PICT CLASSIC THEATRE At WQED’s Fred Rogers Studio from the novel by Charlotte Bronte Apr 5 - 28 Directed by Alan Stanford PICT Classic Theatre presents Jane Eyre Directed by Alan Stanford starring Karen Baum* Kaitlin Kerr Paul Joseph Bernardo* Sean Lenhart Paige Borak Caroline Lucas James FitzGerald* Eric Mathews Walter Friberg Marsha Mayhak Abigail Gilman Cary Anne Spear* Carolyn Jerz Grace Vensel Jill Keating* Robin Walsh* Production Rehearsal Stage Scenic Consultant Stage Manager Manager & ASM Deborah Thomas COMPOSE Cory F. Goddard* Catherine Kolos* Sound Designer yourself with WQED-FM 89.3 Lighting Designer Master Electrician Kris Buggey Nicole White Ricki Mckissok Technical Director Prop Master/ Costume Designer Maggie Crockarell From an exhilarating overture at Production Assistant Joan Markert the gym, to a quiet adagio by the Cassidy Adkins fire, WQED-FM 89.3 helps you Production Manager orchestrate your life. Liam Nute *Member of the Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional WQED-FM 89.3 is member supported. Join today at 888.622.1370. Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Listen on your computer or mobile device at wqedfm.org Cast Karen Baum* .......................... Jane Eyre Cary Anne Spear* ................... Narrator Jane Caroline Lucas ....................... Child Jane/Marjorie Paul Joseph Bernardo* ............ Edward Rochester James FitzGerald* .................. Brocklehurst/Briggs Jill Keating* ........................... Mrs. Reed/Lady Ingram/ Grace Poole Robin Walsh* ........................ Mrs. Fairfax/Hanna Paige Borak ............................ Miss Scatcherd/Blanch/ Diana Rivers Marsha Mayhak ..................... Miss Temple/Mary Rivers Sean Lenhart ......................... St. John Rivers/Mason Eric Mathews ........................... Lord Ingram/Surgeon/ Reverend Wood Kaitlin Kerr ........................... Bertha Rochester Carolyn Jerz .......................... Georgiana/Barbara/Leah/Girl 1 Grace Vensel .......................... Adèle Varens/Eliza Reed/Girl 2 Abigail Gilman ...................... Helen Burns/Girl 3 All Rise. Walter Friberg ....................... John Reed/Davy Jones Day is proud to support PICT Classic Theatre. Its commitment *Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors to the creation of high-quality, professional, thought-provoking theatre and Stage Managers in the United States. of substance deserves a standing ovation. PICT Classic Theatre receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. The use of any recording device, either audio or video, and the taking of photographs, either with or without flash, are strictly prohibited. Please turn off all electronic devices such as cellular phones, beepers, and watches. 2500 Lawyers. 43 Locations. 5 Continents. www.jonesday.com PICT – Jane Eyre 3 Director’s Note NEVER UNDERESTIMATE I chose to adapt Jane Eyre for the stage, not merely because it is a beautiful story, but because it is THE POWER OF A arguably the most important English novel of the 19th Century - and a novel written by a woman, a GREAT PERFORMANCE. vital aspect to both its beauty and its importance. We are proud to support the PICT classic theatre. Jane Eyre is essentially a love story, but it is by no means a romance. Charlotte Brontë gives us a pair of lovers who are neither physically attractive nor evenly matched. An older man who has dark secrets and who has been deeply damaged by the Alan Stanford earlier relationships in his life. A younger woman, a girl almost, who has suffered rejection and privation all through her short life. Brontë brings these two together and lets us watch the impossible yet inevitable occur. They fall in love, and it is their intellect that attracts them to each other - the satisfaction that they have in and with each other. But Brontë goes further. She has created in Jane Eyre a complex woman. One who has developed through her experiences, a set of principles by which she lives. Principles from which she cannot deviate. Her sense of self-respect depends upon them. When Rochester reveals the truth of his past she will remain true to what she believes to be right rather than what is expedient. In essence, the book and the play are about survival as the person you know yourself to be, rather than the person that others want you to be. It is about the love that is the reason we choose to serve each other. It is about the goodness that lies in all of us. The story is complex and so the staging is minimalist: a single setting to represent all the locations in the play, and multi-role casting. There are three Jane Eyres in this play; Jane as a child, Jane as a woman, and Jane as she is writing the story, just as it is in the novel. It gives the reader and the audience the opportunity to witness the action and to reflect upon it as it unfolds. Cheers, Alan Stanford, Artistic and Executive Director PICT Classic Theatre Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, UPMC is ranked among the nation’s best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. PICT – Jane Eyre 5 BCD-SYS-10780_pict_theatre_ad.indd 1 3/28/16 9:22 AM Message from the Board President On behalf of the board of directors of PICT Classic Theatre, it is my pleasure to welcome you to our production of Jane Eyre. We are celebrating 21 years of producing a broad range of classic plays and modern Irish theatre. We are honored to performing for you in the Fred Rogers Studio at WQED, site of the famous children’s program. Here—inspired by Mr. Rogers—we hope to create a compelling theatrical experience for you. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is one of the most beloved novels of all time and our production is an adaptation of her story by Alan Stanford, our Artistic and Executive Director. Alan’s plays have been produced all over the world. His Jane Eyre was originally produced at the Gate Theatre in Dublin and broke box office records at the Guthrie Theatre. Our plays address modern social issues through the lens of classic texts, which our production of Jane Eyre exemplifies. The play deals with the issues of personal integrity and commitment and follows a young orphan girl as she develops into womanhood. As most of you know, the price of a ticket does not cover all of the costs of bringing wonderful theatre to the Pittsburgh community. We hope that you will consider donating to PICT and becoming an integral part of the PICT family. So please—sit back, relax and enjoy our production of Jane Eyre. Peter Smerd PICT Board President PICT – Jane Eyre 7 Who’s Who in the Cast Who’s Who in the Cast Karen Baum ( Jane Eyre) was last seen as Mena in PICT’S Sive and James FitzGerald* (Brocklehurst/Briggs) PICT credits: Didi, Waiting the Nurse in R&J. PICT Credits: Shirley (Shirley Valentine), Rita for Godot, Tieresius Oedipus, Thomasheen Sean Rua Sive, Shylock (Educating Rita), Nerissa (Merchant), Trassie Conlee (Sharon’s Grave), Merchant of Venice, Dinzie, Sharon’s Grave, Fagin, Oliver Twist as well as Mary Detweiler (How the Other Half Loves), Nancy (Oliver Twist), Alais 21 other PICT productions. Other Pittsburgh credits: Watson, Hound (Lion in Winter), Clarinda (For the Tree to Drop), Mrs. Joe/Biddy (Great of the Baskervilles (Kinetric Theater), Charles Ives in Charles Ives Take Me Expectations), Hecate (MacBeth), Scarecrow (Woman & Scarecrow), Edith Home (City Theatre), End of the Affair, All the Names (Quantum Theatre), (Blithe Spirit), Oedipus, Don Juan Comes Back from the War, King Lear, 1776, Royal Family, Born Yesterday, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Forum, The Shaugraun, and Boston Marriage. Pittsburgh Credits: Pittsburgh Our Town (Pittsburgh Public Theater), Candide (Opera Theatre), Heads Public Theater (recently Poppy/Noises Off), St. Vincent Summer Theatre, (Pittsburgh Playhouse). Chicago credits: Marriot’s Lincolnshire Theater, Off the Wall, Playhouse REP, NoName Players, UnSeam’d Shakespeare, Chicago’s Second City, ETC., The Royal George, Apple Tree, among Bricolage, Squonk Opera, U.of Pitt’s Shakespeare in the Schools, CMU Interactive, and other Chicago venues including sixteen seasons with Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Regional the Games for Change conference in NYC. Regional: Public Theatre of KY, Theatre54 credits: Cape May Stage, Milwaukee Rep, the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, North Carolina NY, and various Chicago venues. Film/TV: Promised Land, The Outsiders, The Road, My Shakespeare Festival, Baltimore Shakespeare Festival. Off Broadway: Rose Rage, directed by Bloody Valentine 3D, KillPoint (Spike TV), The War that Made America (PBS), pilot cast of Edward Hall. Awards: Recipient of two Joseph Jefferson Awards (Best Supporting Actor), a Ghosthunters:PSI, and A Fancy Piece of Homicide. A BFA grad of Point Park, Karen is also a Jeff Citation (Best Actor), and a Jeff nomination for Best Actor: an OE Award Nomination teaching artist for PICT, The Public, Hope Academy, and Colfax. She would like to thank this (Best Supporting Actor). James is a company member of PICT and Featured Artist in 2014. fantastic team, family, and PICT audiences. He was also named Performer of the Year 2016 by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Paul Joseph Bernardo (Edward Rochester) is thrilled to be making Walter Friberg ( John Reed/Davy) is excited to be part of the Jane Eyre his PICT debut and working with Alan Stanford and old friend and cast and working with director Alan Stanford! Walter is an 8th grade drinking buddy James Fitzgerald. Paul resides in New York City where student at Mellon Middle School in Mt Lebanon. Also, he is currently he is a founding member of the Upstart Creatures theater company. enrolled at the Pittsburgh CLO Academy studying acting, singing, and Paul has worked extensively in regional theater where favorite roles musical theater. His most recent performance was with the Pittsburgh include: Iago in Othello (Tennessee Shakespeare Company), Brutus in CLO Academy’s Beauty and the Beast Jr where he played Gaston.