The American Century Theater presents About The American Century Theater The American Century Theater The American Century Theater was founded in 1994. We are a professional presents nonprofit theater company dedicated to presenting great, important, and worthy American plays of the twentieth century—what Henry Luce called “the American Century.” A Robert M. McElwaine American Reflections Project production of The company’s mission is one of rediscovery, enlightenment, and perspective, not nostalgia or preservation. Americans must not lose the extraordinary vision and wisdom of past playwrights, nor can we afford to surrender the moorings to our shared cultural heritage. Our mission is also driven by a conviction that communities need theater, and theater needs audiences. To those ends, this company is committed to producing plays that challenge and move all Americans, of all ages, origins, and points of view. In particular, we strive to create theatrical experiences that entire families can watch, enjoy, and discuss long afterward. The Robert M. McElwaine American Reflections Project with Esther Covington as Fanny One Night with Fanny Brice Honorary Producers November 5–27, 2010 Andrew Scott McElwaine Ann Marie Plubell Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre Harry and Lucille Stanford 1611 North Kent Street, Arlington VA Anonymous Director Musical Director Producers Ellen Dempsey Tom Fuller Rip Claassen About the Robert M. McElwaine American Reflections Project Rhonda Hill “Reflections” is an American Century Theater initiative designed to inspire and produce new and original stage works that compliment the company’s Stage Manager Scenic Design Lighting Design repertoire of important American plays and musicals from the 20th century. Arthur Rodger Patrick Lord Steven L. Barker Reflections includes new revues, plays, and musicals that bring to life the remarkable personalities, events, and movements of “the American Costume Design Sound Design Choreographer Century” that make up our nation’s cultural and historical heritage. These Rip Claassen Darlene Robinson Gia Mora stage works may be developed by TACT or submitted for consideration to the company by playwrights, producers, directors, and actors. There will be a 15–minute intermission. Reflections began in 1999 with a staged reading of Jason Sherman’s It’s All True, which dramatized the circumstances surrounding Orson Welles’ Please—Silence and stow cell phones and other distracting devices. production of The Cradle Will Rock. (The readings were presented during The use of recording equipment and taking of photographs the run of TACT’s production of the musical itself.) This was the first during the performance are strictly prohibited. continued on inside back cover Cast Fanny Brice . Esther Covington Pianist . Tom Fuller One Night with Fanny Brice (2010) by Chip Deffaa The chances are that you have no idea what Fanny Brice was like. She was Production staff not, for example, anything like Barbra Streisand, who starred as Fanny in the musical Funny Girl (and film of same) based on Brice’s life. Streisand Director . Ellen Dempsey and Fanny Brice were both major stars of their times, but the similarity Musical Director . Tom Fuller ends there. Producers . Rip Claassen, Rhonda Hill You don’t know what Fanny Brice was really like because, though she Stage Manager . Arthur Rodger died in 1951, there are very few filmed records of her performing and Scenic Design . Patrick Lord none when she was at her prime. Oh, she appears in a very unfunny skit in the misbegotten MGM musical sequel to The Great Ziegfeld, The Costume Design . Rip Claassen Ziegfeld Follies, in which William Powell reprises his portrayal of the great Lighting Design . Steven L. Barker producer and portrays him creating a new show, from Heaven, using the Sound Design . Darlene Robinson MGM stable of stars. Fanny comes off weak, but this is a movie featuring the worst dance number Fred Astaire was ever in and Judy Garland’s worst Choreography . Gia Mora song. They have their best work in other films, but for Fanny, there isn’t Sound Consultant . Ed Moser much else. Rehearsal Pianist . Taylor Williams Fanny Brice, you see, was an onstage female comic before there was a Assistant Lighting Designer . Ashley Swiger Lucille Ball or Carol Burnett, in a culture where women were supposed to Master Electrician . Andrew Jorgensen be chaste, beautiful, or sexy, but not clowns. She was also a popular singer before high fidelity recordings, in an era when quavering, delicate voices Electricians . Christopher Pless, Timothy Page, Peter Swinburne like Helen Morgan’s were the rage. If you hear Fanny Brice’s recordings Follow-spot Operator . G.W. Glover today, you probably think using Streisand to play her was a great Sound Board Operator . William Angel compliment. And you would be wrong. No female performer, and few male ones, could move an audience to laughter and tears like Fanny Brice. Program Design and Cover Art . Michael Sherman Fanny Brice often wasn’t what she pretended to be; in particular, she Production Photography . Dennis Deloria wasn’t the Yiddish-accented stereotype she so often portrayed; and she Archivist . Kim-Scott Miller was far from all laughs. She was, above all, tough, enduring more off- stage betrayal and heartbreak than her share yet always bouncing back, sometimes using her personal tragedies to spur her to greater success. Special thanks to— Fanny was also, by all accounts, a good mother, a loyal friend, and able to Jackie Altman Lou George take what life dished out for her with humor, courage, modesty, and good spirits. In show business, that makes her character as rare as her talent. Don Barton Georgetown University Keith Bell Lexi Haddad It was these qualities—and the fact that we really don’t know the real Fanny Brice—that led Chip Deffaa, author, playwright, and authority Avery Burns Robbie Hayes on American entertainment between the World Wars, to craft a musical Rebecca Christy Vander Lockett show, perfect for TACT’s Robert M. McElwaine American Reflections Jared Davis Sherri Perper Project, that imagines Fanny returning to us for one night only, to tell her remarkable story and reprise her remarkable songs. He knew she’d be great company, and she is. Become a fan of The American Century Theater on Facebook. Keep up with shows, auditions, volunteer opportunities, podcasts, She always was. videos, and more. www.AmericanCentury.org —Jack Marshall, Artistic Director Chip Deffaa is the author of five published plays and eight books. George M. Ellen Dempsey (Director) has directed Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, Dr. Cohan Tonight!, which he both wrote and directed Off-Broadway, has been Cook’s Garden, Happy Birthday, Wanda June, MacBird!, and It Had To Be You performed everywhere from Korea to the United Kingdom. Other plays include (The American Century Theater), Twelve Angry Men and Unquiet Hearts (Keegan The Seven Little Foys, The Johnny Mercer Jamboree, and Theater Boys. Books Theatre), and Play It Again, Sam and The Antigone in Warsaw (Little Theatre of include Swing Legacy, Voices of the Jazz Age, In the Mainstream, Traditionalists Alexandria). Stage management credits include Pump Boys and Dinettes, Hamlet, and Revivalists in Jazz, Jazz Veterans, F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Princeton Years On the Verge, Violet, and A Streetcar Named Desire (US and Ireland). Ellen was (ed.), Blue Rhythms, and (with David Cassidy) C’Mon Get Happy. He contributed assistant director for Violet and The Field at Keegan Theatre and for Little Shop chapters to Harlem Speaks and Roaring at One Hundred. For 18 years, Deffaa of Horrors, Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?, The 1940s Radio wrote for The New York Post, writing news, feature stories, and reviews dealing Hour, and Lips Together, Teeth Apart at LTA. She is currently an artistic associate with jazz, cabaret, and theater. He was also a longtime writer for Entertainment and the controller for TACT. Weekly. He has won an ASCAP/Deems Taylor Award, a New Jersey Press Rip Claassen (Co-Producer, Costume Design) has been a fixture on the Association Award, and an IRNE Award (Independent Reviewers of New Washington theatre scene for many years, perhaps best known as dramaturge at England). A graduate of Princeton University, Deffaa is a trustee of The Princeton Backstage, Inc. Rip has taught theatre and acting at the Institute for the Arts for Tiger magazine. Fairfax County Public Schools, Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and other local theatre programs. For TACT, he has directed (Life with Father), produced (Native Son and The Tenth Man), and costumed innumerable shows. He has directed for Natural Theatricals and other other local venues. Rip founded the Northern Virginia Theatre Festival for high schools and coaches theatre students seeking admission Esther Covington (Fanny Brice) is thrilled to be a part of an amazing collaborative to competitive programs. He is Artistic Director of Teens and Theatre (TnT), a team and production. Previous American Century Theater credits include nonprofit theatre education company. Hellzapoppin’ and Babes in Arms (staged reading). Other DC/Baltimore area Rhonda Hill (Co-Producer) has been with TACT since it was first talked about in acting credits include Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, Wayside Theatre, Landless that bar after Twelve Angry Men at Georgetown 16+ years ago and has served as Theatre, Imagination Stage, Toby’s Dinner Theatre, and Theatre on the Hill. the Executive Producer for much of that time. She has produced or stage managed Favorite roles include Meredith (Bat Boy), Bella (Lost in Yonkers), Calamity Jane many TACT productions (The Cradle Will Rock, Moby Dick Rehearsed, Danny (Calamity Jane), Vi (Buddy Holly Story), and Claire (Bare). Esther is a professional & Sylvia, Twelve Angry Men, to name just a few), acted in a few productions piano player, role player, and DC tour guide and has a Master’s in Theatre. and stage readings, and now coordinates front-of-house volunteer ushers, house Tom Fuller (Musical Director) has been conducting and performing in musicals managers, and box office staff.