SC 53rd Season • 507th Production SEGERSTROM STAGE / MARCH 24 - APRIL 23, 2017

Marc Masterson Paula Tomei ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MANAGING DIRECTOR

David Emmes & Martin Benson FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTORS

presents the world premiere of The Siegel by Michael Mitnick

Michael B. Raiford David Kay Mickelsen Elizabeth Harper Cricket S. Myers SCENIC DESIGN COSTUME DESIGN LIGHTING DESIGN SOUND DESIGN

Jerry Patch Jackie S. Hill Joanne DeNaut, csa Roxana Khan DRAMATURG PRODUCTION MANAGER CASTING STAGE MANAGER

Directed by Casey Stangl

Laurie & Steve Duncan Honorary Producers

Originally commissioned by Washington Ensemble Theatre, Seattle, Washington This play is a recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award.

The Siegel • South Coast Repertory • P1 CAST OF CHARACTERS Alice ...... Mamie Gummer Deborah ...... Amy Aquino Ethan ...... Ben Feldman Jordan ...... Devon Sorvari Nelson ...... Dominique Worsley Ron ...... Matthew Arkin

SETTING Present day. A city.

LENGTH Approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission.

PRODUCTION STAFF Assistant Stage Manager ...... Sue Karutz Assistant Dramaturg ...... Kat Zukaitis Assistant Director ...... Rachel Berney Needleman Associate Scenic Designer ...... Lisa Laratta Costume Design Assistant ...... Kaitlyn Kaufman Stage Management Intern ...... Julia Bates Light Board Operator ...... Andrew Stephens Sound Board Operator ...... Danielle Kisner Wardrobe Supervisor/Dresser ...... Bert Henert Additional Costume Staff ...... Rebecca Clayton

The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Please refrain from unwrapping candy or making other noises that may disturb surrounding patrons. Videotaping and/or recording of this performance by any means whatsoever are strictly prohibited. Electronic devices should be turned off or set to non-audible mode during the performance. Smoking is not permitted anywhere in the theatre.

Media Partner

P2 • South Coast Repertory • The Siegel The Siegel and The Seagull by Jerry Patch merican romances, whether on stage or in films, have “A romance must ­here are plenty of romances going changed through the years ac- tell a story that develops a on in Anton Chekhov’s four mas- cording to the circumstances couple’s romantic relationship terworks, one of which is Uncle and values of the generations and has an emotionally satisfying Vanya. In that one, the Profes- Afrom which they came. Brash and and optimistic ending.” sor’s daughter Sonya is enrap- sassy ’30s and ’40s comedies became –Romance Writers Ttured with the dashing Astrov; but Astrov the Technicolor trysts of the ’50s, af- of America has no feeling for Sonya and instead pines ter which came Barefoot in the Park, for the Professor’s wife, Yelena; so does “People Mary Tyler Moore and Wendy Was- Sonya’s uncle, Vanya. And Yelena won’t of other nations serstein’s The Sisters Rosenzweig. Also have either of them. poeticize love, or adorn it Harry meeting Sally, someone Sleep- To make it an equation: A loves with roses and nightingales, but we less in Seattle and love in La La Land. B who loves C and so does D, whose Russians have to adorn love with Playwright Michael Mitnick familial love is for A. And C doesn’t love imponderable problems.” is a well-educated urban millen- anybody. –Anton Chekhov nial. While life in rural America hasn’t The Seagull was influential changed much for the young enough to SCR half a century ago to people who stayed there, the inspire its logo (check it out). The great Russian “In all the world there is lives of Mitnick’s urban peers writer became popular in America when the no heart for me like yours. have. Group Theater’s artists fell in love with his di- In all the world there is Adolescence is pro- rector Konstantin Stanislavski’s “method” acting no love for you like mine.” tracted. College can take lon- techniques. But in doing so, they applied Ameri- –Maya Angelou ger, whether going beyond can values and sentiments to Russian sensi- “There’s four years for a degree or bilities. no such thing as continuing on to graduate Chekhov, who began his career as a soul mate. I don’t want or professional schools. Employment is a newspaper humorist and later became half of a shared soul. I want scarce and internships have replaced en- perhaps the greatest of short story writers my own damn soul.” try level jobs. (see “The Lady and the Dog”), believed “Girls,” with its roommates, Tinder –Rachel Cohn his plays were comedies. Because and hookups, replaced “Sex and the City” Chekhov’s would-be lovers almost as the go-to chronicle of city love life. never wound up together and at play’s end The age for moving in together is “The very essence of things returned to square one, American likely the late 20s, with a destina- romance is uncertainty. If ever productions made them chronicles of tion marriage for early 30s, and I get married I’ll certainly try to loss. The Three Sisters long for Moscow; children? Maybe later. Ranevskaya in The Cherry Orchard sorrow- forget that fact.” What hasn’t changed is hu- fully sells her estate; Sonya and Vanya vow to –Oscar Wilde man nature. It wants a shared life work at their menial, meaningless tasks until with someone to love. But death brings rest. As for The Seagull’s com- how do we know who “The one you love plex quintet of would be lovers…..oy. that person is? Isn’t and the one who loves you Russian audiences seeing the plays in their the one who heats original language thought the plays were funny. Futil- are never, ever the same person.” our insides to molten ity was comic. As Leo Tolstoy said of Chekhov’s –Charles Bukowski lava the same one who plays, “ they are just as complicated and completely pisses us simple as real life. People just having din- “We were together. I off? What if, as we edge ner while their happiness is being creat- forget the rest.” toward commitment, s/he’s the ed or torn apart.” And the futile pursuit –Walt Whitman Wrong One? of romantic happiness more often drove Plus ça change, plus c’est la Chekhov’s characters than aims of gain. même chose.

The Siegel • South Coast Repertory • P3 Artist Biographies

Amy Aquino A Thousand Clowns at American Stage Company, Deborah Two Rooms and True West at TheatreWorks and Talley’s Folly at Bay Street Theatre. His film and is thrilled to be back at SCR, hav- television credits include Margot at the Wedding, ing performed in Sarah Treem’s Second Best, Raising Flagg, Death to Smoochy, An A Feminine Ending (2007). She Unmarried Woman, The Curse, “Aquarius,” “NCIS,” began her career in New York, “Switched at Birth,” “Harry’s Law,” “Medium,” “Res- where she had roles in numerous cue Me” (recurring), the “Law & Order” franchise, productions at Playwrights Hori- “Ed,” “Third Watch,” “100 Centre Street” (recurring), zons and Circle Repertory Company; in Wendy Wasser- “All My Children” (recurring) and “Simple Justice.” stein’s The Heidi Chronicles on Broadway and, more Arkin is director of SCR’s Acting Intensive Program recently, in Wasserstein’s Third at Lincoln Center; and and the author of the suspense novel In the Country Jonathan Tolins’ Secrets of the Trade at Primary Stages. of the Blind available at Amazon. For more informa- Her West Coast appearances include Maria in Twelfth tion, visit matthewarkin.com. Night at San Diego’s Old Globe, Mark Taper Forum’s production of Living Out and the Geffen Playhouse’s Ben Feldman The Underpants by Steve Martin. Aquino’s film career Ethan spans Working Girl and Moonstruck through White Oleander and In Good Company to last year’s Laza- is honored to be making his SCR rus Effect. Before landing her current role as Lt. Billets debut. Previously, he appeared on in Amazon’s hit series, “Bosch,” she was a regular on Broadway in The Graduate, op- television’s “Brooklyn Bridge” and “Picket Fences” and posite Kathleen Turner. Currently, made countless guest appearances including recurring he can be seen on the NBC com- roles in “Glee,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “ER,” “Every- edy, “Superstore.” This spring, body Loves Raymond,” “Freaks and Geeks,” “Felicity” he returns to HBO’s “Silicon Valley” as attorney Ron and SyFy’s “Being Human.” She holds an MFA in acting LaFlamme. His previous television credits include “Mad from the Yale School of Drama, is married to financial Men” (2012 Primetime Emmy Award nomination for advisor Drew McCoy and served 20 years as a national Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series), “A to Z,” officer of SAG-AFTRA. @aquino_amy “The Mindy Project,” “Children’s Hospital” and “Drop Dead Diva.” His film credits include Between Us, As Matthew Arkin Above So Below, Friday the 13th and The Perfect Man. Ron He earned his BFA in acting from Ithaca College.

previously appeared at SCR in Mamie Gummer All the Way, The Whale, The Alice Prince of Atlantis and Our Moth- er’s Brief Affair. His Broadway is making her SCR debut. Last credits include Losing Louie, The year, Gummer received rave re- Sunshine Boys and Laughter on views and a Drama Desk nomina- the 23rd Floor. Off-Broadway, he appeared in Din- tion for her lead performance of ner with Friends (Drama Desk nomination), Round- Jess in Roundabout Theatre Com- ing Third, Indian Blood, War in Paramus, You pany’s production of Ugly Lies the Should Be So Lucky and Moonlight and Magnolias. Bone. The actress made her off-Broadway debut in His regional theatre work includes Surf Report at La 2005 with the premiere of Mr. Marmalade, opposite Jolla Playhouse, The Scene at Hartford Stage, Sight Michael C. Hall (Theatre World Award). She then went Unseen at George Street Playhouse, Little Footsteps on to co-star in Uncle Vanya with Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Lost in Yonkers at Pennsylvania Stage Company, Peter Sarsgaard and Denis O’Hare (Lucille Lortel nomi- Around the World in 80 Days at The Cape Playhouse, nation) and The School for Lies at The Classic Theatre

P4 • South Coast Repertory • The Siegel Company, The Second Stage’s The Water’s Edge (Lu- lated (A Red Orchid Theatre), Tartuffe (Court Theatre) cille Lortel nomination), Lillian Hellman’s The Autumn and Grand Concourse, Animal Farm and Blacktop Garden, opposite Allison Janney and John Benjamin Sky u/s (Steppenwolf Theatre Company). His television Hickey (Williamstown Theatre Festival) and the Tony credits include Fox Network’s, “APB.” Worsley received Award-nominated Broadway revival of Les Liaisons a BFA in theatre from the University of Illinois at Cham- Dangereuses, also for the Roundabout. She currently paign-Urbana. dominiqueworsley.com. stars in the Amazon Studios and BBC drama, “The Col- lection.” Her additional television credits include WGN Playwright, Director and Designers America’s “Manhattan” (Nora), CBS’s “The Good Wife” (Nancy Crozier), “Emily Owens, MD” (Emily) for the Michael Mitnick (Playwright) wrote Sex Lives of Our CW and HBO’s “John Adams” and “The Big C.” Her Parents (Second Stage Uptown, The Kennedy Center), films include Ricki and the Flash, The End of the Tour, Fly by Night with Will Connolly and Kim Rosenstock Cake, Taking Woodstock, Evening, The Lifeguard, Side (Drama Desk-nominated for Best Musical, Playwrights Effects, Echo Park and the upcoming An Actor Pre- Horizons, Dallas Theater Center, TheatreWorks), Ed, pares, opposite Jeremy Irons and Jack Houston. Downloaded (Denver Center Theatre Company, Wash- ington Ensemble Theatre) and Spacebar: A Broadway Devon Sorvari Play by Kyle Sugarman (City Lights Theater Com- Jordan pany, The Wild Project). His songs have been sung at Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater, The is thrilled to be making her SCR Cutting Room and The Guggenheim. He is currently debut. Her theatre credits in- writing commissions for the Geffen Playhouse and clude Elaine Robinson in the first Roundabout Theatre Company. His film work includes national tour of The Graduate screenplays for The Giver and the upcoming The Cur- and productions at Lincoln Cen- rent War with Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael ter (Ah, Wilderness!, The Brontë Shannon (December 2017). In television, he wrote for Cycle), Mark Taper Forum (The School for Scandal), the HBO show “Vinyl.” He has a BA from Harvard Uni- The Cape Playhouse (Inherit the Wind), Alley Theatre versity and an MFA in playwriting from the Yale School (A Christmas Carol), Philadelphia Theatre Company of Drama. Mitnick was born and raised in Pittsburgh. (The Play about the Baby), Alabama Shakespeare Fes- tival (Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing), Cleveland Casey Stangl (Director) returns to SCR after just Playhouse (The Imaginary Invalid), Buffalo Studio directing Flora & Ulysses. Her other SCR work includes Arena (Summer and Smoke), Syracuse Stage (Romeo David Ives’ Venus in Fur, Sarah Ruhl’s In the Next and Juliet), The Mint (Pericles), HERE (Greed Flood), Room, or the vibrator play, Sofia Alvarez’s Between Expanded Arts (As You Like It), Tribeca Lab (Macbeth), Us Chickens and many Theatre for Young Audiences A Noise Within (The Illusion), L.A. Theatre Works (Fa- productions. Her recent projects include Cloud 9 for thers and Sons, Uncle Vanya, Cyrano de Bergerac and Antaeus Theatre Company, where she also directed others) and The Crucible and others at Antaeus The- the award-winning productions of Peace In Our Time, atre Company, of which she is a proud company mem- The Curse of Oedipus and The Liar; Nambi E. Kelley’s ber. Her film credits include dying a gory death in the adaptation of Native Son for La Jolla Playhouse/UCSD; latest Hellraiser movie. Her television credits include Stage Kiss for Guthrie Theater; Ah, Wilderness, Love and “The Mentalist” and recurring roles on “Gilmore Girls” Information and Venus in Fur for American Conserva- and “ER.” She also is an award-winning audiobook nar- tory Theater; and development work on The Bottomless rator, and a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Bowl, a new Josh Kornbluth piece, at Berkeley Reper- devonsorvari.com tory’s Ground Floor. Stangl was the founding artistic director of Eye of the Storm Theatre in Minneapolis—a Dominique Worsley company devoted to new work—for which she was Nelson named Minnesota Artist of the Year. She is a member of the Ovation Rules Committee at Los Angeles Stage Alli- is thrilled to make his California ance and proudly serves on the executive board of the and South Coast Repertory de- Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, the nation- buts. His theatre credits include al labor union for stage directors and choreographers. Tug of War: Foreign Fire (Chi- cago Shakespeare Theatre), Acci- Michael B. Raiford (Scenic Design) is a scenic and dentally Like a Martyr, The Muti- costume designer based in Austin, Texas. He previ-

The Siegel • South Coast Repertory • P5 ously designed Orange, Going to a Place where you Ensemble Studio Theatre; Irish Repertory Theatre; The- Already Are, Peter and the Starcatcher and Death of atre of the Open Eye; Jean Cocteau Repertory Theatre; a Salesman at SCR. His national and regional theatre The Hampton Playhouse; and Timberlake Playhouse. and opera credits include Geva Theatre (Rochester, Originally from Canby, Ore., he graduated with an MFA NY), The Cleveland Play House, Opera Boston, Kansas from California Institute of the Arts and is a member of City Repertory Theatre, Central City Opera, Aurora The- the United Scenic Artists. davidkaymickelsen.com. atre Company, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Ford’s Theatre (Washington, D.C.), Elizabeth Harper (Lighting Design) returns to SCR, The New Victory Theater (New York) and Actors The- where she previously designed District Merchants, atre of Louisville. At Actors Theatre, Raiford designed Office Hour, Venus in Fur, tokyo fish story and Re- more than 20 shows including a dozen world-premiere union. Her design credits include Ma Rainey’s Black productions at The Humana Festival of New American Bottom and Immediate Family (Mark Taper Forum); Plays. In Austin, he has designed at Ballet Austin, Aus- A Raisin in the Sun, Woman Laughing Alone with tin Lyric Opera, Rude Mechanicals, ZACH Theatre and Salad and Throw Me on the Burnpile and Light Me Up Hyde Park Theatre. In addition, he recently directed (Kirk Douglas Theatre); Play Dead, Wait Until Dark, Blast, The Music of Disney for a national tour of Japan. Bad Jews and Good People (Geffen Playhouse); The Raiford received his MFA from University of Texas at Twentieth-Century Way and The Golden Dragon (Ova- Austin, where he also taught design for 10 years. He is tion Award winner, The Theatre @ Boston Court); and a member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829. To see Crescent City (The Industry). She served as a technical more of his work, visit flickr.com/photos/michaelrai- consultant for installations at Los Angeles County Mu- ford/sets. seum of Art and Greene Naftali. Her industrial lighting projects include events for Microsoft, On-Live, Ubisoft David Kay Mickelsen (Costume Design) has de- and Universal Studios. Harper holds an MFA in design signed more than 300 productions at the nation’s lead- for stage and film from Tisch School of the Arts at New ing theatres including SCR; Guthrie Theater; Denver York University. She is a guest lighting design instructor Center Theatre Company (59 productions); Arizona and lecturer at CalArts. Theatre Company (47 productions); The Cleveland Play House (21 productions); Cincinnati Playhouse in the Cricket S. Myers (Sound Design) is thrilled to return Park (14 productions); Ford’s Theatre (Washington, to SCR after designing Red, Mr. Wolf, Zealot, Trudy D.C.); Williamstown Theatre Festival; Berkeley Reper- and Max in Love, 4000 Miles, The Fantasticks, The Pa- tory Theatre; Geffen Playhouse; Pasadena Playhouse; risian Woman, Sight Unseen, Elemeno Pea, The Trip Laguna Playhouse; The Old Globe; San Diego Reper- to Bountiful and Three Days of Rain. On Broadway, tory Theatre; A Contemporary Theatre; the Oregon, she earned a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Utah, Colorado and Illinois Shakespeare festivals; Stu- Desk Award for her design of Rajiv Joseph’s Bengal dio Arena Theatre; Portland Center Stage; Northlight Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. She has designed region- Theatre; Pioneer Theatre Company; Geva Theatre; ally at the Ahmanson Theatre (Sunshine Boys), Mark The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; Children’s Theatre Taper Forum (Bent, Steward of Christendom, Joe Turn- Company of Minneapolis; Tennessee Repertory The- er’s Come and Gone, Vigil, Bengal Tiger at the Bagh- atre; Missouri Repertory Theatre; Sundance Theatre dad Zoo, The Lieutenant of Inishmore), La Jolla Play- Festival; New Mexico Repertory Theatre; Pennsylvania house (Guards at the Taj, Sideways, The Nightingale), Center Stage; Florida Stage; The Maltz-Jupiter Theatre; Berkeley Repertory Theatre (In the Wake), Arena Stage

P6 • South Coast Repertory • The Siegel (Book Club Play), Kirk Douglas Theatre (Endgame, Twist Your Dickens, The Little Dog Laughed), Pasadena Playhouse (Stoneface, Above the Fold), The Los Angeles Theatre (Carrie) and Geffen Playhouse (Play Dead, Honorary Producers Wrecks, Some Girls, Emergency). Myers also designed Steve and Laurie Duncan are pleased to Tangled, The Musical aboard the Disney Magic cruise serve as Individual Honorary Producers for ship. She has earned 20 Ovation Award nominations the fourth consecutive season by underwrit- and won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Kinetic ing SCR’s world-premiere production of The Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatrical De- Siegel by Michael Mitnick. Along with being sign and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and Garland Platinum Circle members, First Nights sub- Awards. cricketsmyers.com scribers and major supporters of the Gala, the Duncans have previously underwritten Sandra Jerry Patch (Dramaturg) was affiliated with SCR Tsing Loh’s The Madwoman in the Volvo, from 1967-2005 and returned in 2014 as literary consul- Kneehigh’s Tristan & Yseult and Amy Herzog’s tant. He served as dramaturg on nearly 150 new plays 4,000 Miles. Steve, who currently serves as Vice developed and seen at SCR including the world pre- President of Advancement on SCR’s board, mieres of Abundance, Freedomland, Golden Child, recently stated: “Laurie and I are delighted to Intimate Apparel, Search and Destroy, Three Days of once again support SCR in its leadership role Rain and Wit. He was project director of SCR’s Pacific of producing new work by established and Playwrights Festival from its 1998 inception through emerging playwrights. Likewise, we are thrilled 2005 and, for seven years, served as artistic director of to be among SCR’s audience and patrons in the theatre program of Sundance Institute. As a profes- experiencing the best theatre in America!” sor of theatre and film, he taught at Long Beach City College, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, CSU Long Beach and other institutions. He was consulting dramaturg for New York’s Roundabout Theatre Company for Lookingglass Theatre and last season’s One Man, Two nearly a decade and left SCR to become resident artis- Guvnors. Elsewhere, she has toured with Robert Wil- tic director for The Old Globe in San Diego. He is an son’s The Black Rider (London, San Francisco, Sydney, artistic consultant, following seven seasons as director Los Angeles), Wicked (Chicago, L.A., San Francisco), of artistic development, for Manhattan Theatre Club in Les Misérables (U.S., Canada, China and Korea) and New York. Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo (Russia and Belgium). She earned her Equity card off-Broadway on Howard Crab- Roxana Khan (Stage Manager) is returning to SCR tree’s When Pigs Fly. Karutz has stage-managed for after working on All the Way and Mr. Popper’s Pen- Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Opera, Pasadena guins earlier this season. She recently spent five sea- Playhouse, Falcon Theatre, Deaf West Theatre, Laguna sons at Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Playhouse, American Conservatory Theater, La Jolla Festival on Guys and Dolls, Head Over Heels, The Playhouse, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Utah Shake- Count of Monte Cristo, The Cocoanuts, Into the Woods, speare Festival, Alpine Theatre Project and The Na- King Lear, The Tenth Muse, Romeo and Juliet, Animal tional Theatre of the Deaf, and is a staff stage manager Crackers, WillFul and Henry IV, Part II. Her Los An- at Disneyland. geles credits include A Cinderella Christmas (Lythgoe Family Panto/Pasadena Playhouse), The Golden Dragon Marc Masterson (Artistic Director) is in his sixth (The Theatre @ Boston Court), Guys and Dolls and season with SCR. Under his leadership, SCR has ex- Into the Woods (The Wallis Annenberg Center for the panded community initiatives and world premieres Performing Arts), Godspell, The Boxcar Children and including CrossRoads commissions with plays Vietgone Charlotte’s Web (Laguna Playhouse) and Kirk Douglas and Orange and the Diálogos project in Santa Ana. Theatre. She has stage-managed play festivals, readings In recent years, SCR productions have transferred to and workshops along the west coast. She earned her some of the leading theatres in the country including degree from Biola University and is a proud member of Manhattan Theatre Club, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Actors’ Equity Association. Berkeley Repertory Theatre and The Shakespeare The- atre. His recent directing credits include All the Way, Sue Karutz (Assistant Stage Manager) has been part Going to a Place where you Already Are, Zealot, Death of the stage management team at SCR for 20 produc- of a Salesman, Eurydice and Elemeno Pea at SCR, As tions, her favorites being the recent Moby Dick from You Like It for the Houston Shakespeare Festival, The

The Siegel • South Coast Repertory • P7 Kite Runner at Actors Theatre of Louisville and the productions. In 2008, he and David Emmes received Cleveland Play House. He served for 11 years as artistic the Margo Jones Award for their lifetime commitment director of Actors Theatre of Louisville and produced to theatre excellence and fostering the art and craft of the Humana Festival of New American Plays, where he American playwriting. They also accepted SCR’s 1988 produced more than 100 world premieres, expanded Tony Award for Outstanding Resident Professional The- audiences and the repertoire, deepened arts education atre and won the 1995 Theatre L.A. Ovation Award for programs and spearheaded numerous community- Lifetime Achievement. Benson has received the Los based projects. His other Louisville directing credits Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shipwrecked! Achievement in Directing an unparalleled seven times An Entertainment, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Tempest, for George Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara, Misalli- Mary’s Wedding, The Crucible, Betrayal, As You Like ance and Heartbreak House; John Millington Synge’s It, The Importance of Being Earnest and Macbeth. The Playboy of the Western World; Arthur Miller’s The Cru- world premieres he directed at the Humana Festival cible; Sally Nemeth’s Holy Days; and the world pre- include works by Lisa Dillman, Wendell Berry, Craig miere of Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Wit, Wright, Eric Coble, Adam Bock, Gina Gionfriddo, Mela- which he also directed at Seattle Repertory Theatre nie Marnich, Charles Mee and Rick Dresser. He served and Houston’s Alley Theatre. He has directed Ameri- as artistic director of City Theatre in Pittsburgh for 20 can classics such as A Streetcar Named Desire and has years and was founder and chairman of the Greater distinguished himself in staging contemporary work Pittsburgh Arts Alliance. He has served as a theatre advi- including the critically acclaimed California premiere of sory panel member for the National Endowment for the William Nicholson’s Shadowlands. He directed revivals Arts, as well as numerous foundations. He won the Man of Beth Henley’s Abundance and Horton Foote’s The of the Year Vectors Award, and received the Lifetime Trip to Bountiful and Samuel D. Hunter’s The Whale Achievement Award from the Pittsburgh New Works and Rest (world premiere); The Whipping Man by Mat- Festival. thew Lopez and The Roommate by Jen Silverman (west coast premiere). Benson received his BA in theatre from Paula Tomei (Managing Director) is responsible for San Francisco State University. leading the overall administration of SCR. She has been managing director since 1994 and a member of SCR’s David Emmes (Founding Artistic Director) is co- staff since 1979. She is a past president of the board of founder of South Coast Repertory. He received the Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national Margo Jones Award for his lifetime commitment to service organization for theatre. In addition, she served theatre excellence and to fostering the art of American as treasurer of TCG, vice president of the League of playwriting. In addition, he has received numerous Resident Theatres (LORT) and as a member of the awards for productions he has directed during his SCR LORT Negotiating Committee for industry-wide union career. He directed the world premieres of Amy Freed’s agreements. She represents SCR at national conferences Safe in Hell, The Beard of Avon and Freedomland, of TCG and LORT; is a theatre panelist for the National Thomas Babe’s Great Day in the Morning, Keith Red- Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the California Arts din’s Rum and Coke and But Not for Me and Neal Bell’s Council; site visitor for the NEA; and has been a guest Cold Sweat; the American premieres of Terry Johnson’s lecturer in the graduate schools of business at Stanford Unsuitable for Adults and Joe Penhall’s Dumb Show; and UC Irvine (UCI). She teaches a graduate class in and the Southland premiere of Top Girls (at SCR and nonprofit management at UCI and was appointed by the the Westwood Playhouse). Other productions he has chancellor to UCI’s Community Arts Council. She is also directed include Red, New England, Arcadia, The Im- on the board of Arts Orange County, the county-wide portance of Being Earnest, Woman in Mind and You arts council, and the board of the Nicholas Endowment. Never Can Tell, which he restaged for the Singapore She graduated from UCI with a degree in economics Festival of Arts. He has served as a theatre panelist and and pursued an additional course of study in theatre onsite evaluator for the National Endowment for the and dance. Arts, as well as a panelist for the California Arts Council. After attending Orange Coast College, he received his Martin Benson (Founding Artistic Director), co- BA and MA from San Francisco State University and his founder of SCR, has directed nearly one-fourth of SCR’s PhD from USC.

The Actors and Stage Managers em- The Scenic, Costume, Lighting and The Director is a member of the Soci- ployed in this production are members Sound Designers in LORT theatres ety of Stage Directors and Choreogra- of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union are represented by United Scenic phers, Inc., an independent national of Professional Actors and Stage Manag- Artists Local USA-829, IATSE. labor union. ers in the United States.

P8 • South Coast Repertory • The Siegel