JULY 2019 JULY THE LANGUAGE ARCHIVE About TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Welcome to TheatreWorks Silicon Valley and our 50th season of award-winning MayJuly 2019 | Volume 51,15, No. 1 theatre! Led by Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley and Executive Director Phil Santora, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents a wide range of productions and programming throughout the region. Arts, culture and community Founded in 1970, we continue to celebrate the human spirit and the diversity are our priority here at Encore of our community, presenting contemporary plays and musicals, revitalizing and it is these three pillars on great works of the past, championing arts education, and nurturing new which we were founded almost works for the American theatre. TheatreWorks has produced 70 world 50 years ago. premieres and over 160 US and regional premieres. In June 2019, Since then a lot has changed. TheatreWorks received the highest honor for a theatre not on Broadway— the American Theatre Wing’s 2019 Regional Theatre Tony Award®. Though we have evolved and extended our reach to new places Hershey TheatreWorks’ 2018/19 season included the world premiere of and digital platforms, we are still Felder: A Paris Love Story Marie and Rosetta , the West Coast premiere of , the Encore that you have come and regional premieres of Hold These Truths, Native Gardens, Tuck to expect over the years—the Everlasting, and Archduke. Our 2017 world premiere, The Prince of Egypt, Encore program you hold in your is slated to open on London’s West End in February 2020. hands, enhancing your experience With an annual operating budget of $9 million, TheatreWorks produces at every performance. eight mainstage productions at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto and Enjoy the show. the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. Eighteen years ago, we launched the New Works Initiative, dedicating ourselves to the development of new plays and musicals. The Initiative has since supported over 160 new works through retreats, workshops, staged readings, developmental productions, and the annual New Works Festival, inspiring The Mercury News ENCORE to call us ”a premiere breeding ground for new musicals, which has put the company on the national map.” PAUL HEPPNER President MIKE HATHAWAY Senior Vice President TheatreWorks believes in making theatre accessible to the entire Silicon Valley KAJSA PUCKETT Vice President, community. Our Education Department reaches on average 20,000 students Sales & Marketing GENAY GENEREUX Accounting & from 70 schools in 7 counties annually. It sponsors outreach programs that Office Manager include the Children’s Healing Project at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Production the Young Playwrights Project, specially-priced student matinees, extensive SUSAN PETERSON Vice President, Production school tours, post-show discussions, theatre camps, and programs for youth. JENNIFER SUGDEN Assistant Production Manager For more information on our 2019/20 season, New Works Initiative, and ANA ALVIRA, STEVIE VANBRONKHORST Education programs, please visit theatreworks.org or call 650.463.1960. Production Artists and Graphic Designers Sales MARILYN KALLINS, TERRI REED San Francisco/Bay Area Account Executives DEVIN BANNON, BRIEANNA HANSEN, AFFILIATIONS—TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and operates under agreement between LORT and Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), the union of professional actors AMELIA HEPPNER, ANN MANNING and stage managers in the United States. TheatreWorks is a constituent member of Theatre Communications Seattle Area Account Executives Group, Inc., the national organization for the nonprofit professional theatre. TheatreWorks is a member of the CAROL YIP Sales Coordinator National Alliance for Musical Theatre, a national service organization for musical theatre. In addition, TheatreWorks is a member of Theatre Bay Area, the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, the Mountain View Marketing Chamber of Commerce, and the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce. TheatreWorks’ 2019/20 Season is presented E N SHAUN SWICK Senior Designer & Digital Lead R in cooperation with the City of Mountain View and the City of Palo Alto, Community Services Department, E B CIARA CAYA Marketing Coordinator N Division of Arts and Sciences. I V E K The scenic, lighting, and sound designers Y B Encore Media Group are members of United Scenic Artists. S O T 425 North 85th Street • Seattle, WA 98103 O H This season is supported in part by awards P 800.308.2898 • 206.443.0445 / from the National Endowment for the Arts T H [email protected] G and the California Arts Council, a state I R encoremediagroup.com agency: www.arts.ca.gov W A N E TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is a proud L E Encore Arts Programs and Encore Stages are published home company of the Mountain View & monthly by Encore Media Group to serve musical and C Center for the Performing Arts. A T theatrical events in the Puget Sound and San Francisco A G A Bay Areas. All rights reserved. ©2019 Encore Media Group. T R Reproduction without written permission is prohibited. A Garden Court is the official J. Lohr is the official wine M O J The Mercury News is TheatreWorks’ J. Lohr is the official wine hotel of TheatreWorks. of TheatreWorks. : R 2019/20 Season Media Sponsor. of TheatreWorks. E The Mercury News is TheatreWorks’ V O C 2017/18 Season Media Sponsor. Hengehold Trucks is the official trucking provider of TheatreWorks. Hengehold Trucks is the official trucking provider of TheatreWorks. T N O R F 2 THEATREWORKS encorespotlight.com 3 My legacy. My partner. You have dreams. Goals you want to achieve during your lifetime and a legacy you want to leave behind. The Private Bank can help. Our highly specialized and experienced wealth strategists can help you navigate the complexities of estate planning and deliver the customized solutions you need to ensure your wealth is transferred according to your wishes. Take the first step in ensuring the preservation of your wealth for your lifetime and future generations. To learn more, please visit unionbank.com/theprivatebank or contact: Vartan Shahijanian Private Wealth Advisor [email protected] 415-705-7258 Wills, trusts, foundations, and wealth planning strategies have legal, tax, accounting, and other implications. Clients should consult a legal or tax advisor. ©2019 MUFG Union Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. Union Bank is a registered trademark and brand name of MUFG Union Bank, N.A. Untitled-2 1 12/17/18 4:39 PM From the Board Chair In this Issue Welcome to TheatreWorks’ 50th Anniversary Season! From About TheatreWorks humble beginnings in 1970, when Artistic Director Robert Kelley 2 and a few other brave souls created the musical Popcorn, we Silicon Valley have made inspiring progress in so many ways: world premieres, T O regional premieres, a top-notch education program, a nationally N E H 6 TW’s 50th Anniversary C recognized New Works Festival, and a wealth of wonderful oppor- R E T E Season P tunities to connect as a community. And we won the Tony Award! The first show of the 50th season is The Language Archive, a wonderful play about 9 From Artistic Director connection, communication, language, words, bread—and so much more. In the world of 2019 we have so many ways to communicate with people near and far Robert Kelley that we often lose the direct human connection. Playwright Julia Cho has created characters who can teach us much about how we try, and how we fail, to reach 10 About the Play & Playwright each other. I hope you enjoy this funny, smart, timely show. 13 Q & A with Actor Francis Jue Please join us at our 18th Annual New Works Festival in August. TheatreWorks is nationally known for supporting the development of new plays and musicals, and Director’s Notes by this is a great opportunity to see emerging shows from some of the country’s best 14 new and established playwrights. There are multiple readings of most shows and Jeffrey Lo weeknight and weekend performances. Given the ticket prices for live professional theatre these days, the New Works Festival is the best deal in town. TheatreWorks Silicon Valley 15 If this is your first show with us, welcome! We hope you’ll come back again, presents Palo Alto’s best address. become a subscriber, and eventually a donor. Join the conversation, join the fun! THE LANGUAGE ARCHIVE Become a part of our TheatreWorks family and help us celebrate 50 years of exceptional art. If you’re already a long-time subscriber and supporter, thank you 16 Who’s Who Located steps from downtown Palo Alto and University Avenue and for making TheatreWorks the special place that it is. Your commitment has just blocks from Stanford, Webster House offers you world-class contributed to the success of the company, and you share in our 2019 Regional 19 Snapshots from the TONYs community living. The area is perfect for exploring by foot with museums, Theatre Tony Award. Thank you. performances, dining, shopping, and galleries all close at hand. 21 From Director of New Works Giovanna Sardelli An intimate Life Plan Community, Webster House makes it easy for you to Roy Johnson stay connected to the culture, academia, and vibrancy of Palo Alto while 22 2019 New Works Festival enjoying convenient services and security for the future. BOARD OF TRUSTEES Festival at a Glance Roy Johnson, Chair 24 Explore your options and learn more about moving to Webster House. For Denise Brosseau Rose Hau Phil Santora Cabell Chinnis Ron Hayden Loren Saxe 25 TWSV Contributors information, or to schedule a visit, call 650.838.4004. Bill Coughran Judy Heyboer Barbara Shapiro Sarah Donaldson Charlotte Jacobs Nancy Ginsburg Stern TWSV Accessibility Peggy Woodford Forbes Derry Kabcenell Lynn Szekely-Goode 29 Matt Fuller Michael Kahn Kristina Vetter Ciro Giammona Julie Kaufman Holly Ward 30 TWSV Staff Mark Greenstein Robert Kelley Lisa Webster Anne Hambly Ellice Papp Jane Weston 31 TWSV General Information BOARD EMERITUS Nancy Meyer, Founder • William F.