2017/18 SEASON

SEASON BONUS OPTION Matthew Bourne’s production of THE RED SHOES Based on the film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and the Hans Christian Andersen Fairytale Music by Bernard Herrmann Directed and Choreographed by Matthew Bourne American Premiere Sep 15 – Oct 1, 2017

FIRST SEASON PRODUCTION BRIGHT STAR Music, Book, and Story by Steve Martin Music, Lyrics, and Story by Edie Brickell Choreography by Josh Rhodes Directed by Walter Bobbie Oct 11 – Nov 19, 2017

SECOND SEASON PRODUCTION SOMETHING ROTTEN! Book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell Music and Lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick Directed and Choreographed by Casey Nicholaw Nov 21 – Dec 31, 2017

THIRD SEASON PRODUCTION Play and Lyrics by Music and Additional Lyrics by Choreography by Sam Pinkleton Directed by World Premiere May 3 – June 10, 2018

FOURTH SEASON PRODUCTION THE HUMANS By Stephen Karam Directed by Joe Mantello

June 19 – July 29, 2018 RicamoraPictured: Conrad

FIFTH SEASON PRODUCTION AIN’T TOO PROUD The Life and Times of The Temptations Book by Music and Lyrics from The Legendary Motown Catalog Choreography by Sergio Trujillo Directed by Des McAnuff Aug 21 – Sep 30, 2018 We would like to take this GIFTS OF $5,000,000 AND ABOVE Nancy & Eric Garen Brindell Roberts Gottlieb Glenn & Andrea Sonnenberg MICHAEL RITCHIE Artistic Director | STEPHEN D. ROUNTREE Managing Director | DOUGLAS C. BAKER Producing Director opportunity to thank the Kirk & Anne Douglas Anonymous GORDON DAVIDSON Founding Artistic Director following donors who Ahmanson Foundation The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Diana Buckhantz & the Vladimir and CENTER THEATRE GROUP have made extraordinary Araxia Buckhantz Foundation PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF GIFTS OF $1,000,000 AND ABOVE Vicki King Anonymous investments in Center Louise Moriarty Laura & James Rosenwald & Theatre Group’s future. Orinoco Foundation Thomas Safran Judie Stein & Stein Family Foundation Their support will ensure Renee & Meyer Luskin Sue Tsao that Center Theatre The Annenberg Foundation GIFTS OF $100,000 AND ABOVE Group—and Los Angeles Anonymous Jody & David Lippman Edgerton Foundation The Campagna Family audiences and artists— Kiki & David Gindler Deidra Norman Schumann enjoy another 50 years Patricia Glaser & Sam Mudie Donna & John Sussman Aliza Karney Guren & Marc Guren Yvonne & Derek Bell of theatrical excellence. Ann & Stephen F. Hinchliffe, Jr. Mara & Joseph Carieri Play and Lyrics by Music and Additional Lyrics by The Louis and Harold Price Foundation Friars Charitable Foundation DAVID HENRY HWANG JEANINE TESORI Cindy & Gary Frischling Bill Resnick & Michael Stubbs GIFTS OF $500,000 AND ABOVE WITH Cheryl A. Shepherd Deena & Edward Nahmias BILLY BUSTAMANTE KARA GUY JON HOCHE KENDYL ITO FRANCIS JUE AUSTIN KU Amy Forbes & Andrew Murr RAYMOND J. LEE ALYSE ALAN LOUIS JAYGEE MACAPUGAY DANIEL MAY Jerry & Terri Kohl GIFTS OF $50,000 AND ABOVE PAUL HEESANG MILLER KRISTEN FAITH OEI MARIA-CHRISTINA OLIVERAS GEENA QUINTOS Michael Ritchie & Kate Burton Anonymous Elliott Sernel Anne Bruner & Jim Bremner CONRAD RICAMORA TREVOR SALTER EMILY STILLINGS Patrick Owen & Norman Dixon Carol & Stephen Rountree GIFTS OF $250,000 AND ABOVE Scenic Design Costume Design Lighting Design Sound Design Joni & Miles Benickes Sunshine Stone DAVID ZINN ANITA YAVICH MARK BARTON KAI HARADA Donna Schweers & Tom Geiser Peter & Iona Tompkins Hope Landis Warner Hair & Wig Design Make-Up Design Dialect Coaches Fight Director Center Theatre Group would also like to thank the following donors for TOM WATSON ANGELINA AVALLONE JOEL GOLDES STEVE RANKIN JOY LANCETA CORONEL making commitments to the 50TH Anniversary Campaign through legacy gifts to our Endowment: Orchestrations Dance Music Arranger Music Director Casting DANNY TROOB JOHN CLANCY DAVID O HEIDI GRIFFITHS, CSA Legacy Gifts KATE MURRAY, CSA

$1,000,000 AND ABOVE Dramaturg Associate Artistic Director Production Stage Manager Judith & Thomas Beckmen OTHER LEGACY GIFTS OSKAR EUSTIS KELLEY KIRKPATRICK DAVID LURIE-PERRET Martin Massman Maynard & Linda Brittan–Traub-Brittan Diane & Leon Morton Family Trust Music Supervisor CHRIS FENWICK Peter & Susan Van Haften Steven Llanusa & Glenn Miya, M.D. Gloria Lothrop Choreography by $500,000 AND ABOVE Carol & Douglas Mancino SAM PINKLETON Richard & Norma Camp Renee & Robert Nunn Susan A. Grode Nan Rae Directed by Linda S. Peterson Randy & Bruce Ross LEIGH SILVERMAN Wes Schaefer & Cathy King-Schaefer $250,000 AND ABOVE Margaret White Pamela & Dennis Beck PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH EAST WEST PLAYERS AND THE CURRAN Shirley & Irving Ashkenas Soft Power was originally co-commissioned by Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles, CA, Michael Ritchie, Artistic Director, Stephen D. Rountree, Managing Director, Bill Cohn & Dan Miller and , New York, NY, Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director, Patrick Willingham, Executive Director. Maggy Simon I.H. Sutnick May 3 – June 10, 2018 AHMANSON THEATRE P2 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P3 CAST WHO’S WHO

Francis Jue...... DHH BILLY BUSTAMANTE (Ensemble, KENDYL ITO (Jing/Ensemble) is excited Alyse Alan Louis...... Zoe/Hillary understudy for Xue Xing) is a New York to join Soft Power amongst a crew of Conrad Ricamora...... Xue Xing beautiful artists! International/national Jon Hoche...... Tony Manero/Chief Justice City-based performer, director, and Kendyl Ito...... Jing photographer. Broadway: tour: Matilda. Regional/other theatre Austin Ku...... Bobby Bob (Engineer u/s), (Lun Tha credits: A Chorus Line (dir. Baayork Raymond J. Lee...... Randy Ray/Veep u/s). NYC/regional: Here Lies Love at The Lee), Grease, Rent, Seussical, Oliver, Maria-Christina Oliveras...... Campaign Manager Public Theater, Arena Stage, Old Globe, American Idiot, Tiananmen. Kendyl is a Billy Bustamante, Jon Hoche, Kendyl Ito, Austin Ku, Raymond J. Lee, Paper Mill Playhouse, Sacramento Music proud member of the National Asian Jaygee Macapugay, Daniel May, Paul HeeSang Miller, Kristen Faith Oei, Circus, Walnut Street Theatre, San Jose Rep, North Shore Artists Project (NAAP), a Pace University alum, and has Maria-Christina Oliveras, Geena Quintos...... Ensemble Music Theatre, Pan Asian Rep, Prospect Theater Company, also been seen in concerts at Feinstein’s 54 Below and Arden Theatre Company. Billy recently directed the including 54 Sings Little Women, Music and Laughter, and UNDERSTUDIES Should an understudy substitute for a listed performer, NYC revivals of The Adding Machine and LaChiusa’s The Samantha Spade. Endless love and gratitude to Mom, Dad, it will be posted in the lobby at the time of the performance. Wild Party. He is co-founder of Broadway Barkada and on Kelsey, Jeremy & Dave. the teaching faculty at Jen Waldman Studio. Billy is For Zoe/Hillary—Kara Guy passionately committed to the development of new works FRANCIS JUE (DHH) is happy to return to For Xue Xing—Billy Bustamante and new artists. Thanks to Peyton, his family, and this Center Theatre Group after last season’s For DHH—Raymond J. Lee wonderful company! BillyBustamante.com, Instagram: @bjcb King of the Yees. Broadway: Pacific SWINGS Overtures, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Trevor Salter KARA GUY (Understudy for Zoe/Hillary) and M. Butterfly. Other favorite theatre Emily Stillings is fresh off of the musical First Date at credits include (Obie and DANCE CAPTAIN Blumenthal Performing Arts in Charlotte, Awards, plus Drama Desk Geena Quintos NC, where she was an understudy and and Drama League nominations), In the played the lead role of Casey. Off- Next Room (or the vibrator play) (ariZoni Award), Miss ASSISTANT DANCE CAPTAIN Broadway: Clinton the Musical Saigon (Elliot Norton Award), Kiss of the Spider Woman Daniel May (Ensemble, u/s Hillary and Monica). (Drama-Logue Award), (Bay Area Theatre Critics STAGE MANAGERS Other notable roles include Hairspray Circle Award), , Kung Fu, A Midsummer Shelley Miles (Penny), Crazy for You (Polly), Nunsense (Sister Amnesia), Night’s Dream, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Wild Goose Dreams, Ellen Goldberg (New York) Oregon Trail the Musical (Natalie), and The Wedding Singer and Paper Dolls. Film and TV credits include Joyful Noise, David S. Franklin (Los Angeles) (Holly). She also was part of the 10TH Anniversary National and recurring roles on Madam Secretary, Law & Order: TIME/PLACE Tour of Footloose playing Rusty. Thanks to Dave for sticking SVU, and . Los Angeles, early 21ST century; and Shanghai, China, early 22ND century. with me and my loves—Jeff and Chompers! AUSTIN KU (Bobby Bob/Ensemble). INTERMISSION JON HOCHE (Tony Manero/Chief Justice/ International/Broadway tour: David Soft Power will be performed with one intermission. Ensemble). Off-Broadway: Vietgone Henry Hwang’s Chinglish (dir. Leigh ORCHESTRA (); Soul Samurai, Silverman). Off-Broadway: Pacific Music Director/Conductor—David O The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G Overtures (dir. John Doyle) and Anne Associate Music Director—Alex Harrington (Ma-Yi Theater); Hello, From the Washburn’s Iphigenia in Aulis (dir. —Alby Potts Associate Conductor/Keyboard Children of Planet Earth (Playwrights ), both at Classic Stage Woodwinds—Sal Lozano, Joe Stone, Jeff Driskill, Paul Curtis French Horns—Joe Meyer, Kristy Morrell Realm). North American tour: War Horse Company; Tokio Confidential (Atlantic Trumpets—Dan Fornero, Rob Schaer (National Theatre). Other select credits: Theater). Regional: Berkeley Rep, Delaware REP (The Bells, Trombone/Contractor—Robert Payne Vietgone (South Coast Repertory); Seven Homeless wr./dir. ), Foothill Music Theatre (Dean Harp—Amy Wilkins Mammoths Wander New England (Two River Theater); Goodman Award), Ogunquit Playhouse (IRNE nomination), Bass—Ken Wild SF Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Theatre of NJ, Drums—Ed Smith Dracula (Premiere Stages); Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Percussion—Matt Ordaz Othello, and Titus Andronicus (American Globe Theatre); Stoneham Theatre (BroadwayWorld nomination), South Concertmaster—Jen Choi Fischer Little Shop of Horrors (The Gateway Playhouse). Participant Coast Rep (StageSceneLA Award), Walnut Street Theatre Violins—Grace Oh, Rebecca Chung, Marisa Kuney, Neel Hammond, Mark Cargill in the first diversity puppetry workshop at The Jim Henson (Barrymore nomination), and many more. Film: Detective Viola—Diane Gilbert Company. Artistic Associate of Vampire Cowboys Theatre Chinatown 2, Creative Control, Sleeping with Other People, Cello—David Mergen Company. JonHoche.com The Woman in the Dress. TV: Shades of Blue (recurring), Please turn off all electronic devices such as cellular phones and watch alarms. The use of any recording device, either Billions, Bull, Homeland, Sneaky Pete, The Affair, Younger, audio or video, and the taking of photographs, with or without flash, is strictly prohibited.

PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P5 and more. Training: Boston Conservatory, Upright Citizens Where Elephants Weep. Jaygee has a passion for You in Las Vegas, Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida (u/s TV: How to Get Away With Murder (Oliver). Education: MFA, Brigade. Thanks to the Soft Power team and as always collaborating on new musicals including Tears of Heaven by Amneris), West Side Story in Europe, and Fame. Various University of Tennessee. Awarded 2016 Human Rights CTC/DB and AG. @secretaustinman, Austin-Ku.com Frank Wildhorn, Till Soon, Anne by Christine Toy Johnson & TV appearances include The Suite Life on Deck, Mozart in Campaign Visibility Award and 2017 Equality California Bobby Cronin, Honor by Pete Mills, and Good Times Roll by the Jungle, and the filmIsn’t It Romantic. Endless gratitude Visibility Award. Twitter/Instagram: @conradricamora RAYMOND J. LEE (Randy Ray/Veep/ The Cars. She proudly sang for our troops with the USO. and love to DHH, the SP team, family, friends, and most of Ensemble, understudy for DHH) is Thankful for the support of my parents, Eric, friends, and David. all, to God. Romans 8:38 & 39. @Dragonfly02 TREVOR SALTER (Swing). Off-Broadway: excited to make his Center Theatre Here Lies Love (The Public Theater, Group debut! Thanks to the Soft Power DANIEL MAY (Ensemble/Assistant Dance MARIA-CHRISTINA OLIVERAS (Campaign original cast); Revolting Rhymes (Lucille team for letting him be part of this World Captain) is overjoyed to be a part of Soft Manager/Ensemble). Broadway: Amélie Lortel Theatre). Regional: Here Lies premiere. Ray recently originated the Power and dedicates his performance to (original cast recording), Machinal, Love (Seattle Rep). Other theatre credits role of Ralph in Groundhog Day on his nephew Nathan. Daniel was born in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. include Cabaret (The Secret Theatre); Broadway. Other Broadway credits: South Korea and grew up in Southern Dedicated to new works, Maria-Christina The Loon (Abrons Arts Center, JACK); to Honeymoon in Vegas, Anything Goes, Mamma Mia! California, attending the Orange County has originated roles in a number of the left of the pantry and under the Off-Broadway: The Two Gentlemen of Verona (The Public), High School of the Arts. Daniel first World premieres including Here Lies sugar shack (La MaMa). Film: Ricki and The Flash (2015). The Wild Party (Encores!). Regional: Tiger Style! (La Jolla worked with David Henry Hwang in the Love (The Public; original cast recording), BFA NYU. Trevor is thrilled and thankful to be a part of this Playhouse), Stuck Elevator (A.C.T.), Nerds (PTC), Great Wall original Broadway revival cast of Flower Drum Song starring Pretty Filthy (The Civilians; original cast recording), Taylor production. Thank you to the cast, crew, and creative team (Village Theatre). TV: Billions, Red Oaks, Smash, The Jim Lea Salonga and then went on the road with the first Mac’s 24 Decade… (St. Ann’s Warehouse), And Miles to for all your hard work. Special thanks to Ma & Pop, Mom, Gaffigan Show, Fame, Succession. Film: The Greatest national tour of Jeanine Tesori’s Thoroughly Modern Millie, Go (PCP), Reading Under the Influence (DR2), The Really Juno, and of course my darling Anna, for all your Showman, Ghost Town, The Mikado Project. Ray’s where he took over the role of Ching Ho. Other theatre Big Once (Target Margin), After (PCP). Other NYC credits unconditional love and support. voiceover work includes The Guardian Brothers on Netflix, credits include, Off-Broadway: Red Eye of Love (Amas); include Romeo and Juliet (NYSF/The Public), Zorba! (City audiobooks, and several animated shows. Thanks to and regional: Beijing Spring, Pippin (East West Players); I Center Encores!), Night Sky (BPAC). Regional: Berkeley EMILY STILLINGS (Swing). Broadway: Nicolosi & Co. and Sullivan Talent Group. Love to Robbi Only Have Eyes For You (Montalban); Mary Poppins Rep, ACT, Williamstown, Long Wharf, Huntington, The King and I (Lincoln Center). TV: and Ella. Go U Northwestern! Visit raymondjlee.com for (Tuacahn); Miss Saigon (McCoy Rigby). Thanks to the Baltimore Center Stage, Sundance, Hudson Valley multiple episodes of Saturday Night Live more info and follow @raymondjlee. creative team for everything! Love to his family, friends, and Shakespeare, O’Neill Theater Center, among others. (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Saoirse Ronan, Mateo, who make this all possible. Instagram: @boydanoh Selected film/TV:Manhattan Night, St. Vincent, The Jimmy Fallon, Kevin Hart), including the ALYSE ALAN LOUIS (Zoe/Hillary). Humbling, Time Out of Mind, Nurse Jackie, Law & Order: “Welcome to Hell” digital short, and Broadway: Amélie (original PAUL HEESANG MILLER (Ensemble). SVU. Education: BA Yale; MFA National Theatre Conservatory. multiple episodes of Lip Sync Battle cast recording), Disaster!, Mamma Broadway: Miss Saigon, The King and I (LL Cool J, John Krasinski). So much Mia! Off-Broadway: A New Brain (Lincoln Center), Mamma Mia! Regional: GEENA QUINTOS (Ensemble/Dance love for Mom. Thank you for being my biggest supporter (Encores! Off-Center/original Walnut St, PCLO, Music Theatre Captain). Broadway/national tours: Miss always. @emilystillings cast recording); The Civilians’ Pretty Wichita, North Shore Music Theatre, Saigon, A Chorus Line. Off-Broadway/ Filthy (Abrons Arts Center/original cast Weston Playhouse, Saint Michael’s regional: Here Lies Love (Seattle Rep); DAVID HENRY HWANG’s (Play and recording); Academia Nuts (NYMF/The Playhouse, Kansas City Starlight, Normativity, Held Momentarily (PTC); Lyrics) stage works include the plays M. Signature). Regional: Amélie (Center Theatre Group and Artpark. BFA Elon University. Excited to Miss Saigon (Paramount Theatre). Butterfly, Chinglish, Yellow Face (Mark Berkeley Rep); The Rocky Horror Show (Bucks County be here in California to present Soft Power! Extremely Connie in One Thrilling Combination Taper Forum 2007), Kung Fu, Golden Playhouse); Nerds (Philadelphia Theatre Co.); Spring grateful to ALL at Center Theatre Group! Huge thanks to at The Public Theater. Geena comes Child, The Dance and the Railroad, and Awakening (Olney Theatre Center); Pop! Who Shot Andy the genius Soft Power team and to Harden Curtis Kirsten from a huge family full of people with even bigger hearts. FOB, as well as the Broadway musicals Warhol? (City Theatre PA). Riley Agency. Follow me @paulheesangmiller. Thank you Bloc Fam for everything you do! David, Jeanine, Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida (co-author, Leigh & Sam—absolutely all my love! For you, Dad. Ahmanson 2002), Flower Drum Song JAYGEE MACAPUGAY (Ensemble). KRISTEN FAITH OEI (Ensemble). Ecstatic (revival, Mark Taper Forum 2001), and Disney’s Tarzan. Broadway: original company of School of to be back home in California, Kristen, a CONRAD RICAMORA (Xue Xing). Broadway: Hwang is a Tony Award® winner and three-time nominee, a Rock (cast recording). Off-Broadway: Bay Area native, was most recently seen The King And I. Off Broadway: Here Lies three-time winner, and a two-time finalist for School of Rock (Gramercy), Here Lies in the Broadway revival of David Henry Love (TheatreWorld Award, Lortel the Pulitzer Prize. He is also America’s most-produced Love (Imelda Marcos, Public Theater), Hwang’s M. Butterfly. Other NYC nomination). Regional: Allegiance (Old living opera librettist, whose works have been honored with Hello, Dolly! (Irene Molloy, Pershing productions include the original revival Globe); Tartuffe, Woyzeck, Fuddy Meers two Grammy Awards, and a writer/consulting producer for Square Signature), Sondheim Suites Broadway cast of The King and I (LCT), (Clarence Brown Theatre); Romeo and the Golden Globe-winning television series The Affair. (Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall), The the original Broadway cast of Spider- Juliet (Utah Shakespeare Festival); The Hwang serves on the Board of the Lark Play Development Rockae (Prospect Theater). Regional favorites: Here Lies Man: Turn Off the Dark (u/s Mary Jane), the Off-Broadway Taming of the Shrew (North Carolina Center, as Head of Playwriting at Columbia University School Love (Imelda, Seattle Repertory), Smokey Joe’s Café premiere of DHH’s Kung Fu (Signature Theatre), and In Shakespeare Festival). Film: Talladega Nights, The Light of of the Arts, and as Chair of the American Theatre Wing. (Brenda, Maltz Jupiter), Miss Saigon (MUNY, 5th Avenue, Your Arms (NYFSF). International/first national tours and the Moon, Raising Christopher (writer/producer/actor). Casa Mañana), The King and I (KC Starlight). International: sit-downs include Wicked (dance captain), We Will Rock JEANINE TESORI (Music and Additional SAM PINKLETON (Choreography). ANITA YAVICH (Costume Design). Broadway: Fool for Love, TOM WATSON (Hair & Wig Design) headed the wig Lyrics) has written a diverse catalog for Broadway: Natasha, Pierre, and the Venus in Fur, Chinglish, and Anna in the Tropics. NYC: and makeup department at The Metropolitan Opera Broadway, opera, film, and television. Great Comet of 1812 (Tony nomination); Oedipus El Rey, Measure for Pleasure (NYSF); The View for 17 years. He has designed more than 80 Broadway Her Broadway musicals include Fun Significant Other, Amélie, Heisenberg, Upstairs (Lynn Redgrave Theater); The Legend of Georgia productions including Wicked, Rock of Ages, How to Home (2015 Tony Award winner, Pulitzer and Machinal. Center Theatre Group: McBride, Coraline, The Wooden Breeks (MCC); Tumacho Succeed..., The Addams Family, Annie, Act One, You Can’t finalist), Violet, Caroline, or Change, Amélie, Kansas City Choir Boy, (Clubbed Thumb); Nathan the Wise, Caucasian Chalk Take It With You, The King and I (LCT & tour), The Sound Shrek the Musical, Thoroughly Modern Heisenberg, Buyer & Cellar. Opera: Circle, Orlando, New Jerusalem, and Texts for Nothing of Music (national tour), Dames at Sea, Thérèse Raquin, Millie, Twelfth Night (LCT), and John Trouble in Tahiti, Clemency (Dutch (CSC); Big Love, Kung Fu, Golden Child, Iphigenia 2.0 Fiddler on the Roof, Bright Star (Broadway & tour), Oslo Guare’s A Free Man of Color. Delacorte: Mother Courage National Opera). Off-Broadway/regional: BAM, Playwrights (Signature); The Oldest Boy (LCT); The Explorers (LCT), Long Day’s Journey into Night, Falsettos, The Little (starring Meryl Streep). She has received five Tony Horizons, Soho Rep, Roundabout, Manhattan Theatre Club, Club (MTC); Lives of the Saints, All in the Timing (Primary Foxes, Junk (LCT), The Parisian Woman, and My Fair Lady (LCT). nominations, three Obie Awards, and three Drama Desk TFANA, Berkeley Rep, American Repertory Theater, Stages); Macbeth, Coriolanus, and Svejk (TFANA). Opera: Awards. Her operas include Kansas City Rep, Theatreworks USA, Actors Theatre of (SF Opera, Washington Opera, Seattle Opera); The Lion, the Unicorn and Me Aida Cyrano ANGELINA AVALLONE (Make-Up Design). Broadway: War and (MET/LCT Opera/ Louisville, and McCarter Theatre. Sam is a collaborating (La Scala, MET, Royal Opera); Blizzard on Marblehead Neck de Bergerac Les Paint, The Prince of Broadway, Cabaret, Disgraced, Big Theater and Glimmerglass Opera commission); and her artist with The Civilians, Pig Iron Theatre Company, and (MET). Puppet and costume designer for Trojans The Fish, Cinderella, Wit, Master Class, Good People, The upcoming collaboration with Tazewell Thompson, , will The Dance Cartel. Upcoming: Runaways (director—Public (Salzburger Marionettentheater). Awards: Blue Sound of Music Assembled Parties, Love Music, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, premiere at Glimmerglass Opera next season. She wrote Theater/Delacorte), Dave (Arena Stage). Obie, Lucille Lortel, and Drama Desk Awards. Curtains, Leap of Faith, 9 to 5, Chaplin, The Addams Family, the musical featured in the 2016 revival of Gilmore Young Frankenstein, The Anarchist, Dreamgirls, Anything and has also written material for artists such as CHRIS FENWICK (Music Supervisor) most recently music MARK BARTON ( ). Broadway: Girls The Lighting Design The Real Goes, ...Edwin Drood, Sweeney Todd, Gypsy, A Little Night for Kristin Chenoweth and has been featured in supervised the Broadway revival of Once On This Island , , (co-designed Girl in 14G Thing Violet The Realistic Joneses, Amélie Music, Company, Nice Work if You Can Get It, West Side the documentaries and and music directed the Kennedy Center revival of Chess with Jane Cox). Off-Broadway: (Lincoln Center Show Business Theater of War. Admissions Story, Rock of Ages, The Little Mermaid, The Color Purple, Tesori became the founding Artistic Director of the concert and the Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with Theater); , , (The February House Titus Andronicus Memphis, The Light in the Piazza, The Coast of Utopia, series Center Encores! Off-Center. She took George, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. He music directed the Public); , , (Signature Signature Plays John Paradise Park Other Desert Cities. Public Theater and Broadway productions of one of those concerts, Sunday in the Park with George Fun Home Theatre); The (Curious Case of the) Watson Intelligence, (starring Jake Gyllenhaal), to Broadway, where she (2015 Tony Award, Best Musical) and music supervised , , Detroit The Big Meal Circle Mirror Transformation JOEL GOLDES (Dialect Coach). Broadway: Come From Away the national tour. He is the founding music director of City produced the 2017 revival, with ATG and Riva Marker. (); Bad Jews, Look Back in Anger (also Canadian company, , Seattle Rep, Center Encores! Off-Center and has music directed 11 (Roundabout); , (Theatre for Notes from Underground Chair Ford’s Theatre DC, Gander, Toronto). Regional: Water by LEIGH SILVERMAN ( ). Broadway: productions with the program. He music directed the a New Audience). Other NYC: numerous productions with Director the Spoonful, Tribes, Immediate Family, The School of by Jeanine Tesori, Brian Crawley original productions of Michael John LaChiusa’s Giant, Los Elevator Repair Service, BAM, Soho Rep, Juilliard Opera, Violet Night (Mark Taper Forum); Mary Poppins (first national tour, (Roundabout, Tony nomination), Otros, Queen of the Mist, See What I Wanna See, and the Encores! Off-Center 2013–2017 (NYCC). Regional: A.R.T., Ahmanson); The Heart of Robin Hood (Wallis-Annenberg); (David Henry Hwang), Transport Group revival of Hello Again. Broadway and Off- Guthrie, La Jolla Playhouse, Yale Rep, Actors Theatre of Chinglish Well. Memphis, The Cosmonaut’s Last Message… (La Jolla Others with David Henry Hwang: Broadway credits include Rocky, The Pajama Game (2006 Louisville, Long Wharf, Cincinnati Playhouse, Huntington, Kung Playhouse). Film/TV: Honey Boy, Escape at Dannemora, (Signature Theatre), Tony Award, Best Revival), Here Lies Jenny, Mother Courage South Coast Rep, Berkeley Rep, Syracuse Stage, Asolo Fu Golden Child Mayans MC, Crown Heights, Lethal Weapon, Fifty Shades (Signature Theatre), (Center at Shakespeare in the Park, starring Meryl Streep, and more. Rep, Perseverance. Center Theatre Group: Yellow Face Amélie Freed, 24: Legacy, The Birth of a Nation, Fifty Shades of Theatre Group/Public Theater). Recent: Upcoming: music supervisor, Fun Home (Young Vic, London). (Ahmanson Theatre); (Kirk Douglas Theatre). No Child… Grey, Lucky Stiff, Fury, The Runner, Gotham, The Crazy (/Minetta Lane, Lortel Harry Clarke Ones, Hatfields & McCoys, After Earth, 24, The Hangover. DAVID ZINN ( ). Broadway includes set and nomination), Sweet Charity (New Group), On the Exhale Scenic Design KAI HARADA (Sound Design). Broadway: The Band’s Visit, Joel holds an MFA from UC Irvine and in his free time costume design for , , (Roundabout), The Outer Space (Public Theater), All The Spongebob Squarepants Amélie Fun Amélie, Sunday in the Park with George, Allegiance, Gigi, enjoys springboard diving and ridding his local creek of (MCC), Home (Tony nomination), and The Last Ship; set design , , , (Tony Award & Ways To Say I Love You The Way We Get By Fun Home On the Town First Date Follies invasive swamp crawdads. TheDialectCoach.com (Second Stage), Tumacho (Clubbed Thumb), American for The Humans (Tony Award); and costume design for Drama Desk nominations), and Million Dollar Quartet. Hero (Williamstown Theatre Festival, Second Stage), No A Doll’s House, Part 2 and Airline Highway (both Tony Other: A Legendary Romance; Poster Boy (Williamstown); Place to Go (Public Theater), The (Curious Case of the) nominations). Off-Broadway includes set design for Torch Candide (LA Opera); Brooklynite (Vineyard); Chess, Little JOY LANCETA CORONEL (Dialect Coach) is a voice and Watson Intelligence (Playwrights Horizons), The Madrid Song (Second Stage), Hamlet (Public Theater), Hir Dancer, and First You Dream (Kennedy Center); Zorro speech coach based in New York City. She served as voice (MTC), In The Wake (Center Theatre Group/Berkeley/Public (Playwrights Horizons), and set and costume design (Moscow, ); Hinterm Horizont (Berlin); Sweeney and speech faculty at American Academy of Dramatic Theater, Obie Award, Lortel nomination), The Call for The Flick, Circle Mirror Transformation, Placebo Todd and Man of La Mancha (Portland Opera); She Loves Arts New York campus, University of Cincinnati (Playwrights Horizons), Go Back to Where You Are (Playwrights Horizons), Choir Boy (MTC), and Dogfight Me (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). Audio consultant for College-Conservatory of Music, College of Staten (Playwrights Horizons, Obie Award), From Up Here (MTC, (Second Stage). Regional includes Steppenwolf, The the revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Education: Island-CUNY, and internationally at University of Essex East Drama Desk nomination). Encores: Really Rosie, The Wild Guthrie, and Berkeley Rep. Center Theatre Group: set and . 15 Acting School, Trinity Laban Conservatoire, and St. Party, Violet. Upcoming: Wild Goose Dreams (Public costume design for Amélie and Girlfriend, costume design Dominic’s Sixth Form College in England. She specialized Theater/La Jolla Playhouse), Hurricane Diane (NYTW/Two for Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo and The Cider in dialect, text, voice, and speech coaching with National River Theater). House Rules. PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P9 Asian Artists Project alongside Baayork Lee, Ma-Yi Theater, Sulton, Danielia Cotton, Alexa Joel, Constantine Maroulis Kushner’s Angels in America and directed its World Orchard, Curtains, Nightingale, The History Boys, Bloody , and Attic Theater Company. MFA in (American Idol), Kidz Bop Live! national tours; and worked premiere at the Mark Taper Forum. He directed the New Bloody Andrew Jackson, Two Unrelated Plays by David voice studies from Royal Central School of Speech and with Bono and Edge on Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. York premieres of Rinne Groff’s Compulsion, The Ruby Mamet, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Parade, The Subject Was Roses, Drama. joylancetacoronel.com Sunrise; Larry Wright’s The Human Scale; Julius Caesar Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, The Lieutenant of DAVID O (Music Director) is a music-theatre artist at Shakespeare in the Park; as well as World premieres Inishmore, Randy Newman’s Harps and Angels, God of STEVE RANKIN (Fight Director). Mark Taper Forum: Zoot specializing in contemporary music for the stage and by David Henry Hwang, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Carnage, Vigil, Waiting for Godot, Los Otros, Red, Seminar, Suit, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Bent, Appropriate, concert hall. Compositions include the Ovation Award- Eduardo Machado. Tribes, Humor Abuse, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Immediate Family, What the Butler Saw, Burn This, The winning score for Ubu Roi (A Noise Within), The Very Spike, Bent, The Christians, Disgraced, A View From The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Palestine, New Mexico, The Persistent Gappers of Frip (Kirk Douglas Theatre, DAVID LURIE-PERRET (Production Stage Manager). Bridge, Zoot Suit, Archduke, King of the Yees, and Head of House of Blue Leaves, The School of Night, Water & Power, inaugural season), and the choral compositions “A Map of Broadway: Prince of Broadway, Speed-the-Plow, Passes. Other Los Angeles: Los Angeles Theatre Center in Electricidad, The Talking Cure, Gem of the Ocean, Mules, Los Angeles” (LA Master Chorale) and “One With the Losing Louie. Touring: Ireland and US—The Cripple of its heyday from 1985–1990, Pasadena Playhouse, and the The House of Bernarda Alba. Other theatres: Stratford Wind” (Vox Femina). Musical direction: 13 (World Inishmaan (Druid and Atlantic) and The Silver Tassie Geffen Playhouse. New York: Public Theater. Tours: Shakespeare Festival, Kennedy Center, Berkeley Rep, La premiere, Mark Taper Forum); The Wild Party, See What I (Druid). Off-Broadway: Signature Theatre Company (NY), Europe—Quotations from a Ruined City, Law of Remains Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe, Hartford Stage, Metropolitan Wanna See (West Coast premieres, The Blank Theatre); , Playwrights Horizons, Manhattan (with Reza Abdoh’s Dar a Luz company). Opera, LA Opera, et al. Broadway: Summer, Carousel, Dr. Floyd Collins, American Idiot, Cabaret, Little Shop of Theatre Club, Roundabout Theatre Company, MCC, Zhivago, Macbeth, Memphis, Guys and Dolls, The Horrors (La Mirada Theater); The Fantasticks (Pasadena Atlantic. Regional: Center Theatre Group, ACT, NIKKI DiLORETO (Associate Director) is a New York City- Farnsworth Invention, Jersey Boys, The Who’s Tommy, Playhouse). Film scores include Bronies: The Extremely Huntington, Williamstown, Long Wharf, Dallas Theater based director of new plays and musicals. She has Getting Away With Murder, Two Shakespearean Actors, Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony. David was Center, Lyric Stage Company of Boston. Graduate of developed and presented work with Williamstown Theatre Twelfth Night, The Real Inspector Hound, Anna Christie, known for years as The Professor in Summer Sounds at Boston University. Love to Cody. Festival, , Fresh Ground Pepper, Dracula. Off-Broadway: The Third Story, Pig Farm, The the Hollywood Bowl. and UglyRhino Productions. As an associate/assistant Night Hank Williams Died, Below the Belt. Mr. Rankin plays SHELLEY MILES (Stage Manager). Broadway: Hedwig and director, she has worked with Leigh Silverman, Jo Bonney, mandolin with Susie Glaze and the New Folk Ensemble. HEIDI GRIFFITHS, CSA (Casting) has cast at The Public the Angry Inch, Violet, Betrayal, Picnic, Gore Vidal’s The Daniella Topol, Cynthia Nixon, Carey Perloff, Sheryl Kaller, Theater in New York for more than 25 years. Broadway: Best Man. Off-Broadway: Harry Clarke (Vineyard & Minetta Garry Hynes, and John Guare, among others. Her film DANNY TROOB (Orchestrations). Danny’s five-decade career The Iceman Cometh, Sweat, Eclipsed, Shuffle Along, The Lane), X: Or, Betty Shabazz vs. The Nation (Acting Co.), For work includes The Weekend Detectives and Ghost Girl The includes composing, orchestrating, and conducting. Early Crucible, A View From The Bridge, A Delicate Balance, On Her 70TH Birthday (Playwrights), The Outer Series. nikkidiloreto.com credits: , The Baker’s Wife (dance music), A Raisin in the Sun, Lucky Guy, The Motherf**ker with the Space (Public), Sweet Charity (New Group), I’m Looking For and Big River (music supervision, Drama Desk winner). He Hat, Merchant of Venice, Hair, Passing Strange, Caroline, or Helen Twelvetrees (Abrons). With New SUNNY HITT (Associate Choreographer) is a New York City- orchestrated the animated features Beauty and the Beast, Change, Take Me Out, Topdog/Underdog, Wild Party, Workshop: Nat Turner in Jerusalem, Hadestown, and based choreographer, performer, and teaching artist. She Aladdin, and Pocahontas, as well as Newsies the film and Noise/Funk, On the Town, and Tempest. Film: Lady Bird, What’s It All About? With NY City Center Encores!: The has been a proud member of The Dance Cartel since the Broadway show. In 2012 he orchestrated Rodgers and Saving Face, The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love. Wild Party, A New Brain, Lady Be Good, Irma La Douce, 2013. Sunny has taught movement at Playwrights Horizons Hammerstein’s Cinderella, for which he won his second and Girl Crazy. Three plays with The Debate Society. Theater School (NYU), and served as movement director . Since then, he orchestrated Aladdin KATE MURRAY, CSA (Casting) is a casting director at The Several stories penned by Clay McLeod Chapman. for the 2017 production of The Real AD Show at NYU Abu for the stage, which is currently playing in six locations Public Theater. Additional credits include work with The Love and gratitude to DLP, Leigh, and Dave. Dhabi. Her choreography has also been presented at The worldwide. In 2008 he orchestrated Jeanine Tesori’s Shrek Cherry Lane, Bedlam, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Tank and Mark Morris Dance Center. As an Asian and is now slated to orchestrate the new version of Lucy LAByrinth, New Georges, TheaterWorks Hartford, The ELLEN GOLDBERG (Stage Manager). Broadway: She Loves American woman, she is especially thrilled to be part of Simon’s The Secret Garden. He has worked in the UK, Studio Theatre, and Two River Theater. Broadway (as Me, Dames at Sea, Gigi. Off-Broadway: The Last Match the Soft Power creative team. Gratitude and love to her France, Germany, Russia, China, and all around the United casting associate): The Crucible, A View from the Bridge, (Roundabout); Sell/Buy/Date (Manhattan Theatre Club); family and to Luke. States. Realist. Optimist. Ready for new adventures… A Delicate Balance, A Raisin in the Sun, Lucky Guy Kings (WP Theater); Ghost Stories (Atlantic Theater (casting assistant). Company); A Month in the Country (Classic Stage EAST WEST PLAYERS (EWP) (Associate Producer) is the JOHN CLANCY (Dance Music Arranger). As orchestrator— Company); Kung Fu (Signature Theatre); Fun Home (The nation’s longest-running professional theatre of color and Broadway: Mean Girls, Fun Home (2015 Tony nomination), OSKAR EUSTIS (Dramaturg) has served as Artistic Public Theater); Irma La Douce (Encores!). Regional: the largest producing organization of Asian American Tuck Everlasting, Shrek the Musical (Tony and Drama Desk Director of The Public Theater since 2005. He produced Where Storms Are Born, Poster Boy (Williamstown Theatre artistic work. Over its remarkable 52-year history, EWP has noms. w/Danny Troob), Cats 2016 (arranger). Seattle 5th two Tony Award-winning Best Musicals back to back Festival); Cloud 9 (Hartford Stage); Back Home Again produced over 230 plays and musicals. EWP’s 2017-18 Avenue Theatre: Jasper in Deadland. Public Theater: (Fun Home and Hamilton), along with back to back Pulitzer (Lesher Center for the Arts); Little Dancer (The Kennedy season, The Company We Keep, features notable artistic Fortress of Solitude, Fun Home (Drama Desk nom.). String Prize winners Hamilton and Sweat. He served as Artistic Center). Graduate of Fordham College at Lincoln Center. partnerships and co-productions that reflect on and refract arranger for Rihanna: NBA All-Star Game. Goodspeed: Director at Trinity Repertory (1994–2005); Associate a wide range of Asian Pacific Islander (API) experiences as Just So. As a drummer and/or music director, he has Artistic Director at the Mark Taper Forum (1989–1994); DAVID S. FRANKLIN (Stage Manager). Center Theatre seen through the lens of gender, race, and sexuality. worked with Randy Newman, Carly Simon, Corey Glover, and Resident Director/Dramaturg and then Artistic Director Group highlights: An Enemy of the People, Baz Through the power of storytelling, EWP seeks to effect Solange Knowles, Dev Hynes, Chrissy Amphlett, Kasim at Eureka Theatre (1981–1989). He commissioned Tony Luhrmann’s La Bohème, Art, Romance, The Cherry social change and increase access, inclusion, and

P10 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P11 representation for communities whose voices have been STEPHEN D. ROUNTREE (Managing Director) joined Center The Kentucky Cycle and Angels in America (Part One) won from the Taper (Angels in America won). In 1989, Gordon marginalized. Theatre Group in 2014 as Managing Director. He was the Pulitzer in consecutive years and, in 1994, three of the took over the Ahmanson and, in 2004, he produced the previously the President and CEO of The Music Center four plays nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play were inaugural season in the Kirk Douglas Theatre. THE CURRAN (Associate Producer). Built in 1922, the (2002–2014) and concurrently the CEO of the Los Angeles Curran has housed some of the biggest productions in Opera (2008–2012). He served the J. Paul Getty Trust theatre history, and has maintained a reputation over the for 22 years, starting in 1980 as Deputy Director of the course of its life as one of the premier live-entertainment Getty Museum, then Director of the Getty Center Building venues in North America. Under the curation of eight-time Program, and in 1998, the Executive Vice President and Tony Award winner Carole Shorenstein Hays, the 1,600- Chief Operating Officer for the Getty Trust. He currently seat Curran reopened in January 2017 following an serves as a trustee of Occidental College, The Ahmanson ADDITIONAL STAFF FOR SOFT POWER CREDITS Associate Director...... Nikki DiLoreto Rehearsed at ® Studios. Scenery fabrication by F&D extensive and celebratory two-year renovation and Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and Associate Choreographer...... Sunny Hitt Scene Changes Ltd. Stage deck provided by Steeldeck Inc. Automation restoration project. The Curran’s goal has been to create a Polytechnic School. Writer’s Assistant...... Nora Sørena Casey equipment provided by Creative Connors, Inc. Special effects equipment new kind of artistic hub in San Francisco—one that Language Consultant...... Austin Ku by Jauchem & Meeh Inc. Costumes and props provided by the Center

TH Associate Scenic Designer...... Meredith Ries Theatre Group Shop. Specialty costumes executed by John Kristiansen engages new and existing audiences, and attracts the DOUGLAS C. BAKER (Producing Director) is now in his 28 Properties Coordinator (NY)...... Susan Barras New York Inc. Specialty tailoring by Martin Prelle-Tworek. Lighting most visionary artists in the world by presenting bold, season at Center Theatre Group. He is an active member Prop Artisan/Shopper...... Eric Babb equipment provided by Felix Lighting. Sound equipment provided by daring work. The Curran continues to search the globe of the Broadway League, the Independent Presenters Lead Prop Carpenter...... Donavan Martinelli Sound Associates, Inc. Trucking by Janco Ltd. Physical therapy provided Assistant Prop Lead...... Erin Walley by Fusion Arts Physical Therapy. Rehearsal photography by Joan Marcus. for the kind of works we’ve always dreamt would play Network, and is a proud member of the Association of Prop Artisans...... Mara Holland, Kitty Murphy-Youngs Rehearsal video by HMS. Production photography by Craig Schwartz. our stage. Theatrical Press Agents and Managers. In May 2013, Doug Prop Carpenters...... Ryan Howard, Ryan Fischer, Bo Foxworth Promotional video and key art by Trailer Park. Production B-roll and received the Broadway League’s prestigious Outstanding Prop Electrician...... Ed Rehr advertising by Cinevative/Mark Ciglar. Associate Costume Designer...... Devario D. Simmons THE PUBLIC THEATER (Co-Commissioner) produces theatre Achievement in Presenter Management Award. Shopper (NY)...... Haydee Zelideth SPECIAL THANKS of, by, and for the people. It first opened its doors in 1967 Costume PA (NY)...... Denver Crawford Talin Abadiandogidargh, Elizabeth Helke, Poleng Hong, Stas Iavorski, with the musical Hair. Most recently Fun Home and KELLEY KIRKPATRICK (Associate Artistic Director). Since Center Theatre Group Design Assistant...... Whitney Oppenheimer Stephanie Ida, Joanna Lee, Paragon Cleaners, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Ruoxin Hamilton won Best Musical in consecutive arriving at Center Theatre Group in 2005, Kelley has Tailor/Draper...... Swantje Tuohino Xu, and Jason Zammit. First Hand...... Mary Bergot, Bert Henert, Pamela Walt years. It has a proud legacy of game-changing plays and produced over 60 productions at the Ahmanson Theatre, Stitchers...... Alma Acosta, Christina Olson, Susan Pratt, Amy Whipple Supported in part by the National Fund for New Musicals, a program musicals that include A Chorus Line, Runaways, For Mark Taper Forum, and Kirk Douglas Theatre, many of Crafts/Dyer...... Kat Patterson of National Alliance for Musical Theatre, with funding from The ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund. namt.org Colored Girls, The Normal Heart, Sweat, and Latin History which have gone on to future lives on Broadway, Off- Associate Lighting Designer...... Tess James Associate Sound Designer...... Maggie Burke for Morons. The Public is a civically-engaged theatre that Broadway, and beyond. In addition to producing shows Assistant Sound Designer...... Michael Eisenberg CenterTheatreGroup.org #SoftPowerCTG believes theatre is a force for change, creating dialogue across Center Theatre Group’s three stages, he has had Music Copyist (NY)...... Anixter Rice Music Service Like us on Facebook Center Theatre Group Follow us on Twitter @CTGLA about some of the important social issues of our the privilege of collaborating with numerous local and Music Copyist (L.A.)...... JoAnn Kane Music/Russell Bartmus Subscribe on YouTube CTGLA time. Programming includes new work at its flagship home national artists to commission and develop new works. Rehearsal Pianist (NY & L.A.)...... Alex Harrington Follow us on Instagram @CTGLA Rehearsal Pianist (L.A.)...... Alby Potts in the East Village as well as on Broadway, national and Music Associate...... Ben Wexler The actors and stage managers employed in this production are members of international productions, and Free Shakespeare in the JEFFREY UPAH (General Manager, Ahmanson Theatre) has Keyboard Programmer...... Randy Cohen Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers Park. Recipient of 59 Tonys, 169 Obies, 53 Drama Desk worked in management at Center Theatre Group since Assistant Keyboard Programmer...... Juan Matos in the United States. Tracks Creation...... Taylor Williams The musicians employed in this production are members of the American Federation Awards, 54 Lortel Awards, 32 OCC Awards, and six Pulitzer 2006 on more than 50 musicals, plays, and special events Production Carpenter...... Emmet Kaiser of Musicians. Prizes. PublicTheater.org including both pre-Broadway productions and Broadway Production Assistant Carpenter...... Mike Askew The Director and Choreographer are members of the Society of Stage Directors and Production Properties...... G. Scott Lucas tours. Some of his favorites include Follies, God of Carnage, Choreographers, Inc., an independent national labor union. Production Electrician...... Jeffrey Porter and (having previously worked on Robert The Black Rider Production Assistant Electrician...... Rich Peterson United Scenic Artists represents the designers and scenic painters for the American Theatre. Wilson productions in Boston, Houston, and Sao Paulo, Lighting Programmer...... Bridget Chervenka Brazil). Prior to Center Theatre Group, he worked in various Production Audio...... J. Patrick Pummill The following employees are represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical CENTER THEATRE GROUP Production Assistant Audio...... Mike Brink Stage Employees, Moving Picture Machine Operators, Artists and Allied Crafts of the capacities at the Santa Fe Opera, , United States, its Territories and Canada, AFL-CIO, CLC: Stage Crew Local 33; Local TH Audio Mixer...... Bones Malone MICHAEL RITCHIE (Artistic Director) is in his 13 season Treasurers and Ticket Sellers Local 857; Wardrobe Crew Local 768; Make-up Artists American Repertory Theater, and Jacob’s Pillow Dance SDC Foundation Observers...... Richard Mosqueda, Anne Yee and Hair Stylists Local 706. as Center Theatre Group’s Artistic Director, and has led Festival, among others. Dramaturg Assistant...... Olayinka Rickford-Anguin The Press Agent and House Managers employed in this production are represented Skate Consultant...... Jesse Kovarsky over 190 productions to the Ahmanson Theatre, Mark by the Association of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers. Taper Forum, and Kirk Douglas Theatre stages, including Production/Management Assistant (NY)...... Kaleigh Bernier GORDON DAVIDSON (Founding Artistic Director) led the Production Assistant (NY)...... Joanne Pan Center Theatre Group is a member of the American Arts Alliance, the Broadway the premieres of six musicals that moved to Broadway— League, Independent Presenters Network (IPN), LA Stage Alliance, League of Taper throughout its first 38 seasons, guiding over 300 Production Assistants (L.A.)...... Nidia Flores, Kelly Merritt Resident Theatres (LORT), National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT), and the The Drowsy Chaperone, Curtains, 13, 9 to 5: The Musical, productions to its stage and winning countless awards Theatre Communications Group (TCG). Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and Leap of Faith—and for himself and the theatre—including the Tony Award for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama finalistBengal Tiger at the theatrical excellence, Margo Jones Award, The Governor’s Baghdad Zoo. Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of management. Patrons with disabilities: wheelchair seating is available in a variety of theatre locations. When ordering tickets, Award for the Arts, and a Guggenheim fellowship. please indicate any special needs. For our hearing-impaired guests, the theatre is equipped with listening devices; please contact an usher for assistance.

P12 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P13 RITCHIE: The first time we talked about the commission, because she’s a fantastic composer of course, but she’s Four Years, Two Breakfasts, and One Big Commission this was going to be a new play—the final show of our also a scholar of musical theatre, she understands the 50TH Season at the Mark Taper Forum. At our second form so well. Michael Ritchie and David Henry Hwang Discuss the Creation of Soft Power meeting though, when we sat down to breakfast again about a year and a half later, you had an expanded idea RITCHIE: How did you and Jeanine decide on the style and of what you wanted to do with this play. how the music should come across? How does a new (play with a) musical only even nominally Chinese person who’s ever written a Broadway show. Nothing ever came of these meetings, get made? To quote Soft Power, “It Just HWANG: I wanted to do a play that becomes a musical. The HWANG: Jeanine says that musicals—and I’ve now but it was interesting to me that you had a system that Takes Time.” In this case, that’s four first 20 minutes of it would be a contemporary comedy, incorporated this into the play—are an incredibly powerful wants international artistic and cultural influence but is and then that comedy becomes mythologized, and 50 delivery system. When the music is great, you kind of let years, 13 readings and workshops, and the very top-heavy when it comes to authoritarian power and years down the road it becomes the source material for the idea it expresses seep into your heart. Which means partnership of a crackerjack creative team content restrictions. a beloved East-West musical in China. So we are then that in a show like this, the music has to be as rich and of American theatre all-stars. But before all Number two was, I had seen the recent revival of The King watching a Chinese musical based on the incident we saw. seductive and as reminiscent of classic Broadway as that, there was breakfast, as Center Theatre and I. I’ve always loved The King and I, it’s been a show And that seemed to me to bring together a twist on The possible. So Jeanine set out to write her most beautiful Group Artistic Director Michael Ritchie that has moved me since I was a kid. But as I’ve gotten King and I and also this exploration of what would it mean score, and I think she has. People sometimes asked, is older, there’s this complicated feeling where I know it is and playwright David Henry Hwang recalled for China to gain soft power, and how soft power would she trying to write in an Asian or Chinese vein? I would say kind of inauthentic and making a political point subtly— manifest itself in the musical form. So I said, “Michael, I not so much. We’re going for the idea that China 50 years recently (over lunch this time). reinforcing the dominance of the West. But it’s done so kind of want to do a musical.” from now really appropriates the American musical form. beautifully that by the end of it I’m still in tears. MICHAEL RITCHIE: Nonprofit regional theatres like Center RITCHIE: And I was completely intrigued by it. And then you RITCHIE: Thank you, David. There is nothing better in the Theatre Group have become the national theatre of RITCHIE: Now one of the things that I find most intriguing mentioned someone you were thinking of working on it. world than working on a new musical. America. Collectively, we’re responsible for not only about Soft Power is that it’s not a mirror to The King and maintaining the art form but pushing it forward by I, but it certainly follows some of the impulse. It wasn’t HWANG: It was my dream that we could work with the HWANG: Thank you and Center Theatre Group. You commissioning and developing and producing new plays. until I sat with you at breakfast and you reframed it for composer Jeanine Tesori. My thought was, if we pull this committed to this huge project when we only really had a We’re uniquely capable of creating new works on a grand me through your eyes that I realized that The King and I is off, you should have that same feeling that you do at the title. Thanks so much for your faith. scale, without the commercialized limitations of Broadway, actually demeaning to an entire country and a culture. The end of The King and I, which is, this is kind of not true but Listen to the full recording of Ritchie and Hwang in conversation because we can give a creative team enough space to basic plot is that a white woman comes to this country and it’s so beautiful. So the person I thought of was Jeanine, on our podcast at CTGLA.org/Blog. realize something that is truly special. And that’s what I saves itself from its own stupidity by teaching the king how think we’ve done with Soft Power. to dance and be nice to his children.

DAVID HENRY HWANG: About four years ago, Michael met HWANG: This idea that it takes a white nanny to come into me for breakfast, and made me this amazing offer: he Siam or Thailand and teach the king how to bring his wanted to commission a piece from me, and not only that, nation into the community of civilized countries—that’s not there was a slot open, so the piece was guaranteed to be that great. It’s a trope that exists consistently in Western produced. Really, who can say no to that? stories about the East. I wrote the first draft of the movie What I was interested in at the time, and what has that eventually became Seven Years in Tibet. Any time continued to remain the seed for the show that’s become you get a white person in an Asian country who writes a Soft Power, were two things. Number one, China’s quest memoir, somehow they end up becoming the advisor to for soft power—for intellectual and cultural influence. the ruler. And the question is, when we talk about issues China is a nation that increasingly has a lot of hard power; like appropriation, how do you express that, how do you most people kind of feel that China’s likely to be the other replicate that feeling for a general American audience? major superpower if not the superpower of the 21ST century. If we look at appropriation in a future where China is And China has this desire to gain soft power, a desire I dominant over the US, then I think we begin to perceive began to experience. I would get a lot of meetings with that in a different fashion, because we understand the Chinese producers or Chinese theatres, since they wanted power context. And that’s what the show’s trying to do— Photo by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging. to create a Broadway show…and I happen to be the a complicated thing for a musical to achieve. (L–R) Michael Ritchie and David Henry Hwang.

P14 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P15 Center Theatre Group would like to thank MICHAEL RITCHIE Artistic Director | STEPHEN D. ROUNTREE Managing Director its exceptional staff for their ongoing commitment, DOUGLAS C. BAKER Producing Director dedication, and extraordinary efforts.

ARTISTIC MARKETING NEEL KELLER...... Associate Artistic Director CHRISTOPHER REARDON...... Production Manager DEBORAH WARREN...... Director of Marketing KELLEY KIRKPATRICK...... Associate Artistic Director ...... (Kirk Douglas Theatre) KYLE HALL...... Advertising & Promotions Director DIANE RODRIGUEZ...... Associate Artistic Director KATIE CHEN...... Assistant Production Manager (Kirk Douglas Theatre) GARRETT COLLINS...... Senior Marketing Manager, Strategy & CRM LINDSAY ALLBAUGH...... Associate Producer AARON STAUBACH...... Master Electrician (Kirk Douglas Theatre) ARIE LEVINE...... Senior Marketing Manager, Ahmanson & Mark Taper Forum PATRICIA GARZA ...... Artistic Development Program Manager ADAM PHALEN ...... Head Audio (Kirk Douglas Theatre) KIYOMI EMI...... Marketing Manager, Promotions & Events JOY MEADS ...... Literary Manager/Artistic Engagement Strategist SEAN MEYER ...... Light Board Programmer and Operator EMYLI GUDMUNDSON...... Marketing Manager, Kirk Douglas Theatre ...... (Kirk Douglas Theatre) ANDREW LYNFORD ...... Casting Associate LAUREN VAN VLEET...... Sales & Marketing Coordinator CAMBRIA CHICHI...... Wardrobe Supervisor (Kirk Douglas Theatre) IAN-JULIAN WILLIAMS ...... Program Coordinator, Block Party CHAD SMITH...... Associate Technical Director MATTHEW BOURNE, DANAI GURIRA, DEANNA McCLURE...... Art Director KRYSTIN MATSUMOTO...... Assistant Technical Director ANNA D. SHAPIRO ...... Associate Artists IRENE T. KANESHIRO...... Senior Design Manager LEE O’REILLY...... Assistant Technical Director SANDI SILBERT...... Senior Designer DAVID ADJMI (FADIMAN), LUIS ALFARO, JON ROBIN BAITZ, SHEILA CALLAGHAN SEAN KLOC...... Shop Foreman (FADIMAN), STEVE CUIFFO, LISA D’AMOUR, WILL ENO (FADIMAN), TARA NITZ...... Graphic Designer DANAI GURIRA, JENNIFER HALEY, DAVID HENRY HWANG, NAOMI IIZUKA, ANDREW THIELS...... Prop Director JAVIER VASQUEZ...... Graphic Designer LARS JAN, LISA KRON, KIMBER LEE, YOUNG JEAN LEE, TREY LYFORD, MERRIANNE NEDREBERG...... Associate Prop Manager LAURAL MEADE, RICHARD MONTOYA, JANINE NABERS (FADIMAN), COMMUNICATIONS QUI NGUYEN, , DAN O’BRIEN, DENIS O’HARE, LISA PETERSON, CANDICE CAIN...... Costume Director MARCO RAMIREZ, AL SMITH, ROGER GUENVEUR SMITH, GEOFF SOBELLE, BRENT M. BRUIN...... Costume Shop Manager JAMES SIMS...... Director of Communications GOB SQUAD, JEANINE TESORI, PAULA VOGEL, TRACEY SCOTT WILSON MADDIE KELLER...... Costume Generalist JASON MARTIN...... Head of Publicity (FADIMAN), KAREN ZACARÍAS (FADIMAN)...... Commissioned Artists WHITNEY OPPENHEIMER...... Shop Assistant KRISTI AVILA...... Publicist JEFF AUGUSTIN, MARCUS GARDLEY, ALESHA HARRIS, SWANTJE TUOHINO...... Tailor KAREN BACELLAR...... Junior Publicist LAURA JACQMIN, MOLLY SMITH METZLER, ELIZABETH LEONARD...... Facilities Manager SARAH ROTHBARD...... Senior Manager, Communications and Editorial MATTHEW PAUL OLMOS, JIEHAE PARK ...... L.A. Writers’ Workshop Members JULIO A. CUELLAR...... Driver/Custodian RUTH GUERRA...... Communications Coordinator HANA S. KIM...... Sherwood Award Recipient, 2018 JOE HALLAM...... Driver REZA VOJDANI...... Communications Coordinator PETER WYLIE...... Production Coordinator SAMMY LOPEZ...... Social Media Coordinator EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS SARAH GOLDBAUM...... Digital Product Manager LESLIE K. JOHNSON...... Director of Social Strategy, Innovation and Impact FINANCE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS, AND HUMAN RESOURCES HAL BANFIELD...... Multimedia Producer TYRONE DAVIS...... Director of Education and Engagement CHERYL SHEPHERD...... Chief Financial Officer KATHRYN MACKENZIE ...... Department Operations Director SARAH STURDIVANT...... Director of Finance and Technology TICKET SALES AND SERVICES TRACI KWON...... Arts Education Initiatives Director SUZANNE BROWN...... Controller SHAWN ROBERTSON...... Ticket Sales Director CAMILLE SCHENKKAN...... Next Generation Initiatives Director DANNY LAMPSON OPSTAD...... Accounting Manager SKYPP CABANAS...... Ticket Operations Manager JESUS REYES...... Community Partnerships Director NAKISA ASCHTIANI...... Senior Staff Accountant NICOLE MEDINA...... Ticket Operations Coordinator ADAM NICOLAI...... Arts Education Program Manager ALEGRIA SENA...... Staff Accountant MICHAEL ZOLDESSY...... Senior Manager, Account Sales XOCHITL RAMIREZ...... Accounts Payable Supervisor FELIPE M. SANCHEZ...... Program Manager, Emerging Artists SANDY CZUBIAK...... Audience and Subscriber and Arts Professionals KERRY LARICK...... Accounting Assistant ...... Services Director JENNIFER HARRELL...... Operations Assistant JESSICA HERNANDEZ...... Payroll Manager JENNIFER BAKER, CHERYL HAWKER, DEBRA PIVER...... Resident Teaching Artist JUAN MARTINEZ...... Payroll Specialist RICHARD RAGSDALE...... Audience Services Supervisors ALICE CHEN...... Audience Services Asst. Supervisor STAN GRUSHESKY...... Director of Information Systems MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION GARY HOLLAND, DEBORAH REED...... Audience Services MANDY RATLIFF...... Sr. Database & Web Administrator ...... Sales Associates NAUSICA STERGIOU...... General Manager ...... (Mark Taper Forum, Kirk Douglas Theatre) ASH LEWIS...... Help Desk Administrator SAM AARON, JEREMIE ARENCIBIA, KIMBERLY ARENCIBIA, VICKI BERNDT, CARLOS D. CHAVEZ, JR., KAITLYN GALVEZ, MICHAEL ESPINOZA, JEFFREY UPAH ...... General Manager (Ahmanson Theatre) JODY HORWITZ...... Director of Human Resources ANASTASHIA GARCIA, EILEEN PEREZ, LEX SAVKO, KATIE SOFF...... Asst General Manager PJ. PHILLIPS...... Senior Human Resources Generalist TEVIN WILLIAMS...... Audience Services Representatives ...... (Mark Taper Forum, Kirk Douglas Theatre, NPD) MELISSA MCCAFFREY...... Human Resources Generalist DANUTA SIEMAK...... Subscriber Services Supervisor CASEY MCDERMOTT...... General Management Associate MOSS ADAMS...... Auditor CHRISTINA GUTIERREZ ...... Subscriber Services Asst. Supervisor MEGAN ALVORD...... Company Manager MICHAEL C. DONALDSON, LISA A. CALLIF...... Legal Counsel IRENE CHUANG, LIGIA PISTE, PETER STALOCH...... Subscriber Services ...... (Mark Taper Forum, Kirk Douglas Theatre) GIBSON, DUNN & CRUTCHER...... Legal Counsel ...... Senior Representatives ERIC SIMS...... Director of Theatre Operations (Kirk Douglas Theatre) SARAH K. GONTA ...... Box Office Treasurer MAX OKEN...... Facility Manager (Kirk Douglas Theatre) INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT ANGELICA CARBAJAL, KISHISA ROSS...... Assistant Treasurers JAQUELYN JOHNSON...... House Manager (Kirk Douglas Theatre) YVONNE CARLSON BELL...... Director of Institutional Advancement MICHAEL KEMPISTY, KEVIN LAUVER, MICHAEL SALTZMAN, SONDRA MAYER...... Concessions Manager (Kirk Douglas Theatre) TYLER ENNIS...... Deputy Director of Institutional Advancement CRIS SPACCA...... Box Office Staff ALANA BEIDELMAN...... Executive Assistant to the Artistic Director LIZ LIN...... Director of Development, KERRY KORF...... Priority Services Director ...... Artist and Entertainment Relations EVELYN STAFFORD...... Executive Assistant to the Managing Director SUSAN F. TULLER...... Priority Services Operations Manager CHARITY WU...... Director of Major Gifts Stewardship CANDICE WALTERS...... Priority Services Sales Manager BECKY BIRDSONG...... Major Gifts and Planned Giving Officer PRODUCTION PAUL CUEN...... Priority Services Manager KATY HILTON...... Associate Director of Foundation and Government Support DAWN HOLISKI...... Production Department Operations Director KRISTEN SCHRASS...... Priority Services Assistant Supervisor JOE HAMLIN...... Technical Director/Production Manager LAURA HITE...... Manager of Major Gifts ...... (Ahmanson Theatre) TERRA GOULDEN...... Major Gifts Officer BEALENE AHERN, CLAY BUNKER, RITA CANNON, MAGGIE DODD, SHAWN ANDERSON...... Master Carpenter (Ahmanson Theatre) DANIELLE LESNER...... Associate Director of Donor Engagement NATALIE DRESSEL, SOFIJA DUTCHER, MARC “BYRON” DROTMAN, STAN STEELMON...... Master Propertyman (Ahmanson Theatre) MANDI OR...... Associate Director of Special Events FRANK ENSENBERGER, LOU GEORGE, BRAD GRIFFITH, SHEP KOSTER, JORDAN KRSNAK, JULIANNA OJEDA, IAN PRICE, JAMES WRIGHT...... Master Electrician (Ahmanson Theatre) ROBBIE MARTIN...... Associate Director of Corporate Relations MICHAEL SMITH, DIANE WARD, CHANTEL WHITTLE, ROBERT SMITH...... Master Soundman (Ahmanson Theatre) DONALD JOLLY...... Donor Experience Coordinator DELLA WOOD...... Priority Service Representatives SHANE ANDERSON...... Flyman (Ahmanson Theatre) KIM OKAMURA ...... Grants Manager COURTNEY CLARK, DOMINIQUE CORONA, INDA CRAIG-GALVAN, MICHAEL GARDNER...... Wardrobe Supervisor (Ahmanson Theatre) ERIN SCHLABACH...... Manager of Major Gifts Stewardship ANTHONY CRESPO, ANGEL GUTIERREZ, MARC HILLS, ALISON HOROWITZ, PATRICE K. MADRIGAL...... Hair and Make-up Supervisor ERIC SEPPALA...... Board Liaison and Executive Assistant to NICCI JUSTICE, NICOLA KUNDANMAL, VICTORIA SANCHEZ, ...... (Ahmanson Theatre) ...... the Director of Institutional Advancement SYDNEY SKIDMORE, SOPHIE THOMASON, KIMBERLY VERNON...... Interns CHRISTINE L. COX...... House Manager (Ahmanson Theatre) MATTHEW SUTPHIN...... Institutional Advancement Associate EDUARDO MOLLINEDO-PIÑÓN...... Donor Membership Coordinator JONATHAN BARLOW LEE...... Production Manager (Mark Taper Forum) MIKE RATTERMAN...... Donor Advisor Supervisor EMMET KAISER...... Master Carpenter (Mark Taper Forum) AL BERMAN, KATE CAMPBELL, ELIZABETH DELLORUSSO, DAVID GARVER, ROBERT RUBY...... Master Propertyman (Mark Taper Forum) JESSICA KATZ, BENJAMIN SCHWARTZ, NICOLE SCIPIONE, PAUL VITAGLIANO, BONES MALONE...... Master Soundman (Mark Taper Forum) BILL WALTON ...... Donor Advisors DENNIS SEETOO...... Wardrobe Supervisor (Mark Taper Forum) KARLA GALVEZ, JUSTINE PEREZ...... Donor Services Associates RICK GEYER...... Hair & Make-up Supervisor (Mark Taper Forum) WAUKENA CUYJET, MURRAY E. HELTZER, LINDA WALKER ...... House Manager (Mark Taper Forum) CECILIA MONTES...... Development Volunteers

P16 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE