PICT Classic Theatre presents How the Other Half Loves by Alan Ayckbourn Directed by Martin Giles Karen Baum* Tony Bingham* James FitzGerald* Daina Michelle Griffith* Gayle Pazerski Philip Winters* Scenic Designer Lighting Designer Costume Designer Johnmichael Bohach Keith A. Truax Lindsay Tejan Sound Designer Production Manager / Props Master Angela Baughman Technical Director James Thome George DeShetler, Jr. Stage Manager Master Electrician Cory F. Goddard* Assistant Stage Manager K. Jenna Ferree Rebecca Krall Additional Stage Manager Sound Engineer Pamela Brusoski* Scenic Artist Kevin Rudolph Jennifer Kirkpatrick Assistant Master Electrician Dramaturg Brandon Biller Shannon Knapp How the Other Half Loves is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. *Member of the Actor’s Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Cast Fiona Foster ............................... Daina Michelle Griffith* Frank Foster .............................. Philip Winters* Teresa Phillips ........................... Gayle Pazerski Bob Phillips ............................... Tony Bingham* Mary Detweiler ......................... Karen Baum* William Detweiler ..................... James FitzGerald* Setting: 1971, The living rooms of the Phillips and the Fosters HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES WILL BE PERFORMED IN TWO HOURS AND THIRTY MINUTES INCLUDING ONE FIFTEEN-MI NUTE INTERMISSION. *Member of Actor’s Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. PICT Classic Theatre receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. The use of any recording device, either audio or video, and the taking of photographs, either with or without flash, are strictly prohibited. Please turn off all electronic devices such as cellular phones, beepers, and watches. 2 PICT – How the Other Half Loves From the Board President Dear Friends, Those who I would like to read this letter the most will likely never see it. You are reading it because you are in the theater. Those who should be reading it are not. Sir Alan Ayckbourn said in an interview last year, at the ripe young age of 75, that theater has “an air of liveness and spontaneity and excitement.” As he put it, “People are looking for something that hasn’t been decided six months ago in a studio in Hollywood.” So true. Yet, his Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough struggles like PICT to find new audiences in a world fixated by the convenience and saturation of commercial films, TV, and Netflix. Going to live theater requires emotional commitment and the willingness to connect through emotional bonds with the actors. The audience is a part of the show itself through its interaction with the cast. Theater builds a sense of community, as those emotions are shared with others in the live audience and thoughts are communicated with others there. Theater brings the opportunity to feel, share, and socialize with others. It is spontaneous and interactive. A farce succeeds when the audience laughs, a tragedy when the audience sheds tears. The audience participates, injecting its “liveness” and “freshness” into the performance. So my simple request is for you to be an ambassador and tell others about the special “liveness” of theater. And bring your friends, co-workers, and family to experience the excitement of PICT Classic Theatre with you. Sincerely, Chuck Moellenberg PICT – How the Other Half Loves 3 Production Team Director .......................................................................... Martin Giles Scenic Designer .............................................................. Johnmichael Bohach Lighting Designer .......................................................... Keith A. Truax Costume Designer .......................................................... Lindsay Tejan Sound Designer .............................................................. Angela Baughman Props Master ................................................................... James Thome Production Manager/ Technical Director ....................... George DeShetler, Jr. Stage Manager ................................................................ Cory Goddard* Assistant Stage Manager ................................................ Rebecca Krall Additional Stage Manager .............................................. Pamela Brusoski* Master Electrician .......................................................... K. Jenna Ferree Assistant Master Electrician ........................................... Brandon Biller Scenic Charge Artist ....................................................... Jennifer Kirkpatrick Dramaturg ...................................................................... Abigail Cady Sound Engineer .............................................................. Kevin Rudolph Sound Board Operator ................................................... Tyler Boothby Light Board Operator ..................................................... Caitlin Young Wardrobe ........................................................................ Alathia Joy Campbell Carpenter ........................................................................ Drew Palajsa Carpenter ........................................................................ James Thome Carpenter ....................................................................... Kris Buggey Carpenter ....................................................................... Aaron Bollinger Carpenter ....................................................................... Vincent Lobello Special Thanks C. Todd Brown, CAPA, Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, Joanna Obuzor, Pittsburgh Playhouse, Mona Rush, Seton Hill Theatre Arts Department, Sara Steelman, Amy Wooler, Rachel Wyatt, Caitlin Roper, Pamela Brusoski, Caitlin Young and Actors’ Equity Association PICT – How the Other Half Loves 5 A Note from the Dramaturg By Shannon Knapp Playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn (b. 12 April 1939) began his career as an actor at the Scarborough Library Theatre where he quickly developed a mentor-type relationship with Artistic Director Stephen Joseph. The legend goes that during rehearsal, Ayckbourn complained about the quality of the script and Joseph’s response was to commission a play written by Ayckbourn, as a sort of challenge to do it better. Ayckbourn rose to the challenge, writing his first hit Relatively Speaking, which opened on the West End in 1967. How the Other Half Sir Alan Ayckbourn Loves was his second play, which had a series of mishaps but also earned him fame in America. Since these early works, he has had a storied career, having written and produced more than seventy full-length plays, garnering a Tony and an Olivier and becoming the second most-produced British playwright, after Shakespeare. He eventually took over as artistic director of Scarborough, renaming it the Stephen Joseph Theatre. He retired from that position in 2009 but continues to work closely with the company. The title How the Other Half Loves is a reference to the work of Rabelais, “onehalf of the world does not know how the other half lives.” This line has come to be shorthand for the tensions between the lives of the wealthy and those of the rest of the population, particularly after the critical success of Joseph Riss’s 1890 photojournalism piece (“How the Other Half Lives”), a Sinclair-esque piece detail- ing the horrific conditions of the slums of Stephen Joseph Theatre (continued on page 9) PICT – How the Other Half Loves 7 A Note from the Dramaturg (continued from page 7) New York City. In a masterfully crafted way, Ayckbourn uses comedy to bring a similar issue to light, pitting boss against employee, exposing the lies that are common to every person, rich or poor. Ayckbourn also experiments wildly with the use of stage space in the unequaled din- ner party scene. The playwright remembers the original director saying “All right – I give up. How do you do the dinner scene?” It is Ayckbourn’s masterfully crafted comedy and that revolutionary use of space that places How the Other Half Loves far above its peers in the classic form of farce. All Dramaturgy photos licensed under public domain via Wikimedia Commons PICT – How the Other Half Loves 9 Who’s Who in the Cast Tony Bingham (Bob Phillips) is ecstatic to return to the PICT stage with such an astounding cast and production crew. This is Tony’s fourth season at PICT. His most recent collaboration with PICT was Observe the Sons of Ulster… Other recent roles: Bernard in Boeing Boeing (Pittsburgh CLO), Presidente in Pantigleize (Quantum Theatre), Michael Apres in Heads (The REP), and Greg in Inky (Off the Wall). Recent film roles: Frank in Franksgiv- ing, Ernie in The Gospel of Ernie, and Uncle Randy in Progression. Tony holds a BA from Point Park and an MFA from the Univer- sity of Iowa. Karen Baum (Mary Detweiler) is honored to join PICT’s 2015 season. PICT credits: Clarinda in For the Tree to Drop, Mrs. Joe/ Biddy in Great Expectations, Hecate in Macbeth, Scarecrow in Woman and Scarecrow, Edith in Blithe Spirit, various roles in Don Juan Comes Back from the War, King Lear, The Shaugraun, and Boston Marriage. Pittsburgh Credits: Pittsburgh Public Theater (most recently Poppy in Noises Off), St. Vincent Summer Theatre, Off the Wall, Playhouse REP, No Name Players, Bricolage, UnSeam’d Shakespeare, Squonk