’S PREMIER NONPROFIT THEATER COMPANY

HEISEN BERG

MAR–APR 2018 SEASON 51, ISSUE 6 Barbara Bream, joined in 2011

Smarter Sized LIVING Less is more. Downsizing is the new smart sizing. Minimize to maximize. Just ask Barbara. After all, her parents lived here. In fact, the painting she’s holding once hung in their apartment; it now lives in her spacious apartment. St. Paul’s Towers is the East Bay’s most appealing Life Plan Community and offers maintenance-free living, weekly linen service, and extensive amenities that give her the freedom to do what she wants— aerobics, walking, and the theater. See why 94% of our residents highly recommend living here. To learn more, or for your personal visit, please call 510.891.8542.

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EAP full-page template.indd 1 12/12/17 9:50 AM March 2018 Volume 16, No. 6 music dance theater 2017/18 Cal Perform ances SEASON UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY

Celebrating 50 years with

Alvin Ailey Paul Heppner American Dance Theater Publisher Susan Peterson Robert Battle, artistic director Design & Production Director Masazumi Chaya, associate artistic director Ana Alvira, Robin Kessler, Stevie VanBronkhorst FEATURING THREE WEST Production Artists and Graphic Design COAST PREMIERES! Mike Hathaway Sales Director April 10–15 ZELLERBACH HALL Amelia Heppner, Marilyn Kallins, Terri Reed San Francisco/Bay Area Account Executives

Brieanna Bright, Star Wars, Jaws, E.T., and more: Joey Chapman, Ann Manning Seattle Area Account Executives

The Music of John Williams Carol Yip Boston Pops at the Greek Sales Coordinator Keith Lockhart, conductor Featuring selections from some of Williams’ most iconic Hollywood scores, including music from Star Wars, Jaws, E.T., and the Indiana Jones and Harry Potter . Paul Heppner April 21 President GREEK Mike Hathaway Vice President

Genay Genereux Accounting & Office Manager

Ex Machina Shaun Swick 887 Senior Designer & Digital Lead Written, designed, directed, Barry Johnson and performed by Robert Lepage Digital Engagement Specialist

887 Murray Avenue, City, Canada. Ciara Caya Customer Service Representative & The apartment complex where Administrative Assistant renowned director Robert Lepage spent his youth comes to life as a bewitching, -saturated dollhouse Corporate Office in this deeply personal solo work. 425 North 85th Street Seattle, WA 98103 p 206.443.0445 f 206.443.1246 “Touching, intimate, powerful” [email protected] —The Guardian (London) 800.308.2898 x105 www.encoremediagroup.com May 4 & 5 ZELLERBACH HALL

Encore Arts Programs is published monthly by Encore Media Season Group to serve musical and theatrical events in the Puget calperformances.org Sponsor: Sound and San Francisco Bay Areas. All rights reserved. ©2018 Encore Media Group. Reproduction without written permission is prohibited.

4 ACT-SF.ORG SAN FRANCISCO'S THEATER COMPANY

American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco’s Tony Award– A.C.T.’s 50-year-old Conservatory, led by Melissa Smith, is winning nonprofit theater, nurtures the art of live theater at the center of our work. Our three-year, fully accredited through dynamic productions, intensive training, Master of Fine Arts Program is at the forefront of America’s and ongoing engagement with our community. Under the actor training programs. Meanwhile, our intensive Summer leadership of Artistic Director Carey Perloff and Executive Training Congress attracts students from around the world, Director Peter Pastreich, we embrace our responsibility to and the San Francisco Semester offers a unique study-abroad conserve, renew, and reinvent our rich theatrical traditions opportunity for undergraduates. Other programs include and literatures, while exploring new artistic forms and Studio A.C.T.—our expansive course of theater study for new communities. Founded by William Ball, a pioneer of adults—and the Professional Development Training Program, the regional theater movement, A.C.T. opened its first San which offers actor training for companies seeking to elevate Francisco season in 1967. We have since performed more than their employees’ business performance skills. Our alumni 350 productions to a combined audience of more than seven often grace our mainstage and perform around the Bay million people. Every year we reach more than 250,000 people Area, as well as on stages and screens across the country. through our productions and programs. A.C.T. also brings the benefits of theater-based arts education Rising from the wreckage of the earthquake and fire of 1906 to more than 16,000 Bay Area students and educators each and hailed as the “perfect playhouse,” the beautiful, historic year. Director of Education & Community Programs Elizabeth Geary Theater has been our home since the beginning. When Brodersen oversees the world-famous Young Conservatory the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake ripped the roof apart, San (for students ages 8 to 19) and our ACTsmart education Franciscans rallied together to raise a record-breaking $30 programs, including the Student Matinee (SMAT) program million to rebuild the theater. The Geary reopened in 1996 with that has brought hundreds of thousands of young people to a production of directed by Perloff, who took over A.C.T. performances since 1968. We also provide touring Will on in 1992 after the retirement of A.C.T.’s second artistic director, Wheels Shakespeare productions, teaching-artist residencies, gentleman artist Ed Hastings. in-school workshops, and study materials to Bay Area schools and community-based organizations. Perloff’s 25-season tenure has been marked by groundbreaking productions of classical works and new translations creatively With our increased presence in the Central Market neighborhood colliding with exceptional contemporary theater; cross- marked by the renovation of The Strand Theater and the disciplinary performances and international collaborations; opening of The Costume Shop Theater, and the recent and theater made by, for, and about the Bay Area. Her fierce appointment of Pam MacKinnon as A.C.T.’s Artistic Director commitment to audience engagement ushered in a new era Designate, A.C.T. plays a leadership role in securing the future of InterACT events and dramaturgical publications, inviting of theater for San Francisco and the nation. everyone to explore what goes on behind the scenes.

American Conservatory Theater Board of Trustees (As of February 2018) The Board of Directors of the M.F.A. Program Kirke M. Hasson Ray Apple Carey Perloff EMERITUS CHAIR Lesley Ann Clement Robina Riccitiello ADVISORY BOARD Abby Sadin Schnair Kay Yun Richard T. Davis-Lowell Sally Rosenblatt Barbara Bass Bakar CHAIR PRESIDENT Jerome L. Dodson Rusty Rueff Rena Bransten Nancy Livingston Michael G. Dovey Abby Sadin Schnair Jack Cortis Sara Barnes IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR Olympia Dukakis Lori Halverson Schryer Joan Danforth Carlotta Dathe Celeste Ford Frannie Fleishhacker Jeff Spears Dagmar Dolby Frannie Fleishhacker VICE CHAIR Ken Fulk Robert Tandler William Draper III Arnie Glassberg Priscilla Geeslin Patti Hart Patrick S. Thompson John Goldman Christopher Hollenbeck VICE CHAIR Dianne Hoge Joaquin Torres Kaatri Grigg Luba Kipnis Jo S. Hurley Jeffrey W. Ubben James Haire David Riemer Linda Kurtz VICE CHAIR Jeri Lynn Johnson Adriana López Vermut Kent Harvey Jennifer Lindsay Alan Jones Susy Wadsworth Sue Yung Li Steven L. Swig Joseph Ratner Jascha Kaykas-Wolff Nola Yee Christine Mattison VICE CHAIR Toni Ratner Miller James H. Levy Joan McGrath Linda Jo Fitz Toni Rembe Heather Stallings Little Deedee McMurtry TREASURER Sally Rosenblatt Janet V. Lustgarten Mary S. Metz Daniel E. Cohn Anne Shonk Jamie Martin Toni Rembe SECRETARY Melissa Smith Jeffrey S. Minick Cherie Sorokin In Memoriam: Patrick S. Thompson Michael P. Nguyen Barry Lawson Williams Alan L. Stein Martim Oliveira Carlie Wilmans CHAIR EMERITUS Peter Pastreich

American Conservatory Theater was founded in 1965 by William Ball. Edward Hastings, Artistic Director 1986–92

415.749.2228 5 UP NEXT “A great storytelling success” SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

JULY 17–29 | A.C.T.'s GEARY THEATER

A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS BY Ursula Rani Sarma BASED ON THE NOVEL BY Khaled Hosseini ORIGINAL MUSIC WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY David Coulter DIRECTED BY Carey Perloff

Back by popular demand, A.C.T. presents an encore of our critically acclaimed production of A Thousand Splendid Suns. An adaptation of Bay Area author Khaled Hosseini’s beloved novel, this epic story follows three generations of Afghan women and their remarkable resilience in the face of hardship and war. Together, they find the hope and strength to raise the next generation. After its five-year development at A.C.T. and its world premiere at The Geary in 2017, this incredible story has been moving audiences across North America, with runs in Calgary, Alberta; , Ontario; and San Diego, California. In July, this theatrical masterpiece returns to its artistic home for a limited, two-week engagement.

Visit act-sf.org/suns to book your tickets today for this beloved hit play!

8 | AMERICAN CONSERVATORYPhotography: © Shaul THEATER Schwarz/Getty Images. Design by David Mann Calligraphy/Stephen Raw. ACT-SF.ORG EAP full-page template.indd 1 2/7/18 3:56 PM by Suzan-Lori Parks Directed by Liz Diamond

A coproduction with

“Extraordinary . . . epic . . . endlessly stimulating” APRIL 25–MAY 20, 2018 A.C.T.’S GEARY THEATER

“Thrilling . . . a masterpiece” New York Magazine

From Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks By turns comic and heartbreaking, Father (Topdog/Underdog) comes an explosively Comes Home from the Wars is a mythic, powerful and lyrical new play set amid the music-infused journey through the American American Civil War. In this epic inspired by soul. It mixes Parks’s contemporary wit with the Odyssey, enslaved Hero faces a terrible American folk ballads and classical traditions choice: to earn his freedom by fighting for to tell a timeless story of freedom, heroism, the Confederacy alongside his master, or and belonging. Featuring Bay Area musician to stay home with the woman and family Martin Luther McCoy and A.C.T. favorites he loves but remain an enslaved man. Safiya Fredericks, Dan Hiatt, Steven Anthony Jones, Rotimi Agbabiaka, and Gregory Wallace, Father Comes Home is a towering But, Hero wonders, if he is no longer fighting tour de force from one of America’s most for freedom, then who is he? “How does one compelling contemporary playwrights. respond to the notion of freedom?” Parks asked in a 2016 BBC interview. “Most of us in the Western world are free yet we are constrained also. We are tied down to things and the question of how we exercise the freedom we have is complex. Freedom often is not something your master can grant you. ACT-SF.ORG/FATHER I think it’s something you grant yourself.” 415.749.2228 SPEND A SUMMER AT A.C.T.!

Classes for adults of all A theater-training program Intensive actor training levels—from acting, voice, for young between for ages 19+ and improv to dialect and the ages of 8 and 19 movement workshops 5-Week Intensive Spring Session Jun 11–Jul 13 Spring Session Mar 19–May 12 Apr 2–May 27 2-Week Summer Session Shakespeare Intensive Summer Session Jun 11–Aug 17 Jul 16–27 Jun 11–Aug 19

Visit act-sf.org/conservatory to learn more and sign up! PHOTO CREDITS (L TO R): RYAN MONTGOMERY; KEVIN BERNE; RYAN MONTGOMERY KEVIN BERNE; RYAN MONTGOMERY; R): RYAN (L TO CREDITS PHOTO PHOTO BY TAYLOR STEINBECK TAYLOR BY PHOTO

WHAT’S INSIDE ABOVE Actors James Carpenter and Sarah Grace Wilson at the first rehearsal for A.C.T.’s production ofHeisenberg . ABOUT THE PLAY INSIDE A.C.T.

13 LETTER FROM THE 26 A PERSONAL CONNECTION ARTISTIC DIRECTOR An Interview with A.C.T.’s Next EDITOR Artistic Director Pam MacKinnon SIMON HODGSON 16 ESCAPE AND IMAGINATION By Simon Hodgson ASSOCIATE EDITOR An Interview with Playwright ELSPETH SWEATMAN Simon Stephens 28 NEW YEAR, NEW NAMES, By Simon Hodgson NEW WORK CONTRIBUTORS CAREY PERLOFF A Sneak Peek at the 2018 TAYLOR STEINBECK 18 AN UNCERTAIN WORLD New Strands Festival Why Simon Stephens Titled By Taylor Steinbeck His Play Heisenberg VOLUNTEER! By Elspeth Sweatman 29 DREAMS OF THE FUTURE A.C.T. volunteers provide an invaluable service The Prospero Society Brunch with their time, enthusiasm, and love of theater. 20 THE UNIVERSE BETWEEN By A.C.T. Publications Staff Opportunities include helping out in our performing TWO PEOPLE arts library and ushering in our theaters. An Interview with Director Hal Brooks act-sf.org/volunteer By Elspeth Sweatman

DON’T JUST SIT THERE . . . FATHER COMES HOME THEATER ON THE COUCH* OUT WITH A.C.T.* FROM THE WARS MAY 4, 8 PM MAY 9, 8 PM (PARTS 1, 2 & 3) Discuss the minds, motives, and Mix and mingle at this hosted behaviors of the characters with postshow LGBTQ+ party. (APR 25–MAY 20) other theatergoers and a member AT THE GEARY THEATER of the Kaiser Permanente team. WENTE VINEYARDS WINE SERIES MAY 15, 7 PM BIKE TO THE THEATER NIGHT AUDIENCE EXCHANGE* Meet fellow theatergoers at APR 25, 7 PM MAY 8, 7 PM; MAY 13, 2 PM; this hosted wine-tasting event. Ride your bike to A.C.T. and take MAY 16, 2 PM advantage of secure bike parking and Join us for an exciting Q&A PLAYTIME At A.C.T.’s free InterACT low-priced tickets at our preshow with the cast following the show. MAY 19, 12:45 PM events, you can mingle with mixer, presented in partnership with Get hands-on with theater at this cast members, join interactive the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. interactive preshow workshop. workshops with theater artists, KDFC PROLOGUE and meet fellow theatergoers MAY 1, 5:30 PM at hosted celebrations in our Go deeper with a fascinating preshow lounges. Join us for Father discussion with a member of the To learn more and order tickets for InterACT events, visit act-sf.org/interact. Comes Home from the Wars Father Comes Home from the Wars and InterACT with us! artistic team. *Events take place immediately following the performance.

415.749.2228 11 PRESENTS THEATER TOURS FOR 2018 IN

Experience the bright lights of Broadway (and Hamilton!)

JUN 12–18, 2018

THE OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

Explore quaint and charming Ashland at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

JUL 11–16, 2018

LONDON THEATER TOUR

Discover the cultural legacy of London, plus a trip to the real-life Downton Abbey

OCT 15–21, 2018

ALL THEATER TOURS ARE LED BY A.C.T. ARTISTIC STAFF AND INCLUDE: • Tickets to world-class productions • Receptions and cocktail hours • Luxury accommodations • Complimentary breakfast each morning in our hotel • Discussions with guest artists • Sightseeing excursions and walking tours • Welcome and farewell dinners • Travel companions who love theater

For more information, visit act-sf.org/theatertours or contact Caitlin A. Quinn at [email protected] or 415.439.2436. FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Dear Friends,

Welcome to Heisenberg! This is an exciting moment at A.C.T., as As you read this, the rollicking and heartbreaking Vietgone is we welcome back director Hal Brooks, who studied in our M.F.A. playing at The Strand, and our M.F.A. students are gearing up Program at the same time as I arrived, and as we welcome for for their spring repertory productions of Fuente Ovejuna and the first time A.C.T.’s next artistic director, Pam MacKinnon, who The Bacchae of Euripides. Up next in The Geary is Suzan-Lori will take the reins on July 1. This is a time both to celebrate Parks’s lyrical new epic, Father Comes Home from the Wars A.C.T.’s remarkable past, and to imagine its future, a future that (Parts 1, 2 & 3). This bold and muscular story is inspired by the I know will be very rich in Pam’s capable hands. You’ll find out a Odyssey and features the Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright’s great deal more in the months to come! fantastic ear for language, rhythm, and music.

I first sawHeisenberg in New York in a rather unexpected way. I myself am in preproduction for the remount of our highly I was a big fan of the playwright, Simon Stephens, whose work acclaimed adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid is remarkably varied, ranging from experimental movement- Suns. After the production plays The Old Globe in San Diego theater pieces to his stunning adaptation of The Curious Incident this spring, we are thrilled to announce that it will return to The of the Dog in the Night-Time. But I knew little about Heisenberg Geary for a special engagement July 17–29. If you loved the when I bought a ticket at the last moment and ended up in the show the first time and want to see it again, or if you missed it very front row of the theater. For the next 90 minutes, I was but love Hosseini’s beautiful novel, we hope you’ll join us for this inside the lives of two extremely compelling strangers, watching encore performance, complete with live music by saw player a fascinating tale unfold. Stephens is a writer of subtlety and and sonic artist extraordinaire David Coulter. After A.C.T., Suns surprise, and in this play of “uncertainty,” he takes us on a travels to Seattle Repertory Theatre to open its 2018–19 season. journey that’s almost impossible to judge. With each scene, we I am so grateful for the extended life this A.C.T. production is think we understand who is on top, who is playing whom, who having, and for all of you who helped make it possible. is being conned or manipulated or deceived. But with the next scene, the tables turn. Is it love, or simply need, that we are Finally, I want to honor the extraordinary Alan Stein (1930–2018), witnessing? What makes a human being open his or her heart? chair of A.C.T.’s board during the crucial earthquake years and Is it ever possible to truly know another person? Stephens layers one of the finest public servants I have ever had the privilege to his characters with such rich surprises and contradictions that know. Alan was an arts lover who supported many organizations we are guessing until the last moments of the play, and beyond. across the Bay Area, including BRIDGE Housing, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California College of the Arts, and of We invited Hal Brooks to direct Heisenberg because he has a course A.C.T. Alan led the campaign to rebuild the damaged wonderful knack with language and character, and because Geary Theater as well as our endowment campaign, and was A.C.T. was his first theatrical home. After studying at A.C.T., Hal indefatigable even when it seemed impossible. He had a deep went on to a distinguished career as a director and artistic belief, spurred by his undergraduate years at Columbia College, director (he ran The Pearl Theatre Company in New York and that the arts could change people’s lives and open their hearts currently runs the Cape Cod Theater Project). We also knew and minds to new ways of thinking. He was a joy to work immediately that the great Bay Area actor James Carpenter with and a gift of a human being. We salute his family and we should play Alex Priest. James has graced The Geary on celebrate his life. numerous occasions, and it means a great deal to me that he is taking on such a significant role in my last season here. To pair All my best, with him, we are delighted to introduce Sarah Grace Wilson as Georgie Burns. The intricate chess game of Heisenberg plays out on the beautiful designs of another Bay Area favorite, Alexander V. Nichols, in collaboration with Meg Neville and Brendan Aanes. Carey Perloff Artistic Director

13 Join us at The Strand for a MAY 17–20 week of free readings, master THE STRAND THEATER classes, panel discussions, art installations, happy hours, and 1127 MARKET STREET performances of new work! PRESENTING SPONSOR

VISIT ACT-SF.ORG/NEWSTRANDS FOR MORE INFORMATION. CAREY PERLOFF, Artistic Director PETER PASTREICH, Executive Director PRESENTS HEISENBERG BY SIMON STEPHENS DIRECTED BY HAL BROOKS

CREATIVE TEAM CAST SCENIC & LIGHTING DESIGNER ALEXANDER V. NICHOLS GEORGIE BURNS SARAH GRACE WILSON* COSTUME DESIGNER MEG NEVILLE ALEX PRIEST JAMES CARPENTER* SOUND DESIGNER BRENDAN AANES VOCAL COACH CHRISTINE ADAIRE DRAMATURG MICHAEL PALLER CASTING DIRECTOR JANET FOSTER, CSA UNDERSTUDIES

GEORGIE BURNS ARWEN ANDERSON* ALEX PRIEST ROGER GRUNWALD* STAGE MANAGEMENT

STAGE MANAGER ELISA GUTHERTZ* ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER DANI BAE* STAGE MANAGEMENT THIS PRODUCTION MADE POSSIBLE BY FELLOW BRI OWENS

PRODUCERS CLAY FOUNDATION - WEST CONCEPCIÓN AND IRWIN FEDERMAN ELSA AND NEIL PERING MERRILL RANDOL SHERWIN

Heisenberg is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York. ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS GAYLE AND STEVE BRUGLER CAROL DOLLINGER BARB AND GARY ERICKSON BETTY HOENER Heisenberg was originally commissioned by the LUBA KIPNIS AND DAVID RUSSEL Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry DR. MARTIN AND ELIZABETH TERPLAN Grove, Executive Producer), and received its world premiere there on May 19, 2015. CORPORATE PRODUCTION SPONSOR

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States

415.749.2228 15 ABOUT THE PLAY PHOTO BY KEVIN CUMMINS

Simon Stephens grew up in Stockport, a provincial British town that the playwright once described as a place “on the edge of things.” Today, however, Stephens is a name ESCAPE AND known worldwide. His 30-plus plays—including On the Shore of the Wide World (2006 Olivier Award) and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2015 Tony Award for Best Play)—have been staged all over the English- IMAGINATION speaking world (including at A.C.T., where the Young Conservatory produced Punk Rock in 2016). But while the AN INTERVIEW WITH playwright continues to travel widely for productions of PLAYWRIGHT SIMON STEPHENS his works, his imagination is still sparked by the -brick streets where he grew up. In between Stephens’s trips BY SIMON HODGSON to New York and Melbourne, we talked with him about inspiration, swearing, and his impression of America.

16 ACT-SF.ORG Where did the idea for Heisenberg come from? How did OPPOSITE you come up with these two characters? Playwright Simon Stephens. I read a story about a woman in my hometown who came BELOW to befriend and then deceive—to a quite criminal degree— Stephens at his home in London. an old man whom I knew as a child. I became fascinated by what was involved in friendship and deception, and then by what happens to the deceivers if their emotional response to their world takes them by surprise. I wanted to write characters that had the capacity to take themselves and each other by surprise. More than in many plays that I have written, Georgie and Alex are characters who surprise me. I wrote them often not knowing what they were going to say next. That spirit still defines them.

What’s your interest in Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle? I have come to science quite late in my life as a space of creativity and imagination and chaos and searching. When I was introduced to this simple particle theory by a scientist friend of mine, I was startled by how deeply it resonated with what it was to be a human being. In the end, the investigation of the dramatist is that aspect of humanity, so anything

that resonates with us in that sense should excite us. PHOTO BY SIMON ANNAND. COURTESY OF SIMON STEPHENS.

How does the play’s title link to the way that Alex and Georgie behave? The link comes from the theory which states that an observed particle can never be predicted and a particle whose projection is observed has not been fully seen. If you watch something closely enough, you can’t predict what it will do next. If you worry about what it is going to do, you are not looking at it hard enough. I tried to tell a story that dramatized the way that paradox played out in humanity. I have always been, and Both Georgie and Alex swear a lot—a tendency the characters remain, astonished by the remarkable, sad, frightening, are aware of and call out. Is that something you were beautiful things human beings can do to each other. conscious of or just how you heard their voices? Oh, I just love swearing. The wealth and depth of swearing is emblematic of the English language’s vitality, energy, and capacity for imagination. Unlike other European “I’VE ALWAYS BEEN ASTONISHED languages, it is in constant flux and a permanent state of reinvention. Nowhere is this reinvention more energized BY THE REMARKABLE, SAD, than in swearing. I would never trust a writer who didn’t cherish the word “fuck”—it can serve as so many different FRIGHTENING, BEAUTIFUL types of speech: a verb, a noun, a guttural, a conjunction, THINGS HUMAN BEINGS CAN an adverb, an adjective, an instruction, an exclamation. Heisenberg contains elements of both Britain and America. DO TO EACH OTHER.” Was that a deliberate storytelling choice? The play was a commission for a New York theater— Club. I have lived in London for 25 years now and You said once that you only write plays because you never think of myself as a Londoner. But since early childhood I made it into the line-up for the Manchester band The Fall. have been fascinated by New York and wanted to find a How does your interest in music inform Heisenberg? way in which I could dramatize the US as a place of escape The character of Alex is a man whose soul has been atrophied and imagination. That is what it has always been for me. by a broken heart. It is only when listening to music that his soul can explore itself. It is only then that he feels as though he is not alone. I can relate to that experience completely.

415.749.2228 17 ABOUT THE PLAY PHOTO COURTESY PIXABAY

AN UNCERTAIN WORLD WHY SIMON STEPHENS TITLED HIS PLAY HEISENBERG

BY ELSPETH SWEATMAN

18 ACT-SF.ORG In February 1927, German physicist Werner Heisenberg felt he was on the verge of discovering something revolutionary. He didn’t have the math yet to back it up, but deep down, he knew he was right. Just as Einstein had dreamed up his theory of relativity and changed forever the way physicists thought about space and time before he had the evidence to prove it, Heisenberg could see a new theory emerging, one that would shake the foundations of Western physics.

In simple terms, Heisenberg’s theory—the uncertainty principle—states that if you know the momentum of an object (such as an electron circling a nucleus), you will not be able to accurately measure its location. The same is true in reverse: you can know the position of the electron, but not its momentum. This is because an electron acts as both a particle (a defined entity) and a wave (something that is harder to pin down accurately because, like the ripples in a pond, it has no set position), and because the very act of measuring the PHOTO BY FRIEDRICH HUND. COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS. momentum and position affects the results.

Heisenberg’s discovery was a . For centuries, the world had been governed by Newtonian physics, a school of thought that believed that everything in our universe (gravity, weather patterns, the solar system) could be observed, measured, and predicted. Every event in nature, from large to small, had a cause and an effect. Now, physicists were Physicist Werner Heisenberg. confronted with a world that was inherently uncertain and unpredictable. likelihood is—you never properly see them,” says Stephens. In Heisenberg, neither Alex nor Georgie can accurately get the Gone was certainty, order, precision; now chaos, disorder, and measure of the other person; both can watch the other intently, unpredictability reigned supreme. Fellow physicist Albert but then still be surprised by what he or she does next. “That Einstein would spend the rest of his life trying to prove paradox was extraordinary as a means of interrogating what it Heisenberg wrong and restore order to the world, without was to be a human being,” said Stephens. success. But while it would make our lives more complicated, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle would also pave the way for For Stephens, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle is a tool for such modern inventions as nuclear energy, GPS, smartphones, examining the human psyche, all the little eccentricities and and MRI scanners. unpredictabilities that make us who we are. “Science is not something that’s alien or strange, geeky or weird,” he says, Almost immediately after it was published, Heisenberg’s “it’s the essence of what it is to be alive.” uncertainty principle became the go-to metaphor for journalists, politicians, anthropologists, philosophers, psychologists, actors, and cartoonists. Since 1927, it’s been used to explain everything from the existence of God to the Wall Street Crash of 1929 to the zone blitz in the NFL.

Non-scientists latched on to Heisenberg’s discovery as a means of explaining two specific aspects of our lives: the unpredictability and randomness of our world, and the observer effect—the idea that the act of measuring something Want to know more about Heisenberg? changes its behavior and the outcome. We witness the Words on Plays is full of interviews and original observer effect when we watch reality television; the presence essays that give you a behind-the-scenes look. of cameras causes people to change their behavior. We Proceeds from sales of Words on Plays benefit behave differently when we think we are being watched. A.C.T.’s education programs.

It is this aspect of the uncertainty principle that inspired Available at the box office and lobby, at the bars, playwright Simon Stephens. “If you’re carefully watching and online at act-sf.org/wordsonplays. where somebody is going or what someone is doing, the

415.749.2228 19 ABOUT THE PLAY PHOTO STEINBECK BY TAYLOR

THE UNIVERSE BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE AN INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR HAL BROOKS

BY ELSPETH SWEATMAN

20 ACT-SF.ORG It was while he was studying acting in A.C.T.’s Advanced How do the technical elements of the production Training Program (the precursor to the M.F.A. Program) in support this central relationship? the early 1990s that Hal Brooks discovered he wanted to be Stephens asks us to strip the world of the play down, make a director. After getting his feet wet creating and directing the stage as bare as possible. How do you take that in the Conservatory’s student , Brooks returned to stage direction and apply it to The Geary, a bigger, New York, where he directed Don DeLillo’s Valparaiso and higher, wider space? We’re dealing with two people Will Eno’s Thom Pain (based on nothing), among other plays. with whom we have to live throughout the course of this Soon, he found himself not only directing off Broadway at journey. We want to make sure that the play is about , , and Manhattan watching the mystery of that relationship unfold. You just Theatre Club, but also at regional theaters across the US. really want to get out of the way of the two actors. In 2012, Brooks became the artistic director at Cape Cod Theatre Project, an incubator of new play development, and in 2014, he also became the artistic director of The Pearl Theatre Company in New York. Now, Brooks is back where “HEISENBERG ASKS US TO BE it all started, directing Simon Stephens’s Heisenberg for the Geary stage. We sat down with him to discover his love OUTSIDE OF OURSELVES AND of Stephens’s work, new writing, and two-person plays. TO BE FULLY ENMESHED AND What drew you to Heisenberg? I’ve always been interested in the relationship of two IMMERSED IN A RELATIONSHIP OF people onstage, and how they interact with each other. Oftentimes, they’re saved by a third character, and a TWO PEOPLE WHOM WE LIKE BUT fourth, and a fifth, and a sixth, but it’s always interesting when it’s just the two of them, when a universe is created DON’T ENTIRELY TRUST OR KNOW.” between two people over the course of an unfolding of time. What will it be like for these two actors to be with each other over five weeks of rehearsal and four weeks of What insight can the play’s title give us into these performance? How will these two people—the actors as well two characters? as the characters—get to know each other over that period The title is elusive. Heisenberg is certainly not about the of time? And most importantly, how will they end up? physicist and it’s certainly not about science. And it’s not about Bryan Cranston’s nom de guerre in Breaking Georgie and Alex are meaty, complex roles. What Bad either. [Laughs] Heisenberg’s theory—that the act fascinates you most about them? of watching affects the outcome, that if you watch What makes Georgie a wonderful and wild character is how something you affect its speed or position—Stephens is you are unable to pin her down to facts. It is because of applying that to human relationships. That’s where the her slipperiness that you are compelled to watch her; you uncertainty lies. There are these two characters who want to know what is really motivating her behavior. It’s a are watching each other and clearly affecting how they great mystery. The other part of that mystery is why Alex perceive each other and where they’re going to end up. continues to engage with her, given her being very upfront about what’s not true, and her perpetually saying just that What can the two characters in Heisenberg show us one thing more that might force Alex to leave. There’s an about who we are? instability about her that is fascinating and compelling, Heisenberg asks us to be outside of ourselves and to be fully whereas Alex feels like he’s the stable component. enmeshed and immersed in a relationship of two people whom we like but don’t entirely trust or know. What we’re With such an intimate play, does it help to have a ready for is investing in them and in the possibility that shorthand with your two actors? they’ll work things out. Because in the end, as unlikely as Having a familiarity with both of the actors in Heisenberg it is, sometimes we just have to wake up in the morning is a wonderful thing for me. I met James Carpenter on and be very personal with the person that we’re with. one of my first professional gigs, when I was an assistant It takes a layer of faith to be with another person in this director for Tony Taccone at Berkeley Repertory Theatre very intimate way. And it always does in real life. in 1994. And I have known Sarah [Grace Wilson] since she graduated from Juilliard. When she came to the audition, I turned to A.C.T.’s casting director Janet Foster, and we both just knew she was our Georgie.

415.749.2228 21 WHO’S WHO IN HEISENBERG JAMES Choice Award for Principal Performance), ROGER CARPENTER* Sometimes a Great Notion (Portland GRUNWALD* (Alex Priest) is an Center Stage), A Christmas Carol (Actors (), A.C.T. veteran actor Theatre of Louisville), Hay Fever and a cofounder of with credits Christmas on Mars (The Old Globe), New York’s Castillo including Rock ’n’ Three Sisters (American Repertory Theatre, recently Roll, ’Tis Pity She’s a Theater, Edinburgh International starred in the world Whore, Cat on a Hot Festival), The Story (The Public Theater, premiere of his Tin Roof, A Doll’s House, Glengarry Glen ), Six Degrees of full-length solo stage drama The Ross, and A Christmas Carol. He is an Separation (), and Obligation (Potrero Stage), directed by associate artist with California Wintertime (A Contemporary Theatre). Nancy Carlin. Between 2014 and 2017, Shakespeare Theater and a former Her screen credits include Billions, Grunwald toured in an original associate artist with Berkeley Repertory Allegiance, Law & Order, and The Last presentation he co-created with Annie Theatre. Other credits include work at Romantic, among others. Wilson is a McGreevey called The Mitzvah Project, a Aurora Theatre Company, Magic Theatre, graduate of Juilliard where she received short, Holocaust-themed play and Marin Theatre Company, Shotgun Players, the John Houseman Prize for exceptional lecture, which he presented at over 80 TheatreWorks, the Mark Taper Forum, ability in classical theater. universities, theaters, high schools, and The Old Globe, Oregon Shakespeare religious organizations in the US, Canada, Festival, Yale Repertory Theatre, Santa ARWEN the UK, and Israel. He co-starred in the Cruz Shakespeare, Huntington Theatre ANDERSON* premiere episode of the HBO series Vinyl, Company, and Intiman Theatre. Screen (Understudy) directed by Martin Scorsese, and has credits include the feature films The returns to A.C.T. portrayed Otto Frank in numerous Rainmaker and Metro, the independent where she has productions of the play Anne and films Singing and For the Coyotes, and worked on Let There Emmett, which he will soon perform in the series Nash Bridges. Carpenter is the Be Love, A Christmas again in Amsterdam. A native San recipient of many San Francisco Bay Carol, and Armistead Franciscan, Grunwald grew up watching Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards, Maupin’s Tales of the City (workshop). A.C.T. productions. He graduated from including the 2007 Award for Excellence Regional credits include , UC Berkeley, trained at the London in the Arts and the 2013 Lifetime Romeo and Juliet, and The Verona Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and Achievement Award. In 2010, he was Project (world premiere) at California studied under Wynn Handman. named a Ten Chimneys Foundation Shakespeare Theater; August: Osage Lunt-Fontanne Fellow. County, Anne Boleyn, Circle Mirror SIMON STEPHENS (Playwright) Transformation, Bellwether (world has written many plays that have SARAH GRACE premiere), and been translated into more than 30 WILSON* at Marin Theatre Company; An Accident, languages and produced all over the (Georgie Burns) Mrs. Whitney, Expedition 6, The Rules of world. He is a professor of playwriting makes her A.C.T. Charity (all world premieres), and at Manchester Metropolitan University, debut with Mauritius at Magic Theatre; 77% at San an associate playwright at the Royal Heisenberg. Her Francisco Playhouse; Miss Julie at Court Theatre, the artistic associate acting credits Stanford Repertory Theater; at the Lyric Hammersmith in London, include Torch Song and The Shape of Things at Aurora and the Steep Associate Playwright Trilogy and The Prime of Miss Jean Theatre Company; You Know When the at Steep Theatre in . Brodie (Studio Theatre; Helen Hayes Men Are Gone and 4 Adverbs with Word Award nomination for Outstanding for Word Performing Arts Company; and HAL BROOKS (Director), a graduate Supporting Actress), Proof and Dinner roles with American Stage Festival, San of A.C.T.’s Advanced Training Program, with Friends (Palm Beach Dramaworks), Jose Repertory Theatre, TheatreWorks, makes his Geary Theater directing Macbeth and Measure for Measure (Elm Brava! For Women in the Arts, Marines’ debut with Heisenberg. Brooks has Shakespeare Company), Cyrano Memorial Theatre, Encore Theatre been the artistic director of the Cape (Baltimore Center Stage), Melissa Arctic Company, and Central Works. Her film Cod Theatre Project since 2012. He is (Two River Theater Company), Uncle work includes Hog Island, Ashley 22, and also the associate artistic director of the Vanya and Othello (California Dark Retreat. Anderson is a graduate of Ojai Playwrights Conference. Recent Shakespeare Theater; Dean Goodman Wesleyan University. credits include Residence and Six Years

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States 22 ACT-SF.ORG (Humana Festival of New American Rabbit (Berkeley Repertory Theatre); Plays), The Whale (Denver Center for and Reel to Reel (Magic Theatre). the Performing Arts), Tigers Be Still Among her Berkeley Rep credits are (Dallas Theater Center), and Be a Good Hand to God; It Can’t Happen Here; Little Widow (The Old Globe). In New One Man, Two Guvnors; Macbeth; York, Brooks directed Will Eno’s Thom X’s and O’s (A Football Love Story); Pain (based on nothing); Nilaja Sun’s An Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide No Child; By the Water (Manhattan to Capitalism and Socialism with a Theatre Club); Urge for Going (The Key to the Scriptures; Party People; Public Theater); and The Bad Guys and Pericles, Prince of Tyre. Oregon (Second Stage Theater). As artistic Shakespeare Festival credits include director of The Pearl Theatre Company, The Cocoanuts, Long Day’s Journey into Brooks accepted an for Night, The Taming of the Shrew, and Artistic Excellence last spring. At A.C.T., Ghost Light. As an artistic associate at he directed Baby with the Bathwater California Shakespeare Theater, Neville (Children’s Creativity Museum), Crane designed numerous Shakespeare and by JC Lee (workshop), and The Man Shaw productions. New York and from Saigon by Don Nguyen (2017 New regional credits include productions at Strands Festival). Brooks has been a Yale Repertory Theatre, South Coast lecturer at Yale College since 2010. Repertory, Dallas Theater Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Chicago ALEXANDER V. NICHOLS (Scenic Theater, Portland Stage Company, and Lighting Designer) returns to A.C.T. Baltimore Center Stage, Hartford Stage, for his 21st production. Broadway credits , The Public include Wishful Drinking, Hugh Jackman: Theater, and New York Stage and Film. Back , Nice Work If You She is a graduate of Brown University Can Get It, and Latin History for Morons. and the Yale School of Drama. Off-Broadway credits include Los Big Names, Horizon, Bridge & Tunnel, Taking BRENDAN AANES (Sound Over, Through the Night, In the Wake, Designer) has designed sound for In Masks Outrageous and Austere, and recent A.C.T. productions, including Ernest Shackleton Loves Me. Regional The Unfortunates, John, The Hard theater credits include designs for Problem, and Chester Bailey. He has Berkeley Repertory Theatre, the Mark also designed The Curious Incident Of Taper Forum, Oregon Shakespeare The Dog in the Night-Time and Fire in Festival, , Huntington Dreamland at Kansas City Repertory Theatre Company, La Jolla Playhouse, Theatre; Balls and {my lingerie play} and Seattle Repertory Theatre. Nichols off Broadway; is the resident designer for Margaret and Othello at California Shakespeare Jenkins Dance Company, Pennsylvania Theater; Cowboy Bob at ; Ballet, Hartford City Ballet, and American Triangle, The Life Of The Party, The Repertory Ballet. His designs are in Confederates, and The Lake Effect at the repertory of San Francisco Ballet, TheatreWorks; The Way West at Marin Boston Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Theatre Company; and The Hundred Dance Theater, and Hubbard Street Flowers Project at Crowded Fire Theater. Dance Chicago, among others. Recent projects include Elizabeth Cree at Opera CHRISTINE ADAIRE (Vocal Philadelphia, Nixon in China at the Los Coach) is head of voice at A.C.T. Angeles Philharmonic, and Bluebeard’s She is a Designated Master Linklater Castle at the Cleveland Orchestra. Voice Teacher, trained by the world renowned voice teacher Kristin MEG NEVILLE (Costume Designer) Linklater. She has worked as an actor, is a Bay Area costume designer. Recent voice coach, and director in many productions include Blithe Spirit American regional theaters, including (Guthrie Theater); Imaginary Comforts, The Old Globe, Milwaukee Repertory or The Story of the Ghost of the Dead Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Chicago

415.749.2228 23 Theatre (Cleveland), then worked ELISA GUTHERTZ* (Stage as script consultant for Manhattan Manager) most recently worked on Theatre Club and the Eugene O’Neill The Birthday Party and Hamlet at A.C.T. Proud to Theater Center, and has since been Last season she stage-managed A a dramaturg for George Street Thousand Splendid Suns at A.C.T. and Support Playhouse, the Berkshire Theatre Theatre Calgary. Her numerous other Festival, Barrington Stage Company, productions for A.C.T. include A Night A.C.T. Long Wharf Theatre, Roundabout with Janis Joplin, King Charles III, Chester Theatre Company, and others. He Bailey, The Realistic Joneses, Monstress, dramaturged the Russian premiere Love and Information, Testament, Major of Tennessee Williams’s Small Craft Barbara, Underneath the Lintel, Arcadia, Warnings at Moscow’s Sovremennik The Normal Heart, The Scottsboro Boys, Theater. Paller is the author of Endgame and Play, Scorched, Clybourne Personal attention Gentlemen Callers: Tennessee Williams, Park, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, The thoughtful litigation Homosexuality, and Mid-Twentieth- Rainmaker, A Number, and Eve Ensler’s final resolution Century Drama; Williams in an Hour; The Good Body, among others. She has

Our goal is to preserve our LAW FAMILY and A Five-Act Play: 50 Years of A.C.T. also stage-managed The Mystery of Irma client’s dignity and humanity. He has also written theater and book Vep, Suddenly Last Summer, Rhinoceros, reviews for the Washington Post, Big Love, Civil Sex, Collected Stories, and Village Voice, and Newsday magazine. Cloud Tectonics at Berkeley Repertory Before his arrival at A.C.T., he taught Theatre. Other productions include FA M I LYLAW G R OUP, P. C . at Columbia University and the State The Good Body at the University of New York at Purchase. on Broadway, Big Love at Brooklyn 575 Market Street, Suite 4000 Academy of Music, and The Vagina San Francisco, CA 94105 (Casting Monologues at the Alcazar Theatre. 415.834.1120 JANET FOSTER, CSA www.sflg.com Director) has cast for A.C.T. for six seasons including Hamlet, The Hard DANI BAE* (Assistant Stage Problem, King Charles III, John, Arcadia, Manager) returns to A.C.T. for Stuck Elevator, The Orphan of Zhao, Heisenberg. Recent A.C.T. credits include Shakespeare, , Lyric Napoli!, Elektra, Endgame and Play, The Birthday Party and A Thousand Opera, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Scorched. On Broadway she cast Splendid Suns. Bae has worked Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Court The Light in the Piazza (Artios Award locally at Aurora Theatre Company Theatre, American Players Theatre, nomination), Lennon, Ma Rainey’s Black on Luna Gale and Splendour. Other Theatre for a New Audience (NYC), Santa Bottom, and Taking Sides (co-cast). favorite stage management credits Cruz Shakespeare, and Shakespeare & Off-Broadway credits include True include the Bard Music Festival (Bard Company. Adaire has taught at DePaul Love, Floyd Collins, The Monogamist, SummerScape) and Urinetown: The University, National Theatre School of A Cheever Evening, and Later Life. Musical (American Theatre of Actors). Canada, University of Massachusetts– Regionally, she has worked at Intiman She has recently completed a stage Amherst, University of Wisconsin– Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, management fellowship at A.C.T. Milwaukee, and Roosevelt University. California Shakespeare Theater, Berkeley Bae has a BFA in stage management She’s taught workshops in Shanghai, Repertory Theatre, Yale Repertory from Syracuse University. Barcelona, London, , and New Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Zealand. Her current area of research Theatre Company, The Old Globe, and and writing is transgender voice. She American Repertory Theater. Film, works with transgender individuals so television, and radio credits include that they can modify their voice to more Cosby, Tracey Takes On New York, fully express their gender identity. The Deal, Advice from a Caterpillar, The Day That Lehman Died (Peabody, MICHAEL PALLER (Dramaturg) SONY, and Wincott awards), and “T” joined A.C.T. as resident dramaturg and Is for Tom ( radio plays, director of humanities in 2005, where WNYC and WQXR). She also cast he has been the dramaturg for more LifeAfter, a GE Theater podcast. than 70 productions and workshops. He began his professional career as literary manager at Center Repertory

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States 24 ACT-SF.ORG PHOTO COURTESY DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY.

IN MEMORIAM:

A.C.T. Artistic Director Carey Perloff and Alan Stein at A.C.T.’s ALAN STEIN Producers Circle Dinner at The Geary (2013). A.C.T. mourns the loss of Alan Stein, beloved chair of A.C.T.’s and nurturing her creative vision, and was instrumental Board of Trustees from 1988 to 1997 and a consummate in the campaign to rebuild The Geary. His courage, advocate for and supporter of arts and culture across the commitment, and irreverence ushered in a new era for Bay Area. A theater-loving Columbia College graduate A.C.T. and helped stimulate the enormous growth the with a distinguished career in finance, Alan first became company has witnessed over the past two decades. involved at A.C.T. in the 1970s, shortly after relocating to San Francisco from New York. In the early days, he As emeritus chair, Alan served as the campaign co-chair for worked closely with Artistic Director William Ball to A.C.T.’s first endowment campaign, which secured more than support the company and orient it toward the future. $30 million. Today, Alan and his wife, Ruth, are remembered throughout A.C.T. in the conference room at 30 Grant that In 1988, with A.C.T. facing economic challenges, Alan bears their name, and in the Christmas Carol characters Alan returned to the board, becoming chair months before and Ruth—two of the jolliest guests at the Fezziwigs’ party. the Loma Prieta earthquake. In the wake of that disaster, with The Geary in ruins, he pointed the way A.C.T. owes an immeasurable debt of gratitude to forward with the words, “The show must go on.” Alan, a generous and visionary leader who worked hand in hand with three artistic directors, ensured the Alan’s energy, persuasiveness, and financial know-how, company’s long-term financial stability, and played developed during a career that included leadership roles numerous roles across five decades of A.C.T.’s history. at Goldman Sachs and Montgomery Securities, was We will miss him enormously, and we celebrate his paramount to A.C.T.’s revival in the 1990s. He played wonderful family and salute his remarkable life. an active role in hiring Artistic Director Carey Perloff

ACT-SF.ORG 25 415.749.2228 25 INSIDE A.C.T. PHOTO BY CHAD BATKA

A PERSONAL CONNECTION AN INTERVIEW WITH A.C.T.’S NEXT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PAM MACKINNON BY SIMON HODGSON

26 ACT-SF.ORG Pam MacKinnon was appointed A.C.T.’s next artistic director in girls who played street hockey with the boys. I went to college January. Although she’s due to start full-time in San Francisco in Toronto specifically to be on an urban campus. I have lived in on July 1, MacKinnon is already working closely with Carey New York for years. So to work at A.C.T., a theater that is in the Perloff, the Board of Trustees, and teams across A.C.T. on city center, is important to me. I’ve always been drawn to cities. planning for our 2018–19 season. In between checking in on her current Broadway show The Parisian Woman, with Uma You’ve lived in several different places. What environments Thurman, and casting her next production for the spring in inspire you? New York, a world premiere by Jordan Harrison, MacKinnon I love to travel. When I was seven, my father, who was a sat down with us to talk about her own story and what’s ahead. professor of geography, went on sabbatical. This was in the mid-1970s. We lived in Austria for a year and I was enrolled in a local school outside Vienna. I was an avid reader, very big on Tintin—another kid who traveled. Recently I’ve been very fortunate; in the span of six months, I had a few out-of-the-blue “TO DIG INTO A PLACE AND REALLY opportunities to go to new places: Budapest, Rio de Janeiro, GET TO KNOW AN AUDIENCE IS and northern Greece. You’ve been a freelance director for 20 years. What do VERY EXCITING TO ME.” you look for in new work? I have to have an immediate personal connection to a play. It needs to be a story that I want to share—that has an emotional core. I’m drawn to stories that give equal weight to both men What are you looking forward to at A.C.T.? and women. It’s not just that if there are two men, there must Having an artistic home. I have always been a freelance be two women. It’s that the women are treated as messy director and that is a wonderful thing, hopping from project and complicated and have points of view. And I gravitate to to project, accruing an artistic family along the way. But I’ve stories that lead with humor, and use humor to disseminate never been part of an institution, let alone a leader of an a story that eventually goes deep and dark. Take Edward institution. So to dig into a place and really get to know an Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? It might ultimately be a audience is very exciting to me. deeply harrowing story, but throughout, there are moments of desperate comedy. You’ve had offers from major theaters in the past. What motivates this step now? Becoming part of an institution is something I’ve been thinking about for a number of years and finally the right opportunity, the right theater, and the right time in my career have all “IT NEEDS TO BE A STORY THAT coalesced. About six years ago, when my career moved onto Broadway, I specifically said no to calls from headhunters, I WANT TO SHARE—THAT HAS because I wanted to really see what Broadway could be. I’ve now directed seven plays there in a very short time, so AN EMOTIONAL CORE.” I’ve done that and may continue to do that when it’s the right project. But I want to wrest a bit more control into my artistic life. As a director, The Geary and The Strand must be spaces What are your thoughts about moving west? you can’t wait to get your hands on. In my early twenties I lived in Southern California, studying at Absolutely. During my interview process at A.C.T., I got UC San Diego, and I’ve always thought fondly of that time. It has a tour of The Geary early on a Sunday morning. Over the always been a place I go back to. San Francisco is a beautiful years I’ve seen a number of shows at The Geary, including and cosmopolitan city, a seat of innovation and higher learning, The Gem of the Ocean and The Black Rider: The Casting of and a crown jewel of this country. Like a lot of American cities, the Magic Bullets. So to sit in this great empty theater, and it’s learning how to deal and manage and live with great new hop from lower orchestra to mid-orchestra and then from wealth next to people who are struggling and desperate. There mid-mezzanine up to the balcony was quite a treat. I’m is something very alive and thrilling in San Francisco. excited to fill The Geary and The Strand with bold, surprising stories, directed both by me as well as artists I admire. It is Where do you feel most at home? a time to dream big. I’m a city person. Until I was nine, I lived in Toronto, in the city center. As a kid I had a lot of freedom; in first grade, I walked on my own to school. I was a bit of a tomboy—one of the few

415.749.2228 27 INSIDE A.C.T. PHOTO BY JAY YAMADA JAY BY PHOTO

NEW YEAR, NEW NAMES, NEW WORK

A SNEAK PEEK AT THE 2018 The cast of Fatherville, directed by Carey NEW STRANDS FESTIVAL Perloff, at the 2017 New Strands Festival. BY TAYLOR STEINBECK

This year, A.C.T.’s New Strands Festival is going global. After a working farm in Brewster, New York, SPACE is a nonprofit artist the success of last year’s festival—which showcased works in residency program that has become “one of the leading curators progress from such homegrown talents as playwright Lauren of the next generation of new work,” says Donald. Keep an eye Yee, composer Byron Au Yong, and director Lisa Peterson— on our website for more about these two projects—a pop-rock A.C.T. Associate Artistic Director Andy Donald wants to open musical by Emily Kaczmarek and Kate Sullivan and an epic play the doors of The Strand even wider. “The 2018 artists are new by Ngozi Anyanwu starring an all-black cast. American voices with global visions and global appetites,” says Donald. “The festival is still going to be about San Francisco, Along with welcoming the Bay Area community to The Strand but this year, it’ll be about bringing the world to our city.” Theater for a third year, the 2018 New Strands Festival will feature more master classes, panel discussions, and happy The 2018 lineup is inspired by a multitude of perspectives: a hours for theater lovers. The festival, sponsored by nonprofit new play by Hawaiian-born playwright Susan Soon-He Stanton tech company Mozilla, will run an extra day compared to for the M.F.A. Program class of 2019 (co-commissioned with past years, with each presentation receiving two readings Crowded Fire Theater); a new translation by Domenique instead of one, enabling theatergoers to provide more of their Lozano of German playwright Friedrich Schiller’s passionate valuable input. “We don’t just want our audience to witness an drama Don Carlos; the third workshop of Jeremy Cohen artistic process, but to actually be a collaborator,” says Donald. and Indian-born Dipika Guha’s emotional LGBTQ+ romance, “Wherever the works may go after the festival, San Francisco Malicious Animal Magnetism; and a social justice play written audiences can feel an attachment to these works, because by Mexican American playwright Marisela Treviño Orta for they had a part in their creation.” A.C.T.’s Young Conservatory, Oakland’s Destiny Arts Center, and our public high school residencies. The 2018 New Strands Festival is free and open to the Look out too for a pair of exciting projects from SPACE on public and runs May 17 to 20. To find out more, Ryder Farm, the new play incubator partnering with A.C.T. to visit act-sf.org/newstrands. develop work for this year’s New Strands Residency. Located on

28 ACT-SF.ORG INSIDE A.C.T. PHOTOS BY ALESSANDRA MELLO ALESSANDRA BY PHOTOS

DREAMS OF THE FUTURE THE PROSPERO SOCIETY BRUNCH BY A.C.T. PUBLICATIONS STAFF

One Saturday in January, A.C.T.’s Prospero Society members met in The Garret at The Geary Theater for good food, good company, and an inside look into an actor’s process. They were joined by Artistic Director Carey Perloff, Dramaturg Michael Paller, and two members of the cast of A.C.T.’s critically acclaimed The Birthday Party, Firdous Bamji and Marco Barricelli. Both Perloff and Barricelli recounted heartfelt and funny stories of meeting and working with Birthday Party playwright Harold Pinter, and Bamji spoke about the collaborative nature of Pinter’s work and how wonderful it has been to work with Perloff and the rest of the cast.

Named after the magician in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, A.C.T.’s Prospero Society was created especially for those theater lovers who have included A.C.T. in their estate plans. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP David Rovno, Patricia Heldman, and guest; actor Firdous No matter the amount they’ve set aside, our Prospero Society Bamji, A.C.T. Dramaturg Michael Paller, and actor Marco members know that every dollar ensures A.C.T.’s future Barricelli at the 2018 Prospero Society Brunch. remains bright. Their support lays the foundation for many of A.C.T.’s Education & Community Programs—including Thank you to all of our Prospero Society training scholarships in the Young Conservatory and Studio members for your support. A.C.T., community outreach, and in-school residencies—as well as new-play development and mainstage productions. For more information on insider events such as the “A.C.T.’s Prospero Society is about enjoying the present and Prospero Brunch, membership benefits, and how to valuing the future,” says member Richard T. Davis-Lowell. plan your legacy gift to A.C.T., visit act-sf.org/prospero “It is about ensuring the future of A.C.T. and benefiting or contact Deputy Director of Development Tiffany Redmon at 415.439.2482 or [email protected]. future students and artists that you may never meet. That is why I give.”

415.749.2228 29 FRANNIE FLEISHHACKER, CO-CHAIR • ROBINA RICCITIELLO, CO-CHAIR We are privileged to recognize Producers Circle members’ generosity during the February 1, 2017, to February 1, 2018, period. For information about Producers Circle membership, please contact Tiffany Redmon at 415.439.2482 or [email protected].

*An Evening at Elsinore event sponsor/lead supporter †A Dickens of a Holiday event sponsor/lead supporter

SEASON PRESENTERS

PRISCILLA AND FRED M. LEVIN AND TONI REMBE AND MARY AND JEFF AND KEITH GEESLIN† NANCY LIVINGSTON* ARTHUR ROCK STEVEN SWIG LAURIE UBBEN Priscilla is a vice chair of Nancy is the immediate Past chair of A.C.T.’s Board Steven has served on Jeff is a founder of ValueAct A.C.T.’s Board of Trustees past chair of A.C.T.’s Board of Trustees, Toni is a retired A.C.T.’s board since 1986 Capital and a director of and chairs the Development of Trustees. She serves on partner at Pillsbury Winthrop and is cofounder of Presidio 21st Century Fox Inc. and Committee. She serves on the the boards at the College Shaw Pittman. Arthur was Graduate School. Mary is Willis Towers Watson PLC. boards of SF General Hospital of Fine Arts at Boston one of America’s first venture on the Women’s Leadership He serves on the boards of Foundation, the SF Symphony, University and the National capitalists. Along with other Board of Harvard University’s Duke University, Northwestern Grace Cathedral, and NARAL Council for the American community endeavors, they John F. Kennedy School of University, and the E. O. Wilson Pro-Choice America. A Theatre. Fred serves on the are cofounders of the Arthur Government. They serve on Biodiversity Foundation. principal of Francisco Partners, boards of the SF Symphony, and Toni Rembe Rock Center the boards of the Solar Electric Laurie founded San Francisco’s Keith is the president of SF the Asian Art Museum, for Corporate Governance Light Fund and the Americans Bird School of Music. Opera’s board of trustees. and the SF Film Society. at Stanford Law School. for Cures Foundation.

COMPANY SPONSORS EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Diane B. Wilsey* Clay Foundation - West Jerome L. and Thao N. Dodson Lesley Ann Clement and Karl Lukaszewicz Nola Yee Rich Rava and Elisa Neipp Ray and Dagmar Dolby Family Fund* Bill and Phyllis Draper Kay Yun and Andre Neumann-Loreck*†Ɨ LeRoy Ortopan Frannie Fleishhacker Sakana FoundationƗ Elsa and Neil Pering Kevin and Celeste Ford Jo S. Hurley* PRODUCERS Mr. and Mrs. Tom Perkins* Mr. and Mrs. Gordon P. Getty Christopher and Leslie Johnson Paul Asente and Ron Jenks Merrill Randol Sherwin Jeri Lynn and Jeffrey W. Johnson*† John Little and Heather Stallings Little Nancy and Joachim Bechtle David and Carla Riemer* Burt and Deedee McMurtry* Ɨ Janet V. Lustgarten†Ɨ Lloyd and Janet Cluff Sally and Toby Rosenblatt* Barbara Ravizza and John S. Osterweis Nion McEvoy and Leslie Berriman Daniel E. Cohn and Lynn Brinton Dr. Caroline Emmett and Dr. Russell Rydel Patti and Rusty Rueff Kenneth and Gisele Miller Carlotta and Robert Dathe* Abby and Gene Schnair* Jack and Susy Wadsworth James C. Hormel and Michael P. Nguyen Concepción and Irwin Federman Kathleen Scutchfield Barry Williams and Lalita Tademy† Robina Riccitiello†Ɨ Linda Jo Fitz* Anne and Michelle Shonk* Lori Halverson Schryer†Ɨ Kirke and Nancy Sawyer Hasson* Cherie Sorokin Mr. and Mrs. Charles R. Schwab Stephen and Diane Heiman* Doug Tilden Valli Benesch and Bob Tandler The Marymor Family Fund Susan A. Van Wagner Don and Judy McCubbin Aaron Vermut and Mr. and Mrs. J. A. McQuown Adriana López Vermut†Ɨ Mary and Gene Metz Barbara and Stephan Vermut† Donald J. and Toni Ratner Miller*

DIANNE HOGE, CO-CHAIR • NOLA YEE, CO-CHAIR

We are privileged to recognize these members’ generosity during the February 1, 2017, to February 1, 2018, period. For information about Directors Circle membership, please contact Tiffany Redmon at 415.439.2482 or [email protected].

*An Evening at Elsinore event sponsor/lead supporter †A Dickens of a Holiday event sponsor/lead supporter

ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS Vicki and David Fleishhacker Marcia and Jim Levy Barbara Phillips Paul Angelo Tom Frankel Jennifer S. Lindsay Lisa and John Pritzker Family Fund Mrs. Barbara Bakar Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Gallagher Helen M. Marcus, in memory of John Riccitiello Kenneth Berryman Dr. and Mrs. Richard E. Geist David Williamson Rick and Anne Riley Dr. Barbara L. Bessey Arnie and Shelly Glassberg* Drs. Michael and Jane Marmor Dr. James Robinson and Ben and Noel Bouck Glasser Family Fund Christine and Stan Mattison Ms. Kathy Kohrman Linda Joanne Brown Dr. Allan P. Gold and Mr. Alan C. Ferrara Mr. and Mrs. Robert McGrath Matt and Yvonne Rogers Gayle and Steve Brugler Marcia and John Goldman Milton Mosk and Thomas Foutch Susan Roos James and Julia Davidson Marcia and Geoffrey Green Tim Mott and Pegan Brooke Paul and Julie Seipp Carol Dollinger Betty Hoener Paula and John Murphy Rick and Cindy Simons William H. Donner Foundation Dianne and Ron Hoge*†Ɨ Terry and Jan Opdendyk Lee and Carolyn Snowberg The New Ark Fund Chris and Holly Hollenbeck The Bernard Osher Foundation Mr. Laurence L. Spitters Barb and Gary Erickson Luba Kipnis and David Russel* Norman and Janet Pease Emmett and Marion Stanton Nancy and Jerry Falk Mr. Joel Krauska and Ms. Patricia Fox Marjorie Perloff Vera and Harold Stein Mr. Rodney Ferguson and Linda Kurtz* Ms. Saga Perry and Mr. Frederick Perry Dr. Martin and Elizabeth Terplan Ms. Kathleen Egan

30 ACT-SF.ORG Patrick S. Thompson* DIRECTORS Mr. Brian Kliment Louise Wattrus John and Sandra Thompson Anonymous (3) Harold L. Wyman Foundation Ms. Carol Watts Mrs. Katherine G. Wallin and Mr. Howard J. Adams Thomas and Barbara Lasinski Ms. Patricia Tomlinson and Mr. Homer Wallin Martha and Michael Adler Harriet Lawrie Mr. Bennet Weintraub Katherine Welch Bruce and Betty Alberts Mr. Richard Lee and Irv Weissman and Family Mr. and Mrs. Bruce White Lynn Altshuler and Stanley D. Herzstein Ms. Patricia Taylor Lee Ms. Beth Weissman Beverly and Loring Wyllie Mr. and Mrs. Harold P. Anderson Ms. Pamela D Lee Marie and Daniel Welch Sharon L. Anderson Dr. Lois Levine Mundie Mr. and Mrs. David Wilcox PLAYWRIGHTS Ms. Kay Auciello Mr. Michael Levy and Kenneth and Sharon Wilson Ray and Jackie Apple Jeanne and William Barulich Mr. Michael Golden Mr. David S. Wood and Mr. Eugene Barcone Bonnie Frank and Michele Bear Ms. Helen S. Lewis Ms. Kathleen Garrison Sara and Wm. Anderson Barnes Fund Jane Bernstein and Robert Ellis Sue Yung Li and Dale K. Ikeda Mr. and Mrs. Roy B. Woolsey The Tournesol Project David and Rosalind Bloom Ron and Mary Loar The Arthur and David V. Beery and Norman Abramson* Larry and Lisbeth Blum Ms. Evelyn Lockton Charlotte Zitrin Foundation Donna L. Beres and Terry Dahl Peter Blume Ms. Gayla Lorthridge Roger and Helen Bohl John Boland and James Carroll Dr. Thane Kreiner and Ms. Donna Bohling and Christopher and Debora Booth Dr. Steven Lovejoy Mr. Douglas Kalish Brenda and Roger Borovoy Richard N. Hill and Nancy Lundeen Mr. Mitchell Bolen and Nicholas and Janice Brathwaite Patrick Machado Mr. John Christner Benjamin Bratt and Talisa Soto Stephanie and Jim Marver Mr. Mark Casagranda Jean L. Brenner John B. McCallister Dolly Chammas Mrs. Libi Cape Elisabeth and Daniel McKinnon Madeline and Myrkle Deaton Denis Carrade and Jeanne Fadelli Sue and Ken Merrill Richard DeNatale and Craig Latker Steven and Karin Chase Ms. Nancy Michel Ms. Roberta Denning Susan and Ralph G. Coan, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Roger Miles Michael G. Dovey Rebecca Coleman J. Sanford Miller and Vinie Zhang Miller Emerald Gate Charitable Trust Mr. and Mrs. David Crane Craig and Kathy Moody Philip and Judy Erdberg Mr. and Mrs. Ricky J. Curotto Mr. and Mrs. Merrill E. Newman Jacqueline and Christian Erdman Tiffanie DeBartolo and Scott Schumaker Ms. Mary D. Niemiller Sue and Ed Fish Robert and Judith DeFranco Mrs. Margaret O’Drain Mr. and Mrs. Patrick F. Flannery Ingrid M. Deiwiks Emilie and Douglas Ogden Dr. and Mrs. Fred N. Fritsch Reid and Peggy Dennis Margo and Roy Ogus Mrs. Susan Fuller William Dewey Ms. Barbara Oleksiw Sameer Gandhi and Monica Lopez Mrs. Julie D. Dickson Meredith Orthwein Dr. A. Goldschlager Art and JoAnne Dlott Janet and Clyde Ostler Barbara Grasseschi and Tony Crabb Bonnie and Rick Dlott Janine Paver and Eric Brown Mark and Renee Greenstein Anne and Gerald Down Kenneth Preston Mr. Bill Gregory Ms. Kathleen Dumas Gordon Radley Kaatri and Doug Grigg Charles and Susan Fadley Sandi and Mark Randall Rose Hagan and Mark Lemley Mr. Alexander L. Fetter and Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Ratinoff Mr. and Mrs. Henry Paul Hensley Ms. Lynn Bunim Albert and Roxanne Richards Fund Bannus and Cecily Hudson Mr. Robert Feyer and Jeff and Karen Richardson Alex Ingersoll and Martin TannenbaumƗ Ms. Marsha Cohen* Victoria and Daniel Rivas Alan and Cricket Jones Jacques Fortier Mrs. Marianne B. Robison Paola and Richard Kulp Laura Frey and Erico Gomes Ms. Shelagh Rohlen Melanie and Peter Maier -John Lynda Fu Barbara G. Rosenblum Brockway Huntington Foundation Ms. Kathleen Gallivan Susan Rosin and Brian Bock Mr. Byron R. Meyer Marilee K. Gardner Marieke Rothschild Mr. Daniel Murphy William Garland and Michael Mooney Ms. Irene Rothschild Barbara O’Connor Mr. Michael R. Genesereth Ms. Dace Rutland Mr. Don O’Neal Susan and Dennis Gilardi Ms. Monica Salusky and Peter Pastreich and Jamie Whittington Ms. Ann M. Griffiths Mr. John Sutherland Mr. Adam Pederson Raymond and Gale L. Grinsell Betty and Jack Schafer Ms. Carey Perloff and Mr. Anthony Giles Ms. Margaret J. Grover Russ Selinger Mr. and Mrs. William Pitcher Naren and Vinita Gupta Mr. and Mrs. John Shankel Joseph E. and Julie Ratner*†Ɨ James Haire and Timothy Cole Mr. James Shay and Mr. Steven Correll Mr. and Mrs. John A. Reitan Mr. and Mrs. Richard Halliday Mr. Earl G. Singer Gary and Joyce Rifkind Vera and David Hartford Richard and Jerry Smallwood Gary Rubenstein and Nancy Matthews Mr. and Mrs. David M. Hartley Ms. Judith O. Smith Scott and Janis Sachtjen Ms. Kendra Hartnett and Robert Santilli Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Spears Kent and Nancy Clancy Kent Harvey Steven and Chris Spencer The Somekh Family Foundation Mrs. Deirdre Henderson Mr. Paul Spiegel Matthew and Lisa Sonsini Mr. and Mrs. Jerre Hitz Lillis and Max Stern Mr. Richard Spaete Ms. Marcia Hooper Vibeke Strand, MD and Jack Loftis, PhD Laura and Gregory SpivyƗ Rob Hulteng Richard and Michele Stratton Diana L. Starcher Robert Humphrey & Diane Amend Mr. Jay Streets Roselyne C. Swig Judy and Bob Huret Mr. M. H. Suelzle Pasha and Laney Thornton Robert and Riki Intner Susan Terris Larry Vales Harold and Lyn Isbell Dr. Eric Test and Dr. Odelia Braun Jane and Bernard von BothmerƗ Franklin Jackson & Maloos Anvarian Nancy Thompson and Andy Kerr Joy and Ellis Wallenberg, Stephanie and Owen Jensen Mrs. Helena Troy Wasp Milton Meyer Foundation Russell and Mary Johnson John R. Upton Jr. and Ms. Allie Weissman Sy Kaufman and Kerstin Edgerton Janet Sassoon-Upton Barbara and Chris Westover Ms. Pamela L. Kershner Arnie and Gail Wagner Dr. and Mrs. Andrew Wiesenthal Miss Angèle Khachadour Mr. and Mrs. James Wagstaffe Carlie Wilmans Ms. Nancy L. Kittle Ms. Margaret Warton and Mr. and Mrs. Roger Wu Mr. R. Samuel Klatchko Mr. Steve Benting

415.749.2228 31 ALAN JONES, CHAIR We are privileged to recognize Friends of A.C.T. members’ generosity during the February 1, 2017, to February 1, 2018, period. Space limitations prevent us from listing all those who have generously supported the Annual Fund. For information about Friends of A.C.T. membership, please contact Sarah Armstrong-Brown at 415.439.2353 or [email protected].

*An Evening at Elsinore event sponsor/lead supporter †A Dickens of a Holiday event sponsor/lead supporter

PATRONS Peter and Janice Scattini Karen and Stuart Gansky Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rino Anonymous (2) David Schnur Mr. John Garfinkle Mr. and Mrs. Richard Rogers Mr. Michael Bassi and Ms. Christy Styer Andrew and Marva Seidl Frederick and Leslie Gaylord Marguerite Romanello Mr. and Mrs. Paul Berg Ms. Ruth A. Short David and Betty Gibson Deborah Romer and William Tucker Fred and Nancy Bjork Kristine Soorian and Bryce Ikeda Kathleen and Paul Goldman Mr. L. Kyle Rowley Jaime Caban and Rob Mitchell Ms. Valerie Sopher Dr. James and Suzette Hessler Ms. Diane Rudden Teresa Clark Dr. Gary Stein and Jana Stein Mr. Kim Harris and Bennet Marks John Ruskin Mr. Byde Clawson and Ian E. Stockdale David Hawkanson Mr. Joshua Rutberg Dr. Patricia Conolly Dr. and Mrs. G. Cook Story Lenore Heffernan Louise Adler Sampson Paul and Deborah Cleveland Joe Tally and Dan Strauss Mr. John Heisse and Sonja Schmid Jean and Mike Couch Mr. Douglass J. Warner Ms. Karin Scholz-Grace Mr. James J. Scillian Ms. Karen T. Crommie Ms. Meredith J. Watts Ms. Dixie Hersh Mr. Jim Sciuto Ira and Jerry Dearing Mr. Keith Wetmore Ms. Sandra Hess Ms. Karen Scussel and Mr. Curt Riffle Elizabeth Eaton Christina Yu Edward L. Howes, MD Catharine Shirley Michael Kalkstein and Susan English Richard and Cheryl Jacobs Dr. Elliot and Mrs. Kathy Shubin Leif and Sharon Erickson SUSTAINERS Anne and Ed Jamieson Donna and Michael Sicilian Ms. Angela Sowa and Anonymous (4) Allan and Rebecca Jergesen Ms. Patricia Sims Dr. Dennis B. Facchino Mr. Paul Anderson Mr. and Mrs. Norman L. Johnson Raven Sisco Mr. and Mrs. Richard Fowler Ms. Patricia Wilde Anderson Mrs. Zeeva Kardos Mr. Mark Small Elizabeth and Paul Fraley Rebecca and David Ayer Jascha and Rebecca Kaykas-Wolff Bert and LeAnne Steinberg Ms. Susan Free Dick Barker Jody Kelley Wypych Jeffrey Stern, M.D. Alan and Susan Fritz Mr. David N. Barnard Michael Kim Mr. and Mrs. Monroe Strickberger Kathy Hart Mr. William Barnard Karla Kirkegaard Mr. Jason Surles Mr. John F. Heil Ms. Pamela Barnes Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Klotter Marvin Tanigawa Leni and Doug Herst Robert H. Beadle Harold and Leslie Kruth Maggie Thompson James and Helen Hobbs Mr. Daniel R. Bedford Edward and Miriam Landesman Melita Wade Thorpe Gregory Holland David and Michele Benjamin Carlene Laughlin Robert Tufts Dr. and Mrs. John E. Jansheski Ms. Joyce Avery and Mr. Brian A. Berg Mrs. Judith T. Leahy Ms. Leslie Tyler Ms. Carolyn Jayne Richard and Katherine Berman Mrs. Gary Letson Leon Van Steen Louise Karr Stuart and Helen Bessler Barry and Ellen Levine Mr. and Mrs. Ronald G. VandenBerghe Jeffrey and Loretta Kaskey Mr. Igor R. Blake Kathleen Anderson and Jeff Lipkin Marsha Veit Ed and Peggy Kavounas Mr. John Blankenship and Ms. Linda Lonay Mr. Richard West George and Janet King Ms. Linda Carter Timothy Lucas Mr. Robert Weston Eileen Landauer and Mark Michael Mr. Noel Blos Christiana and Sandy Macfarlane Timothy Wu Jennifer Langan Carol M. Bowen and Mr. and Mrs. William Manheim Marilyn and Irvin Yalom Julius Leiman-Carbia Christopher R. Bowen Alan Markle Nancy and Kell Yang Julia Lobel Mr. Roland E. Brandel Robert McCleskey Ms. Emerald Yeh Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Logan Martin and Geri Brownstein Karen and John McGuinn Jacqueline L. Young Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Long Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Butcher Trudy and Gary Moore Mr. and Mrs. Philip Zimbardo Jeff and Susanne Lyons Ms. Jean Cardoza Michael Morgan John G. McGehee Glenn Chapman Sharon and Jeffrey Morris Amelia Lis Ms. Linda R. Clem Mr. Ronald Morrison Dr. Margaret R. McLean Mr. Edward Conger Jon Nakamura Jeffrey and Elizabeth Minick Ms. Shirley Cookston Dorotea C. Nathan Thomas and Lydia Moran Mr. Copley E. Crosby Jeanne Newman John and Betsy Munz James Cuthbertson Nancy and Bill Newmeyer Jane and Bill Neilson Yogen and Peggy Dalal Ms. Nancy F. Noe Cindy Nicola Jill and Stephen Davis Ms. Joanna Officier and Mr. Ralph Tiegel Ms. Lisa Nolan Kelly and Olive DePonte Pamela Orloff Ms. Susan O’Brien Edward and Della Dobranski Barbara Paschke and Ann Paras Ms. Joanne Dunn David Volpendesta Caitlin A. Quinn and Peter C. Garenani Mr. and Mrs. John L. Elman Mr. David J. Pasta Ms. Diane Raile Marilynne Elverson Richard and Donna Perkins Helen Hilton Raiser Mr. Robert G. Evans Ms. M. N. Plant Mr. Orrin W. Robinson, III Mr. James Feuille and Mr. and Mrs. Mark O. Rand Barbara and Saul Rockman Ms. Nancy J. Murray Ms. Joyce Ratner Ms. Mary Ellen Rossi M. Daniel and Carla Flamm Ms. Danielle Rebischung Mr. and Mrs. David Sargent* Mrs. Dorothy A. Flanagan Maryalice Reinmuller

32 ACT-SF.ORG JO S. HURLEY, CHAIR A.C.T. gratefully acknowledges the Prospero Society members listed below, who have made an investment in the future of A.C.T. by providing for the theater in their estate plans.

**Deceased

Providing a Legacy for A.C.T.

GIFTS DESIGNATED TO Marilee K. Gardner Burt and Deedee McMurtry GIFTS RECEIVED BY AMERICAN CONSERVATORY John L. Garfinkle Dr. Mary S. and F. Eugene Metz AMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEATER Michele Garside J. Sanford Miller and THEATER Anonymous (8) Dr. Allan P. Gold and Vinie Zhang Miller The Estate of Barbara Beard Anthony J. Alfidi Mr. Alan C. Ferrara Milton Mosk and Tom Foutch The Estate of John Bissinger Judith and David Anderson Arnold and Nina Goldschlager Bill** and Pennie Needham The Estate of Ronald Casassa Kay Auciello Carol Goodman and Anthony Gane Walter A. Nelson-Rees and The Estate of Rosemary Cozzo Ms. Nancy Axelrod JeNeal Granieri and James Coran The Estate of Nancy Croley M. L. Baird, in memory of Alfred F. McDonnell Michael Peter Nguyen The Estate of Leonie Darwin Travis and Marion Baird William Gregory Dante Noto The Estate of Mary Jane Detwiler Therese L. Baker-Degler James Haire and Timothy Cole Sheldeen Osborne The Estate of Olga Diora Ms. Teveia Rose Barnes and Richard and Lois Halliday Elsa and Neil Pering The Estate of Mortimer Fleishhacker Mr. Alan Sankin Terilyn Hanko Marcia and Robert Popper The Estate of Mary Gamburg Eugene Barcone Mr. Richard H. Harding Kellie Yvonne Raines The Estate of Rudolf Glauser Robert H. Beadle Kent Harvey Anne and Bertram Raphael The Estate of Phillip E. Goddard Susan B. Beer Betty Hoener Jacob and Maria Elena Ratinoff The Estate of Mrs. Lester G. Hamilton David Beery and Norman Abramson R. W. and T. M. Horrigan Mary L. Renner The Estate of Sue Hamister J. Michael and Leon Berry-Lawhorn Jo S. Hurley Ellen Richard The Estate of Howard R. Hollinger Dr. Barbara L. Bessey and Barry Lee Johnson Jillian C. Robinson The Estate of William S. Howe, Jr. Dr. Kevin J. Gilmartin** Paul and Carol Kameny Susan Roos The Estate of Thomas H. Maryanski Lucia Brandon Dr. and Mrs. Stewart Karlinsky Andrea Rouah The Estate of Michael L. Mellor Mr. Arthur H. Bredenbeck and Nelda Kilguss David Rovno, MD The Estate of Bruce Tyson Mitchell Mr. Michael Kilpatrick Ms. Heather M. Kitchen Paul and Renae Sandberg The Estate of Gail Oakley Linda K. Brewer Mr. Jonathan Kitchen and Harold Segelstad The Estate of Dennis Edward Parker Agnes Chen Brown Ms. Nina Hatvany F. Stanley Seifried The Estate of Rose Penn Martin and Geraldine Brownstein John and Karen Kopac Reis Ruth Short The Estate of Shepard P. Pollack Gayle and Steve Brugler Catherine Kuss and Danilo Purlia Dr. Eliot and Mrs. Kathy Shubin The Estate of Margaret Purvine Christine Bunn and William Risseeuw Mr. Patrick Lamey Andrew Smith and Brian Savard The Estate of Gerald B. Rosenstein Bruce Carlton and Richard McCall** Philip C. Lang Cherie Sorokin The Estate of Charles Sassoon Florence Cepeda and Earl Frick Mindy Lechman Alan L.** and Ruth Stein The Estate of Olivia Thebus Paula Champagne and David Watson Marcia Lowell Leonhardt Mr. and Mrs. Bert Steinberg The Estate of Ayn and Brian Thorne Mr. and Mrs. Steven B. Chase Marcia and Jim Levy Jane and Jay Taber The Estate of Sylvia Coe Tolk Lesley Ann Clement Ines R. Lewandowitz Mr. Marvin Tanigawa The Estate of Elizabeth Wallace Lloyd and Janet Cluff Jennifer Lindsay Martin Tannenbaum and Alex Ingersoll† The Estate of Frances Webb Patricia Corrigan Nancy Livingston and Fred M. Levin Nancy Thompson and Andy Kerr The Estate of William Zoller Susan and Jack Cortis Dot Lofstrom and Robin C. Johnson Phyllis and Dayton Torrence Ms. Joan Danforth Ms. Paulette Long Michael E. Tully FOR MORE INFORMATION Richard T. Davis-Lowell Dr. Steve Lovejoy and Ms. Nadine Walas ABOUT PROSPERO SOCIETY Sharon Dickson Dr. Thane Kreiner Marla Meridoyne Walcott Jerome L. and Thao N. Dodson Melanie and Peter Maier Katherine G. Wallin MEMBERSHIP Drs. Peter and Ludmila Eggleton Jasmine Stirling Malaga and David Weber and Ruth Goldstine Linda Jo Fitz Michael William Malaga Paul D. Weintraub and TIFFANY REDMON, Frannie Fleishhacker Mr. Jeffrey Malloy Raymond J. Szczesny DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF Michael and Sharon Marron Beth Weissman Kevin and Celeste Ford DEVELOPMENT Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Fowler Mr. John B. McCallister Tim M. Whalen Alan and Susan Fritz John McGehee Mr. Barry Lawson Williams 415.439.2482 [email protected]

The following members of the A.C.T. community made gifts in memory and in honor of friends, Memorial & Tribute Gifts colleagues, and family members of $100 or more during the February 1, 2017, to February 1, 2018, period.

Marilee K. Gardner In Honor of Winnie Biocini, Joey Chait, Roselyne C. Swig In Honor of Carey Perloff Joe Greenbach, and Roland Lampert Susan Medak and Gregory S. Murphy In Honor of Ellen Richard Susan Medak In Honor of Louisa Balch Sue and Ken Merrill In Honor of Patti and Rusty Rueff Karen Blodgett In Honor of Linda Jo Fitz and her service to A.C.T. Cheryl Brandon In Honor of Craig Slaight Mr. Robert G. Evans In Honor of Linda Fitz Jon and Betsy Nakamura In Honor of Craig Slaight Mr. and Mrs. David M. Hartley In Honor of Linda Fitz Jon Nakamura In Honor of Craig Slaight Jacqueline L. Young In Honor of Linda Fitz Eric and Susan Nitzberg In Honor of Craig Slaight Sandi and Mark Randall In Honor of Frannie Fleischhacker Helene Roos In Honor of Craig Slaight Sakana Foundation In Honor of Priscilla Geeslin Julia and Vladimir Zagatsky In Honor of Gideon and Cheryl Sorokin Mary Cathryn Houston In Honor of Arnie Glassberg Lisa Lindenbaum In Honor of Adriana Vermut Vicki and Stephen Hoffman In Honor of Skylar Goldberg Patrick Hobin In Honor of Giles Havergal Ms. Jamie Ney In Memory of Ann Adams Elizabeth Mason In Honor of Luba Kipnis Anonymous In Memory of Ruth Asawa Daniel E. Cohn and Lynn Brinton In Honor of Nancy Livingston Jane Shurtleff In Memory of John Chapot Anne and Ed Jamieson In Honor of Nancy Livingston Ms. Kathleen Gallivan In Memory of Jack Gallivan Ms. Carey Perloff and Mr. Anthony Giles In Honor of Nancy Livingston Mr. David J. Pasta In Memory of Gloria Guth Helen Hilton Raiser In Honor of Nancy Livingston Richard M. and Susan L. Kaplan In Memory of Richard M. Kaplan Anat Pilovsky In Honor of Janet Lustgarten Dr. Margaret R. McLean In Memory of Teresa and Phillip McLean Ms. Roberta Denning In Honor of Carey Perloff Richard and Victoria Larson In Memory of Dennis Powers Dorothy Saxe In Honor of Carey Perloff Ms. Peggy Kivel In Memory of Eva Ramos Ms. Joy Eaton In Memory of Todd Wees 415.749.2228 33 INVEST IN THE FUTURE OF THEATER

BECOME A FRIEND OF A.C.T. TODAY!

For a full listing of member benefits, visit ACT-SF.ORG/MEMBERSHIPS or contact A.C.T.’s Development Department at 415.439.2353.

Corporate Partners Circle

The Corporate Partners Circle comprises businesses that support the artistic mission of A.C.T., including A.C.T.’s investment in the next generation of theater artists and audiences, and its vibrant educational and community outreach programs. Corporate Partners Circle members receive extraordinary entertainment and networking opportunities, unique access to renowned actors and artists, premium complimentary tickets, and targeted brand recognition. For information about how to become a Corporate Partner, please contact Caitlin A. Quinn at 415.439.2436 or [email protected].

LEAD EDUCATION OFFICIAL HOTEL PRESENTING PRESENTING PARTNERS PERFORMANCE STAGE PARTNERS SPONSOR SPONSOR HOST ($25,000–$49,999) PARTNERS ($5,000–$9,999) Hotel G Bank of America Foundation ($10,000–$24,999) Burr Pilger Mayer, Inc. City National Bank BNY Mellon Wealth S&P Global Theatre Forward Management Schoenberg Family U.S. Bank/Ascent Bank of the West Law Group Deloitte LLP Farella Braun + Martel SEASON SPONSOR OFFICIAL AIRLINE PRESENTING Perkins Coie LLP SPONSOR Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Foundations and Government Agencies

The following foundations and government agencies provide vital support for A.C.T. For more information, please contact Nicole Chalas at 415.439.2434 or [email protected].

$100,000 AND ABOVE $50,000–$99,999 $25,000–$49,999 $10,000–$24,999 $5,000–$9,999 Jewels of Charity, Inc. The Bernard Osher Anonymous The Kenneth Rainin Davis/Dauray Family Fund Doris Duke Charitable Foundation The Kimball Foundation Foundation Edna M. Reichmuth Foundation Department of Children, The Harold and Mimi Laird Norton Family Educational Fund of San Francisco Grants Youth & Their Families Steinberg Trust Foundation The San Francisco for the Arts The Edgerton Foundation MAP Fund The Sato Foundation Foundation The William Randolph Hearst National Endowment for Saint Francis Foundation The Stanley S. Langendorf Foundation the Arts San Francisco’s Office of Foundation The William and Flora Economic and Workforce Wallis Foundation Hewlett Foundation Development The Zellerbach Family The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Foundation Walter and Elise Haas Fund

34 ACT-SF.ORG Theatre Forward Current Funders List as of January 2017

Theatre Forward advances American theater and its communities by providing funding and other resources to the country’s leading nonprofit theaters. Theatre Forward and its theaters are most grateful to the following funders:

THEATRE EXECUTIVES PACESETTERS DONORS Kevin & Anne Driscoll *Theatre Forward Fund for ($50,000+) ($15,000–$24,999) ($10,000–$14,999) John R. Dutt*▴ New American Theatre AT&T▴ American Express* Paula A. Dominick*▴ Bruce R. and Tracey Ewing*▴ †Includes in-kind support ▴ Bank of America* Bloomberg Dorsey & Whitney Foundation Jessica Farr* ▴Educating through Theatre Support James S. & Lynne Turley*▴ Cisco Systems, Inc.* Epiq Systems* Mason & Kim Granger*▴ The Schloss Family The Estée Lauder Karen A. & Kevin W. Kennedy Brian J. Harkins*▴ Theatre Forward supporters are former Foundation▴ Companies Inc. Foundation Gregory S. Hurst*▴ supporters of National Corporate Theatre Fund and Impact Creativity. ▴ Howard and Janet Kagan▴ EY* Lisa Orberg For a complete list of funders, visit ▴ BENEFACTORS Alan & Jennifer Freedman*▴ Presidio* Joseph F. Kirk* theatreforward.org. ($25,000–$49,999) Frank & Bonnie Orlowski*▴ Thomas C. Quick* Mary Kitchen and Jon Orszag Buford Alexander and Marsh & McLennan RBC Wealth Management▴ Anthony and Diane Lembke, Pamela Farr*▴ Companies, Inc. Daniel A. Simkowitz*▴ in honor of Brian J Harkins, BNY Mellon National Endowment for S&P Global board member Steven & Joy Bunson*▴ the Arts▴ TD Charitable Foundation▴ John R. Mathena*▴ Citi Pfizer, Inc. Isabelle Winkles*▴ Jonathan Maurer and DeWitt Stern* Southwest Airlines▴† Gretchen Shugart*▴ Goldman, Sachs & Co. Theatermania/Gretchen SUPPORTERS Dina Merrill & Ted Hartley* MetLife Shugart*▴ ($2,500–$9,999) Newmark Holdings* Morgan Stanley George S. Smith, Jr.*▴ Mitchell J. Auslander*▴ Sills Cummis & Gross P.C.* Wells Fargo*▴ UBS Sue Ann Collins John Thomopoulos*▴ Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP* Disney/ABC Television Group* Evelyn Mack Truitt* Dorfman and Kaish Family Leslie C. & Regina Quick Foundation, Inc.▴ Charitable Trust Dramatists Play Service, Inc.*

Gifts in Kind

A.C.T. thanks the following donors for their generous contributions of goods and services.

4imprint Inspiration Vineyards Adrienne Miller Joe Tally and Dan Strauss Blackbird Vineyards Krista Coupar Chateau St. Jean The Marker Hotel Chris and Holly Hollenbeck Moleskine Clift Hotel Piedmont Piano Company CyberTools for Libraries Premium Port Wines, Inc. diptyque Rust & Flourish Florals Emergency BBQ Company Tout Sweet Pâtisserie First Crush Restaurant and Wine Bar

Corporations Matching Annual Fund Gifts

As A.C.T. is both a cultural and an educational institution, many employers will match individual employee contributions to the theater. The following corporate matching gift programs honor their employees’ support of A.C.T., multiplying the impact of those contributions.

Acxiom Corporation BlackRock GE Foundation Macy’s, Inc. The Clorox Company Adobe Systems Inc. Charles Schwab Google Merrill Lynch & Co. Foundation Apple, Inc. Chevron Hewlett-Packard Foundation, Inc. The James Irvine Foundation Applied Materials Chubb & Son IBM International Foundation Northwestern Mutual The Morrison & Foerster AT&T Foundation Dell Direct Giving Campaign JPMorgan Chase Foundation Foundation Bank of America Dodge & Cox Johnson & Johnson Family Pacific Gas and Electric TPG Capital, L.P. Bank of America Foundation Ericsson, Inc. of Companies Arthur Rock Verizon Bank of New York Mellon Federated Department Stores Levi Strauss Foundation Salesforce Visa International Community Partnership The Gap Lockheed Martin Corporation State Farm Companies John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Foundation

415.749.2228 35 A.C.T. STAFF

CAREY PERLOFF PAM MACKINNON PETER PASTREICH MELISSA SMITH Artistic Director Artistic Director Designate Executive Director Conservatory Director

James Haire Costume Shop Ticket Services M.F.A. Program Core Faculty Producing Director Emeritus Jessie Amoroso, Costume Director Ian Fullmer, Director of Ticket Services Christine Adaire, Head of Voice Callie Floor, Rentals Manager Mark C. Peters, Subscriptions Manager Stephen Buescher, Head of Movement, Director Resident Artists Keely Weiman, Build Manager/Draper David Engelmann, Head Treasurer Domenique Lozano, Acting, Director Anthony Fusco, Domenique Lozano Jef Valentine, Inventory Manager Elizabeth Halperin, Assistant Head Treasurer Michael Paller, Director of Humanities, Director Maria Montoya, Head Stitcher Anthony Miller, Group Sales Lisa Anne Porter, Co-Head of Voice and Dialects Associate Artists Kelly Koehn, Accessories & Crafts Artisan Scott Tignor, Stephanie Arora, Jack Sharrar, PhD, Theater History Marco Barricelli, Olympia Dukakis, Giles Subscriptions Coordinators Havergal, Bill Irwin, Steven Anthony Jones, Chanterelle Grover, First Hand Melissa Smith, Head of Acting, Director Andy Alabran, Richard Claar, Peter Davey, Andrew Polk, Tom Stoppard, Gregory Wallace, Victoria Mortimer, Costume Administrator Leontyne Mbele-Mbong, Alex Mechanic, Timberlake Wertenbaker Tessanella DeFrisco, Bree Dills, Costume Fellows M.F.A. Program Adjunct Faculty Katharine Torres, Treasurers Milissa Carey, Singing, Director Playwrights Wig Shop Andy Donald, Arts Leadership Front of House Pamela Gray, Qui Nguyen, Suzan-Lori Parks, Lindsay Saier, Wig Master Julie Douglas, Improv Kevin Nelson, Theater Manager Carey Perloff and Paul Walsh, Harold Pinter, Melissa Kallstrom, Wig Supervisor Lauren English, Business of Acting Chris Bahara, David Whitman, William Shakespeare, Simon Stephens, Daniel Feyer, Music Director, Accompanist Bess Wohl House Managers STAGE STAFF Megan Murray, Genevieve Pabon, Tuesday Ray, Janet Foster, Audition, Showcase Directors The Geary: Associate House Managers Giles Havergal, Director, Acting Miguel Ongpin, Head Carpenter Gregory Hoffman, Combat Hal Brooks, Jaime Castañeda, Rachel Chavkin, Kevin Hoskins, Lead Bartender Liz Diamond, Sheryl Kaller, Domenique Lozano, Suzanna Bailey, Head Sound Oliver Sutton, Security Jasmin Hoo, Citizen Artistry Carey Perloff Mark Pugh, Head Properties Ramsey Abouremeleh, Shannon Amitin, Mark Jackson, Devised Theater Daniel Swalec, Head Electrician Kimberly Anthony, Nic Candito, Forrest Choy, Darryl Jones, Acting Choreographers Colin Wade, Flyman Bernadette Fons, Kadeem Harris, Anthony Sean Kana, Singing Val Caniparoli, Josh Prince Mary Montijo, Wardrobe Supervisor Hernandez, Kevin Hoskins, Caleb Lewis, Susan W. D. Keith, On-Camera Acting Monson, Haley Nielsen, Trever Pearson, Pete Diane Cornelius, Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor Philip Charles MacKenzie, On-Camera Acting Composers/Orchestrators Pickens, Jeremy Rice, Atarah Richmond, Miki Loren Lewis, Joe Nelson, Stage Door Monitors Heidi Marshall, On-Camera Acting David Coulter, Shammy Dee, Paul Scott Richmond, Travis Rowland, Tracey Sylvester, Seana McKenna, Acting Goodman Leonard Thomas, Cevie Toure, Robyn Williams, The Strand: Bartenders Caymichael Patten, Audition Patsy McCormack, Strand Master Technician Music Directors Susan Allen, Rodney Anderson, Branden Carey Perloff, Arts Leadership Sarah Jacquez, Strand Sound Engineer Bowman, Serena Broussard, Danica Burt, Daniel Feyer, Greg Kenna Kari Prindl, Alexander Technique Margaret Cahill, Jose Camello, Barbara Casey, Stacey Printz, Dance ADMINISTRATION Wendy Chang, Niyjale Cummings, Kathy Dere, Designers John Doll, Larry Emms, Doris Flamm, Claire Tiffany Redmon, Fundraising Coralyn Bond, Executive Assistant John Arnone, Nina Ball, Brian Sidney Gerndt, Blue Kesler, Ryszard Koprowski, Sharon Lindsay Saier, Stage Makeup and Board Liaison Bembridge, Riccardo Hernandez, Laura Lee, Sadie Li, Joe MacDonald, Val Mason, Sam Ken Savage, Director Jellinek, Alexander V. Nichols, David Israel Mesinger, Eileen Murphy, Kathy Napoleone, Elyse Shafarman, Alexander Technique Reynoso, Donyale Werle, Scenic Human Resources Lily Narbonne, Brandie Pilapil, Mark Saladino, Raissa Simpson, Dance Jessie Amoroso, Beaver Bauer, Linda Cho, Kate Stewart, Interim Human Resources Director Steve Salzman, Walter Schoonmaker, Stephanie Liz Tenuto, Dance Candice Donnelly, Tilly Grimes, Meg Neville, Somersille, Michael Sousa, Melissa Stern, Claire David Israel Reynoso, Costumes General Management Tremblay, Dale Whitmill, Lorraine Williams, Lisa Townsend, Director, Choreographer Robert Hand, James F. Ingalls, Wen-Ling Liao, Louisa Balch, General Manager Ushers James Wagner, Business of Acting Mike Inwood, Alexander V. Nichols, Nancy Amy Dalba, Associate General Manager Schertler, Robert Wierzel, Yi Zhao, Lighting Sabra Jaffe, Company Manager The Strand Cafe Studio A.C.T. Mark Jackson, Program Director Brendan Aanes, Stowe Nelson, Jake Rodriguez, Mia Carey, General/Company Rafael Monge, Cafe Manager Leon Rothenberg, Darron L West, Sound Management Fellow LaRina Hazel, Raj Paul Pannu, Baristas Liz Anderson, Filmmaking Tal Yarden, Chris Lundahl, Video Heidi Carlsen, Voice Finance EDUCATION & COMMUNITY Matt Chapman, Movement Coaches Lawrence Yuan, Director of Finance PROGRAMS Julie Douglas, Mask, Clown, and Movement Christine Adaire, Lisa Anne Porter, Sharon Boyce, Accounting Manager Elizabeth Brodersen, Director of Education Francie Epsen-Devlin, Musical Theater Voice and Text May Chin, Matt Jones, Finance Associates & Community Programs Paul Finocchiaro, Acting Stephen Buescher, Movement Jasmin Hoo, Associate Director of Education W. D. Keith, On-Camera Acting Jonathan Rider, Danielle O’Dea, Fights Information Technology & Community Programs Drew Khalouf, Speech and Diction Daniel Feyer, Music Thomas Morgan, Director Vincent Amelio, Workshops & Events Manager Jessica Kitchens, Acting Joone Pajar, Network Administrator Vanessa Ramos, Residencies Coordinator Kari Prindl, Alexander Technique ARTISTIC Stephanie Wilborn, Mark Rafael, Acting Operations Community Programs Coordinator Andy Donald, Associate Artistic Director Katie Rubin, Acting, Stand-Up Michael Paller, Dramaturg Jamie McGraw, Associate Manager, Facilities Elizabeth Halperin, Student Matinees Operation and Security Naomi Sanchez, Musical Theater Lealani Drew Manuta, Janet Foster, Director of Casting and Jonathan Spector, Introduction to Playwriting Artistic Associate Jeffrey Warren, Assistant Facilities Manager Education Programs Fellow Laura Wayth, Acting Allie Moss, Artistic Associate Leopoldo Benavente, Facilities Crew Member Nailah Harper-Malveaux, Ken Savage, Associate Producer Curtis Carr, Jr., Theo Sims, Jesse Nightchase, Community Producing Fellow Security Conservatory Accompanists Nora Zahn, Artistic Fellow Jaime Morales, Geary Cleaning Foreman Lynden James Bair, Daniel Feyer, Christopher YOUNG CONSERVATORY Hewitt, Paul McCurdy, Thaddeus Pinkston, Jamal Alsaidi, Jeaneth Alvarado, Lidia Godinez, PRODUCTION Jill MacLean, Craig Slaight Director of Naomi Sanchez Geary Cleaning Crew the Young Conservatory Audrey Hoo, Production Manager Emily Hanna, Young Conservatory & Studio Library Staff Robert Hand, Associate Production Manager Development A.C.T. Coordinator Joseph Tally, Head Librarian Jack Horton, Associate Production Manager Caitlin A. Quinn, Director of Development Andy Alabran, Acting G. David Anderson, Theresa Bell, Laurie Chris Lundahl, Design and Production Associate Tiffany Redmon, Cristina Anselmo, Acting Bernstein, Helen Jean Bowie, Bruce Carlton, Michelle Symons, Assistant Production Manager Deputy Director of Development Molly Bell, Musical Theater Barbara Cohrssen, William Goldstein, Pat Hunter, Haley Miller, Conservatory Design and Nicole Chalas, Director of Grants and Danielle Conover, Physical Theater Connie Ikert, Ashok Katdare, Martha Kessler, Production Coordinator Foundation Relations Nelda Kilguss, Barbara Kornstein, Analise Leiva, Nancy Gold, Physical Character, Acting Sean Key-Ketter, Conservatory Design and Jody Price, Director of Special Events Ines Lewandowitz, Patricia O’Connell, Roy Production Coordinator Sarah Armstrong-Brown, Donor Relations and Dan Griffith, Movement Ortopan, Maida Paxton, Connie Pelkey, Christine Maggie Manzano, Conservatory Production and Membership Manager Jane Hammett, Musical Theater Peterson, Dana Rees, Roger Silver, Jane Taber, Stage Management Coordinator Renée Gholikely, Development Research and Emily Hanna, Acting Susan Torres, Joyce Weisman, Jean Wilcox, Spencer Jorgensen, Production Fellow Prospect Manager W. D. Keith, Director Marie Wood, Library Volunteers Stephanie Swide, Domenique Lozano, Director, Acting Stage Management Development Operations Manager Christine Mattison, Dance, Choreographer A.C.T. thanks the physicians and staff of the Elisa Guthertz, Head Stage Manager Emily Remsen, Special Events Associate Lauren Rosi, Musical Theater Centers for Sports Medicine, Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, for their care of the A.C.T. Matt DiCarlo, Elisa Guthertz, Deirdre Rose Jordan Nickels, Development Assistant Vivian Sam, Musical Theater, Dance Holland, Marcy Victoria Reed, James Steele, company: Dr. Victor Prieto, Dr. Hoylond Hong, Rachel Stuart, Development Fellow Josh Schell, Acting Karen Szpaller, Stage Managers Dr. Susan Lewis, Don Kemp, P.A., and Chris Valerie Weak, Acting Corpus, Clinic Supervisor. Dani Bae, Christina Hogan, Christina Elizabeth Marketing & Public Relations Krista Wigle, Musical Theater Larson, Megan McClintock, Leslie M. Radin, Christine Miller, Acting Director of Marketing Marcy Victoria Reed, Assistant Stage Managers Accreditation Kimberly Rhee, Senior Graphic Designer Hal Day, Production Assistant CONSERVATORY A.C.T. is accredited by the Accrediting Simon Hodgson, Publications Manager Commission for Senior Colleges and Miranda Erin Campbell, Erin Sweeney, Bri Christopher Herold, Director of Summer Simone Finney, Digital Content Manager Universities of the Western Association Owens, Stage Management Fellows Training Congress Kevin Kopjak/Charles Zukow Associates, of Schools and Colleges (WASC), 985 Jack Sharrar, PhD, Director of Academic Affairs Public Relations Counsel Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100, Alameda, Prop Shop Jerry Lopez, Director of Financial Aid Beryl Baker, Digital Content Associate CA 94501, 510.748.9001, an institutional Ryan L. Parham, Supervisor Dan Kolodny, Manager, Conservatory Operations accrediting body recognized by the Diana Freeberg, Marketing Associate Abo Greenwald, Assistant & Professional Development Training Council on Postsecondary Accreditation Stefanie Shoemaker, Graphic Designer Emily Hanna, Young Conservatory & Studio and the U.S. Department of Education. Elspeth Sweatman, Publications Associate A.C.T. Coordinator Miranda Ashland, Marketing Fellow Matt Jones, Bursar/Payroll Administrator Taylor Steinbeck, Publications Fellow Vanessa Flores, Conservatory Associate, Tabriana Willard, Graphics Fellow Academic Programs Ilyssa Ernsteen, Olga Korolev, Conservatory Fellows 36 ACT-SF.ORG A.C.T. PROFILES

CAREY PERLOFF (Artistic Director) Mary Stuart, ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore, The Tosca Café, The is celebrating her 25th season as artistic Voysey Inheritance, Scorched, and Underneath the Lintel. director of A.C.T., where she has Perloff is also an award-winning playwright. Her recent overseen a huge growth in the quality play Kinship premiered at the Théâtre de Paris in 2014; and scope of A.C.T.’s work, helped to Higher won the 2011 Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation rebuild the earthquake-damaged Geary Theatre Visions Fund Award; and Luminescence Dating Theater and the new Strand Theater in premiered in New York at The Ensemble Studio Theatre. Central Market, and has forged Perloff’s book, Beautiful Chaos: A Life in the Theater collaborations between A.C.T. and theaters across the United (City Lights Press), was selected as San Francisco States and Canada. Known for innovative productions of Public Library’s One City One Book read for 2016. classics and championing new writing and new forms of Before joining A.C.T., Perloff was artistic director of theater, Perloff has directed classical plays from around the in New York, where she directed the world, 10 plays by Tom Stoppard (including the American premiere of Ezra Pound’s Elektra, the American premiere premieres of The Invention of Love and Indian Ink, also at of Pinter’s Mountain Language, and many classic works. Roundabout Theatre Company, and two productions of Named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by Arcadia), and many productions by favorite contemporary the French government, Perloff received a BA Phi Beta writers such as Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, José Rivera, Kappa in classics and comparative literature from Stanford and Philip Kan Gotanda. Favorite productions include Hecuba, University and was a Fulbright Fellow at Oxford.

PETER PASTREICH (Executive six years as managing director of the Mississippi River Director) joined A.C.T. after a 50-year Festival. In addition, Pastreich has done management career in arts management. He spent 21 consulting for the Berlin Philharmonic, Southbank Centre in years as executive director of the San London, Detroit Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Milwaukee Francisco Symphony, a period that Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Sydney Symphony included the tenures of music directors Orchestra in Australia. He has also served as mediator in Edo De Waart, Herbert Blomstedt, and orchestra and opera union negotiations in Detroit, Louisville, Michael Tilson Thomas, and during which Milwaukee, Phoenix, Sacramento, Seattle, and San Antonio. the orchestra increased its endowment from $12 million to $120 Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1938, Pastreich received million. Pastreich was the chief administrator responsible for a BA in English literature from Yale University in 1959. In the construction of Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, 1999, he was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des and for its acoustical renovation. Lettres by the French government and was named an Before coming to San Francisco, he spent 12 years as honorary member of the International Alliance of Theatrical executive director of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and Stage Employees by Local 16 of the Stagehands Union.

MELISSA SMITH (Conservatory the Bay Area. Prior to assuming leadership of the Director, Head of Acting) has served as Conservatory, Smith was the director of the Program in Conservatory director and head of acting Theater and Dance at Princeton University, where she also in the Master of Fine Arts Program at taught introductory, intermediate, and advanced acting. She A.C.T. since 1995. During that time, she has taught acting classes to students of all ages in various has overseen the expansion of the M.F.A. colleges, high schools, and studios around the continental Program from a two- to a three-year United States, at the Mid-Pacific Institute in Hawaii, New York course of study and the further University’s La Pietra campus in Florence, and the Teatro di integration of the M.F.A. Program faculty and student body Pisa in San Miniato, Italy. She is featured in Acting Teachers of with A.C.T.’s artistic wing, while also teaching and directing in America: A Vital Tradition. Also a professional actor, she has the M.F.A. Program, Summer Training Congress, and Studio performed regionally at the Hangar Theatre, A.C.T., the A.C.T. She also successfully launched the San Francisco California Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Repertory Theatre; Semester, a semester-long intensive designed to deepen in New York at Primary Stages and Soho Rep.; and in England students’ well of acting experience, broaden their knowledge at the Barbican Centre in London and Birmingham Repertory of dramatic literature, and sharpen their technical skills—all Theatre. Smith holds a BA from Yale College and an MFA while immersing them in the multifaceted cultural landscape of in acting from Yale School of Drama.

415.749.2228 37 F.Y. I .

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES REFRESHMENTS AFFILIATIONS Full bar service, sweets, and savory items are A.C.T.’s administrative and conservatory A.C.T. is a constituent of Theatre available one hour before the performance in offices are located at 30 Grant Avenue, San Communications Group, the national Fred’s Columbia Room on the lower level and Francisco, CA 94108, 415.834.3200. On the organization for the nonprofit professional the Sky Bar on the third level. You can avoid web: act-sf.org. theater. A.C.T. is a member of Theatre Bay the long lines at intermission by preordering Area, the Union Square Association, the San food and beverages in the lower- and third- Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and the level bars. Bar drinks are now permitted in the BOX OFFICE INFORMATION San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau. theater. A.C.T. BOX OFFICE Visit us at 405 Geary Street at Mason, next to CELL PHONES A.C.T. operates under an agreement the theater, one block west of Union Square; If you carry a pager, beeper, cell phone, or between the League of Resident or at 1127 Market Street at 7th Street, watch with an alarm, please make sure that and Actors’ Equity Association, the union of across from the UN Plaza. Walk-up hours it is set to the “off” position while you are professional actors and stage managers in are Tuesday–Sunday (noon–curtain) on in the theater. Text messaging during the the United States. performance days, and Monday–Friday performance is very disruptive and not allowed. The Director is a member of the STAGE (noon–6 p.m.) and Saturday–Sunday DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS PERFUMES (noon–4 p.m.) on nonperformance days. SOCIETY, a national theatrical labor union. (For Strand Box Office walk-up hours, please The chemicals found in perfumes, colognes, visit act-sf.org.) Phone hours are Tuesday– and scented aftershave lotions, even in The scenic, costume, lighting, and sound Sunday (10 a.m.–curtain) on performance small amounts, can cause severe physical designers in LORT theaters are represented days, and Monday–Friday (10 a.m.–6 p.m.) reactions in some individuals. As a courtesy to by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of and Saturday–Sunday (10 a.m.–4 p.m.) on fellow patrons, please avoid the use of these the IATSE. nonperformance days. Call 415.749.2228 and products when you attend the theater. use American Express, Visa, or MasterCard; The scenic shop, prop shop, and stage crew or fax your ticket request with credit card EMERGENCY TELEPHONE are represented by Local 16 of the IATSE. information to 415.749.2291. Tickets are also Leave your seat location with those who available 24 hours a day on our website at may need to reach you and have them call 415.439.2317 in an emergency. A.C.T. is supported in part by an award from act-sf.org. All sales are final, and there are no the National Endowment for the Arts. refunds. Only current ticket subscribers and LATECOMERS those who purchase ticket insurance enjoy Performances begin promptly, and late ticket exchange privileges. Packages are A.C.T. is supported in part by a grant from seating is at the house manager’s discretion. Grants for the Arts. available by calling 415.749.2250. A.C.T. gift Latecomers may have to watch the certificates can be purchased in any amount performance on a video monitor in the lobby online, by phone or fax, or in person. until intermission. Latecomers and those who GEARY THEATER EXITS SPECIAL SUBSCRIPTION DISCOUNTS leave the theater during the performance may Full-time students, educators, and be seated in alternate seats (especially if they administrators save up to 50% off season were in the first few rows) and can take their subscriptions with valid ID. Visit act-sf.org/ assigned seats at intermission. educate for details. Seniors (65+) save $40 on LISTENING SYSTEMS 8 plays, $35 on 7 plays, $30 on 6 plays, $25 Headsets designed to provide clear, amplified ORCHESTRA on 5 plays, and $20 on 4 plays. sound anywhere in the auditorium are SINGLE TICKET DISCOUNTS available free of charge in the lobby before Joining our eClub is the best—and sometimes performances. Please turn off your hearing aid only—way to find out about special ticket when using an A.C.T. headset, as it will react to offers. Visit act-sf.org/eclub to sign up. Find the sound system and make a disruptive noise. us on Facebook and Twitter for other great PHOTOGRAPHS AND RECORDINGS of A.C.T. deals. Beginning two hours before curtain, performances are strictly forbidden. a limited number of discounted tickets are available to seniors (65+), educators, RESTROOMS are located in Fred’s Columbia administrators, and full-time students. For Room on the lower lobby level, the Mezzanine matinee performances, all seats are just $20 Lobby, and the Garret on the uppermost for seniors (65+). Valid ID required—limit lobby level. one ticket per ID. Not valid for Premiere Wheelchair Seating is located Orchestra seating. All rush tickets are subject in Fred’s Columbia Room on the MEZZANINE to availability. lower lobby level, the Balcony Lobby, and the Garret on the GROUP DISCOUNTS uppermost lobby level. Groups of 15 or more save up to 35%! For more information, call Anthony Miller A.C.T. is pleased to announce that an Automatic at 415.439.2424. External Defibrillator (AED) is now available in the house management closet in the lobby AT THE THEATER of The Geary. A.C.T.’s Geary Theater is located at 415 Geary Street. The lobby opens one hour before LOST AND FOUND curtain. Bar service and refreshments are If you’ve misplaced an item while you’re available one hour before curtain. The theater still at the theater, please look for it at our opens 30 minutes before curtain. merchandise stand in the lobby. Any items found by ushers or other patrons will be taken ABOUT OUR PLAYS there. If you’ve already left the theater, please BALCONY Copies of Words on Plays, A.C.T.’s in-depth call 415.439.2471 and we’ll be happy to check performance guide, are on sale in the main our lost and found for you. Please be prepared lobby, at the theater bars, at the box office, with the date you attended the performance and online at act-sf.org/wordsonplays. and your seat location.

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