TABLE OF CONTENTS Dear Friend, Mark Rothko was 4 Meet the Author / commissioned to Theatre Gym create the Sea- 5 Title Page gram Murals in 6 Cast / Setting / Show Staff / 1958, so the play Special Thanks you are about 7 – 8 Company Bios to see takes place in the few 9 Tragic and Timeless years following that date, when 10 – 11 Mark Rothko Rothko himself was in his late 14 Staff 50s and early 60s. Being at that same point in my life and career, I quickly found that a lot of what MISSION Rothko had to say resonated with me when I first read this script. In some ways, I feel very different Virginia Repertory Theatre from Mark Rothko; in many ways I creates in Central Virginia feel the same. professional productions of the great comedies, dramas and Following the events of this play, musicals—past, present and Rothko began to view his work future. We seek to be a regional as spiritual expression. One of his theatre of national standing. final works—a transcendent work, We embrace the art form in its he hoped—is the Rothko Chapel entirety, presenting plays of in Houston, Texas. He was eager 3 all genres and national origins, for the chapel to be as far away serving an audience of all ages from the center of the art world and backgrounds. as possible—an environment for spiritual contemplation. In keeping with the legacies of Barksdale and Theatre IV, All artists view their work differ- the hallmark of our nonprofit ently. I’m fascinated by playwright company is community engage- John Logan’s take on the angels ment. To that end, we seek and demons that haunted the national caliber excellence in the later life of the great American arts, education, children’s health, painter, Mark Rothko. I hope you and community leadership. will be too. All the Best, Bruce Miller Artistic Director Cover Illustration by Robert Meganck MEET THE AUTHOR John Logan was DiCaprio), Sweeney Todd (2007, born in San starring Johnny Depp), Hugo Diego in 1961, (2011, Oscar nomination Best the son of Nor- Screenplay), and Skyfall (2012, thern Ireland starring Daniel Craig and Dame émigrés. Judi Dench). He attended Chicago’s RED, Logan’s most successful Northwestern play, premiered at London’s University, Donmar Warehouse in 2009 and graduating in 1983. For 10 years transferred to Broadway in 2010, he was a successful playwright where it won six Tony Awards, at Chicago’s acclaimed Victory including Best Play. This past Gardens Theater, serving as a March, Logan’s new play, Peter founding member of the com- and Alice, opened In London pany’s playwrights ensemble. to rave reviews, starring Dame At Victory Gardens, he pre- Judi Dench. Peter and Alice miered Never the Sinner (1985), concerns an actual meeting that Hauptmann (1986), Music from took place in 1920s London a Locked Room (1989), and between the aging woman who Scorched Earth (1991). In the late inspired Alice in Wonderland 4 90s he began a successful career and the young man who inspired in film, creating the screenplays Peter Pan. This month (April), for Any Given Sunday (1999, Logan’s newest play, I’ll Eat You starring Al Pacino), Gladiator Last, opens on Broadway, (2000, starring Russell Crowe, starring Bette Midler as the noto- Oscar for Best Picture), The rious Hollywood super-agent, Aviator (2004, starring Leonardo Sue Mengers. AT THIS THEATRE: THEATRE GYM The lobby, rest rooms, rehearsal in which you now sit is named hall and dressing rooms at Theatre Gym. It was originally Virginia Rep Center are housed a retail store known as Marshall’s in what used to be the historic before being converted to a Little Theatre, which opened Piggly Wiggly sometime in the next door to the Empire (now the 1920s. Theatre IV transformed November) in 1912 as Richmond’s the space into a studio theatre in first purpose-built movie theatre. 1990. Several of Richmond’s All previous cinemas in Richmond “Best Play of the Year” winners were converted storefront nick- took place here, including Crimes elodeons. From 1936 until 1969, of the Heart, Frankie and Johnny the Little Theatre was known as in the Clair de Lune, and August: the Maggie Walker. The facility Osage County. MEET THE AUTHOR Artistic Director Bruce Miller Managing Director Phil Whiteway by JOHN LOGAN RED is presented by special arrangement by Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York. SET DESIGN LIGHT DESIGN COSTUME DESIGN STAGE MANAGEMENT Jacob Sailer Lynne M. Hartman+ Sarah Grady Rick Brandt* 5 DIRECTION Christopher Owens THEATRE GYM AT THIS THEATRE: THEATRE GYM VIRGINIA REP CENTER SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT BY Frances, Andy and Ginny Lewis ADDITIONAL FUNDING BY CAST Mark Rothko David Bridgewater* Ken Maxwell Eddy* FOR THIS PRODUCTION Stage Manager Rick Brandt* Light Board/ Sound Operator Linwood Guyton Wardrobe Nikki Wragg Deck Crew Joey Sauthoff TIME & PLACE Rothko’s studio, 222 Bowery, New York City, 1958 - 1959 6 SPECIAL THANKS Virginia Rep wishes to thank John Ravenal, Sarah Eckhardt, and Suzanne Hall from the Virginia Museum, Aimee Joyaux from the Visual Arts Center and visual artists Javier Tapia and Brad Birchett for their time and expertise. +Member of USA, United * Member of Actors’ Equity Association, Scenic Artists’, local 829 the union of professional actors and stage managers in the U.S.A. COMPANY BIOS David Bridgewater (Mark Rothko) has been working professionally as an actor, director and instructor for the past 29 years. He was last seen as Tupolski in The Pillow- man with Cadence Theatre. Other past local credits in- clude Bill in August: Osage County and John in Oleanna also with Cadence Theatre, Jim in Nice People Dancing to Good Country Music and Joe in Becky’s New Car with Barksdale at Hanover Tavern, and Antony in Antony and Cleopatra with Richmond Shakespeare. With Virginia Repertory Theatre, Dave has performed over the years as Cyrano in Cyrano De Bergerac, Lennie in Of Mice and Men, John Proctor in The Crucible, and the title role in Hamlet. Film and TV credits include Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood, Nothing But the Truth, Commander in Chief, Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill, Surface, and Line of Fire. Richmonders may recognize him as Otto from Chesterfield Auto Parts ads. Dave was the recipient of the 2008 Theresa Pollak Prize for excellence in theatre and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor cur- rently working as an instructor with SPARC’S Live Art Program. Maxwell Eddy (Ken) is proud to be making his Virginia Rep debut in RED, far and away one of his all time favorite plays! NY credits include: Elmina’s Kitchen (SoHo Rep. dir. Oscar Eustis), A Doll’s House (Theater 7 Reconstruction Ensemble) PunkRockLoveSong (Horse Trade Theater Co.), and A Midsummer Nights Dream (Hudson Warehouse). Regional credits include Les Femmes Savantes and Richard II (Shakespeare Theatre of NJ), as well as Our Farm (Fresh Ground Pepper/Underground Arts Center, Phila). NYU Tisch credits in- clude Moments (dir. Moises Kaufman), The Frogs (dir. David Herskovitz), Oliver!(dir. Lear DeBessonet), and Bruce in Blue/Orange. Training: The Studio New York Conservatory. BFA: NYU Tisch, ETW. Thanks to Jessica, for reminding me. Christopher Owens (Direction) has been the Artistic Director of the Virginia Shakespeare Festival in Williamsburg since 2004, having spent eighteen years prior heading professional theatre companies in Dallas, Texas and Winchester, Virginia. He has directed over 120 professional stage productions from Seattle to Sarasota including such favorites as King Lear, Measure for Measure, Twelfth Night, Amadeus, Noises Off, Summer and Smoke, the national tour of The Fourposter, and ten regional productions of A Christmas Carol. For VSF: The Tempest, Mac- beth, Love’s Labours Lost, The Complete History of America Abridged, The Winter’s Tale, Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice and Art. This fall he staged Serious Money for the UH/Alley Theatre program in Houston and will be directing Macbeth in Detroit in June. Training: Southern Methodist University in Dallas and The Juilliard School in New York un- der the direction of John Houseman. He is an Associate Professor COMPANY BIOS (continued) of Theatre at the College of William & Mary where he is a recipient this year of the Plumeri Award for faculty excellence. Jacob Sailer (Set Design) is a junior scenic design major at the Virginia Commonwealth University. He was the assistant designer for VCU’s The Elephant Man and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He has worked as a carpenter for The Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre in Winchester Virginia and at The Monomoy Theatre in Cape Cod Massa- chusetts. This is Jacob’s first design for Virginia Rep. Lynne M. Hartman (Lighting Design) has worked with Virginia Rep for 20 years. Recent Virginia Rep designs include Hay Fever, Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, The Magic Flute, Madeline’s Christmas, The Producers, Night Blooms, Spring Awakening, Seussical, Legacy of Light (2011 RTCC Award), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and The Sound of Music (2010 RTCC Award). Lynne has designed locally for TheatreVirginia, CenterStage, Richmond Ballet, Theatre VCU and Dogwood Dell among others. Regional design credits include The Lost Colony, McCarter Theatre, Auburn University, and Kings Dominion. Lynne held a Fellowship in Theatre at VMFA and was educated at Mary Washington and University of Maryland. Member USA, Local 829. 8 Sarah Grady (Costume Design) is the Assistant Costume Director for Virginia Repertory Theatre. Designs include: Madeline’s Christmas, Spring Awakening, God of Carnage, Circle Mirror Transformation, Sound of Music (a RTCC nominee for Best Costume Design), Children of a Lesser God, The BFG, Annie, A Christmas Story Brooklyn Boy, Scap- ino & Patchwork (Virginia Repertory Theatre); A Winter’s Tale (Henley Street & Richmond Shakespeare); Children’s Letters to God & Tick, Tick…Boom! (Stage 1 Theatre Company).