2017 2018 IN THIS ISSUE MAY / JUNE 2018 Title Page 2 Cast 3 Letter from Artistic Director David Ivers 4 Letter from Managing Director Billy Russo 5 The Cast 6 The Creative Team 10 Executive Leadership 15 About Arizona Theatre Company 17 2018/2019 Season Announcement 18 ATC Board of Trustees 20 Donors 21 ATC Staff 28 ATC 2017/18 Season Artists 30 Theater Information 32 The Herberger Theater Center, Arizona Theatre Company’s home in downtown Phoenix Cover art by: ESSER DESIGN 1 2017 2018 David Ivers Billy Russo Artistic Director Managing Director In association with GEVA THEATRE CENTER Mark Cuddy, Artistic Director, Christopher Mannelli, Executive Director THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK BY Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett ADAPTED BY Wendy Kesselman David Ira Goldstein ..................................................DIRECTOR Bill Clarke .................................................. SCENIC DESIGNER Mimi Maxmen ..............................................COSTUME DESIGNER Ann G. Wrightson ...........................................LIGHTING DESIGNER Dan Roach ...................................................SOUND DESIGNER Brian Jerome Peterson ................................ RESIDENT SOUND DESIGNER Adriano Gatto ........................................... VIOLENCE CONSULTANT Becca Poccia ....................................................DRAMATURG Elissa Myers Casting, Paul Fouquet, CSA ................................. CASTING Glenn Bruner* ......................................PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER Timothy Toothman* ................................... ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER The sets, costumes and props used in this production were created by Geva Theatre Center production staff The Diary of Anne Frank (Adaptation by Wendy Kesselman) is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. 2017 / 2018 SEASON SPONSORS: I. MICHAEL AND BETH KASSER PRODUCTION SPONSOR: APS MEDIA SPONSOR: ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE 2 2017 2018 CAST (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE) Anna Lentz* ....................................................Anne Frank Steve Hendrickson* .............................................. Otto Frank Naama Potok* ................................................. Edith Frank Devon Prokopek* .............................................. Margot Frank Brenda Jean Foley* ............................................... Miep Gies Gus Cuddy* ................................................ Peter Van Daan Harold Dixon* ................................................... Mr. Kraler Ann Arvia* .................................................. Mrs. Van Daan John G. Preston* .............................................. Mr. Van Daan Michael Santo* ..................................................Mr. Dussel Drake Sherman .................................................. First Man Ricky Quintana ................................................ Second Man Nicolas Holguin ..................................................Third Man *Denotes members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. THERE WILL BE ONE FIFTEEN-MINUTE INTERMISSION. ADDITIONAL STAFF Emma DeVore ASSISTANT TO THE STAGE MANAGER To learn more about The Diary of Anne Frank, please visit the Learning & Education page on our website at arizonatheatre org for a comprehensive free Play Guide The Play Guide contains historical information, cultural context, and more Cell phones and other devices that make a noise can greatly disturb your fellow audience members and the performers. PLEASE TURN THEM OFF before the performance. 3 2017 2018 LETTER FROM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR DAVID IVERS It’s extraordinary that we are here, concluding our 2017/2018 season with the powerful and important The Diary of Anne Frank. Thank you for your tremendous support, your heartfelt encouragement, and your welcoming spirit. We love being in Arizona and remain committed to serving you and serving up the kind of theatre our cities deserve. We are already in the thick of planning next season, hiring artists, moving toward design meetings, and crafting new initiatives as we not only raise funds, but seek to “raise the bar!” I won’t go on too much about all that, other than to say we are here because of you and we will be responsible stewards moving forward. So, thanks. Without a doubt, ATC is known for its breadth of programming and its excellence in execution. Here, you’ll experience no less: a production chosen and directed by my predecessor, David Ira Goldstein. It is crafted with love, determination, and joy: the same qualities shared by the people and characters who appear in this tragic, hopeful, and powerful journey. To be truthful, I can’t read or watch or witness much more injustice, hate, and discrimination in the world. I don’t have the capacity to sit through rehearsals of The Diary of Anne Frank without a pocket- ful of Kleenex. I don’t have the fortitude at the moment to even visit our memorials and institutions that pay homage to past tragedies without losing it. Maybe I see my kids in the children on stage and on television and in the pictures at the Jewish Holocaust Museums. Maybe I’m just worn out with tragedy. Maybe I thought I had some answers and could quell the fears of my boys, who are starting to ask deeper questions as I hurry to turn off the news before they digest something Dad can’t explain. Still, I know I must watch and do watch and grow stronger from learning from the past, even as our country’s kids RISE up to teach us adults once again. Strange to watch The Diary of Anne Frank and then watch the news; there’s Emma González, just like Anne, fortified with love and forced too young to muster a courage born out of evil. I wish I had something more eloquent to say here, but I stumble to find words. Maybe that’s the point? Maybe I’ll take my cue from those kids and offer this: Just a bit of respect. A long silence to remember. And somewhere in that silence, I’ll still whisper a “thanks.” A thank you and an offer of love to survivors and victims of the Holocaust as once again we turn to the stage to remind us of the stories of our time. Much love, David Ivers Artistic Director [email protected] 4 2017 2018 LETTER FROM MANAGING DIRECTOR BILLY RUSSO Here we are at the final production of our 2017/ • Our education department is thriving, and 2018 season. It’s hard to imagine that it was nine introducing innovative new programs for months ago that David Ivers and I began our tenure students and veterans. as the leadership of Arizona Theatre Company. We continue to have significant increases in ticket It feels like yesterday, and at the same time I’m sales, had a fantastic fall Gala, where the “Fund amazed about how much has transpired since then. the Future” auction appeal raised nearly four I am humbled by the warm welcome my other times as much as the previous season. We remain half, Richard, and I received from Arizona Theatre humbled by the continued and increased support Company’s family of subscribers, audience, donors, from a large swath of our donor base. We’ve board, and staff. In fact, we felt embraced by the welcomed ten new employees to our company community of Phoenix as a whole. in our effort to properly staff the organization When I look back at the season, I am very proud and build its capacity. of the accomplishments the organization has We continue on the road of financial recovery achieved: that began last season and remain firm in our • Chapter Two brought Marsha Mason here to belief that a commitment to work of virtuosic direct the play for which she was the inspiration. quality will be the cornerstone of the efforts to put Arizona Theatre Company on firm financial • The River Bride allowed us to introduce footing and to continue its work in being the Marisela Treviño Orta (a winner of ATC’s leading professional producing theatre creating National Latino Playwriting Award) and her work for and in Arizona. magical play to Arizona audiences, in a brand new production. It’s no secret we need the support of the citizens, government, foundations, and corporations of this • Man of La Mancha was an experiment in meld- fine state to carry that mission out, and in a spirit ing the world of flamenco with the classic Amer- of partnership, it is a responsibly we gladly take on. ican musical. I know I am biased, but I think it was a resoundingly successful experiment. Thank you for allowing us to be on this journey with you. • Outside Mullingar (our own Artistic Direc- tor’s directorial debut in Arizona) captured the hearts and imagination of our audiences, taking its place in the top five best-selling dramatic plays in ATC history. • Low Down Dirty Blues had a group of the best, Billy Russo, most authentic blues singers and musicians I’ve Managing Director ever seen on a theatrical stage. [email protected] • The Diary of Anne Frank, directed by the much- loved David Ira Goldstein, arrives on our stage now, at a time when it has another layer of resonance in light of recent events. 5 2017 2018 THE CAST Anna Lentz (Anne Frank) Naama Potok (Edith Frank) is thrilled to be making her makes her Arizona Theatre Arizona Theatre Company Company debut in The debut! Regional theatre Diary terof Anne Frank. credits include The Many Theatre credits include Deaths of Nathan Stubble- Rivkeh Lev, Anna Schaef- field (2017 Humana Festi- fer and Rachel in My Name val), Midsummer’s Eve, is Asher Lev (Off-Broadway, Fifth Third Bank’s A Christmas Carol and Gratu- Penguin Rep, Florida Studio); Scheherazade in itous