Great Expectations By Charles Dickens | Adapted by Hugh Leonard Directed by Alan Stanford Copyright © 2014 Playbill Online Inc. All marks used by permission. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE PICT Classic Theatre THE POWER OF A GREAT presents PERFORMANCE. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Adapted by Hugh Leonard Directed by Alan Stanford Lily Davis Dylan Marquis Meyers Joe Godley Mary Rawson* Larry John Meyers* Elliot Pullen Karen Baum* David Whalen* Simon Colker Martin Giles* Jordon Ross Weinhold Charity Hipple Ken Bolden* Linda Froehlich* Carolyn Jerz James FitzGerald* Mark Conway Thompson* Scenic Designer Lighting Designer Costume Designer Michael Thomas Essad Andrew David Ostrowski Joan Markert Sound Designer Production Manager / Props Master Steve Shapiro Technical Director Johnmichael Bohach George DeShetler, Jr. Stage Manager Master Electrician Cory F. Goddard * Assistant Stage Manager Nathaniel Siebert UPMC is proud to support the PICT Theatre. Assistant Stage Manager Connor McCanlus* Scenic Artist Andrew Swackhamer Assistant Master Electrician Jennifer Kirkpatrick Master Carpenter Regina Tvaruzek Dramaturg Samuel Karas Sound Engineer Tyler Crumrine Kevin Rudolph Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, *Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional UPMC is ranked among the nation’s best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. SYS411939_gh_upmc_pict_theatre_ad_color.indd 1 4/16/14 12:41 PM CAST LETTER FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT Pip .................................................................. Dylan Marquis Meyers Estella ............................................................ Lily Davis HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ONE AND ALL! Miss Havisham ............................................. Mary Rawson* 2014 has been a remarkable year at PICT Classic Theatre! Our plays have brought Mrs. Joe / Biddy ........................................... Karen Baum* laughs, tears, gasps, few gaffes, suspense (literally waiting for the shoe to drop) Joe Gargery .................................................. Martin Giles* and, at the end of every show, cheers and rave reviews. As another beloved Dickens Wemmick ...................................................... James FitzGerald* character would say, “Bless us, everyone,” and we are truly blessed by the dedication Pumblechook ................................................. Ken Bolden* to excellence exhibited by our actors, directors, designers, production team, box office Magwitch ....................................................... Larry John Meyers* staff and our many volunteer ushers who greet with a welcoming smile. Jaggers ........................................................... David Whalen* Herbert Pocket .............................................. Jordon Ross Weinhold As with Pip, PICT Classic Theatre is on a journey. This year was our first season of Molly / Miss Skiffins...................................... Linda Froehlich* plays chosen by Alan Stanford. His mastery of direction and acting was evident. Our Aged Parent .................................................. Mark Conway Thompson* record-breaking audiences, including over 1,400 school children attending Macbeth, Drummle ........................................................ Joe Godley would suggest that PICT’s journey is headed in the right direction. It will not be Young Pip ....................................................... Elliot Pullen or Simon Colker without some trial and error, some bumps in the road, some impatience and waiting, Young Estella ................................................. Charity Hipple or Carolyn Jerz and some challenges to make ends meet. We are waiting not just for Godot, but for the generosity of a Magwitch, too! I welcome your feedback on how our journey is progressing, and encourage you to write a happy ending to this season’s book through SETTING: England, Early 19th Century your year-end contributions. I suspect, too, that you will agree with me that we should flip Dicken’s title when GREAT EXPECTATIONS WILL BE PERFORMED IN TWO HOURS AND describing PICT Classic Theatre: let’s say “Expect Greatness.” I do. Every member of THIRTY MINUTES INCLUDING ONE FIFTEEN-MINUTE INTERMISSION. PICT Classic Theatre and our family of actors do. We have set a high bar for ourselves, because we know that you come to every show with great anticipation. *Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Next season will soon be here. We are starting the season in February with a world Stage Managers in the United States. premiere by an inspiring Pittsburgh playwright at a new downtown venue, followed by a musical favorite in April (yes, we can sing for our supper, too)! UnCommon 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 Pleas will return next March for an evening of lawyerly antics and revelry, premised National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. on The Tempest. Then we will return to Stephen Foster Memorial for Ayckbourn, Shaw, Shakespeare, Dickens, and a brilliant, contemporary Irish playwright. It is an all-star line-up! SPECIAL THANKS: Mona Rush, Sara Steelman, Scenic Artists: Lindsay Coda and Jacquelyn Gutierrez, Pittsburgh Musical Theatre, The Pittsburgh Playhouse, So, please relax and enjoy the holidays. Get rested. Then come back in February with University of Pittsburgh Stages, Nick Wright, Jon Ward, Carnegie Mellon School of your family, friends, and colleagues for more provocative and entertaining theatre, Drama, Pittsburgh Opera, Kathleen Crocker Perry, Kate Bagin, Don Difonso and when the Saints (and Sinners) come marching on our stage! Thank you for your Richard Teaster (Music Director, Pitt Men's Glee Club). attendance and support this year. Sincerely, 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. Chuck Moellenberg PRODUCTION TEAM Director ........................................................... Alan Stanford The world turns to Elliott. Scenic Designer .............................................. Michael Thomas Essad Costume Designer ........................................... Joan Markert Lighting Designer ........................................... Andrew David Ostrowski Sound Designer ............................................... Steve Shapiro Props Master ................................................... Johnmichael Bohach Production Manager / Technical Director ....... George DeShetler, Jr. Stage Manager ................................................ Cory F. Goddard * Master Electrician ........................................... Nathaniel Siebert Assistant Stage Manager ................................. Connor McCanlus* Assistant Stage Manager ................................. Andrew Swackhamer Scenic Charge Artist........................................ Jennifer Kirkpatrick Assistant Master Electrician ........................... Regina Tvaruzek Master Carpenter ............................................. Samuel Karas Dramaturg ....................................................... Tyler Crumrine Sound Engineer ............................................... Kevin Rudolph Sound Board Operator .................................... Kristopher Buggey Light Board Operator ...................................... Liam Nute Wardrobe ........................................................ Cassidy Adkins Deck Crew ...................................................... Jessica Savitz Drew Palajsa Carpenters ....................................................... James Thome, Frank Noll David Bielewcz, Travis Kerr James D. Lanzey, Drew Palajsa www.elliott-turbo.com NOTES FROM THE DRAMATURG by Tyler Crumrine Growing up is rarely a solitary experience. Friends, family, coworkers and acquaintances all play significant roles in shaping the people we eventually become—even if the role they play in our lives only determines the kind of person we choose not to be. Life’s largely a sifting process—with people picking and choosing which advice to follow and which to avoid on their own path towards self-discovery. And there are few better examples of the influence people can have than Great Expectations. It’s a story all about inheritance. Financial, yes, but even more so social. It’s about the qualities we pick up from the people surrounding us, for better or worse. It’s also about the obligations we feel towards those who raise us, which inheritances we choose to collect on, and which inheritances are better left ignored. Dickens is a master of the coming-of-age tale, and one of the places his talent shines most is in his ability to draw clear lines of influence for his characters. Rather than let protagonists mature in a vacuum, he provides them with a number of role models—both positive and negative—to help or hinder them along their way. And, as in good drama, Dickens also reveals character development through interaction. Audiences are able to track changes in character opinions and demeanor—or lack thereof—with each new voice present in the character’s life. The difficult decision, however, is often determining whom to listen to. ThroughoutGreat Expectations, each character has their own idea of how things should be, and—whether