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49th Season • 466th Production SEGERSTROM STAGE / OCTOBER 19 - NOVEMBER 18, 2012

Marc Masterson Paula Tomei ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MANAGING DIRECTOR David Emmes & Martin Benson FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTORS

presents

by Bill Cain

Scott Bradley Callie Floor Alexander V. Nichols SCENIC DESIGN Costume DESIGN Lighting Design Matt Starritt Joshua Marchesi Kathryn Davies* Sound Design Production Manager Stage Manager

Directed by Kent Nicholson

Pam and Jim Muzzy Honorary Producers Corporate Producer

HOW TO WRITE A NEW BOOK FOR THE BIBLE was developed at the Ojai Playwrights Conference, Robert Egan, Artistic Director and at Theatre Works, Palo Alto, CA as part of their New Works Festival

It was originally produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Berkeley , CA, Tony Taccone, Artistic Director/Susan Medak, Managing Director and Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle, WA, Jerry Manning, Artistic Director/Benjamin Moore, Managing Director

How to Write a New Book for the Bible • South Coast Repertory • P1 CAST OF CHARACTERS (In order of appearance) Bill ...... Tyler Pierce* Mary ...... Linda Gehringer* Paul ...... Aaron Blakeley* Pete ...... Jeff Biehl*

LENGTH Approximately two hours and 20 minutes including one intermission.

PRODUCTION STAFF Casting ...... Joanne DeNaut, CSA Dramaturg ...... Kelly L. Miller Assistant Stage Manager ...... Jamie A. Tucker* Production Assistant ...... Deb Chesterman Associate Costume Designer ...... Jocelyn Leiser Herndon Stage Management Intern ...... Amber Caras Light Board Operator ...... Aaron Shetland Sound Board Operator ...... G.W. Rodriguez Wardrobe Supervisor/Dresser ...... Bert Henert

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Special thanks to: Nicole Arbusto, Joy Dickson, Amy Potozkin and Erin Kraft.

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers.

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

Segerstrom Stage Season Media Partner Media Partner

P2 • South Coast Repertory • How to Write a New Book for the Bible Some Questions for Bill Cain by Madeleine Oldham

ill Cain’s star is finally, rightfully, rising on the horizon of the American theatre. His first play, Stand-Up Tragedy, achieved success on the West Coast, went to New York and closed after 13 performanc- es. It was not until 20 years later that his second play, Equivocation, debuted at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, followed Bby runs at the Geffen Playhouse and New York’s City Center. Last season, 9 Circles had a lauded run in Los Angeles—and this production of How to Write a New Book for the Bible co-premiered at Berkeley Rep and Seattle Rep. In an unprecedented repeat performance, Cain won the Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association Award in both 2010 and 2011. With this cur- rent momentum behind him, his career is right in the middle of seriously taking off. Cain gave this interview to Berkeley Rep Dramaturg Madeleine Oldham.

Why write this particular play? Was this a play that’s been building The play focuses on three people: inside you for a long time, or did it my father, my mother and my brother. come to you in a particular moment? These are exquisite human beings, and I The first part of this play was actu- wanted to ritualize in some way the won- ally written shortly after Mom died. I had der of their lives as a way of celebrating cleaned out the apartment and I found them. I think the history of both religion myself unable to leave. I stayed in the and drama is the sins of the parents are empty apartment an extra day just hang- visited on the children—as told by the ing out. Then I knew I had to go or what children. And that’s Adam and Eve have needed to happen—which is the final ruined our lives or James Tyrone and scene of the play—wouldn’t happen. The Mary Tyrone [Long Day’s Journey into apartment needed to be empty of every- Night] have ruined the lives of their chil- thing. Certainly empty of me. So I took dren. This is not my experience. My expe- SCR welcomes the return of the one thing I hadn’t been able to throw rience is the opposite of the general tra- playwright Bill Cain (above). In recent out before—the ironing board—and dition; I have a huge sense of the blessing years, we’ve produced readings of left—knowing what event would take his plays 9 Circles (Pacific Playwrights of my parents’ lives being passed to the place in my absence. That sequence—the Festival, 2009) and How to Write a next generation, and I wanted to make a New Book for the Bible (NewSCRipts, play’s ending—was written immediately ritual of that passage of life visible. 2010). He is currently writing a new on leaving the apartment. After that—bit Most of drama really is pointing the play under commission for SCR. by bit—over the next 10 years I wrote the finger backwards. And comedy is where Below, Bill’s mother, Mary. story of the play as a book—which I then we get to celebrate. There’s a drama in adapted into this play. generosity as well. I don’t think the only drama is in the scarring or the losses. I Does the play cause you to relive painful think there’s great drama in self-sacrifice moments? If so, do you find it cathar- and kindness and the cost of kindness. tic? And that’s a ritual I would like people to I think of the play as joyous. I don’t enter, and exit less afraid and more joy- feel any regrets about any of the events ous. of the play. Compassion certainly. I feel that my parents and my brother are abso- What do you hope people will walk lutely exquisite people and I see the play away with when they see this play? as a celebration of them. I hope they walk away with a great sense of joy, walk away carrying less fear Is the play pure autobiography or is it a about how life ends. My parents both blend of fact and fiction? gave off light as they died, and they found that is my parents understood that death “Bill” says early in the play that he’s a way to make their deaths a summa- does not negate life, but it’s one of the keeping a journal and writing it all down. tion of the goodness they had received things in life. I hope the play works as “Bill” is faithful to that. Some of the fun- and given for their whole lives. The play a celebration of all of the darkness and nier sequences—including the biggest is very funny. And I think the reason for light and not just some of it. fight in the play—are virtual transcrip-

How to Write a New Book for the Bible • South Coast Repertory • P3 tions of the events. If I were going to fic- and Dad were storytellers. Dad couldn’t luck, with some laughter—always widen- tionalize, I would have taken out some of tell a joke. He’d get laughing so hard he ing the circle of inclusion. I love theatre my more boneheaded, selfish behavior, couldn’t get to the punch line—which for its intimacy and television for its vast but I decided to let it stay as it was. annoyed us as reach. kids—but he was a Were members of your family supportive champion storytell- Is this the most What’s next in of your writing this play? er. When we were autobiographical your writing world It was a book before it was a play, little, he would after this play? and my brother loved reading the (still make up stories thing you’ve written? I just work- unpublished) book. He’s a little more with us and all the shopped a play concerned about the play, but he’s de- neighborhood kids No question. called Callback. at cided to trust me on it—for which I am in them. Mom’s the Ojai Playwrights very grateful. stories always had Conference, which a point and the point was usually “Work has been kind enough to host all of my How does being a priest affect your play- harder!” But Bible stories mixed in with plays so far. It’s also biblically based, writing and vice versa? Irish lore, sports stories, neighborhood which is odd for me. Jesus refuses to I’m a Jesuit priest, and the Jesuits gossip, literature and history to create rise from the tomb. Just to get out of the weren’t founded to live in a cloister or a a rich stew of beginnings, middles and Bible, I’m working on (not really work- monastery. We’re supposed to go into endings. ing, it’s recreational writing) a screen- the world, find the presence of God there play about the sexual coming of age of and celebrate it. I’d say that was a pretty When did you decide you wanted to be a lifeguards on the Jersey shore. It’s an good description of what all of us in the- playwright? emotional comedy. Then, finishing an atre do as well. Theatre is always pro- I had been a director for many years overdue film script about Greg Boyle— claiming “attention must be paid” to what and was working at the Boston Shake- a Jesuit who works brilliantly with gang is neglected and holy. Willy speare Company when I saw members in Los Angeles. He talks about Loman. Antigone. Blanche. the Royal Shakespeare Com- the basic quality of love being “no-mat- In this play—Mary. The jobs pany’s production of Nicho- ter-what-ness.” I love that. of writer and priest—as “Bill” las Nickleby and knew in- says in the play—are closely stantly I wanted to write. What haven’t you done yet that you’d related. In both, you point Four years later, I had a play like to? and say, “Look. Look there. called Stand-Up Tragedy. It I’d like to try pole-vaulting at least That person you haven’t no- took me 20 years to write once. Skydiving at most once. I’d like to ticed—he, she matters.” the second one, but I seem live in Florence for a while and soak up to be picking up pace at the some Dante, Canterbury and soak up Religion in contemporary moment. some Chaucer, Dublin and read the sec- America can be a fraught ond half of Finnegans Wake. Someday conversation at times. Have Do you write in other for- I’d like to really clean my room. I’d like you encountered any push- mats? What attracts you to, for once, fold my laundry as soon as back about drawing on the to writing for the stage? it comes out of the dryer. I’d like to do Bible in your play? I wrote for television a one-man show—or maybe I’d just like I think we all sense the for many years and loved to be the kind of person who could do a religious nature of family and doing that. “Nothing Sa- one-man show. There is a great deal of this play places that—as does cred” for ABC-TV was one writing I would like to memorize—James the Bible—at the center of of the great experiences of Agee’s poem “Dedication” and Teilhard revelation. It’s hard to quar- my life. It won the Peabody de Chardin’s “Hymn of the Universe.” I’d rel with that. The Bible—it’s Award and the Writers Guild like to go back to studying karate—that not a rule book. It’s the story Award with a bunch of oth- feels like unfinished business. I’d like to of a family. ers. We didn’t last long— go back to teaching middle school in the one season—but, while we Bronx—nothing was ever better than Did your family have a Bill Cain’s parents, lasted, we created a national that. I’d like to write a play a year for the Mary and Pete. family bible? community and it was an ex- next 10 years. Or a really good play every We had bibles, but not traordinary experience. two years. Or a great play—once. I’d like the hand-me-down kind from genera- I don’t find much difference be- to write a new book for the Bible. tions before. The bible for us wasn’t so tween stage and television. I love them much the physical book, but the stories. both for the same reason—gathering a Interview reprinted with permission My family lived in stories and both Mom community around a story—with any from Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

P4 • South Coast Repertory • How to Write a New Book for the Bible Artist Biographies Jason Grote’s Civilization, Karl Gadjusek’s Greedy and Jeff Biehl* Pete Ann Washburn’s I Have Loved Strangers all with Clubbed Thumb, as well as Hell House directed by Alex Timbers is newly arrived to Los Angeles from for Les Freres Corbusier. Regional and international the- New York City, and is happy to be atre includes Tuzenbach in Three Sisters (A.R.T. and Edin- making his SCR debut. He has been burgh International Festival), The Alchemist (The Shake- working with Andre Gregory and speare Theatre), 80 Days (Westport Country Playhouse) Wallace Shawn on The Master Build- and Shipwrecked! (Long Wharf Theatre). Television ap- er, which has recently been made pearances include “Southland,” several episodes of “Law into a film directed by Jonathan Demme. Off-Broadway & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Law & Order: SVU” and “Law credits include Thomas Bradshaw’s Burning at The New & Order.” He is a graduate of The Juilliard School. Group, Women Beware Women with Red Bull Theater and The Misanthrope at New York Theatre Workshop. Aaron Blakeley* He has worked extensively in New York developing new Paul plays at a variety of theatres, including productions of is excited to make his debut at SCR. Other regional credits include the Pam and Jim Muzzy (Honorary Producers) are world premiere co-production of among SCR’s most dedicated and enthusiastic sup- How to Write a New Book for the porters, and they jumped at the chance to under- Bible at Berkeley Repertory Theatre write How to Write a New Book for the Bible. Since and Seattle Repertory Theatre, Cly- 2005 the Muzzys have provided generous under- bourne Park at Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Lion in writing for six plays: Sight Unseen (2012), Ordinary Winter at Shakespeare Santa Cruz; as well as produc- Days (2010), Dead Man’s Cell Phone (2007), The tions with Southern Rep, Shakespeare Walla Walla, Idaho Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler (2006), Prin- Repertory Theatre and Book-It Repertory Theatre. Film cess Marjorie (2005), and La Posada Mágica. Pam credits include We Need to Talk About Kevin, Frayed and serves on the SCR Board of Trustees, and she and We Go Way Back. His appearances on television include Jim have been First Nights subscribers for over a de- “Grimm” and “Leverage.” Blakeley holds an MFA in act- cade. They are also Platinum Circle members, Gala ing from the University of Washington Professional Actor underwriters, and major donors to the Next Stage Training Program. and Legacy campaigns. “Jim and I feel fortunate to have a theater the caliber of SCR in our community Linda Gehringer* and are pleased to be able to support it,” said Pam. Mary

Haskell & White LLP (Corporate Producer) has appeared at SCR in the world adds How to Write a New Book for the Bible as premieres of The Language Archive, its 14th underwritten production at SCR. From A The Piano Teacher, A Naked Girl Christmas Carol in 1999 to last season’s A Trip to on the Appian Way, Getting Frankie Bountiful, Haskell & White is among SCR’s most Married–and Afterwards, Hold dedicated corporate patrons. Haskell & White is a Please, But Not for Me and The In- leading provider of assurance, tax and consulting telligent Design of Jenny Chow, a role she repeated in services to middle-market private and public com- its New York premiere at the Atlantic Theatre Company. panies and one of Orange County’s largest local Other SCR credits include Circle Mirror Transformation, accounting and consulting firms. In 2012, the firm Doubt, Hamlet, The Retreat from Moscow, A Delicate was included on the Orange County Business Jour- Balance, All My Sons, Relatively Speaking, The Last Night nal’s list of Best Places to Work. Haskell & White of Ballyhoo, Arcadia and Good as New. She has played has recognized expertise in the real estate, SEC and leading roles in theatres across the country, most recently mergers & acquisitions marketplace and is an active in the world premiere of How to Write a New Book for participant in the non-profit community. the Bible at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Seattle Reper- tory Theatre, The Crowd You’re In With at Goodman The-

How to Write a New Book for the Bible • South Coast Repertory • P5 atre (Jeff nomination), Surf Report at For television he was the creator/writer/producer of the and The Women and Since Africa at The Old Globe. This ABC series “Nothing Sacred.” The show received a WGA fall she will appear in a recurring role on “Touch” with award for its first episode and the George Foster Peabody Kiefer Sutherland. Other television work includes “Justi- Award for Outstanding Achievement in Television. He is fied,” “Raising Hope,” “Weeds,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Without the writer of many films for television including Thicker a Trace,” “Cold Case,” “Ally McBeal,” “Frasier” and “The Than Blood (an adaptation of Stand-Up Tragedy), Clo- West Wing” among many others. ver (Christopher Award for Artistic Excellence), Sounder (two NAACP nominations) and Nightjohn (citation for excellence from the National Society of Film Critics). He Tyler Pierce* Bill was the founder and Artistic Director of Boston Shake- speare which he ran for seven years, directing most of is thrilled to be making his SCR Shakespeare’s canon. debut. He has appeared in tours of Legends with Joan Collins and Linda Kent Nicholson (Director) is happy to return to How Evans, Barriers and A Midsummer to Write a New Book for the Bible after having directed Night’s Dream. Selected regional it previously for Berkeley Repertory and Seattle Reper- theatre credits include of How to tory theatres. Recent credits include Saint Ex for the Write a New Book for the Bible (Berkeley Repertory The- Weston Playhouse Theatre Company and two 10-min- atre and Seattle Repertory Theatre); Good People (Geffen ute plays for the Actors Theatre of Louisville Humana Playhouse); Gronholm Method (Falcon Theatre); Death of Festival, Mr. Smitten by Laura Eason and Hygeine by a Salesman (The Old Globe); A Streetcar Named Desire Gregory Hirschak. Other credits include 9 Circles by (Guthrie Theater); The Night Is a Child (world premiere Bill Cain, Small Tragedy by Craig Lucas, Satellites by at Milwaukee Repertory Theater and at Pasadena Play- Diana Son, Five Flights and Swimming in the Shallows house); Crime and Punishment (Berkeley Repertory); by Adam Bock. Musicals he has directed include critically Dracula, A Christmas Carol (Actors Theatre of Louis- acclaimed productions of Grey Gardens, Jacques Brel Is ville); Macbeth, Pericles, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Alive and Well and Living in Paris and Long Story Short. Lorenzaccio, The Tempest (The Shakespeare Theatre A noted developer of both new plays and musicals, Nich- Company); Youth Inc. (McCarter Theatre Center); and olson has worked as a director and producer on world Fat Pig, The Internationalist (regional premiere at The premieres of works by artists as diverse as Adam Bock, Studio Theatre). New York theatre includes work at The- Sheila Callaghan, Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen, Dave atre at St. Clement’s, Circle East, New York Classical The- Eggers, Stephen Schwartz and Liz Duffy Adams, to name atre, HERE Arts Center, Atlantic Theater Company, Atlan- a few. He currently serves as the director of musical the- tic Theatre Studio, Theatre for a New Audience, Lark Play atre and literary associate at Playwrights Horizons in New Development Center, New Dramatists and New Georges. York. He has appeared in the films The Kiss, Best Friends, A Pro- fessional, Alchera, Modern Day Arranged Marriage and Scott Bradley (Scenic Design) is making his SCR de- The Rub and on television in “Kidnapped,” “The Guiding sign debut. Broadway designs include For Colored Girls... Light,” “Third Watch,” “Runner” (pilot) and “Asteroid.” and The Prisoner of Second Avenue and off-Broadway productions of Eurydice and The Notebooks of Leon- Playwright, Director and Designers ardo da Vinci (Second Stage Theatre). Regional theatre credits include She Loves Me, Macbeth, Fences, Topdog/ Bill Cain (Playwright) is the author of Equivocation Underdog, The Piano Lesson (Oregon Shakespeare Fes- (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Repertory Theatre, tival); Dead Man’s Cell Phone (Steppenwolf Theatre Arena Stage, Geffen Playhouse, Marin Theatre Company, Company); The Bluest Eye (Hartford Stage, Long Wharf Manhattan Theatre Club, Victory Gardens Theater); 9 Theatre); Rabbit Hole, The Dreams of Sarah Breedlove, Circles (Marin Theatre, Bootleg Theater, Publick The- Silk (Goodman Theatre); Gem of the Ocean, Passion atre Boston, Renegade Theatre Experiment, upcoming Play (Arena Stage); A Raisin in the Sun, Electra, Oedipus at Forum Theatre); How to Write a New Book for the the King, Dutchman (Hartford Stage); The Merry Wives Bible (Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory, of Windsor (California Shakespeare Theatre); Eurydice, upcoming at Round House Theatre); Stand-Up Trag- The Glass Menagerie (Berkeley Repertory Theatre); The edy (Mark Taper Forum, six Los Angeles Drama Critics Winter’s Tale, Twelfth Night, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Circle awards; Arena Stage; Hartford Stage; and ulti- Woolf? (Shakespeare Santa Cruz) and others. Film and mately Broadway, Joe A. Calloway Award). He received television credits include “Late Night with David Letter- the 2010 and 2011 Steinberg/American Theatre Critics man” and “Pushing Hands.” Awards include the Joseph Association New Play Award. He has spent five summers Jefferson Award for Silk, Lucille Lortel nomination for at the Ojai Playwrights Conference developing his plays. The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, IRNE Awards for

P6 • South Coast Repertory • How to Write a New Book for the Bible Ivanov and Idiot’s Karamatsov, Best of Baltimore Award Zoe|Juniper Dance Company, which premiered at Ja- for The Rainmaker, Helen Hayes nomination for Passion cob’s Pillow Dance Festival and is touring nationally. He Play, New York Drama Desk Award and Tony nomina- also has designed for the Alley Theatre, Berkeley Reper- tion for Seven Guitars, Drama Desk nomination for Joe tory Theatre, Cornerstone Theater Company, Illusion Turner’s Come and Gone and Bay Area Critics Award Theater, Intiman Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, for Journey to the West. He earned his MFA at the Yale Seattle Shakespeare Company, Strawberry Theatre Work- School of Drama. shop and Washington Ensemble Theatre. Starritt is a part- time lecturer at the University of Washington School of Callie Floor (Costume Design) is making her SCR de- Drama. sign debut. She has designed for many Bay Area theatres including American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Rep- Kathryn Davies* (Stage Manager) previously stage ertory Theatre, Aurora Theatre Company, Magic Theatre, managed Sight Unseen, Topdog/Underdog, Sideways San Francisco Mime Troupe and West Bay Opera. She Stories from Wayside School, In the Next Room or the worked with Bill Cain and Kent Nicholson on the Marin vibrator play, Doctor Cerberus, Ordinary Days, Our Theatre Company production of 9 Circles. Recent proj- Mother’s Brief Affair, The Injured Party, The Brand New ects include Topdog/Underdog (Timothy Douglas, dir.) at Kid and Imagine at SCR. Favorite credits include God Marin Theatre Company and Spunk! (Patricia McGregor, of Carnage and Dividing the Estate at Dallas Theater dir.) for California Shakespeare Theatre. Floor is the Center; La Bohème and Rigoletto at Tulsa Opera; The resident designer for the California Revels and currently Mystery of Irma Vep at The Old Globe; Daddy Long Legs holds the position of costume rentals supervisor for and The Marvelous Wonderettes at Laguna Playhouse; American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. She has Tosca, La Traviata and La Fille du Régiment at Opera a BFA from the University of Utah and a higher diploma Ontario; Of Mice and Men at Theatre Calgary/CanStage/ in theatre design from the Slade School of Fine Art, Uni- Neptune Theatre; The Dresser at Manitoba Theatre Cen- versity College London. tre; Skylight and Emphysema at Tarragon Theatre; To Kill a Mockingbird at Citadel Theatre/Manitoba Theatre Alexander V. Nichols (Lighting Design) is making his Centre/Theatre Calgary; Phèdre at Soulpepper Theatre SCR design debut. Theatre credits include the Broadway Co.; Closer at CanStage; and The Designated Mourner at productions of Wishful Drinking (set, lighting, video), Tarragon Theatre and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Da- Hugh Jackman—Back On Broadway (video) and Nice vies also has worked as head theatre representative at the Work If You Can Get It (video). Off-Broadway produc- Toronto International Film Festival, AFI Fest and LAFF; tions include In Masks Outrageous and Austere, Los team leader at Sundance; and as international consultant Big Names, Horizon, Bridge and Tunnel, Taking Over, and head theatre representative for the Dubai Interna- Through the Night and In the Wake. Other credits in- tional Film Festival. clude designs for American Conservatory Theater, Mark Taper Forum, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Arena Stage, Jamie A. Tucker* (Assistant Stage Manager) is excited Huntington Theatre Company, La Jolla Playhouse, Na- to begin his 11th season at SCR. Tucker completed his tional Theater of Taiwan and Seattle Repertory Theatre. MFA in dance, specializing in stage management, at the Dance credits include resident designer for Pennsylvania University of California, Irvine in 1994. Since coming to Ballet, Hartford Ballet, and American Repertory Ballet. SCR, he has stage managed or assisted on 56 produc- Nichols was the lighting supervisor for American Ballet tions. Some of his favorites have been the world pre- Theatre has been the resident visual designer for the mieres of Richard Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain, The Margaret Jenkins Dance Company since 1989. His de- Violet Hour and The Dazzle; Rolin Jones’ The Intelligent signs are in the permanent repertory of San Francisco Design of Jenny Chow; and Noah Haidle’s Mr. Marma- Ballet, Boston Ballet, Alvin Ailey and Hubbard Street, lade. Other favorites include Elemeno Pea, Jitney, A Hong Kong Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre and ODC/ Midsummer Night’s Dream, Crimes of the Heart, Fences, SF, among others. Recent projects include the museum Anna in the Tropics, The Trip to Bountiful, A View from installation Circle of Memory, a collaboration with Elea- the Bridge and Hamlet. He has had the pleasure of work- nor Coppola, recently presented in Stockholm, Sweden; ing seven seasons on La Posada Mágica and four sea- and video and visual design for LIFE: A Journey Through sons at the helm of A Christmas Carol. If you can’t find Time, a collaboration with Frans Lanting and Philip Glass, him in the theatre, he is likely to be riding his bike down recently presented at the Barbican Center, London. PCH. Tucker is a proud member of Actors’ Equity.

Matt Starritt (Sound Design) is making his SCR de- Marc Masterson (Artistic Director) is pleased to be sign debut. He is a freelance sound designer for both taking the reins for a new era of leadership for SCR. In theatre and dance and a writer from Seattle. He recently 11 seasons as artistic director of Actors Theatre of Lou- designed the sound for A Crack in Everything for the isville, he produced more than 200 plays, expanded and

How to Write a New Book for the Bible • South Coast Repertory • P7 deepened arts education programs and spearheaded productions. In 2008, he and David Emmes received community-based projects. Recent directing credits in- the Margo Jones Award for their lifetime commitment clude Elemeno Pea, The Kite Runner, A Midsummer to theatre excellence and fostering the art and craft of Night’s Dream, Shipwrecked! An Entertainment, Glen- American playwriting. They also accepted SCR’s 1988 garry Glen Ross, The Tempest, Mary’s Wedding, The Cru- Tony Award for Outstanding Resident Professional The- cible, Betrayal, As You Like It, The Importance of Being atre and won the 1995 Theatre L.A. Ovation Award for Earnest and Macbeth. World premieres directed at the Lifetime Achievement. Benson has received the Los Humana Festival of New American Plays include Ground, Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Wild Blessings: A Celebration of Wendell Berry, The Un- Achievement in Directing an unparalleled seven times seen, Natural Selection, The Shaker Chair, After Ashley, for George Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara, Misalliance Tallgrass Gothic, Limonade Tous les Jours and Wonder- and Heartbreak House; John Millington Synge’s Playboy ful World. He served as artistic director of City Theatre of the Western World; Arthur Miller’s The Crucible; Sally in Pittsburgh for 20 years. He was founder and chairman Nemeth’s Holy Days; and Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize- of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Alliance, a board member winning Wit, which he also directed at Seattle Repertory of the Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania, and for Lead- Theatre and Houston’s Alley Theatre. He has directed ership Pittsburgh. He has served as a theatre advisory American classics such as Ah, Wilderness! and A Streetcar panel member for the National Endowment for the Arts Named Desire and has distinguished himself in staging as well as numerous foundations. He won the Man of the contemporary work, including the world premiere of Year Vectors Award in 1998, and received the Lifetime Horton Foote’s Getting Frankie Married—and After- Achievement Award from the Pittsburgh New Works Fes- wards and the critically acclaimed California premiere tival. He is married to Patricia Melvin, and they have two of William Nicholson’s Shadowlands. Most recently, daughters—Laura and Alex. he directed the world premiere of Julie Marie Myatt’s The Happy Ones, a revival of Misalliance, and Horton Paula Tomei (Managing Director) is responsible for the Foote’s, The Trip to Bountiful. Benson received his BA in overall administration of SCR and has been managing di- Theatre from San Francisco State University. rector since 1994. A member of the SCR staff since 1979, she has served in a number of administrative capacities, David Emmes (Founding Artistic Director) is co-founder including subscriptions manager, business manager and of SCR, and directed last season’s successful revival of general manager. She served on the board of Theatre Sight Unseen by Donald Margulies. He has received nu- Communications Group (TCG), the national service orga- merous awards for productions he has directed during nization for theatre, from 1998 to 2006, and was its presi- his SCR career, including a Los Angeles Drama Critics Cir- dent for four years. She has also served as treasurer of cle Award for the direction of George Bernard Shaw’s The TCG, vice president of the League of Resident Theatres Philanderer. He directed the world premieres of Amy (LORT) and has been a member of the LORT Negotiating Freed’s Safe in Hell, The Beard of Avon and Freedom- Committee for industry-wide union agreements. In addi- land; Thomas Babe’s Great Day in the Morning; Keith tion, she represents SCR at national conferences of TCG Reddin’s Rum and Coke and But Not for Me; and Neal and LORT; is a theatre panelist for the National Endow- Bell’s Cold Sweat; the American premieres of Terry John- ment for the Arts (NEA) and the California Arts Council; son’s Unsuitable for Adults and Joe Penhall’s Dumb site visitor for the NEA; served on the Advisory Commit- Show; the West Coast premieres of C.P. Taylor’s Good tee for the Arts Administration Certificate Program at the and Harry Kondoleon’s Christmas on Mars; and the University of California, Irvine; and has been a guest lec- Southland premiere of Top Girls (at SCR and the West- turer in the graduate school of business at Stanford and wood Playhouse). Other productions include the West UC Irvine. She is on the board of Arts Orange County, the Coast premieres of The Secret Rapture by David Hare county-wide arts council, and the board of the Nicholas and New England by Richard Nelson, as well as Arcadia Endowment. Tomei graduated from UC Irvine with a de- by Tom Stoppard, The Importance of Being Earnest gree in economics and pursued an additional course of by Oscar Wilde, Ayckbourn’s Woman in Mind and You study in theatre and dance. She also teaches a graduate Never Can Tell by George Bernard Shaw, which he re- class in nonprofit management at UC Irvine. staged for the Singapore Festival of Arts. After attending Orange Coast College, he received his BA and MA from Martin Benson (Founding Artistic Director), co- San Francisco State University, and his PhD in theatre founder of SCR, has directed nearly one-fourth of SCR’s and film 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 • How to Write a New Book for the Bible