Chance Theater proudly presents A Chorus Line Book by Music by Lyrics by James Kirkwood Marvin Hamlisch Edward Kleban Nicholas Dante Directed by Oanh Nguyen* Choreographed by Hazel Clarke Music Direction by Ryan O’Connell Scenic Design by Fred Kinney Stage Manager Nicole Schlitt* Lighting Design by Martha Carter Dramaturg Sophie Cripe Sound Design by Ryan Brodkin Assistant Choreographer Christine Hinchee Costume Design by Bradley Lock Zach ............................................Ben Green Cassie .........................................Tatiana Alvarez Bebe ...........................................Ashley Arlene Nelson Maggie ........................................Kristen Daniels Val ...............................................Victoria Rafael Sheila ..........................................Camryn Zelinger Kristine ........................................Emily Abeles Judy ............................................Dannielle Green Diana ..........................................Angeline Mirenda Connie ........................................Tina Nguyen Bobby .........................................Ben Heustess Richie ..........................................Christopher Mosley Paul ............................................Xavier Castaneda Al ................................................Joseph Ott Mike ............................................John Wells III Mark ............................................Brandon Carter Greg ............................................Robbie Lundegard Don .............................................Garrett Engle Larry ...........................................Calvin Brady Ensemble ....................................Carolyn Lupin, Monika Pena, Liz Williams-Borud, Damon Williams, Dustin Nguyen, John Wells Setting: 1975. A theater. Running Time: 2 hours with no intermission Executive Producer SOPHIE & LARRY CRIPE Associate Producers LAURIE SMITS STAUDE RACHELLE MENAKER & EDDIE SCHULLER A Chorus Line is presented through arrangement with TAMS-WITMARK MUSIC LIBRARY, INC., 560 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10022 The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited. * Chance Resident Artist MUSICAL NUMBERS I Hope I Get It -- Company I Can Do That -- Mike ...And... -- Richie, Val, Judy & Company At The Ballet -- Sheila, Bebe & Maggie Sing -- Kristine, Al & Company Hello Twelve -- Mark, Connie & Company Nothing -- Diana Mother -- Company Montage -- Judy, Greg, Richie & Company Dance: Ten; Looks: Three -- Val The Music And The Mirror -- Cassie One -- Company What I Did For Love -- Diana & Company Bows -- Company Musicians Piano Ryan O’Connell Bass Jimmy Beall Reeds Jonathan Proctor Drums/Percussion Jorge Zuniga Trumpet Saul Reynoso/Ryan Jesch Additional Production Credits Booth Operator Nicole Schlitt* Audio Mixer James Markoski Asst Lighting Designer Gabriell Smith Asst Costume Designer Jane Soobin Beck Asst Stage Manager Austin Kendrick Asst Props Designer Nita Faulkner Casting Associate Crystal Phillips Set Construction Handless Man Theatrics Technical Director: Jim Book Lead Carpenter: Nika Ramos Carpenters: James Book, Jackie Cone, David Tehero, Alex Wolfe Load-In Crew Jeff Hellebrand*, Elizabeth Jones, Dennis O’Connell, Monika Pena, Teodora Ramos*, Miranda Richard, Marc Sanford*, Roberto Zamora Stitchers Hilary Baca, Rudy Iniguez Production Photographer Doug Catiller, True Image Studio Special Thanks Frome Enterprises, The City of Anaheim, Carin Jacobs, Martin Lighting, University of California Irvine, Cal State Fullerton, Fullerton College, and, of course, Jim Book. * Chance Resident Artist What’s still on the line... by Dramaturg Sophie Cripe In early June 2016, a Florida man saw two men kissing and days later, he walked into a gay nightclub in Orlando and murdered 49 people. This news grieved all Americans. But for many who work in the theater, the killing of patrons at a gay nightclub struck extraordinarily close to home. All of us are connected to the LGBTQ community in one way or another. As a result of this tragedy, we ask “How much does it cost to be who you really are?” Exploring the themes of identity and the human spirit, A Chorus Line strives to discover how we can promote love and acceptance. A Chorus Line began on January 26, 1974. Michael Bennett, a gifted choreographer tape- recorded the reminiscences of a group of Broadway gypsies (dancers who went from show to show performing only in the chorus). These candid conversations focused on their childhood, teenage years, and young adulthood and were filled with their struggles to succeed in high- stakes careers. He bought the rights to those stories, and convinced Joseph Papp of the non- profit Public Theater to bankroll a series of workshops that would develop their stories into a stage musical, A Chorus Line. Many elements of this show were experimental in nature and “firsts” for a Broadway musical, including the first time a musical was developed through workshops instead of out-of-town tryouts. A Chorus Line is considered by many to be the quintessential concept musical. It is one of the first musicals in which the production’s theme or social commentary and non-linear storytelling is the primary focus rather than the plot. There had never been a Broadway show with such simple sets and costumes, and yet it was the first show to use a computerized light board to accommodate the highly dynamic lighting design. The show also had a cast with little name recognition and a creative team, with the exception of Bennett, that had no theater experience. In addition to these theatrical firsts, there was something much more important about the stories told in A Chorus Line -- the show reflected diversity in that 50% of the cast was non-white and it featured stories from several gay actors’ perspectives (only one year after the American Psychiatric Association decided that homosexuality was not a mental illness). A Chorus Line focuses on the struggle of dancers with their fears of injury, making a living in a business with no guarantee of success, and the unnaturally short career spans. Most importantly, the stories shared by the original participants resonated beyond the world of dance and theater, and touched anyone with a passion and a desire to find the place where they fit. A Chorus Line uses the metaphor of the auditioners being “on the line”: to risk everything to win, to be accepted and loved, and to make it in the world. In 1975, the radical experiment of A Chorus Line worked and it won everything including the Pulitzer Prize, the New York Drama Critics Award, and nine Tonys, including Best Musical. Today, these themes resonate even more as we’ve become an Uber generation accustomed to working for ourselves, needing to hustle more than ever before. Even Hillary Clinton, played by Glenn Close at the recent Tony Awards, riffed on a song from A Chorus Line, “I really need this job. Oh God, I need this job. I’ve got to get this job.” Our unconventional production embraces A Chorus Line’s experimental roots in addition to celebrating all of us who struggle to be true to ourselves or find the courage to put our passions on the line without shame. It’s about knowing who we are, knowing what is worth the sacrifice, and knowing when it’s time to quit. It also says something profound about the courage we all need to face hostility and prejudice, like those young people who were enjoying a fun night out in a gay nightclub in Florida. So much of what we do in life, we do for love. We dedicate this production of A Chorus Line to the Orlando shooting victims and their families. Artist Biographies Ben Green (Zach) BA in Theatre While there she was selected to attend their New York Arts - CSU Fullerton ‘11. Chance Satellite Program in NYC, where she studied with Fellowship Inaugural Member. Broadway stars, choreographers, casting directors, Chance Theater credits: The Big and more. She also made her Off- Broadway debut Meal (Man #3), Reindeer Monologues as Chloris in He’s Got the Pole World in His Hands: (Dasher), Jesus Hates Me (Georgie), The Christian Pole Dancing Musical. She would like to Chance-A-Thon. Other credits: The Glass Menagerie thank her friends, family, and Hayden for their never (Tom Wingfield), Psycho Beach Party (Kanaka), RENT ending love and support! Ashleyarlenenelson.com (Benny), The Rocky Horror Show (Rocky Horror), The Kristen Daniels (Maggie) is very Violet Hour (John Pace Seavering), Beyond Therapy excited to be making her Chance (Bob), The Busy World is Hushed (Brandt), Edward Theater debut with this production II (Edward II), Bent (Horst), Bell, Book, and Candle of A Chorus Line. She is currently a (Shep Henderson), You Can’t Take It With You (Tony second year undergraduate student Kirby), Extremities (Raul), Our Town (Stage Manager), at the University of California Irvine Proof (Hal), Frost/Nixon (Jim Reston), The Playboy majoring in Drama and minoring in Psychology. She of the Western World (Christy Mahon), Prelude to a has been passionate about musical theater since Kiss (Peter), Romeo & Juliet (Romeo), Midsummer... childhood and graduated from the Academy for (Demetrius), The Glass Menagerie (Jim O’Connor), the Performing Arts in 2014 with a focus in Musical Sexual Perversity in Chicago (Dan Shapiro), and Baby Theater. At UCI, she has been featured in productions (Danny). Thank you to Mom, Dad, Michelle, my family, such as Enemy of the People (Petra), Little Women Boo, Oanh, Ryan, Hazel, Nicole, Sophie & Larry, this (Jo), Baby: The Musical (Lizzie) and Evita