Center REPertory Company of Walnut Creek Artistic Director, Michael Butler Managing Director, Scott Denison presents By Caryl Churchill Starring James Carpenter & Gabriel Marin Scenic Design Lighting Designer Butler & Denison Scott Denison Costume Designer Assistant Stage Manager Melissa Anne Davis Alex Logemann Stage Manager/Sound Design Jeff Collister Directed by Michael Butler A NUMBER was first presented by the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre, London, September 2002 U.S. Premiere by New York Theatre Workshop, December 2004 A NUMBER is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. Knight Stage 3 Theatre January 21 - February 7, 2010 Season Season Partner Season Media Sponsor Sponsor The Actors and Stage Manager employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States The Director of this production is a member of the Society of Stage Directors Center REP is a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), The National Organization for the American Theatre and Theatre Bay Area Cast of Characters This production is part of Center REP’s inaugural Off Center season. It’s our first production in James Carpenter.............................. Salter the Knight Stage 3, which we’ve reconfigured in Gabriel Marin..... Bernard 1, Bernard 2, Michael Black the round. I couldn’t be more excited to do this extraordinary play with these extraordinary artists. CAST BIOGRAPHIES I wish to thank everyone at Center REP, especially managing director Scott Denison, production manager James Carpenter (Salter) has appeared Jeff Collister, technical director Joshua Lipps and before at Center REP in Agatha costume shop manager Melissa Anne Davis, for making Christie’s The Mousetrap. He has just Off Center a reality. finished his fourth year as Scrooge at -Michael Butler ACT and his other Bay Area credits include The Aurora Theatre, Marin CREATIVE TEAM Theatre Company, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and Theaterworks. James was Caryl Churchill (Playwright) was born on 3 September an Associate Artist for 14 years with 1938 in London and grew up in the Lake District and Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and is now an Associate in Montreal. She was educated at Lady Margaret Hall, Artist with the California Shakespeare Theatre. Out Oxford, where she read English. Downstairs, her first of town credits; The Old Globe Theatre, The Oregon play, was written while she was still at university, Shakespeare Festival, The Intiman, Arizona Theatre was first staged in 1958 and won an award at the Sunday Company, Dallas Theatre Center, and the Huntington. Times National Union of Students Drama Festival. She He is the recipient of many Bay Area Critic’s Circle wrote a number of plays for BBC radio including The awards, The 2007 Barbara Bladen Porter award for Ants (1962), Lovesick (1967) and Abortive (1971). consistent Exellence in Theatre, and has recently The Judge’s Wife was televised by the BBC in 1972 been awarded the 2010 Lunt-Fontaine Fellowship and Owners, her first professional stage production, from the Ten Chimneys Foundation. Screen credits premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in the include the feature filmsThe Rainmaker and Metro, the same year. She was Resident Dramatist at the Royal independents Singing and the Sunflower Boy, Presque Court (1974-5) and spent much of the 1970s and 1980s Isle and the series Nash Bridges. working with the theatre groups ‘Joint Stock’ and ‘Monstrous Regiment’. Her work during this period includes Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (1976), Gabriel Marin (Bernard 1, Bernard Cloud Nine (1979), Fen (1983) and A Mouthful of Birds 2, Michael Black) is excited to (1986), written with David Lan. Three More Sleepless return to Center REP, previously Nights was first produced at the Soho Poly, London, in appearing in Tuesdays with Morrie. 1980. Top Girls brings together five historical female Recent credits include The Creature characters at a dinner party in a London restaurant (Victor) with James Carpenter, Jack given by Marlene, the new managing director of ‘Top Goes Boating (Clyde) and The Devil’s Girls’ employment agency. The play was first staged Disciple (Richard) at Aurora Theatre at the Royal Court in 1982, directed by Max Stafford- Company, Landscape of the Body (Durwood, Raulito) and Clark. It transferred to Joseph Papp’s Public Theatre Bug (Peter) at the SF Playhouse, A Streetcar Named in New York later that year. Serious Money was first Desire (Mitch) at Marin Theatre Company, and Dead produced at the Royal Court in 1987 and won the Mother (Daniel) for A Traveling Jewish Theatre/Thick Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy of the Year Description. Locally he has appeared at A.C.T., and the Laurence Olivier/BBC Award for Best New Play. Aurora Theatre Company, A Traveling Jewish Theatre, More recent plays include Mad Forest (1990), written Bay Area Playwrights Foundation, Center REPertory after a visit to Romania, and The Skriker (1994). Company, Central Works, Marin Theatre Company, Magic Her plays for television include The After Dinner Theatre, PlayGround, San Francisco Playhouse, Thick Joke (1978) and Crimes (1982). Far Away premiered at Description, Word for Word and Z Space Studio. Marin the Royal Court in 2000, directed by Stephen Daldry. has appeared in the independent feature Opal, Trauma She has also published a new translation of Seneca’s (NBC) and Nash Bridges (CBS) and is the narrator of Thyestes (2001), and A Number (2002), which addresses the PBS documentary Paperback Dreams. the subject of human cloning. Her new version of August Strindberg’s A Dream Play (2005), premiered at DIRECTOR NOTES the National Theatre in 2005. Caryl Churchill lives in London. Her latest play is Drunk Enough to say I Leave it to brilliant playwright Caryl Churchill to Love You? (2006), which premiered at the Royal Court take one of our greatest fears – identity theft - and Theatre in Winter 2006. one of our greatest fascinations – human cloning – and combine them into a Rubik’s Cube of a play. Even her Michael Butler (Director and Artistic Director) most writing itself is a kind of recombinant DNA, mixing recently directed REP’s productions of Witness for strands of sci-fi, murder mystery, ethical treatise the Prosecution and Enchanted April, as well as the and good old fashioned dysfunctional family drama. award-winning productions of Around the World in 80 At its heart is the question of individuality. The Days, Picasso at the Lapin Agile and The Marriage idea of individuality has been a presumed foundation of Figaro. His directing work has also been seen of human being-ness since the Renaissance. Churchill in New York, L.A. and at regional theatres around reopens the Nature vs. Nurture argument with a the country. As an actor, Michael has worked on cautionary tale of parenting as a “do-over.” Don’t Broadway, off-Broadway, in regional theatres, film we all want our children to grow to their full and television. He is a published songwriter and potential? Don’t we all sometimes wish we could have the co-writer and composer of numerous music-theatre a second chance? pieces, which he has directed and performed in NY, LA, and at festivals in India and Morocco. In his career as a performer he has also danced with the amazing group. Alex has also crewed shows for Contra Erick Hawkins Dance Company, portrayed the villainous Costa Musical Theatre and with Diablo Theatre Company Pierre LeChance on The Guiding Light, and played (DLOC). Alex wishes to express how much fun it is to guitar and harmonica in many rock, blues, and country do theatre here in Walnut Creek and is very thankful western bands at all the notable dives in NYC. for our community. This theatre community is like a family that supports him and it is truly remarkable. Scott Denison (Lighting Designer and Managing Alex is excited to see what the future holds for Director) has been the General Manager for the Lesher Center REP and wants you to please join him as we Center for the Arts since it opened 19 years ago and ‘celebrate the power of the human imagination’! has worked for the Arts in this area for 36 years. Scott has directed over 150 productions, including OUR SPONSORS The Wizard of Oz, the musical hit Cinderella and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and for the past 13 Chevron (Season Sponsor) has been the leading seasons Center REP’s A Christmas Carol as well as all corporate sponsor of Center REP and the Lesher Fantasy Forum productions since 1972. He created and Center for the Arts for the past eight years. In produces the annual Shellie Awards now celebrating fact, Chevron has been a partner of the LCA since 31 years. Scott has also designed lights for over 250 the beginning, providing funding for capital productions, including the national touring production improvements, event sponsorships and more. Chevron of Sylvia. In 1979 he created the Shellie Awards, generously supports every Center REP show throughout which annually honors outstanding performing arts the season, and is the primary sponsor for events achievement in Contra Costa County. Under Denison’s including the Chevron Family Theatre Festival in guidance the Lesher Center for the Arts presents July. Chevron has proven itself not just as a generous over 900 public events each year. He coordinates supporter, but also a valued friend of the arts. performing arts activities with over 85 producers and producing organizations. Scott created the Chevron Diablo Regional Arts Association (DRAA) (Season Family Theatre Festival which hosted over 7,000 Partner) is both the primary fundraising organization guests this year. He is also the Managing Director of of the Lesher Center for the Arts (LCA) and the City the Center REPertory Company producing professional of Walnut Creek’s appointed curator for the LCA’s productions each season; and is the director and audience outreach.