School-Of-Scandal-Full-Program.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
MISSION- The Classic Theatre creates excellent theatre that is relevant, diverse, entertaining and transformative. VISION- We seek to achieve our mission by creating connections and conversations through compelling classic works. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bart Roush (Chair) / David Alvarez / Armando Barrera Emily Boehm /Tony Cantafio / Joan Carabin José Rubén De León / Joseph De Mott Christi Eanes / Rick Malone / Allan S. Ross / Alan Utley FOUNDERS Chris Cheever / Asia and Anthony Ciaravino / Diane and Rick Malone / Allan S. and Terri Peña Ross THEATRE STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR...................................................Kelly Roush CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTORS..................Diane Malone, Allan S. Ross DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT…………................Cynthia Langston DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION.............................................Kacey Roye GRAPHIC ARTIST/PROGRAM DESIGN............King William Design BOX OFFICE MANAGER.........................................Florence Bunten HOUSE MANAGER/BOOKEEPER.................................Rita Duggan NO TALKING, TEXTING OR RECORDING. PICTURES ARE PROHIBITED. ... please silence your phone before the performace classictheatre.org 1 The Classic Theatre San Antonio Presents The School for Scandal Written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan ................................................. Directed by Diane Malone CAST Lady Sneerwell, a widow..................................................Christi Eanes Miss Verjuice, her cousin..................................................Holly Clifford Mr. Joseph Surface...............................................................Zach Lewis Maria, Sir Peter’s ward...................................................Bekka Broyles Mrs. Candour...............................................................Alexa McLatcher Crabtree .............................................................................Richard Solis Sir Benjamin Backbite, his nephew..................................Steven Starr Sir Peter, neighbor to Lady Sneerwell................................John O’Neill Rowley, steward to Surface family..............................Chad Thompson Lady Teazle, Sir Peter’s new young wife................Samantha Robison Sir Oliver, uncle to Joseph and Charles.............................Joe De Mott Miss Trip, servant to Charles.............................................Holly Clifford Charles Surface, Joseph’s younger brother................Michael Holley Careless, friend to Charles.............................................Bekka Broyles Harry Bumpers, friend to Charles....................................Richard Solis Gentleman, friend to Charles............................................Steven Starr The action takes place in contemporary London ACT ONE Scene 1. — Lady Sneerwell’s House Scene 2. — Sir Peter’s House Scene 3. — Lady Sneerwell’s House Scene 4. — Sir Peter’s House Scene 5. — Charles Surface’s House There will be one 10-minute intermission. ACT TWO Scene 1. — Joseph Surface’s Library Scene 2. — Sir Peter’s House Scene 3. — Joseph Surface’s Library 2 classictheatre.org PRODUCTION STAFF Stage Manager........................................................Rebecca J. Simons Production Manager.............................................................John Coker Technical Director..................................................................Rick Clyde Set Designer.....................................................................Christine King Costume Designers.................................Jodi Karjala/Terri Peña Ross Lighting Designer ...........................................................Pedro Ramirez Sound Designer..................................................................Rick Malone Properties Master..............................................................Richard Solis PRODUCTION CREW Set Construction....................................................................Rick Clyde Board Operator......................................................................Ava Valdez Photographer......................................................................Siggi Ragnar Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (1751 – 1816) ...................................... Until the age of seven, Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan lived on a fashionable street in Dublin, Ireland, where he was steeped in the arts and letters. His mother was a playwright and novelist while his father managed and acted for a Dublin theatre. The family moved to London in 1758, where his father retired from theatre life and turned to writing books about education and the English language. Young Richard’s studies at The Harrow School were supplemented with instructions from a private tutor in fencing and horsemanship. In 1772, in response to a newspaper article defaming the character of the lady Sheridan was courting, he fought two duels with the author of the article, being seriously wounded in the second. After recovering, he married the lady in question, Elizabeth Ann Linley, and began entertaining the cream of London society on a lavish scale. His first play, The Rivals, was produced in 1775 at Covent Garden and became an immediate success. The next year, Sheridan and Linley partnered with David Garrick to acquire the Drury Lane Theater and bought out Garrick’s share two years later. Sheridan’s subsequent plays were produced there, all of them comedies of manners. Focusing on a specific social context and peopled with stock comedic character types, it satirizes efforts to control behavior, reveling in sexual innuendo and witty repartee. The School for Scandal is widely regarded as Sheridan’s most polished play, praised by William Hazlitt as “[professing] a faith in the natural goodness as well as habitual depravity of human nature.” - Lind Ford classictheatre.org 3 Director’s Notes .............................. Cell phones are so ubiquitous today that one hardly notices them anymore. We use them as phones, as cameras, as computers to look up any and every little thing we wonder about. With the ability to email, text or otherwise send electronic messages immediately, there is no lag time between SEND and RECEIVE. News, lies and gossip travel around the world in an instant – and all seem to be believed equally. “If it’s on the internet, it must be true.” Richard Brinsley Sheridan foresaw this world of instant messaging 240 years ago in his 1777 play The School for Scandal. His scandalous characters spread malicious gossip, innuendo and rumors in an instant, and reputations were ruined as quickly. In Sheridan’s time, the news spread through letters and daily newspapers; today, it is spread electronically, but the process and purpose are the same. Lady Teazle, an innocent young bride new to the city, is ensnared by the false stories of the leader of the infamous Scandal School, Lady Sneerwell. Despite being recently married, Lady T seems amenable to advances by the seductive Joseph Surface. The web of intrigue created by Lady Sneerwell, Joseph Surface and their entourage threatens the reputations of Lady Teazle, her husband Sir Peter, and Charles Surface, Joseph’s younger brother, along with the young ward of Sir Peter, Maria. Sir Oliver Surface, the uncle of Joseph and Charles, returns from India in time to set it all straight with his plan to discover the true nature of his nephews, a plan that involves more intrigue, disguises and an auction of the family portraits. The apparent reputation of the characters in contrast to their real moral worth is explored by Sheridan in a comic text that applies as well today as it did in the 18th century. After all, human nature doesn’t change, and we will recognize the characters. It is to be hoped that we will also recognize -- and remedy -- the tendency in ourselves to judge others too quickly based on “surface” values alone. Diane Malone Special Thanks Christine King Deborah Martin & the San Antonio Express-News The Playhouse San Antonio 4 classictheatre.org WHO’S WHO .............................. Bekka Broyles (Maria/Careless) Bekka has been an intern at The Classic Theatre for the past year and is excited to take her first major acting role in School for Scandal. Previous acting credits at The Classic Theatre: Medea (Messenger), The Seagull (Maid), Born Yesterday (Bellhop). Other acting credits locally: Lucky Woman (Angela) at the Overtime Theater, Cinderella (Evil Step Sister) at the Rose Theater, Nobody to Murder (Hilda) at the Taft HS Theater. She is currently taking theater and video/ film tech as a junior at Communication Arts High School. She is thrilled to be a part of School for Scandal cast and looks forward to working with The Classic Theatre in the future. Holly Clifford (Miss Verjuice/Miss Trip) holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from the University of the Incarnate Word and is currently enjoying her 8th year as a theater educator and director at Bonham Academy in SAISD. She helped found Viva Theatre Company and produced Viva’s first annual 48 Hour Play Festival. Recently she performed with Jonathan Pennington Studios at the Cameo in Hairspray, All Shook Up and The Wedding Singer. In previous years she worked with the Playhouse in Santos y Santos and with the Renaissance Guild in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Rick Clyde (Technical Director) is honored to be part of another production with the Classic Theatre of San Antonio. Mr. Clyde has been working in technical theatre for over 20 years with multiple companies in San Antonio and has also appeared on stage from time to time. John Coker (Production Manager) keeps