Reno Little Theater in partnership with Hug High School presents Deathtrap by Ira Levin directed by Dr. Sam Coleman sponsored, in part, by IGT

November 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22 at 8:00 pm November 9, 16, 23 at 2:00 pm 2003 Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

Deathtrap

Synopsis of Scenes

The action takes place in Sidney Bruhl’s study, in the Bruhl home in Westport, Connecticut. It is set in modern times—the year is not important.

Act I

Scene 1: An afternoon in October Scene 2: That evening Scene 3: Two hours later

Fifteen-minute Intermission

Act II Scene 1: Two weeks later Scene 2: A week later Scene 3: A week later

Director’s Notes Deathtrap became one of my favorite movies when I saw it 20 years ago. I was not aware that it had been a Broadway play, and I would never have dreamed that I would have the opportunity to direct such a wonderful story. Deathtrap, the play, is certainly the most exciting Reno Little Theater play that I’ve worked on and is, I suspect, the most exciting RLT play since 1983, when Reno Little Theater presented Deathtrap the first time. Of course, I might be a little biased. Besides having the good fortune to direct Deathtrap, I am delighted to be working with such a wonderful cast and crew. Without their competence, it would be just another play. I hope that you enjoy watching the show as much as we have enjoyed bringing it to you. I have found working with everyone associated with Reno Little Theater to be enjoyable, rewarding, and educational. Many people, particularly our audiences, have made this production possible, and I extend my heartiest thanks to all. Sam Coleman Cast (in order of appearance)

Sidney Bruhl ------Michael Peters Myra Bruhl ------Kristen Davis-Coelho Clifford Anderson ------Brian Barney Helga ten Dorp ------April Axton Ruggiero Porter Milgrim ------John Coney If you would like to meet the members of the cast, please stay in the auditorium for a few minutes after the final curtain. Behind the Scenes

Director ------Dr. Sam Coleman Assistant Director ------Paul Dancer Stage Manager ------Amber Myrick Stage Crew ------Derek Evans, Anne Swewart Set Construction ------Cast, Diana Carter, Anne Swewart

Special Thanks To Debbie Feemster, Principal; Jim Studer, Vice Principal; and Keith Roberts, Theater Director, all with Hug High School, for their support of this performance. Reno Little Theater is supported, in part, by a grant from Sierra Pacific. Posters courtesy of Carpenter Square Theatre, Oklahoma City. Deathtrap logo by Kevin Sak.

Reno Little Theater’s Ghost by Diana Carter

If the opera can have a phantom, why can’t Reno Little Theater have a ghost? Well, we do! He kept us company in our Sierra Street building, and he moved with us to Wells and Arroyo. For many years, he was just known as “the ghost”. In the late 70s, he acquired a name: George. (His full name is George Q. Spelvin—how he got his name is another story.) George likes to hide things, small things, and move things around. Sometimes, if we ask nicely, he will find things for us.

Occasionally, when people were alone in the Sierra Street building late at night, well after midnight, they heard George pacing the stage, which creaked in several places. One of the best stories concerns a board member who went into the basement and, while moving stuff around, knocked into a prop coffin. The coffin started to fall on him, but just before it hit, he swears that George pushed it back up straight. He promptly exited and, from that point on, refused to enter the building unless someone else was there.

Since then, as we have moved around, George has been less active. But, we are sure, he is still with us and is waiting to have another stage to pace across late at night, after everyone gone home.

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Biographies Cast

Brian Barney (Clifford) made his Reno acting debut in the fall of 2000, playing Detective Sergeant Trotter in Mousetrap for Reno Little Theater, earning a Blythe Award nomination for Best Lead Actor. After performing in ten plays between 2001 and 2002, mostly for Nevada Repertory Company, Brian has balanced his time with just two plays this year. In addition to acting and working full time as a software developer, Brian has written, and is currently directing, a local independent movie. Although he claims not to be superstitious, he points out that this is his thirteenth play in Reno and it has the word death in the title.

John Coney (Porter) has been a pro ice skater, actor, singer, and director during sixty three years of performing. His credits include community theater, radio, and many films and television commercials. In the Reno area, he has performed with Reno Little Theater, Gothic North, Sparks Little Theater, River- front Theatre, and Funtime Theater, including roles in Rehearsal for Murder, The Sunshine Boys, Ten Little Indians, and The Haunting of Hill House. John and his lovely wife Margaret, who met doing musicals in the San Francisco Bay area, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year.

UNR’s Nevada Repertory Company celebrates Reno Little Theater and its 69th Season Want to see more theater? Give us a call at 784-6847 November 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22 at 7:30 p.m. November 23 at 1:30 p.m. in the Redfield Proscenium Theatre Lysistrata by Aristophanes directed by Sue Klemp This classic Greek comedy explores a unique alternative to anti-war protesting. Fed up with the fact that the men were always off at some war, Lysistrata, whose name means “disband the army,” recommends that the women withhold sexual favors until the fighting is brought to an end. This leads to emotional and very physical consequences for the male population. Bawdy humor in the shadow of the Acropolis of Athens is used to let us laugh as we absorb the serious issues of war’s fallout. Audience Advisory: The play contains adult language and subject situations.

Stage Directions

In Deathtrap, Sidney Bruhl, the playwright, refers to directions on the stage, so we thought that we would remind you that “stage left” and “stage right” define directions from the actors’ point of view—when he refers to an item on “stage right”, it will actually be on the left as seen by the audience. “Up stage” is away from the audience, while “down stage” is closer to you. Knowing these terms is not important to enjoying the play, but we thought you might be interested. Reno Little Theater recommends that you watch for the All School Lumiere Film Fest

Hosted and produced by Hug High School

Showing the best films made by Reno students and teachers and including films from around the country produced by Reno alumni. Coming in April!

345 Parr Circle Reno, NV 89512 775-788-8800

Reno Little Theater would like to thank Mr. Frank Bender for his continuing support. Biographies (continued) Cast

Kristen Davis-Coelho (Myra) first caught the “acting bug” starring in a musical (in her living room) when she was nine. She followed this with the role of Dorothy in her sixth grade production of The Wizard of Oz. And that, as they say, was that—she has been performing and studying theater since. Most recently, Kristen performed the role of Gwendolyn Pigeon in Reno Little Theater’s Odd Couple, and the role of Catherine in Proof, for which she earned her third Blythe Award. When she wasn’t on stage, Kristen earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and works as a psychologist at Washoe Medical Center.

Michael Peters (Sidney), starting his ninth season with Reno Little Theater, made his directorial debut with last season’s The Importance of Being Earnest. A four-time Blythe Award recipient, he has appeared in over twenty five productions with such Reno community theater mainstays, in addition to Reno Little Theater, as Nevada Repertory Company, Gothic North Theater, Bruka Theatre, and Area-51 Dance Theatre. During the day, Michael is an administrator in the Graduate School at UNR. Ira Levin

Ira Levin (b. Aug. 27, 1929, New York City) based the role of Sidney, in part, on himself. A fan of riddles, puzzles and detective stories at an early age, Levin decided on the career as a writer at the age of 15. Educated at the elite Horace Mann School, he went on to two years at Drake University before transferring to New York University where he majored in philosophy and English. He earned his degree in 1950.

In 1953, Ira was drafted into the Army. He wrote and produced training films for Uncle Sam before moving into television, penning scripts for Lights Out and The United States Steel Hour. He made his theatre debut, at the age of 25, with a stage adaptation of Mac Hyman’s No Time for Sergeants (1955), followed by the 1960 hit comedy, Critic's Choice, starring Henry Fonda.

When it came to Deathtrap, Levin thought he might sidestep the risky nature of the stage altogether and turn his idea into a novel. “It somehow felt as if it just had to be a play,” he told New York Newsday on March 19, 1978. The play took him six years to complete.

Levin has also had great success with the novel format, starting with his award-winning A Kiss Before Dying, his first, which he wrote at age 22. Rosemary's Baby, The Boys from Brazil, The Stepford Wives, and Sliver are more of his other well-known books. All were made into films.

The original Broadway production of Deathtrap opened Feb. 26, 1978, at the Music Box Theatre, 239 W. 45th St., and ran for 1,793 performances over the course of five years. It was the longest running non-musical play of the 1970s, and remains Broadway’s longest running mystery of all time. (It is the fourth-longest running non-musical in Broadway history.)

The production received four Tony award nominations. The 1982 film of Deathtrap, directed by Sidney Lumet, starred Michael Caine as Sidney, Christopher Reeve as Clifford, and Dyan Cannon as Myra.

Biographies (continued) Cast

April Axton Ruggiero (Helga) has lived in Truckee for two years, after pursuing an acting career in Los Angeles for sixteen years. She performed in film and television, but she and her husband decided a quieter life would be best. Performing is in her blood—literally, being the daughter of singer, songwriter, actor Hoyt Axton. Memories of performing on the road are amongst her childhood favorites. April’s most recent role was as Lady Beaconsfield in Tahoe Arts’ Jekyll & Hyde.

Director

Sam Coleman has helped build sets, work backstage, and/or served as Assistant Director for most of Reno Little Theater’s plays in the last three years. He appeared as Merriman in Reno Little Theater’s The Importance of Being Earnest. He is a member of Reno Little Theater’s Board of Directors. In that role, he has served on committees, trucked props and furniture, cleaned out the basement, installed wiring, and lots of other things necessary to help keep the theater going. This is his directorial debut. Previously, Sam was a scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for 25 years before retiring to the beautiful Reno area. When there’s nothing to do for the theater, Sam enjoys snowboarding and hiking.

Coming up in Reno Little Theater’s 2003—2004 Season

King Henry IV by William Shakespeare directed by Michael Peters and Kirk Gardner

See the description on the last page of this program.

The Unexpected Guest by Agatha Christie March 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21

When Michael Starkwedder runs his car into a ditch in dense fog in South Wales, and makes his way to an isolated house, he discovers a woman standing over the dead body of her wheelchair-bound husband, a gun in her hand. She admits to murder, and the unexpected guest offers to help her concoct a cover story. But what seems obvious isn't. Is it possible this woman didn't commit the murder after all? If so, who is she shielding? It's classic Christie, a tangled web of lies and cover-up, where nothing can be taken at face value, and the murderer and motive are the greatest mystery of all.

The Beverly Hillbillies based upon the television program created by Paul Henning adapted by D.D. Brooke directed by Paul Dancer May 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23

America's most famous hillbilly family in a delightful and uproariously funny comedy. You'll follow them from their simple mountain cabin, where oil is discovered, to the swank hills of Beverly, where their plain country ways result in considerable hilarity.

Reno Little Theater

Board of Directors Chairman ------Diana Carter Vice-Chairman ------Carol Pevney Secretary ------Judy Mosher Treasurer ------Julie Douglass Board Members ------Jack Beaman, Sam Coleman, Paul Dancer, Candace Wheeler

Reno Little Theater, with thirteen charter members, opened its first season with Three Cornered Moon, in 1935, on the stage of the University of Nevada, Reno’s old education building. They sold out both performances. And so began Nevada’s oldest community theater, continuously performing for 69 years. Through the years, Reno Little Theater has presented over 450 shows in the Truckee Meadows, with thousands of local people involved on the stage and behind the scenes. All types of plays, from Shakespeare to original scripts, including at least one world premiere, have been enjoyed by audiences of all ages from Lake Tahoe to Battle Mountain and Tonopah to Sierra City, Ca. A Lifetime of Memories RLT Life Members are listed below. We thank them for their continuing interest.

Frank Bender Mrs. E.F. Loomis Bruno and Edna Benna Mrs. Eve Loomis Peter S. Bing Mr. George Manilla Mrs. Karl Breckenridge Mrs. H.E. Manville Mrs. Robert Brigham Dr. and Mrs. Thomas McCleary Mrs. Louise Carll Mrs. Rollan Melton Diana Carter Mrs. Fran Merrell Sam and Carol Coleman Mrs. Lilika Newman Lester Conklin, Jr. Carol Pevney Gregory D. Corn, Esq. David and Kelly Radu Mr. and Mrs. Wm. K. Cowan III Mr. and Mrs. George Randolph Mr. and Mrs. Ken Cusick Mrs. Warren Richardson Mrs. Jack Douglass Mrs. Sidney Robinson Robert and Kathy Easly Ella Savitt John Flanigan Robert and Cathy Gabrielli Mrs. Edwin Semenza Kirk Gardner and Julie Douglass Carl Shelly Bert Goldwater Donald Stanke Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gorrell Anne Stewart Art and Caryn Hawman Mrs. Joyce Sweger Mrs. Helen Heppner Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Tedford Patrick and Mary Hughes Mrs. Hewitt C. Wells Mrs. Martin Johnson Mrs. Emerson Wilson Mr. and Mrs. Larry Kirk James and Dani Woods Joan Long

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY THEATRE The Reno Little Theater 2003—2004 Season (Reno Little Theater’s 69th season) continues with

King Henry IV

by William Shakespeare

directed by Michael Peters and Kirk Gardner

Henry IV, having just become King of England, faces two problems. First, the nobles who supported his rise to power have turned against him and are plotting rebellion. Second, his son and heir to the throne, Prince Hal, is a miscreant, keeping company in the lower parts of London with the rascally old knight, Falstaff. The king lives in hope that his son will rise up and show the qualities of leadership evident in the charismatic young rebel, Hotspur, but what does Hal really want?

January 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, and 31 at 8:00 pm January 18, 25, and February 1 at 2:00 pm 2004 at Hug High

For group tickets or other information, leave a message at 329-0661 or ask at the box office.

Reno Little Theater P. O. Box 7071 Reno, NV 89510-7071 775-329-0661 http://www.RenoLittleTheater.Org