Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing Produced by Jade Warner, Lauren Plaxco, & Chad Doreck SET DESIGN.......................................................................Jeffrey Casciano LIGHTING...................................................................................Chris Rivera PUBLICIST..............................................................................Philip Sokoloff SCENIC PAINTERS.............................................Billy Budinich, Chris Jones COSTUMES.................................................Kasia Pilewicz and Gloria Gifford HAIR/MAKEUP........................................................................Kasia Pilewicz HOUSE MANAGER..............................................................Samiyah Swann Stage Management by Keith Walker & Justin Truesdale Box Office - Tahlia McCollum Our Company of GGC Players: Thank you for your participation in our theatrical, artistic adventure. Since 2013, we have been doing productions completely involving actors from the GGC - ORIGINAL ONE ACTS, THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT, FOOL FOR LOVE, LIQUID LOVE (music), ALL I WANT IS MAGIC (music), Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST, I STAND BEFORE YOU NAKED and Shakespeare's THE COMEDY OF ERRORS with a showcase and more music thrown in for extra excitement. Stage training is essential for discipline, imagination and stretching the actor. At Juilliard and Yale Drama School - this is their benchmark - the stage. Just because we're in L.A. is no reason to alter that basic and primary approach to being an actor with a long career. Being a stage trained actress from NYC, and studying first with Walt Witcover at HB Studios and then with the greats - Michael Shurtleff and Milton Katselas (a total of over 25 years studying with my mentors while working as an actress in film and television and internationally) - stage training is my benchmark as a teacher. In 2013, when I directed 13 original one-act plays, written by and starring the GGC PLAYERS, some nights 35 actors hit the stage. Very satisfying and commercially successful for the actors. We continued the momentum with THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT, a production that started as a very successful scene in the advanced scene study class of The GGC. The Owl and the Pussycat received five very good reviews - opened on April 6 and closed on May 12. It was a success for the company. Our next production, Sam Shepard's FOOL FOR LOVE, starring Lauren Plaxco, Chad Doreck and Robert May originated as a successful scene in the class also. That production, which I also had the privilege of directing, opened May 18, and returned August 24 for six weeks. It packed a powerful punch. After we successfully tackled SHAKESPEARE'S THE TEMPEST AND his THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, it was only natural that we attempt an original musical. The actors and I wrote the script and I selected the songs, collaborated on costumes and production design and off went go into DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND UP TO THE MOON in March of 2016. And now, SHAKESPEARE'S MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING - We hope this makes this a bawdy, bold and exciting project for all of us. Thank you again for helping us get better and better and bringing you some insight and joy along the way - we hope. Onward with love, Gloria Gifford Executive Producer/Teacher/Director The Gloria Gifford Conservatory for the Performing Arts www.gloriagiffordconservatory.com Mission Statement: We will outproduce the negativity, stay focused, over perform like the Olympians and put ourselves in a position where we have to fight and stretch for our passion and provide passion to all the people to whom we bring our art." Gloria Gifford - West Coast premiere of OUR LADY OF !"!ST STREET (Dir.) by Stephen Adly Guirgis (L.A. Times Critics Choice, L.A. Weekly Critics Choice, Nominated Best Ensemble L.A. Drama Critics Circle award, Ovation Award- "##$/"##%); WAIT UNTIL DARK, ON GOLDEN POND (starring Salome Jens and Andrew Prine - "#!") at GCT; ROMANTIC COMEDY, A BED AND A BAR, SUMMER AND SMOKE and over %& showcases. Directed !# actors on live TV - doing improvisations on the hit show THE MARQUETTE SHOW in Milan, Italy ("##%). Co- created and directed TAHLIA MCCOLLUM at CARNEGIE HALL - an evening of Slave narratives and Negro Spirituals at Carnegie Hall in "##&. As an actress, Gloria was discovered by Bill Cosby, and she went from Broadway in Arnold Wesker's THE MERCHANT starring Zero Mostel, directed by the great John Dexter to Hollywood in Neil Simon's CALIFORNIA SUITE, opposite Richard Pryor and Cosby. Gloria has starred in Canada in THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT, London in Robert Patrick's MY CUP RANNETH OVER, Philadelphia in FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE - directed by award winning director Sheldon Epps among many stage performances. Gloria has starred or co-starred in HALLOWEEN II, '( HRS., GOING BERSERK, D.C. CAB, THIS IS SPINAL TAP, BIG TROUBLE, VICE VERSA, THE OTHERS, A PERFECT ENDING ("#!"), among others. Gloria has recurred as the principal on ABC-TV's LIFE GOES ON for ' seasons, recurred on HANGIN' WITH MR. COOPER for " seasons, played "Darnetta" opposite Tracey Ullman on TRACEY TAKES ON... for ) seasons and recurred on THE NANNY. She guest starred on shows like CAGNEY & LACEY (twice), THIRTYSOMETHING, ER, THE PRACTICE, SON OF THE BEACH, ( SIMPLE RULES, RITA ROCKS and co- starred opposite Whoopi Goldberg and Tobey Maguire in HOT ROD BROWN: CLASS CLOWN and opposite Gail O'Grady and Melissa Gilbert among others in Hallmark films ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS and THE CHRISTMAS PAGEANT. Among her many national commercials, she was directed by the great Jim Sheridan (MY LEFT FOOT) in a Borders commercial. She has been directed by David Steinberg twice, starred opposite Jamie Lee Curtis twice, worked with Dirk Benedict, and worked with Tobey Maguire twice. She taught directors and writers at the acclaimed American Film Institute (AFI) in the Masters' program for six years and is now an international teacher - having taught models and actors from all over the world in Milan, Italy. She is the author of ACTING: WHERE IS THE LOVE? and is the mother of actor/singer Adam G. Reel: https://youtu.be/%PVil!RBo!I HHaylyeyleAmrybriz George Benedict Raven Bowens Jeff Hamasaki Brown Billy Budinich Marlin Chan Leana Chavez Heather Compton Yvette DeVito Sonia Diaz Chad Doreck Justine Estrada Joshua Farmer Joe Filippone Lindy Fujimoto Dylan R. George Keturah Hamilton Chris Jones Abigail Kochunas Christian Maltez Sam Mansour Tahlia McCollum Alex Miller Maya Moore J Kelly Musslewhite Tracey Nelson Nakta Pahlevan Benito Paje Kasia Pilewicz Lauren Plaxco Antonio Roccucci Cynthia San Luis Diedra Shanell Danny Siegel Tejah Signori Samiyah Swann Justin Truesdale Nancy Vivar Keith Walker Lucy Walsh Jade Warner Teagan Wilson Sabrina Won Benedick, A lord and soldier from Padua; Conrade, follower of Don John. companion of Don Pedro Beatrice, niece of Leonato. Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon. Hero, daughter of Leonato Don John, "the Bastard Prince," brother of Don Margaret, waiting attendant on Hero. Pedro. Ursula, waiting-gentlewoman attendant on Claudio, of Florence; a count, companion of Hero. Don Pedro, friend to Benedick. Dogberry, the constable in charge of Messina's Leonato, governor of Messina; Hero's father night watch. Antonio, brother of Leonato. Verges, the Headborough, Dogberry's partner Balthasar, attendant on Don Pedro, a singer. Friar Francis, a priest. Borachio, follower of Don John. A Sexton, the judge of the trial of Borachio Hayley Ambriz [email protected] Comm: ERA Talent- 323.935.0874 Originally from San Diego, Hayley is thrilled to be a part of her third show with the GGC players. Since the age of 17 she has been a working model while also performing in dozens of musical theatre productions. This year she has booked three commercials, two feature films, two music videos, and starred in her own web series. Last year she performed the role of the Courtesan on stage of THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, and this year performed the role of Dr. Molly Mcdermott on stage of DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND UP TO THE MOON. She would like to thank Mom, Dad, and Jeff. George Benedict [email protected] Theat/Comm: LoveStone Agency - 310.362.6233 Made his LA Stage bebut in a lead role in The GGC's production of THE COMEDY OF ERRORS. Known for his roles in the internet hit THE RIFT and the upcoming feature film THE BOOK OF FIRE, George was raised in a successful entertainment family and spent his formative years split between LA and the picturesque mountains of Montana. He is a proud student of the highly lauded GGC and excited to be a part of this production. Raven Bowens [email protected] Theat/Comm:Abrams Artists -3108591417 Mgmt:McCaffrey Talent - 8187851886 Raven recently booked the role of Michael Bivins’ wife in the NEW EDITION biopic mini-series airing on BET in January 2017. She's a series regular on VERIZON GO90’s MR. STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT & Cheer Channel's SECRET DIARY OF AN AMERICAN TEENAGER both airing later this year. This year she appeared in her first musical DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND UP TO THE MOON (dir. Gloria Gifford) & her first national commercial (FORD). Other credits include: GHOST FAMILY (TBS PILOT PRESENTATION), MADDEN RIVALS (WEB), THE INDUSTRY (CBS), & DELIVERY: THE BEAST WITHIN (FILM). Theatre Credits Include: I STAND BEFORE YOU NAKED and WILD SONGS AND NAKEDSOULS(bothdir.GloriaGifford),CANTATACRIOLLA(DisneyConcertHall).Ravenalsocoaches cheerleading for inner city youth. She thanks her relentless mentor & coach Gloria Gifford, her wonderful team of representatives &