

Lighting: Josh Epstein 

Costumes: Lena Sands 

Sound: John Zalewski 

Violence: Edgar Landa 

Technical Director: Shen Heckel 

Stage Manager: Christina Bryan 

The performance will run 80 minutes with no intermission. 

It contains explicit language, adult themes, and graphic content. 

That Pretty Pretty; or, The Rape Play is presented by 

special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. 

The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this 

production or distributing recordings on any medium, including the internet, is strictly 

prohibited, a violation of the author’s rights and actionable under United States copyright 

law. For more information please visit www.samuelfrench.com/whitepaper.

A note from Son of Semele’s Artistic Director 

Son of Semele, now in its 15th season, has produced 35 

productions from over 30 brilliant writers! Whether this 

is your first time visiting us or if you are a longtime supporter, 

thank you for being here! 

I’m proud that Son of Semele Ensemble is producing 

Sheila’s work again, after having presented Roadkill Confidential 

in 2012. I first recall seeing this play in American 

Theatre Magazine. When I heard recently that it had never had a Los Angeles 

production, I was immediately eager to produce it. LA feels like the perfect 

place for a production of That Pretty Pretty. I am drawn to this play for a number 

of reasons, such as its candid exploration of gender bias. 

It’s important to share with you that Son of Semele needs your support. We 

estimate that ticket sales will cover 40% of our operating costs this year. 

That’s the reality of intimate theatre. And we can’t leave the other 60% on the 

old credit card. We rely on donations and other forms of support to make up 

the difference. So, if you have the means, please help us continue by making 

a tax-deductible contribution. It feels good to donate, I promise! And, if you 

don’t have the means to contribute, you can also help by telling a friend about 

us, posting on social media, or bringing someone with you next time you attend 

a show. 

It’s been a privilege to have spent the last 15 years producing provocative 

work. I’m thrilled to share another one with you today. Thank you for coming! 

Matthew McCray 

Son of Semele believes that the impact of a theatrical experience should 

resonate beyond the theater door. As an ensemble of artists, we integrate 

complex design and performance, producing theatre that embraces the 

friction between emotion and intellect. Through a process of discovery, 

collaboration and creative risk-taking, we illuminate and amplify universal 

questions. 

Through our work, we make an earnest commitment to the artistic sustainability 

of the greater community. Our resident company, Son of Semele 

Ensemble, produces two productions each year. In addition, Son 

of Semele presents the annual Solo and Company Creation Festivals, 

and welcomes a variety of guest productions by like-minded theater 

artists through our Guest Productions program. For more information 

on Son of Semele programming, please visit our website. 

SONOFSEMELE.ORG

CAST 

Will Bradley (Owen) LA theater credits include Romeo 

and Juliet (A Noise Within), Miravel (Sacred Fools), Figaro 

(A Noise Within), Stupid Fucking Bird (The Theatre 

@ Boston Court). Off-Broadway credits: The Twentieth- 

Century Way (Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre), Man And 

Superman (The Irish Repertory Theatre). Regional Credits: 

Lord Of The Flies (Barrington Stage), Candida (Two River 

Theatre), Third (The Horizon Theatre). Television and film: Pretty Little Liars, 

The Normal Heart. Thank you to Sheila Callaghan for writing this incredible 

play and to you for coming to see it. Follow him on Instagram @thewillbradley. 

Betsy Moore (Jane Fonda) After performing at Shakespeare 

Santa Cruz, Betsy’s career in Southern CA began 

with the famed Tony ‘n Tina’s Wedding. Work with experimental 

writer/director John Sinner led to successful 

productions at REDCAT and the New York and Amsterdam 

Fringe Festivals. She is thrilled that the short 

While the Trees Sleep (lead actress) was recently accepted 

to the Cannes and Edinburgh film festivals. After playing Joan in 

Bill and Joan at Sacred Fools she performed in awesome productions at 

Son of Semele including the well reviewed and honored Love and Information 

and her solo show Freebird goes to Mars. www.betsy-moore.com 

Cindy Nguyen (Agnes) is very excited to be a part of That 

Pretty Pretty! She was last seen in Son of Semele Ensemble 

productions Love and Information and If You Can Get to 

Buffalo. She graduated with a BFA in Theatre Performance 

at Chapman University. Other LA Theatre: A Night of Noh 

Theatre: Kinuta (Actors Circle Ensemble). Also works in 

TV, film, and commercially when the universe is kind. 

Tope Oni (Rodney) is an LA-based actor from New York 

City, educated in Chicago and NY, with an extensive theatre 

background in English Renaissance and modern work, 

and on film in the Miami and NY independent scene. Recently 

arrived in Los Angeles, he is thrilled to be a Son of 

Semele Ensemble track member and honored to be working 

with Marya, Sheila and the incredible cast and crew. 

Paula Rebelo (Valerie) is excited to be making her debut 

with Son of Semele. Select credits include Theatre Movement 

Bazaar’s Big Shot (South Coast Repertory & Bootleg 

Theatre), Four Larks’ The Temptation of St Antony (2015 

Ovation Award for Acting Ensemble of a Play) and CNP’s 

Prometheus Bound at the Getty Villa. She holds a BFA 

from CalArts. Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Paula 

is thankful to have found an artistic family in Los Angeles at Son of Semele 

Ensemble. She thanks her family for coming all the way from Brazil to see her 

shows - and B.B. for being. paularebelo.com

PRODUCTION TEAM 

Christina Bryan (Stage Manager) is a recent graduate from the University of 

Southern California, where she majored in Stage Management & Technical 

Production. Recent credits include Mary’s Wedding (Malibu Playhouse), Get. 

That. Snitch. (Great Minds Creative Productions), and Follow (Watts Village 

Theatre Company). In her rare but precious free time, Christina enjoys dining 

out, making friends with neighborhood cats, and growing jalapeño peppers. 

Sheila Callaghan (Playwright) has had plays produced and developed with 

Soho Rep, Playwright’s Horizons, Yale Rep, South Coast Repertory, Clubbed 

Thumb, The LARK, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, New Georges, The Flea, Woolly 

Mammoth, Boston Court, and Rattlestick Playwright’s Theatre, among others. 

In 2010, she was profiled by Marie Claire as one of “18 Successful Women 

Who Are Changing the World,” and was named one of Variety magazine’s “10 

Screenwriters to Watch” that same year. Sheila is currently a writer/producer 

on the hit Showtime comedy Shameless and a founding member of the feminist 

activist group The Kilroys. In 2016 she was nominated for a Golden Globe 

for her work on the Hulu comedy series Casual. 

Josh Epstein (Lighting Designer) has designed lighting for many of the top 

regional theaters in the country including: Mark Taper Forum, The Pasadena 

Playhouse, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Geffen Playhouse, The Guthrie, The Goodman, 

Trinity Repertory Company, Baltimore Center Stage, Long Wharf, Paper 

Mill Playhouse, Alliance Theater, Playmakers Repertory and The Cincinnati 

Playhouse. He is a visiting professor at UCLA School of Theater, Film and 

Television. 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. 

joshepsteindesign.com. 

Shen Heckel (Technical Director) graduated from UCLA’s school of Theatre, 

Film, and Television, and has had the pleasure of working as a carpenter for 

both the Geffen Playhouse and the Kirk Douglas Theatre. He has worked in all 

aspects of theatre, including: stage manager and lighting designer of Twelfth 

Night, R&J, and A Winter’s Tale; set and lighting designer of The Bachelorette; 

assistant stage manager of Recorded in Hollywood; properties master of Assassins, 

Taming of the Shrew, The Ben Hecht Show and Corktown 57. Most 

recently, he was the director and set designer of Next Thing You Know. 

Edgar Landa (Fight Director) is an actor/director and creates fights & violence 

for theatres large and small. Credits include: Hit The Wall (Los Angeles 

LGBT Center), El Henry (San Diego Rep/La Jolla Playhouse); The Reunion 

(South Coast Repertory); The Steward of Christendom (CTG/Mark Taper Forum); 

Parfumerie (Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts); The Nether 

(CTG/Kirk Douglas Theatre). Edgar serves on the faculty of the USC School of 

Dramatic Arts and is a long-time collaborator of Son of Semele Ensemble. He 

is a proud AEA member and Pro99 supporter of small theatre in Los Angeles. 

Aubree Lynn (Scenic Designer) is Los Angeles-based designer who works 

collaboratively to design and create space for live performance, film, installations, 

and happenings throughout the United States and internationally. Her

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CLYBOURNE PARK 

by Bruce Norris 

Director 

George L. Rametta 

Producer 

Lauren A. Jarvis 

Set Design 

Jason Gant 

Lighting Design 

John Beckwith 

Sound Design 

Ellen Taurich 

Costume Design 

Sheridan Cole 

Cast 

(in order of appearance) 

Russ/Dan ........................................................................... Harold Dershimer 

Bev/Kathy .......................................................................... Andrea Stradling 

Francine/Lena ................................................................... Paulina Bugembe 

Jim/Tom/Kenneth .................................................. Jeremy Patrick Hamilton 

Albert/Kevin ...................................................................... Damon Rutledge 

Karl/Steve .................................................................................. Matt Landig 

Betsy/Lindsey .............................................................................. Jen Kerner 

Setting 

406 Clybourne Street, in the near northwest of Central Chicago. 

Act One 

September 26, 1959. Three o’clock. Saturday afternoon. 

Act Two 

September 26, 2009. Three o’clock. Saturday afternoon. 

Coda 

March 18, 1957. Eight o’clock. Monday morning. 

There will be a 15-minute intermission between Acts I and II. 

Decaf coffee will be served at the intermission, courtesy of Kentwood Players 

Presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

About the Cast 

Paulina Bugembe (Francine/Lena) – Born and raised in Milwaukee, 

Wisconsin, Paulina spent her formative years acting out scenes from her 

favorite movies in her front yard. It wasn't until later in life that she made 

the connection between that and her passion for acting. She studied the 

Meisner technique at the Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Studio on Santa 

Monica. She is thrilled to be a part of such an important play as Clybourne 

Park. 

Harold Dershimer (Russ/Dan) – Harold’s local credits include productions 

at the Morgan-Wixson Theater, Theatre Palisades, the El Segundo 

Playhouse, El Segundo’s Broadway in the Park, and the Long Beach 

Playhouse. Here at the Westchester Playhouse, he’s been seen in 

Something’s Afoot, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Mame, An Ideal Husband, 

Into the Woods, Sordid Lives, The Hollow, Lend Me a Tenor, Rabbit Hole, 

Candide, Parade, Annie, A Little Night Music, Working, and The Odd 

Couple. He served as Stage Manager here for Orphans and has also directed 

the multiple award-winning Kentwood Players productions of Oliver! and 

Fiddler on the Roof. His latest directorial project here was A Raisin in the Sun. Harold thanks his 

family for their continued support. 

Jeremy Patrick Hamilton (Jim/Tom/Kenneth) – Jeremy Patrick Hamilton 

is proud to make his Los Angeles stage debut with the Kentwood Players, 

having recently moved from New York City. Favorite NYC credits include: 

The Mistakes Madeline Made (TIC Theater), Toothbrush (Manhattan Rep.), 

and Twelfth Night (Flea Theater). Jeremy has also worked as a producer on 

several documentary films with Hawk House Productions. In 2015 Jeremy 

wrote, directed, and acted in the short film, The North Shore, which is 

currently in post-production. Love to Brian and Cosmo for all of your 

support and encouragement. For more information, visit his website at: 

jeremypatrickhamilton.com. 

Jen Kerner (Betsy/Lindsey) – Simply put, Jen Kerner THRIVES on 

variety! She is a full time Special Education teacher working with persons 

with disabilities. Outside of work you’ll find her doing comedy improv at 

Upright Citizens Brigade, singing with her band Waterparx, performing in 

plays & musicals, taking ballet, creating encaustic art, and terrorizing the 

neighborhood on her Harley Davidson. She is currently in a Progressive 

Insurance commercial with Flo! Jen would like to thank the Kentwood 

Players for making her feel welcome. Also, Jen would like to thank Justin 

Wilcott for being the most loving, supportive person she’s ever known. 

Matt Landig (Karl/Steve) – Matt is pleased to return to the Westchester 

Playhouse. Other Kentwood credits: Lend Me a Tenor (Max), Doubt (Father 

Flynn), and Squabbles (Jerry). Other stage credits include: The Little Dog 

Laughed (Mitch), The Importance of Being Earnest (Jack), Beau Jest (Bob), 

Charley's Aunt (the 'title role'), and Moon Over Buffalo (Paul). Awards: The 

Bay Area Shellie Award - Best Actor (The Diviners), Theatre Palisades - 

Best Featured Actor (Noises Off). Special thanks to Kaci Christian.

Damon Rutledge (Albert/Kevin) – Fresh from starring as Walter Lee in the 

iconic play A Raisin in the Sun, Damon is still floating on Cloud 9. In 

addition to Clybourne Park, he has just been cast as Othello in the summer 

production by Shakespeare by the Sea. Damon would like to thank 

Kentwood Players and the Westchester Playhouse for producing these 

opportunities and providing an avenue to help him pursue his dreams. 

Andrea Stradling (Bev/Kathy) – Andrea is thrilled to return to Westchester 

Playhouse and honored to be a cast member of the remarkable Clybourne 

Park. Recently, she was seen as Mrs. Ravenscroft in Ravenscroft and Mrs. 

Marchmont in An Ideal Husband. Andrea received a best leading actress 

SCENIE for her work in Plaza Suite at Morgan-Wixson and recently played 

Penelope Sycamore in You Can’t Take It With You at Glendale Center 

Theatre. She sends love to Nicholas and Tierney and prays that “one day we 

can all sit around one big table” in peace. 

About the Director 

George L. Rametta (Director) – George walked through the doors of our theatre 23 years ago 

and found his home away from home. In that time he has nearly done it all, having been involved 

in numerous shows, workshops, and Dinner Dances, along with serving on our Board of 

Directors in many positions. George is very proud to be completing a 3-year run as Subscription 

Chairman, during which time our numbers have substantially increased. As director for KP, 

George will forever cherish his multi award-winning show The Trip to Bountiful. As an actor, 

George's favorite roles have been Edward Rutledge in 1776 and Melvin P. Thorpe in Best Little 

Whorehouse. And while his middle name might as well be “musical theatre”, George enjoys the 

flair for the dramatic, thanks all those responsible for bringing Clybourne Park to our stage, and 

sends kudos to our remarkably talented cast & crew for bringing Clybourne Park to life on our 

stage. With love always, to Lauren, and my apologies for not always listening with my ears. 

Just know that I'm always listening with my heart. 

About the Producer 

Lauren A. Jarvis (Producer) – Lauren is a proud graduate of the Leland Powers School of 

Radio, Television, & Theater. In earlier years Lauren worked at The New England Living 

Theater, MA, The Weston Playhouse, VT, and The Berkshire Theater, MA, with such stars as 

Gloria Swanson, Gloria Grahame, Betty Gillette, Betty and Jane Kean and Ray Fulmer. Lauren 

has been a member of Kentwood for 22 years, Stage Manager for P.S. Your Cat Is Dead and 

Producer for The Trip to Bountiful and Time Of My Life. As our resident Betty Crocker Lauren 

always whips up a fabulous assortment of treats for our ‘Subscriber Saturday’ events & dares 

you to compare his desserts with Mrs. Lovett’s meat pies – “God, that’s good!”

About the Designers 

Jason Gant (Set Design) – Jason joined Kentwood Players in 2015. He is a licensed architect by 

trade and teaches Revit, a 3-D architectural modeling application, to architects, engineers and 

construction companies. This is Jason's second involvement on a set design project (his first 

being Brighton Beach Memoirs), and he is excited to help Kentwood Players visualize the set for 

Clybourne Park in 3-D. Additionally, Jason has been in the talent industry since his college years 

doing print modeling, dance, acting and promotions. 

John Beckwith (Lighting Design) – John has designed lights and worked the lighting board for 

more shows than he cares to mention. In fact, John does not like to write bios or draw attention 

to the time and effort he takes to make the Kentwood Players’ shows shine. That just makes us 

appreciate him all the more. 

Ellen Taurich (Sound Design) – Ellen is excited to be part of the amazing crew for her second 

Kentwood Players production. Previous shows she has worked on include Ravenscroft at 

Kentwood and Private Eyes at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre. When she is not trying to survive 

junior year of high school at Marymount, Ellen can be found volunteering at either MWT or 

Kentwood. 

Sheridan Cole (Costume Design) – Sheridan, KP member for forty-plus years, has costumed 

over a dozen shows, but Clybourne Park presents special challenges in that each actor plays two 

entirely different people living 50 years apart. It's been fun outfitting them in dissimilar fashion 

periods and watching their characters emerge. Thanks to the cooperative cast and her ever-cheery 

colleague Marie Olivas (and pregnancy expert!) for all the help. 

Director’s Note 

“Did you hear what I said?” is a commonly used phrase, whether by a parent, teacher, or coworker. 

But, the actual question should be, “Are you listening to me?” There is a big 

difference between the two, as everyone hears, but not everyone listens. This is one of the 

major themes that drew me to Clybourne Park, as we wonder if the “fine art” of 

communication is really a fine art after all?? 

I am quite fascinated in the way that Bruce Norris set up the time frames of 1959 and 2009, 

in the same house, on the exact same days & dates, and then has many of the same words 

and phrases repeated by different characters in each time period. Some things just don't 

change. I ask that our audiences please listen to the Act 1 dialogue, as it will be like déjà vu 

hearing it again in Act 2. That, in itself, is great conversation for an after-theatre party or 

drive back home. And what a concept to have the same actors from Act 1 portray many of 

their related characters in Act 2!! That is sheer brilliance. 

Mr. Norris might be called an equal opportunity offender, and while the mighty Clybourne 

Park navigates the treacherous waters of racism, war, gentrification, gender issues, and 

disabilities, it also steers through a community of ineptitude and anxiety, where every 

character watches out for political correctness but is also always in a constant state of 

irritation. Nobody really wants to take home that chafing dish, now do they?? One character 

in Act 1 asks, “Is this safe?” but has no clue what lies ahead. And later on when we hear, “It's 

alright. Nothing broken.” we have to wonder if the journey of our mighty vessel was indeed a 

safe one. 

And being a ferociously smart and biting play, the comedy, and especially racial comedy, is 

used as a release valve during some very difficult and uncomfortable passages. Don't let that 

offend you–just remember Bette Davis' warning: “Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a 

bumpy night!” 

George L. Rametta 

May 2016

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PRESENTS 

Written & Directed by 

Mitch Rosander 

VINCE……………………………….……………………………………………Kristian Maxwell-McGeever 

THE FOG………………………………………………………………………………………….…Bree Pavey* 

AL……………………………………...………………………………………………………………Jon Tosetti 

YOUNG VINCE/MICHAEL………….…….…….……………………………….……………...Leon Mayne 

GRANDPA ……………..……………………………………………….……………………….Peter Schuyler 

TED/ENSEMBLE……………….……………………….…………….…………...………………Max Marsh 

DAN/ENSEMBLE……………………………………………….…………………………………Alex Tracy 

JENNY/ENSEMBLE…………………………………………………………………………….Ashley Snyder 

SONI/MOM……………………………………………………………………………….Maria Mastroyannis 

LISA/ENSEMBLE………………..……………………………………………………………Lauren Sperling 

MEGAN/ENSEMBLE……………………...………………..…………………………….Shannon Estabrook 

BETH/ENSEMBLE………………..…………………...…………………………………………Tiffany Anne 

DAN UNDERSTUDY/ENSEMBLE…......……………………………………………………….Esten Daniel 

TED UNDERSTUDY/MALE SWING/ENSEMBLE…………………………...………….....Nathan Shoop 

BILL VO………………………………………………………..……………………………….Mitch Rosander 

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, 

Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States 

This production is presented under the auspices of 

Actor’s Equity Membership Company Rule.

LOFT ENSEMBLE STAFF 

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR…………………………………………………………….…………Adam Chambers 

MANAGING DIRECTOR………………..………………...….…………...…………………….Kevin Meoak 

PRODUCTION MANAGER……………...……………………..………..………….……………..Bree Pavey 

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR………………….....…………………………...…………..……....Mitch Rosander 

COMPANY MANAGER……………………......…………….………...…………..………Marissa Galloway 

TECHNICAL CONSULTANT.…………………………………………………………….Tor Jensen Brown 

Marketing Manager.……………….Faye Kingslee 

Social Media Manager...………Dayeanne Hutton 

Membership Manager...………Victor Kamwendo 

Philanthropy Manager……...……….Leon Mayne 

House Manager………...Lindsey Newell 

Literary Manager….……Stephanie Jones 

Sergeant-at-Arms……...…Sarah Claspell 

Archivist……………………...Chris Haas 

PRODUCTION STAFF 

PRODUCERS…………………………………………………………………………………….......Bree Pavey 

Lauren Sperling 

Kevin Meoak 

WRITER/DIRECTOR……………………………………………………………………...…..Mitch Rosander 

STAGE MANAGER…………………………………..………………………………..………..Ainsley Peace 

CHOREOGRAPHY……….…………………………………………………………………………Bree Pavey 

SET DESIGN……………………………………..…………………………………………..…Mitch Rosander 

SCENIC DESIGN………………………………………………………………………………Lauren Sperling 

Tiffany Anne 

LIGHTING DESIGN……...…………………………………...………………………..………….Matt Richter 

Mitch Rosander 

SOUND DESIGN…………………………....…………………………….………………….. Suze Campagna 

Dean Hovey 

COSTUME DESIGN…………………..…………….……………………...………….……Marissa Galloway 

Dayeanne Hutton 

MAKEUP DESIGN…………………………………………………………………….Angela Santori Merritt 

MAKEUP CREW………………………………………………………………………..……Ali Fisher-Collins 

BOOTH OPERATOR………………………………………..…………………………………..Jordan Wynter 

STAGE CREW…………………………………………………………………………..Cadence Ellen Whittle 

PHOTOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………..…………J.D. Ramage 

Ryan Johnson 

GRAPHIC DESIGN……………..………………..………………………………..………Amanda Chambers 

VIDEO PRODUCTION………………………………………………………..….…………….Nathan Shoop 

Kevin Kelly 

T. Michael Woolston

CAST & PRODUCTION STAFF 

TIFFANY ANNE (BETH/ENSEMBLE) is a Los Angeles native and though she's been 

involved in theatre for several years, her main passion is music. She has three current 

musical projects Last Animal, Buffalo, and Make Out Point. Tiffany also wrote the 

accompanying music to Lost Angels’ 2015 production of Middletown and LAVC's 2016 

production of The Laramie Project. She co-hosts a podcast called Arrogant and in her free 

time makes custom puppets, draws and paints. This is Tiffany’s first production with Loft 

Ensemble. 

SUZE CAMPAGNA (SOUND DESIGNER) is thrilled to be working with Loft Ensemble 

on her first full length play as sound designer. She has been running and programming 

sound for Serial Killers at Sacred Fools Theater Company for several years now, where 

she is a member and sound master. 

SHANNON ESTABROOK (MEGAN/ENSEMBLE) is a mountain girl from Lake Tahoe, 

adapting to the wiles of Los Angeles. Graduating from the American Musical and 

Dramatic Academy in 2012 was the kick-start to her career, by specializing in staged 

productions and grind-house classics such as Prepare to Die and Zombies in the Basement. 

Shannon would like to thank her kitten, Sgt. Pepper, for keeping her awake until dawn; 

you are an essential part of the late-night-writing process. 

MARISSA GALLOWAY (COSTUME DESIGNER) started as a child model and spent 

her life in front of a camera or on the stage and is so excited to now lend her talents 

behind the scenes. She is a graduate of the American Academy of dramatic Arts. Some of 

Marissa’s favorite productions, both on and off the Loft stage, are A Lie of the Mind, 

HONK! (The Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Everything in the Garden, Wait Until Dark, 

Catalyst, and LoveSick (Winner of Excellence by an Ensemble at the 2012 New York 

International Fringe Festival), and Hammer of the Witches. 

DAYEANNE HUTTON (COSTUME DESIGNER) is happy to be a part of the production 

team for The Aeroplane. This is her third production at Loft, and she couldn't ask to be a 

member of a better team of people. Dayeanne is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago 

and you can find more of her work at dayeannehutton.com. 

DANIEL JOO (DAN UNDERSTUDY/ENSEMBLE) was born and raised in Los Angeles 

and holds Bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and Law & Society from the University of 

California Santa Barbara (UCSB). He recently completed his first year at the American 

Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA). While studying at UCSB, Daniel was an active 

member of a Polynesian dance group, Iaorona Te Otea, and danced on tour with Morris 

Day & The Time. He has competed in Model America and won 2 nd place at Muscle Mania, 

an amateur body building competition. Daniel has played semi-pro football, is trained in 

Krav Maga, boxing, and Tae Kwon Do (for which he won 1 st place at the 2009 Tae Kwon 

Do World Cup Competition). He is also an active officer of the San Fernando Masonic 

Lodge. Daniel is an experienced actor having worked on several independent films and 

theatre productions such as Fortune 500 Man, Natural Demise, Surviving August, Ocean 

Front Property, Piece of My Heart, and has worked behind the scenes as an Assistant 

Director and Fight Choreographer.


MAX MARSH (TED/ENSEMBLE) is an actor and writer from Chicago who was 

introduced to acting by his grandfather and mother. After his migration to the West Coast, 

he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Some of Max’s favorite roles 

include Simon the Zealot in Last Days of Judas Iscariot and Pop in The Wooden Dish. He has 

trained with Second City Chicago and the Elgin Community College long form Improv 

Troupe. This is Max’s second show with Loft, having recently closed Christmas is Dead and 

deciding to become a full company member. He is beyond thrilled to work on such a 

wonderful script with some incredibly gifted nurturing actors in an environment as open 

and loving as Loft. Thank you, and feel free to enjoy the show. 

MARIA MASTROYANNIS (SONI/MOM) has played numerous roles in theater, film 

and televison, including The Diary of Anne Frank, Six Degrees of Separation, No Exit, CONAN 

and The Young & The Restless. She also co-created and performed her own dance theater 

pieces, Alter Ego and Fragments. Maria joined Loft last Spring, and couldn’t believe that 

anyone else in Los Angeles used Viewpoints as a basis for creating work. She is over the 

moon to be a part of such a creative and quirky group of artists. Maria is also a member 

of the Classical Theatre Lab, is fluent in German, sometimes plays the piano and is in the 

process of raising two kids. She would like to thank Mitch for creating this exceptional 

play and for inviting her to be a part of it! 

KRISTIAN MAXWELL-MCGEEVER (VINCE) was born in Blackpool, England and 

raised in Australia, where he honed his musical talents in singing and guitar while 

playing. Following graduation, he made the move stateside and is now pursuing his love 

of acting. Kristian graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts with an 

Associate of Arts degree and was the recipient of the voice and speech award in his 

graduating class. This is his fifth show at Loft, having recently played Justin in Christmas is 

Dead, Varick in Hammer of the Witches, Snout in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Robert in 

Relationships Suck! This new role, Vince, is Kristian's most important and treasured role to 

date. He is honored to be part of this show, is amazingly appreciative of his fellow cast 

members, crew, and director. Kristian can't wait for you to join him on this journey, and 

he wishes for you to please sit back and relax as your in-flight entertainment will begin 

shortly. 

LEON MAYNE (YOUNG VINCE/MICHAEL) recently finished his first year of training 

at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and is very excited to be a part of this fun, 

zany, original play at Loft Ensemble. He was recently an understudy in Loft’s Hammer of 

The Witches as Heinrich, Cuckoo in a Cage in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Miles in 

Christmas is Dead. Leon really, really hopes you'll all enjoy the show, as it's very tragic and 

well-done, so try not to let him down. 

KEVIN MEOAK (MANAGING DIRECTOR) joined Loft Ensemble in his current 

position in the summer of 2010 and directed this year’s production of A Midsummer 

Night’s Dream. Producing highlights include A Ring in Brooklyn at the NoHo Arts Center 

(New Musicals, Inc.), Loft’s production of LoveSick at the 2012 New York International 

Fringe Festival (recognized for Outstanding Ensemble), Associate Producer on the awardsweeping 

Louis and Keely Live at the Sahara at the Matrix, and producing the 2008 LA 

Weekly Awards. He would like to send special thanks to his wife, Corinne, because she 

always deserves to be thanked.


ANGELA SANTORI MERITT (MAKEUP DESIGNER) is thrilled that this will be her 

sixth show in just over a year at Loft! Even though that may be relatively seasoned, it will 

always feel like her first show Will You Save Them? Special effects makeup has been 

Angela’s passion for many years and having the opportunity to learn and create at Loft 

has really been a dream. She is thankful for all the people she has met that help continue 

to fuel and push her to be a better artist. Let’s master this crazy circus called life together! 

Yay! 

BREE PAVEY (THE FOG) Off-Broadway credits: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hippolyta 

& Titania), The Columbine Project (Winner, 2009 Artistic Directors’ Achievement Award - 

Best Supporting Actress). Regional credits include: Christmas is Dead (Michelle), She Kills 

Monsters (Agnes), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Puck), Will You Save Them? 

(Delphine/Writer), Hamlet (Ophelia/Director), What Doesn't Kill You 

(Ryan/Jennifer/Writer), The Princes' Charming (Minnie), Macbeth (Hecate), Noises 

Off! (Vicki/Brooke), Beyond Therapy (Prudence) and many, many more. Bree can also be 

seen in film and on television, standing in line at Starbucks, and drinking Old Fashioneds 

with Marissa. Much love to VMB, Lord Chambers, MrKDawg, LoLo and her awesome 

family. Finally, Bree is so proud of Mitch for his commitment, courage, honesty and 

generosity. Thank YOU, the audience, for supporting intimate theatre. 

#lovethebuddyalways 

MITCH ROSANDER (WRITER/DIRECTOR) is extremely excited and humbled to be 

able to share this story with you. This is his 3rd world premiere as a playwright here at 

Loft following The Princes' Charming and Windows. Mitch would like to extend a HUGE 

pile of thanks to Bree, Lauren, and the entire production team who helped make this 

madness a reality. He would also like to thank Kristian and Leon for going to all of the 

scary places and not being afraid, and lastly to the entire cast: “thank you from the bottom 

of my heart and soul for getting behind this story and trusting me to lead you through the 

crazy. Thank you Abers for the faith, Professor Brown for the method to the madness and 

Bree for the accountability. CamCam says have fun! Enjoy the show!” 

PETER SCHUYLER (GRANDPA) is delighted to be in his third production at Loft 

Ensemble. Working with this incredibly talented crew is a delight. Peter’s Los Angeles 

theater credits include the Old Guy in Hollywood Fringe’s Pot: The Musical, Porter in 

Macbeth at Zombie Joe’s, and Dr. Spivey in Loft’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Hmm. 

Both of those characters were old guys too. 

NATHAN SHOOP (TED UNDERSTUDY/MALE SWING/ENSEMBLE) recently joined 

Loft Ensemble in December and this is his first play with the company. Nathan studied for 

two years at the John Ruskin school of acting, along with private study from Victor Villar- 

Hauser and Eddie Jauregui. Regional credits include: Connections (Trey Claymore), A 

Death In Bethany (Henry), This Is Our Youth (Warren Straub), The Columbine Project (Dylan 

Klebold), Beirut (Torch). Nathan is presently represented by Beth Stein and Associates 

commercially and theatrically. He would like to thank everyone at Loft for giving him a 

safe place to play with himself.


ASHLEY SNYDER (JENNY/ENSEMBLE) was born and raised in Southern California 

and made her stage debut as Yenchna in Neil Simon’s Fools. She later moved to NYC to 

attend The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. This is Ashley's fourth show at Loft, 

having previously appeared in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Princes’ Charming 

(returning to the stage at Hollywood Fringe in 2016!), and Hamlet. She is thrilled to be 

back on stage for Aeroplane. Ashley immensely adores her Loft family and feels insanely 

lucky to have found this group of people. She would like to thank her parents for their 

love and constant support as well as Billy and Autumn, her built in besties. Also, Mitch is 

amazing. 

LAUREN SPERLING (LISA/ENSEMBLE) is honored to join the cast of Aeroplane, which 

marks her eighth show as a company member at Loft! She spent two years studying acting 

at AMDA-LA. Lauren performs with A Faery Hunt, the longest running children’s show in 

Los Angeles. Past Loft credits include Relationships Suck!, The Princes’ Charming, Luci’s 

Thoughts on Empathy, Hamlet, Catalyst and She Kills Monsters. She also co-produces the 

monthly Loft Cabaret with Michaela Kahan. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys falling off 

couches, playing with feathers, picking rosemary, ripping out hearts, and spending time 

with Mr. Robin. Lauren sends love to the fam bam. Pensate dei pensieri felici. Bugbear. 

JON TOSETTI (AL) is honored to be a part of Aeroplane for his sixth production with 

Loft. Regional credits include: South Coast Repertory's A Christmas Carol (Thomas 

Shelley), Middletown (Cop), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Dale Harding), Tracers 

(Scooter), and most recently Bree Pavey's world premiere Hammer of the Witches 

(Heinrich). He would like to thank Mitch for his strength and bravery in putting this story 

to paper and now to stage. “Cheers, my friend. We'll always have the Cher concert.” 

ALEX TRACY (DAN/ENSEMBLE) is a Georgia native, American Academy of Dramatic 

Arts graduate, and proud to make his performance debut at Loft with Aeroplane. He 

would first like to thank everyone who sees this show and hopes they all find their inner 

value that this play helped identify in himself. Alex additionally wants to recognize just 

how supportive and overwhelmingly positive his new family here at Loft has been, and 

looks forward to a future of limitless growth creatively and personally. Welcome and 

enjoy! 

SPECIAL THANKS TO… 

Heatherlynn Gonzales 

Ralph & Carmen Mitchell 

Matt Richter 

Linda Muggeridge 

Actor’s Equity Association 

Sacred Fools Theater Company 

The Garland Hotel NoHo 

Salesforce.com 

LA Stage Alliance 

Southwest Airlines 

Patron Technology 

City Hearts: Kids say “Yes” to the Arts 

The American Academy for Dramatic Arts 

All 99 Seat Theaters in Los Angeles 

Friends of Bill

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING OUR 2015-2016 SEASON! 

DON’T MISS OUR ONGOING DARK NIGHT SERIES: 

LOFT LATE NIGHT ● DARK N’ STORMY IMPROV 

LOFT SPEAKEASY ● LOFT CABARET ● LOFT ETCH A SKETCH 

COMING TO THE MAINSTAGE 

March 2016 - A World Premiere Musical 

Wanting Miss Julie 

Book by John Sparks, Lyrics by Patricia Zehentmayr, and Music by Jake Anthony 

Directed by Kevin Meoak 

May 2016 

King Lear 

Directed by Bree Pavey 

Visit loftensemble.org for our full schedule! 

Did you know Loft Ensemble shares this space and is 

partially subsidized by City Hearts, a fellow non-profit arts 

organization? City Hearts has provided free visual and 

performing arts classes to children in Los Angeles for over 

27 years. www.cityhearts.org 

LOFT ENSEMBLE IS… 

Adam Chambers (Artistic Director) ● Kevin Meoak (Managing Director) 

Deb Baker Jr. ● Seth Bewley ● Cameron Hastings Britton 

Tor Jensen Brown ● Sarah Claspell ● Laura Cotenescu ● Stefano della Pietra 

Raymond Donahey ● Sean Durrie ● Peter Elliott ● Alex Fream 

Marissa Galloway ● Gabrielle Gulbranson ● Chris Haas ● Maria Hojas 

Dayeanne Hutton ● Stephanie Jones ● Daniel Joo ● Michaela Kahan 

Victor Kamwendo ● Faye Kingslee ● Shaina Krashin ● Max Marsh 

Maria Mastroyannis ● Kristian Maxwell-McGeever ● Leon Mayne 

Nick McLoughlin ● JoAnn Mendelson ● Raven Miles ● April Morrow 

Reno Muren ● Sanaye Nelson ● Lindsey Newell ● Bree Pavey 

Ainsley Peace ● Jefferson Reid ● Matthew Wayne Roberts ● Mitch Rosander 

Javier Santovena ● Nathan Shoop ● Nick Slimmer ● Ashley Snyder 

Lauren Sperling ● Jon Tosetti ● Alex Tracy ● Emma Alice Weber 

Cadence Whittle ● Jared Wilson ● T. Michael Woolston ● Jordan Wynter

BECOME A DONOR AND HELP LOFT FLY 

Donations can be made online at loftensemble.org. 

Loft Ensemble is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and all donations are tax deductible to the fullest 

extent of the law 

THANK YOU to all our donors… 

LOFT Stratosphere members ($2500+) 

Larry and Gloria Wise/Tri-City Glass 

James and Ann Yurcek 

LOFT Sky members ($1000+) 

Stephanie Jones and Peter Schuyler 

Janice & Charles Lovett 

Brett Snodgrass 

Tony Wise 

LOFT Gold Circle members ($500+) 

Will and Deb Baker 

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igger 

dream 













(Ch u c k B er r y f r om page F7 ) 

kind of Chuck Berry: bluesy, sexy, 

and far more dangerous. He gamely 

comments to his East St. Louis audience, 

“I’m sorry I left the Cosmopolitan 

but I’m glad I made that money.” He 

couldn’t even keep a straight face during 

the “apology.” 

Comparing the film’s two scenes clearly 

demonstrates Chuck Berry’s “intention to 

hold both the black and white clientele 

by voicing the different kinds of songs in 

their customary tongues.” But intention 

is sometimes not enough. Even with 

his desire to sell his product to white 

audiences, he could never quite outrun 

the racism of the times. It seems a pity 

Chuck never had a #1 song during the 

1950s when he was at peak creativity. 

He came close only once: Sweet Little 

Sixteen hit #2 for a couple of weeks in 

1958. 

I guess you can make a song sound only 

so white. 

So it’s a sad irony that Chuck Berry’s 

first and only 1 song was a achieved 

in the 1970s with a (b) novelty tune 

that was (c) not written by him and (d) 

recorded in England. Could there be 

anything more antithetical to the Chuck 

Berry mythos than My Ding-a-Ling? 

In fact, Chuck Berry’s, or rather, Chuck 

Berry and Johnnie Johnson’s music was 

so powerful that it has been thoroughly 

absorbed by the culture to nearly the 

point of cliché. Nearly, but not quite. 

While Chuck may have targeted an 

audience, he never did so in a cynical 

manner. Intentionally blending 

elements to capture an audience’s 

attention does not lessen one’s standing 

as a creator. 

Chuck’s desire for bucks may have 

provided a “pow’ful motor and some 

hideaway wings” but the resulting 

journey itself was joyously pure. Chuck 

was a creative artist of first degree and 

his work, even if culturally ubiquitous, 

sounds just as vital today as when it was 

first committed to wa. 

Chuck Berry may be gone but his songs 

have already withstood the pressure of 

time. And racism as well. By targeting 

a specific audience he universalied 

the sweet dreamland of fast cars, young 

love, and not being a minute over 17. 

Chuck’s commerce created culture. 

And so he’ll keep all of us – no matter 

what age, no matter what race – rockin’ 

‘n’ rollin’ for all eternity. FL 

And then it occurs to me that Chuck 

wouldn’t have found it sad at all. All 

gold records have the same luster and 

there are no asterisks on the Billboard 

Hot 100. Money is money. After all, 

this was the man who took the exact 

melody off his Run Rudolph Run and 

repackaged it the following year as a 

“new” song, Little Queenie. 

Which is not to say that Little Queenie 

isn’t a little gem unto itself. Because it 

is. 


F9

F10 



F11

Vonnegut Comes to Sacred Fools 

by TRAC EY PALEO (@G ia M e d ia 3) 

Ben Rock (Blair Witch Project, Alien 

Raiders, Baal, Occupation, Taste) laying 

out his Sirens of Titan Show & Tell – 

script, program, tattered teen tome and 

set design specs – was like discovering 

ancient artifacts that were going to 

change the course of human history. 

“I brought some visual aids to show you. 

One of them is the original script that I got 

from the Chicago Public Library archives. 

This adaptation that we’re doing, was 

done in 1975 by the Organic Theatre in 

Chicago. Stuart did the adaptation with 

Vonnegut back then. Stuart also gave 

me the original program from 1977. 

Look at who was in it. Dennis Franz, Joe 

Mantegna, and Keith Szarabajka. Keith 

played Stony Stevenson in the original 

version. He’s probably going to do the 

voice for us. And by the way, Caroline 

who played Beatrice, that’s Stuart’s wife.” 

Kurt Vonnegut’s original Hugo Awardnominated 

novel The Sirens of Titan 

revolves around a Martian invasion of 

Earth, and addresses issues of free will, 

omniscience and the overall purpose of 

human history. 

“Keith, just had amazing stories about 

his whole experience. When I told him 

we had the script, he was like, ‘We had a 

script? I thought we just all had a copy of 

the book marked up with crayons.’” 

It was also a beast to cast. The search for 

talent who embodied each character’s 

specificities was as oc described it 

“like choosing from a murderer’s row of 

amazing actors”. 

But then, the Theater-Film-Television- 

Producer-Director-Writer-Production 

Designer, hyphenate, seems to have a 

penchant for the weird and remote, and 

a knack for bringing it to life. 

Rock’s alternate-universe directing is 

partnered with genre master Stuart 

Gordon (Re-Animator, Honey I Shrunk 

The Kids, Taste) for Sacred Fools Theatre 

Company’s 2017 Mainstage season 

finale to recreate the early script as a 

fresh (epic) theatrical experience. 

You’ve been in love with Vonnegut since 

you’ve been a teenager. Why? 

Late in adolescence, I read 

Slaughterhouse Five. It was one of those 

books that gave you permission to be 

who you are. It set me off on an all-youcan-eat 

buffet of Vonnegut. The Sirens of 

Titan was one of my favorites. 

Vonnegut’s books always went down like 

a sweet, sweet milkshake. He was just 

funny and punk rock and throwing out 

traditional structure, so I thought. You 

have these extremely crude characters 

cursing and swearing and having sex and 

wet dreams and stuff, that eighteen-yearold 

me was able to relate to. 

When I re-read Slaughterhouse Five 

recently, I realized it’s a very classically 

structured book. Vonnegut merely 

appears to play with structure. You 

recognize it’s all about him dealing with 

PTSD. It’s a terribly sad, confessional story 

about how the worst things that happen 

to you, turn you into who you are; that 

we’re all used in various ways without 


F13

Director Ben Rock and actor Eric Curtis Johnson 

(Rumfoord) Photo: Scott Golden 

our knowledge. It’s kind of meta. 

Why Sirens? 

Vonnegut’s stuff is smart, spare and 

straightforward. t’s not owery or wordy. 

He has a very specific authorial voice 

terse and dry, brutally sarcastic and fun. 

Of course in the case of The Sirens of 

Titan, it’s an outrageous story. There’s a 

lot of wackiness and humor. He takes 

a crap all over everything that is sacred 

and couches hard truth in delicious, 

ironic narrative science fiction that’s 

full of weird aliens and robots. You’re 

allowed to laugh. And the laugh disarms 

you a bit. But then the philosophy sinks 

in. This appealed to the adolescent in me 

then and now and I saw the message as 

one of humanism and people exercising 

free will within a deterministic universe. 

The sirens in ancient Greece called to 

sailors with beautiful songs from the 

island and made them wreck their ships. 

What Vonnegut is referencing there 

is that Malachi, the protagonist of the 

book, who is rich by birth, is promised 

at the beginning that he’s going to end 

up on Titan, the Moon of Saturn and he’s 

going to meet these beautiful women. 

He’s shown a picture that entrances 

F14 


him. When he gets there, however, it’s 

just a statue. Nothing is real. Malachi is 

a guy on a pathway seeking these allimportant, 

all-consuming things. When 

he finds them he realies none of them 

are what they were supposed to be. 

And he bears a terrible responsibility 

for everything that’s happened along the 

way. 

How did you discover the play even 

existed? 

In 1991 I was living in Orlando. There 

was a theater there called Theatre 

Downtown run by Frank Hilgenberg. 

Frank told me he came from the Organic 

Theatre and had worked for Stuart 

Gordon as a 19-year-old horror fan. Of 

course, Stuart Gordon’s name meant the 

world to me because of Re-Animator 

and I couldn’t have been more excited. 

Shortly thereafter, Frank saw me reading 

a Vonnegut book and says, “Oh we did 

a Vonnegut adaptation of The Sirens of 

Titan.” 

I was just starting college. I didn’t know 

how to track something like that down. 

And there was no internet. So filed that 

away until four years ago when I was 

working on Taste with Stuart. 

Stuart didn’t have a copy so that started 

me on a little quest. I went from archive 

to archive and finally landed in a 

specific archive at the Chicago Public 

Library that housed all the Organic 

scripts. I got permission from Stuart. But 

I also needed to get permission from the 

Vonnegut Estate. 

The Vonnegut Estate has been 

instrumental in helping us set this up. 

The executor of the estate Don Farber, 

Kurt Vonnegut’s actual lawyer, then in 

his 90’s, agreed to let me get it as long as 

we could get a copy to them. They didn’t 

have one. 

(Cont’d on page F1 6 )


F15

(V onnegu t f r om page F1 4) 

hen finally got the play it didn’t feel 

like a full-length script but it reads like 

one. It’s only twenty-nine pages long. 

It’s top of the page to the bottom of 

the page, from one side to the other. It 

looked like a one-act. I asked Stuart why 

was it formatted like that. 

“We were just trying to save paper.” 

How are you pulling it all together? 

I’m biting my nails to the quick. I’m 

doing everything in my power to make 

sure the play makes narrative sense so 

that the audience will stay with it. I tend 

to think audiences are very smart. But 

it’s still important to make something 

like this accessible. 

This is a book and we’re putting on a 

play. They are two different animals. 

I keep saying to the cast too, all the 

answers that we need are in this book. 

There’s some good research in here if 

you’re wondering why your character 

does x, y or z. 

Many things have to come together. 

We’re dealing with puppets, special 

costumes, projections, a moving set and 

difficult transitions. e’ve come up with 

some brilliant solutions, though. And 

whenever I direct a play, we have one 

rehearsal where it’s nothing but scene 

changes so that we can keep the story 

moving. Nothing sucks the life out of an 

audience like a scene change. 

Stuart has done an amazing job in his 

revision for our production. The Sirens 

of Titan is distilled down to a playable 

theatrical story but holds onto all the 

heart. That’s what the audience is here 

for. FL 

F16

Fringe Festival 2017!

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