by Marc Camoletti Adapted by Robin Hawdon

Directed by Gigi Fusco Meese

Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. The Mainstage at Long Beach Playhouse

Established in 1929, Long Beach Playhouse is recognized as the first performing arts organization in Long Beach with over 85 continuous years of production. Our eight-play Mainstage season is presented with the undying energy of cast, crew and house volunteers. Long Beach Playhouse is financially supported through memberships; funding and grants from foundations, corporations and government programs; along with contributions of generous patrons like you. Coming soon...

562-494-1014 * www.lbplayhouse.org * 5021 E. Anaheim St. LB, CA. 90804

A Note from the Executive & Producing Artistic Director, Andrew Vonderschmitt

Hello and welcome to the Playhouse. I wanted to take a moment of your time to say thank you. Thank you for your continued support of the Playhouse and thank you for supporting the arts in general. As an artist I understand the commitment and responsibility I have to you, the audience. Art is not created in a vacuum. It takes an observer to finish the formula. This particular art form, on this particular day and time, in this particular venue, is for you, and you alone. I honestly hope that you enjoy your visit with us and that you will return soon.

I am always open to comment, complaint, compliment, concern, or just plain conversation. How’s that for alliteration? Of course, I enjoy compliments over complaints, but who doesn’t learn from input of any kind? A healthy dialogue with you, the audience, is very important to me. I can be reached via email, snail-mail, phone, fax, or you can drop by the Playhouse. However you choose to contact me and tell me how I’m doing, I welcome it.

Thank you, once again, for your patronage. Enjoy the show.

Andrew Vonderschmitt

[email protected] • Office: 562-494-1014 ex 503 Cell: 714-390-2107 • Fax: 562-961-8616 5021 E. Anaheim St. LB, CA. 90804 Behind the Scenes The Director Gigi Fusco Meese Gigi is thrilled and honored to return home to the Long Beach Playhouse. She recently directed Newport Theatre Arts Center’s production of Ken Ludwig’s Postmortem. Gigi has directed productions of Boeing Boeing, Brooklyn Boy, ART, The Foreigner, Biloxi Blues, Run For Your Wife, A Few Good Men, Moonlight and Magnolias, Killjoy, Caught in the Net, Bedroom Farce, Caine Mutiny Court Martial, Goodnight Mrs. Puffin, Mister Roberts, The Sunshine Boys, The Solid Gold Cadillac, The Odd Couple, Over the River and Through the Woods just to name a few. Gigi was named “2010 Woman of the Year” in theatre by the Daily Pilot Newspaper. Gigi is no stranger to LB Playhouse as she was its Executive Director/Producer for most of the 2000s and she and her husband Richard got married right here on the Mainstage. She would like to send specials thanks and love to her cast and crew and her entire Playhouse family. Stage Manager

Phyllis M. Nofts Phyllis is honored to return for her 8th production at the LBP. LBP audiences may recognize her as Betty Meeks in The Foreigner and Mrs. Dubose in To Kill A Mockingbird. Some of her favorite roles are Emma Cristano in Over the River and Through the Woods, Ouiser Boudreaux in Steel Magnolias and Norma Hubley in Plaza Suite. Phyllis is currently on the LBP New Works Festival Committee. She wants to thank her loving spouse, Evie, for accepting her lifelong role of Theatre Widow. Assist. Stage Manager

Allison Mamann Allison is a recent graduate of CSU Long Beach with a B.A. in Theatre Arts, with a focus in Directing. Past work credits includes Prop Master for OC-Centric’s New Play Festival ‘16 , Assistant Director at the Long Beach Shakespeare Company, and Prop Master for Little Fish Theatre’s productions of The Ladies of Ithaca Read Medea, Rapture, Blister, Burn and The Clean House. She is currently teaches for the Arts & Learning Conservatory, works as a Prop Master for the Children’s Theatre of Long Beach, and as a Theatre Technician at the James R. Armstrong Theatre. Thank you Mom and Dad! Behind the Scenes Stunt Coordinator Matt Franta Set Design Greg Fritsche Light Design Donny Jackson Sound Design Julie Moore Costume Design Donna Fritsche Scenic Painter Drew Otero Prop Master/Designer Larry Mura Board Operator Allison Mamann Photography Mike Hardy Promotional Design Daisy Ramirez-Gutierrez Costume Shop Rosy Anselmo, Abertha Montgomery, Rebecca Roth, Jill Soloway, Analidia Lopez Director’s Notes How lucky we are to experience live theater! How lucky we are to laugh and cry and ponder the profound messages of our best playwrights as their stories unfold before us only a few feet from our seats. You can’t Snapchat it, Facebook it, or Instagram it. You can’t multi-task it or save it to your hard drive. You have to experience it in the moment, fully engaged, with all your senses freed from distraction, so you don’t miss a vital plot point or the funniest moment or the surprise ending. Each actor gets one shot at delivering a line, and each audience member gets one chance at receiving it. We share this experience in real time, collectively operating without a net, and that’s what makes this the most intimate of all the performing arts. I am so lucky to have spent the last 20 years directing, acting and producing live theater and events. Being here at the Long Beach Playhouse I can’t help but think of some of the talented people in the Playhouse family who have inspired me along the way: Betty Motsinger, Lolly Daggett, Lucy Daggett, Dottie and Ken Reiner, Mitchell and Jane Nunn, Michael Ross, Donna Fritsche, Darlene Hunter Chaffee and Kathy Davis. I labor in the shadow of their generosity and support, and I hope some of what I learned will provide you with something that entertains you and transports you into the hilarious world these hard-working actors have created for you. Spencer Tracy once said of acting, “Know your lines and don’t bump into the furniture.” Great advice to be sure, but there is so much more to it – it’s knowing to buy your director drinks after the show. - GFM The Setting The Time: 1960s The Place: The living room of a country house some distance from Paris. Act One - Early evening Act Two - Two hours later There will be one 15 minute Intermission Meet The Cast (in order of appearance) Gregory Cohen (Bernard) Greg is thrilled to be back acting at LBP in this wonderfully silly production. You may remember Greg as Scrooge in last year’s production of A Christmas Carol. He will be directing his 26th LB production later this year with A Murder is Announced. Greg and his lovely and talented wife, Kysa, share their lives in Orange with their beloved fur-babies -- Bethy and Lovey.

Yvonne Robertson (Jacqueline) Yvonne returns to LBP with a lot of excitement, Don’t Dress for Dinner is one of her favorite shows. Yvonne has enjoyed performing in Long Beach for over 34 years, recently taking time to travel. You may remember her as Suzette in a previous rendition of Don’t Dress for Dinner, Mrs. Puffin inGoodnight Mrs. Puffin, Mrs. Erlynne in Lady Windermere’s Fan and Judith Bliss in Hay Fever. Very best wishes to all you wonderful patrons and enjoy the show.

Cort Huckabone (Robert) Cort was seen earlier this year as Paravicini in Agatha’s Christie’s The Mousetrap. Other favorite roles include Orgon in Tartuffe, John Smith in Run For Your Wife, and Serge in ART. Mr. Huckabone is also a company member of the Long Beach Shakespeare Company and serves on the board of directors of Friends of Long Beach Animals. Cort lives in Long Beach with his “fur kids” – Fannie, Elvis, Lola, and Miss Diva.

Victoria Serra (Suzette) Don’t Dress for Dinner is Victoria’s first performance on the LBP stage. This production marks her second farce in a row, after appearing in Rumors at the Costa Mesa Playhouse. Past credits include, Alais in The Lion in Winter, Clara in The Light in the Piazza, Alice in Alice’s Wonderland: An Adaptation, and Sir Hugh Evans in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Victoria enjoys ice-cream and ballroom dance. Meet The Cast (in order of appearance) Della Lisi (Suzanne) Della has explored the theatrical arts on many stages in Southern California. She’s very pleased to be back at LBP. Miss Lisi was seen earlier this year as Eleanor of Aquitaine in Lion in Winter and last year as Louise in Post-Mortem directed by Gigi Fusco-Meese. Miss Lisi would like to thank Mrs. Fusco-Meese, Andrew Vonderschmitt and the staff at LBP for their outstanding talent and support. Guardare dal cielo amore.

Mitchell Nunn (George) Mitchell was born and raised in Long Beach and started performing on stage in elementary school. He is delighted to be working once again with the fabulous Ms. Gigi and this very talented cast. He just directed Hound of the Baskervilles and performed in Pygmalion and Lysistrata. Mitchell lives in Long Beach with Jane, his wife of 36 years, and their “little one’s” – Darwin and the Beagle. COMING SOON

Dec 10 - 18 Jan 14 - Feb 11 Returning for its 5th incarnation at LBP, An announcement in the local pa- this quick-paced, highly theatrical per states the time and place when re-telling of Charles Dickens’ classic a murder is to occur in Miss tale will delight the entire family. In Blacklock’s Victorian house. The vic- 19th century England, the ghosts of tim is not one of the house’s several Christmases past, present and future occupants, but an unexpected and show Ebenezer Scrooge the poverty of unknown visitor. What follows is a his material wealth and the blessings classic Christie puzzle of mixed mo- that come with generosity. Can they tives, concealed identities, a sec- convince him to change before it’s ond death, a determined Inspector too late? Come spend time with the grimly following the twists and turns, characters you’ve come to love – Bob and Miss Marple on hand to provide Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and of course the the final solution. irascible miser himself. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President Vice President Tony Diaz Jane Nunn Treasurer Secretary Dan Ryan Halley Hardy

Cheryl Avirom, Kysa Cohen, Carl DaSilva, Gaurav Datta, Bart DeLio, Emily Holman, Tom Long, Anna Kate Mohler, Roxanne Patmor, Ray Smith, Miguel Solario

Donna Fritsche Stephen Olear Andrew Vonderschmitt Costume Shop Manager & Volunteer Coordinator Executive & Producing Resident Costume Designer Artistic Director Evan Battle Larry Mura Kellee Cullingham Madison Mooney Lottie Frick Business & Operations Properties Master Manager Angela Kozik Alex Shewchuk Natasha Lopez Sean Gray Patron Services Manager Front of House Staff Technical Director & Production Manager THE STAFF Extra Funding made possible by:

Special thanks to our Set Sunday Volunteers! Ray Smith, Jerry Loeb, Flo Dartt, Marie Santora, Bob S. Turner, Tom Long, Lana Haines, Tammy Barile, Roscoe Evans, David Lovegren, Mal Groff, Emmett W. Fry, Bob Boyce, and the Cast, Crew and Design team for Don’t Dress for Dinner! Many thanks.

A FEW THINGS TO REMEMBER:

In consideration of our performers and patrons, please turn off all cellular devices during the show. Cameras and recording devices are prohibited. Late seating is at the discretion of the House Manager. Beverages and concessions are offered before performances and during intermission and you may bring drinks purchased at our bar into the theatre. Smoking is restricted to the area in front of the theatre on Anaheim Street. 2016 MEMBERS & DONORS Legacy Circle Starring Role Mary Lou Busby ($150-$249) Peggy Holmes Tony & Cyndy Diaz Joan A. Ryan Ron & Paula Duffaut Beverly O’Neill Honorary Producers Jerry Barba & ($1,000 and Up!) Stephen Olear Roxanne Patmor Harold & Betty Olson Cynthia Rustanius George & Beverle Ray Dr. Ronald & Dan & Deb Ryan Miriam Sommer Sam Tanng Marlene Temple and The Vonderschmitt Family Temple Family Charitable Foundation Ensemble Cast ($50-$149) Executive Producer Bart DeLio ($500-$999) Jill Aversa Kaye Briegel Michael & Marie Downs Pamela Cincola David & Joanne Feldman Louis Euzarrage Floyd & Annie Gills Phyllis Nofts & Evie Ray Richard & Alvena Graham Pat & Ray Smith Mike & Halley Hardy Stephen Harvey & Director ($250-$499) Venetia Lai Harriet Whitmyer & Carol Hobaugh Danial Golson Sharon Hollander Martin Fiebert & Dr. Glen & Joyce Howard Margo Kasdan Sam & Donna Kelly Geraldine Fuentes Melvin & Susan Lefkowitz William & Polly Ridgeway Long Beach Regulars Dan Rodgers Tom & Irina Long John H. Sullivan Joseph MacDonald Johanna & Phillip & Barbara Materi Robert Tramazzo Janeice McConnell Patty Williams William McDonald Frank & Katherine McIlquham Madison Mooney 2015 Members & Margie & Paul Muns Miles Nevin Donors Margaret Nolde Honorary Producers Doug Otto ($1,000 and Up!) Charmaine Pack Anonymous John Royce Evalyn M. Bauer Foundation Phil King & Anna Kalman Wayne Russ Myra Kremen Douglas Seagraves First Congregational Church Robert Slater of Long Beach Natalie Swift Jerry & Flora Loeb Bruce Tanis Roxanne Patmor Edward Van Boemel Dottie Reiner Stuart B. Scudder Ron & Janee West Pat & Ray Smith Dan Wilkinson Marlene Temple Liliana Witz-Hancsak & The Temple Family Charitable Foundation Friends (Up to $49) Andrew & Martina M. Andag Vonderschmitt Matthew & Jacqueline Azzara Executive Producer James & ($500-$999) Cheryl Avirom Constance Davis Kaye Briegel Beverly Hampson Pam Cincola Mary Hochenauer John Gilbert Pravin & Mal Groff Catherine Parmar Michelle Molina Joy Rosenthal Dan Rodgers Pauline Strong Cynthia Rustanius Brucelle Williamson Director ($250-$499) Scott Finn Ann Hoff Cheryl McNulty Miles Nevin Phyllis Nofts & Evie Ray Beth Nolan & Scott Mahlberg Floyd E. Riggle Jr. Shewchuk Family Johanna & Robert Tramazzo Cassaday | JoAnn Curtis | Lucy Ted Van Boemel Daggett | Betty L. Davenport & Joan Leb | Connie Davis | Kathy Davis Noah Wagner | Diane & Robert Dickenson Ron & Janee West | Adelaide Eriksen | Norman Eriksen | Karen J. & Horst Harriet Whitmyer & A. Feyler | Jean & William Danial Golson Friedrichs | Jack Gavrel | Joseph L. Goodlove | Deborah Starring Role & Donald Griffin | Clemit W. Hale | Sandy Hall Jeanne ($150-$249) & Ernest Hardin | Elaine & Barbara Ardinger, Ph.D. George Herman | Mari Hooper Kathleen & Barry Blodgett IShelley & Ken Hunt | John W. Ronald & Paula Duffaut Hutchison | Sharon & Tim Irwin Martin Fiebert | Judy Johnson | Jean & Les & Margo Kasdan Jones | Sandi & Kevin Kayse Marc & Donna Furon | Laura Killingsworth | Joyce Susan Garcia Klenner Caroline & Ray Klund Steven & Judie Gratch | Charles W. Knapp | Leah & Emily Holman Stan Levy | Flora & Jerry Loeb Patricia & Gaetano Marchese | Glenn & Joyce Howard Zettia & Bill Miller | Albert Molle Mary Ann Hutton | Betty & Milton Moskowitz | John & Kim Keelin Charlotte & Louis Moskowitz Janeice McConnell | Jack Motsinger | Marjorie & Stephen Olear & Paul Muns | Susanna & John Jerry Barba Mould | Glen M. Nakadate | Hal & Betty Olson Lionel Okun Toni & Michael Beverly O’Neill Ortiz | Susan Claire Anderson In Memory of Reid | Dottie & Ken Reiner | Michael Ross Susan Rice & Chris Quint | Ken Robinson & Joseph Pino Dr. Mark & Bonnie Rosen | Dr. Howard & Suzanne Rosen | Joseph Vanderhost & Mary & Norman G. Saatjian Kristi Fischer | Sandra & Butch Scheffler | Paul VanderRoest Pat M. & William R. Smith | Susan Vidor Dr. Ronald Sommer | Richard H. Stahl | Daphne & Jack Stutesman | Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Tavoularis | James Thomas | Life Members Tom Thompson | Johanna C. & Robert J. Tramazzo | Barbara Anne Abrams | Barbara S. Van Alstine | Avalee & Lietta Bagstad | Richard Baker | Maria Brewer | Jean Burjarski Wagner Erma & Burdell Bulgrin | Janet & Kenneth Cassell | Ruth & Fred Cole | Miriam & Emanuel Coster | Barbara S. Crooker- ARE YOU A MEMBER YET? Become a Member of the Long Beach Playhouse during our Annual Membership Drive

Members receive drink vouchers, invites to members only events, our thanks, and more!

Memberships start at $50, see our brochures in the lobby or visit www.LBPlayhouse.org for more info!

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