Presents ‘NIGHT, MOTHER by Marsha Norman July 19th - 27th The 1978 Pulitzer Prize winning Best Play, ‘night Mother tells the story of a young woman disillusioned with her life. Confined by society’s misunderstanding of her epilepsy, she cares for an aging mother up to her calm and reasonable breaking point. This play fractures the American identifier “we are not fragile”. Sarah McPartland Artistic Director Katherine Steinstra Managing Director Eric Leslie Business Manager PRESENTS Hannah Brizzi Marketing Director Michael McBurney Director of Public Relations Shannon Knapp Production Manager Paige Borak Associate Production Manager Dan Freeman Artistic Associate Brian Pope Literary Manager Jalina McClarin Volunteer Coordinator Joe Ashenden Special Events Coordinator FEATURING Michael Barnett | Brett Sullivan Santry | Elena Falgione Gwen Vickinovac Stage Manager, Foley Artist Henry J. Hawkins, IV| Arjun Kumar | Max Reusing Paige Borak Lighting Design Casey Cunningham | Maher Hoque | Joe Kruszka Matthew Russak Sound Design Marisa Postava | Frances Chao Brendan Karras Sound Design Assistant Alex Righetti Costume Design Directed by Shannon Knapp Assistant Director: Nico Bernstein Thank you for joining throughline for this production. Please note that Aftershock Theater is currently under renovations. If you have any questions, comments, or notes about the space Throughline Theatre Company Board of Directors please email [email protected]. President – Joanne Moore Vice President – Patrick Conner Treasurer – Bob Rak Secretary/Director of Education - Katie Trupiano 5810 | City Theatre | Robert Dunham | Kate Hagerty Lauren Moore, Katherine Stienstra Joe Kruska | John Michnya | Tucker Topel | Sean Sears Advisory Board: Deborah Cotariu Briana Tierno Ryan Tierno Susan Harris Smith | Stage 6 Michael Barnett........................................The General Producer ($1000-$2499) Brett Sullivan Santry.................................... M’Donald Joanne & Rick Moore Elena Falgione................................,................ Seward Pat and Vicki Conner Harry J. Hawkins, IV..........................................Andre Arjun Kumar...................................................... Bland Production Manager ($500-$999) Max Reusing....................................................Melville Hazel C. Leroy Casey Cunningham............................... British Officer Maher Hoque.................................... American Officer Line Producer ($250-$499) Joe Kruszka................................... Ensemble/Various Nancy Glazener Marisa Postava................................................ Honora Director ($200-$249) Frances Chao............................................ Mrs. Bland Katherine Stienstra This performance runs for 90 minutes, with a 15 minute intermission. Designer ($125-$199) Randall Schweinsberg Samuel Yousem Leading Actor ($100-$124) Kathy Regan Lauren and Chris Moore Katie and Anthony Trupiano Stay Connected with Us! Supporting Actor ($50-$99) Joe and Maureen McBurney Michael Barnett (The General) is thrilled make his debut with the Throughline Theater Company as The General. Michael returned to acting in 2016 thanks to the teaching and support of the wonderful Pittsburgh acting community. He is known for the role of Dick Lane in South Park Theater’s The Stranger and playing The American experiment. In recent years it has become Haie Westhus & others in Prime Stage Theater’s All more difficult to take for granted these espoused Quiet on the Western Front. When not in acting classes or trying to perfect a line read, he can be found hunched over a computer reading opinions foundational ideals of our democracy. We have learned, but or trying to deadlift a small truck. incompletely, just how very limited they have always been. Nico Bernstein (Assistant Director), is a local actor and director. He recently graduated from the University We look back on this moment in history - a paradigm shift Of Pittsburgh with a B.S. in Natural Sciences and a in the rules of war, the treatment of prisoners, and the very B.A. in Theatre Arts. He started his work with Throughline in their 2018 season as Picasso in Picasso definitions of loyalty and treason - at a point when those at the Lapin Agile. He has recently worked as an definitions ring most hollow. assistant director with City Theatre on the world premier of The Burdens and Quantum Theatre on the world premier of Chatterton. "Rises not man forever In the fall, he will direct And The Winner Is... at McKeesport Little Theatre. against oppression?" Paige Borak (Lighting Designer) has been designing lights, performing, and making theatre in Pittsburgh for almost 3 years now. She teaches Theatrical -Shannon Knapp, Director Lighting and Electrics at Pittsburgh's Creative and Performing Arts Magnet School to children in grades 6-12. Pittsburgh credits include The Heiress (PICT); Mumburger, Etty, and A Life Behind Bars (Carnegie Stage); Orphans at Aftershock Theatre; and Building the Wall (Twelve Peers). For more information and upcoming events, visit paigeborak.com. Casey Cunningham (British Officer) is very excited to be joining Throughline again! Casey is a graduate of IUP, and his previous Throughline shows have included; Medea, Oedipus, The Farnsworth Invention, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and Saving the World. Brendan Karras (Assistant Sound Designer) is Frances Chao (Mrs. Bland) is making her thrilled to be working with Throughline Theatre! Pittsburgh theatrical debut in André. Frances grew Although this is Brendan’s first time working on up in Portland, OR where she discovered her love of sound, he has been seen on stage with Poor Yorick’s theatre in middle school. She moved to Players, Little Lake Theatre, and The Heritage Players. Birmingham, AL during her freshman year of high Upcoming productions include Electra with Little Lake school. Immersing herself in the theatre program at Theatre and Othello with Food for Groundlings. her new school was how she dealt with the growing pains of adjusting to a new city and new classmates. Frances enjoys traveling, watching disturbing documentaries, and trying new restaurants in her spare time. Shannon Knapp (Director) works full time as Communications Associate at Quantum Theatre, and is a freelance director and designer. Her next Elena Falgione (Seward) graduated in 2017 from project will be directing A Streetcar Named Desire for Seton Hill University with her BFA in Musical Pittsburgh Classic Players in July. Selected credits: Theatre. Some things that make her happy are World Builders; Mumburger (Sound Design, Off the cooking a good meal for people she loves, NPR, WALL Productions) Twelfth Night (Olivia, Pittsburgh audiobooks, naps, having written, and her beautiful Classic Players), Chatterton (Assistant Director, Quantum Theatre), Ubu boyfriend, Caleb. Thank you to Shannon, Roi (Director, Throughline Theatre Company), Building the Wall (Sound Throughline, and this entire cast for giving her a Design, 12 Peers Theater), Cemetery Club (Sound Design, South Park comfortable, encouraging place to grow. She thanks Theatre), Milo de Venus (Director, Non-State Actors) you from the bottom of her heart for taking time out Arjun Kumar (Officer Bland) is excited to of your day to witness live theatre. return to Throughline Theater as Officer Bland in this Harry J Hawkins IV(André) - Harry is excited to be season's production of Andre! Last year, Arjun made making his Throughline Theatre debut in André. his Throughline Theater debut as Czar Alexis in Ubu Some of his favorite past roles include a version of Roi. He has also performed for Pittsburgh CLO, 12 himself in Folklab's QUEER, Hud in Pitt Stages' Peers, Little Lake Theater, Pittsburgh Playwrights Hair, Elliot in Pitt Stages' Water By the Spoonful, as Theater, and South Park Theater, among others. Later this year, he will make his debut with Pittsburgh Classic Player's in well as, the choreographer for Pitt MTC's their production of A Streetcar named Desire. He will also be returning to production of Big Fish, and Pitt Stages 25th Annual South Park Theater and Little Lake Theater later in the year. Putnam County Spelling Bee. Marisa Postava (Honora)- Marisa is excited to be her first show with Throughline! She is currently finishing her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Pittsburgh. She has previously been seen in The Theatre Factory’s The Moutsetrap (Miss Casewell), Pittsburgh New Works Festival’s Survivor’s Guilt, or the Jumping Off Point (Carly), Pitt STAGES’ Woyzeck (Woyzeck), Suddenly, Last Summer (Mrs. Venable), Parade (Essie), and MTC’s The Drowsy Chaperone (Drowsy Chaperone). Brian Pope (Dramaturg, Literary Manager) is Matthew Russak (Sound Designer) is a thrilled to work on his first season with Throughline! singer-songwriter known as Matt w/2 t's. They are Last year, his play Pup Play was the subject of the also a multidisciplinary theatre artist who has company's first Steel City Spotlight reading. His other worked with many theatre companies. Sound playwriting credits include Milo de Venus (Non-State design credits include Milo de Venus (Non-State Actors, also co-founding member and Literary Actors), Fahrenheit 451 (Heritage Players), and The Director), The Elephant Walk (Yinz Like Plays?!, Vibrator Play (Throughline Theatre Company; assistant). As an actor, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust), and Paper Trail (Pittsburgh Playwrights they have been seen with Alarum Theatre (Crave) and 12 Peers Theater Company). Other credits include Red in