M T H A E Y E OUT OF THE BOX 9 P I - S 2 C 5 THEATRICS O , P 2 A 0 L 1 A presents 9 C T O R A L I C E R I P L E Y in S ' G U I L D MUSIC & LYRICS BY STEPHEN SONDHEIM BOOK BY JAMES LAPINE BOOK E L I S E F O R I E R E D I E DIRECTION A M Y E . J O N E S @ootbtheatrics Opening Night: May 15, 2019 The Episcopal Actors' Guild 1 East 29th Street Elizabeth Flemming Ethan Paulini Producing Artistic Director Associate Artistic Director present Alice Ripley* in Out of the Box Theatrics' production of By Elise Forier Edie Technical Design Dialect Coach Costume Design Frank Hartley Rena Cook Hunter Dowell Board Operator Wardrobe Supervisor Joshua Christensen Carrie Greenberg Graphic Design General Management Asst. General Management Gabriella Garcia Maggie Snyder Cara Feuer Press Representative Production Stage Management Ron Lasko Theresa S. Carroll* Directed by AMY E. JONES+ * Actors' Equity OOTB is proud to hire members of + Stage Directors and Association Choreographers Society AUTHOR'S NOTE ELISE FORIER EDIE People often ask me “how much of this play is true?” The answer is, “All of it.” Also, “None of it.” All the events in this play happened to somebody. High school students across the country have been forbidden to start Gay and Straight Alliance clubs. The school picture event mentioned in this play really did happen to a child in Florida. Families across the country are being shunned, harassed and threatened by neighbors, and they suffer for allowing their transgender children to freely express their identities. Violence against transgender individuals has been on the rise. Last year set a record for acts of violence against transgender individuals, particularly people of color. I really did sit in a Presbyterian church on a Sunday morning in 2011 and hear my pastor invoke the Holocaust and liken supporters of the LGBT community to Nazis. I really do have a transgender child, and they really did announce to me the summer before they entered seventh grade, that they would like to go to school as a boy. I really did watch them go to school with my heart in my mouth. I have felt that same fear every day of my life since. But none of the events in this play really happened. Trisha Lee is not me. Jo is not my kid. Sparkton, Texas is not a real place. None of the people in this play ever existed. Even Pastor Dick, who delivers my former pastor’s sermon pretty much word for word, is nothing like my former pastor. For one thing, that man didn’t have the balls to come to my house and talk to me about why I would never set foot in his church again. None of this ever happened. But all of it is happening right now to someone. And I really do wish we could find a way to talk about it. I really do wish we could unite instead of divide. I really do wish we lived in a world where diverse people, with all their different points of view, could walk and talk together. We all want the same thing. We all want a safe and free world. I believe we can all make that, if we just reach out our hands. WHO'S WHO ALICE RIPLEY as Trisha Lee Alice Ripley won critical acclaim and the 2009 long stay at the Imperial Theatre as Fantine in Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for Les Misérables. She recently starred as Mrs. her portrayal of Diana Goodman in the Pulitzer Bateman in the original Broadway cast of Prize-winning Next to Normal. Alice also American Psycho. TV: Girlboss, 30 Rock, Blue received Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Bloods, Hee Haw, and Royal Pains. Ripley won nominations for her work in Next to Normal three Best Acting awards for the indie musical Off-Broadway (Second Stage) and a Helen favorite SUGAR!, which recently gained Hayes Award for the production at Arena distribution. Other film: Sing Along, Isn't It Stage in Washington, DC. Ms. Ripley received Delicious, The Adulterer, Bear With Us, Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for Temptation, and Muckland. Ripley is an her work as conjoined twin Violet Hilton in the accomplished musician and has written and cult hit Side Show. On Broadway, Alice also produced her own music. Recordings created the roles of Janet in The Rocky Horror include Daily Practice Vol 1, Everything's Fine, Show, Molly Ivors in the Tony Award-winning Outtasite, and RIPLEY EP, as well as numerous musical play James Joyce's The Dead, Betty Broadway cast and compilation albums. Ripley Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard, the Specialist's just completed filming her first TEDx talk called Assistant in The Who's Tommy, and "Magic Takes Time". Bathsheba in King David, as well as having a Alice Ripley’s appearance has been made possible through the financial support of The Off the Wall Charitable Trust (Virginia & Hans H Gruenert). The use of any recording device, either audio or video, and the taking of photographs, either with or without flash, is strictly prohibited. WHO'S WHO AMY E. JONES (Director) returns to OOTB find him scuttling around the Metropolitan after directing Before This New Year by Liana Museum of Art as a tour guide. Frank holds a Sonenclar last year as part of the Building the BA in Theatre Education and Music Business Box series. Most recently, Amy directed and from SUNY Potsdam/Crane School of Music. choreographed The Color Purple at Riverside Center for the Arts and Mamma Mia! at Flat HUNTER DOWELL (Costume Design) is Rock Playhouse. She has also served as thrilled to be designing for OOTB's The Pink director/musical director for Always...Patsy Unicorn! Hunter designed costumes for Cline at Virginia Stage and Ring of Fire at OOTB's Songs for a New World, The Owl and Infinity Stage, Virginia Stage, and Barter the Pussycat, "Master Harold"...and the Boys, Theatre. NYC credits include direction of the and You're A Good Man Charlie Brown. Since developmental readings of new musicals moving to NYC in 2016 Hunter has worked on Youlogy (Charlie Johnson/Ethan Andersen) television shows (Narcos & Rise), the revival and Mock ‘n Roll (Scott Foster/Marcus of Falsettos on Broadway, and designed two Stevens), choreography for Broadway Off-Broadway shows at the St. Luke's Backwards 8 and 9 at the Hirschfeld Theatre Theatre (The Pillars of New York & Two by and Palace Theatre, and musical direction Tennessee). Hunter earned his MFA in for Texas In Paris at the York Theatre Costume Design from Southern Methodist (Audelco Award nomination for Best Musical University in Dallas, TX. Favorite designs Direction). Amy has also acted as dramaturg include The Magic Flute, A Flea in Her Ear, Man for the new musicals Alice, Warsaw, and Junk: of La Mancha (New Hampshire Theatre Award A Rock Opera. She is a member of AEA and Nom), Little Shop of Horrors, Top Girls. You SDC. Many thanks to Liz, Ethan, Charlie, and can see more of his work at HunterDowell.com. everyone at OOTB! RENA COOK (Dialect Coach) is a TEDx speaker, FRANK HARTLEY (Technical Direction, OOTB author, and voice, speech, confidence, and Managing Director) works as a lighting and presentation coach. She's the founder of Vocal sound designer in New York City, Authority, a training consultancy serving moonlighting as a director, actor, production corporate clients – politicians, attorneys, manager, and dog owner. For OOTB he has lit entrepreneurs, CEOs, and sales personnel – Songs For A New World, Nocturne, and Into who want to use their voice in more The Woods. He recently was the AD on commanding and authentic ways. Mommie Dearest working with Christina Crawford and Joe Barros, and is the Theatre Rena has an MA in Voice Studies from London’s Manager at the cell theatre. He oversaw Fight Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. With Love, a 10-year BCEFA benefit in She taught high school drama before residence at Geva Theater, and volunteers transitioning to higher education, where she annually with the non-profit. You can often taught voice, speech, and dialects to actors. WHO'S WHO She is professor emerita at the University of production. Costuming experience includes Oklahoma. Her dedication to teacher Blue Gate Musicals. Carrie previously served preparation continues as she teaches at the in the Marketing and Development University of Houston on their Summer MA for department at Theatre West Virginia in Drama Teachers Beckley, WV and in the Marketing and PR R ena’s TEDxOU talk is titled “Power without department at Asolo Repertory Theatre in Press: the foundation of authentic Sarasota, FL. Carrie currently serves as the communication.” Marketing Associate at Weathervane Theatre in Whitefield, NH. Also a performer, She has presented workshops throughout the Carrie has performed across the country as United States and the United Kingdom. Her well as abroad. A huge thank you to you articles and reviews have appeared in reading this playbill and supporting our the Voice and Speech Review, Journal of mission to #changethestage. Carrie holds a Dramatic Theory and Criticism, and Theatre BA in Musical Theatre and Public Relations Journal. She is the author of Empower your from West Virginia Wesleyan College. Voice: For Women in Business, Politics and Life and Voice and the Young Actor. THERESA S. CARROLL* (Production Stage Manager) is a graduate of Western JOSHUA CHRISTENSEN (Board Operator) Connecticut State University Theatre Arts Josh has been working in theater for years as Management Program.