Our Patrons Director ($1,000 or more) Nell Burrows (7) Bill & Gina Kornrumpf (24) Thomas Della Sala (38) Bruce & Dorothy Maston Family Players of NENY, Inc. Elizabeth & John Liz Gottung on behalf Mowry (10) of Nick Cotrupi Gioia Ottaviano (57) The Hage Family Mike Peters & Linda Sloan Music Director ($500-$999) Anonymous Bill Hickman (In memory Sharon Awramik of Fulvia Hickman) (30) Dom & Amy Belli MVP Healthcare on In Memory of behalf of Brian Burns Cheryl Della Sala Christopher Nuss Bob Harrison (In Memory Dr. Sonya Sidhu-Izzo of Sally Harrison) Assistant Director ($250-$499) Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corp. Della R. Gilman (45) Patricia Casey Niskayuna Co-op on behalf Peter Caracappa & of Sharon C. Wemple Mary Darcy (5) Jeff & Connie Rauhauser (5) Mr. & Mrs. Robert C. John Samatulski & Farquharson (40) Zakhar Berkovich In Memory of Ronald Fragomeni Harald & Joyce Witting (23) Robert J. Gallati LJ Wood (10) 2 Choreographer ($100-$249) Beverly Andrews Bradley Johnson (11) Gabriella Pizzolo Vicki Barber Steve & Mary John & Suzanne Rayome Joseph & Sandra Kozlowski (6) Anthony M. Rudmann Bianchine Ray & Pat Lincourt Mr. & Mrs. Manuel T. Joe & Mary Ann Ricki & Larry Lewis Salorio (9) Concra (31) David Millard Ken & Kelly Sanford Thom Coon & Jim & Linda L. Mizeur James & Joan Savitt Adrienne Sherman Michael Murphy Dale & Nancy Ellen Carl & Anne Copps National Business Swann (45) Tom & Mabel Dudley (26) Technologies Terry Tamer The Finke Family Wayne Nelson Heléne & Gary Trechel Dolores Fragomeni (52) Statistical Consulting Harmon & Janice Tunison Clark & Millie Mr. Robert M. Nottke (25) Bill & Carol Waller Gittinger (16) Carol & Ed Janice & David Walz Chris & Linda Hoffman Osterhout (23) Al Yerman Gary M. Hoffmann & In Memory of Gioia Melissa M. Zambri & Melissa Putterman Ottaviano Gina M. Moran Hoffmann (5) Orlando & Eleaner Bruce & Marty Holden (22) Pigliavento Cast and Crew ($50-$99) Anonymous John & Susan Hill Brett Putnam (8) Richard & Rebecca Karen B. Johnson Richard & Kathryn Rose (5) Canuteson (22) Nancy & Jerry Johnson Alice Rudnick In Memory of Joan In Memory of Adrienne Matt & Trish Scott-Dembling Caracappa S. Kurowski Derrick & Linda Sharkey Eunice Chouffi (39) Bill & Wendy Liebl Kristin & Tom Short Barbara Conway Bob & Pat Lillquist Beverly & John Luigi & Joyce D’Ambrosi Judith Lott (5) Stanislowsky (16) In Memory of Gwen Marcia Marra Bruce & Christine Sutphin Ellen Fraser In Memory of Deb May Carol L. Talarico Leslie P. Gold (10) Howard & Debra Moyer (28) Sandra A. Tarkleson The Greiner Family Dorothy Pasko (5) Richard & Patricia Terry Lynn Grey In Memory of Robert Peek Elisa Verb In Memory of Sally Harrison John Polimeni Barb Warn Supporter (Up to-$49) Alan Angelo In Memory of Rita Croteau Christopher Mano Anonymous Nick & Christina Foster Linda Russo In Memory of Thomas Dick & Chris Howard Susan Skinner Dalton Bambury Amy Jessup In Memory of Eli Taub Alex Brownstein Theodore Klick Charles & Shawna Thompson Tracy Conover-Beck The Patron Program directly supports theater company operations including theatrical productions, special events and our youth program. For more information on our annual giving program please visit sloctheater.org or contact us at 1-877-350-7378 Numbers in parenthesis indicate five or more years of financial support 3 There’s more to see in Schenectady. #DiscoverSchenectady www.discoverschenectady.com BURGERS + FROZEN YOGURT What do you Crave? Decadent Burgers & Sweet, Guilty Pleasure Frozen Yogurt Chef driven and inspired by a true love for classic comfort food concepts Our menu is a balance of comfort and innovation, celebrating food that appeals to both novice and extreme foodies through comfort fare with a twist. 217 Western Avenue, Albany, NY 12203 518.650.6463 • www.cravealbany.com 4 YOU BELONG AT THE Y. SAVE $100 SLOC.2018 Bring this ad to any branch of the Capital District YMCA and when you BETTER TOGETHER join we’ll waive the joiner’s fee. The Capital District YMCA is a leading CAPITAL DISTRICT YMCA Capital Region Charity. 518.869.3500 • www.CDYMCA.org TAP – BALLET – JAZZ PRESCHOOL – CREATIVE DANCE Debra Pigliavento 5 Get the BEST SEAT in the Do you need singers HOUSE for your next ...Office Party? ...Church or Synagogue Dinner? ...Community Event? Our SLOC Outreach performers Glen Eddy Senior Living Community proudly supports the arts — for all ages. would be happy to provide Call (518) 280-8368 entertainment at any event! to learn more about how We will happily tailor our musical Glen Eddy might be the selections to your particular “Encore” you’ve been waiting for! program desires. Glen Eddy offers Independent Living PLEASE CONTACT and Enriched Housing. Judi Merriam at 518-346-5093 One Glen Eddy Drive Niskayuna, NY 12309 for more information www.GlenEddy.com or to set up a date! 6 A Letter From The President “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” What would make us happier than a musical about our Founding Fathers and the birth of our nation? Watching it at one of our favorite places, of course! When you walk through the doors at SLOC, we want you to feel like a valued member of our community. A community that empowers and inspires people through musical theater. Each of our shows this season has contained unique themes and messages that were specific to the stories we were telling, but our purpose in performing them for you was consistent. Our goal was to make you think about the world we live in, reevaluate how you contribute to that world and inspire you to create a world that is better tomorrow than it was today. Next season we hope to do the same and have a wonderful line-up that is already the subject of a lot of buzz around town. Opening our season in September is the creepy and kooky musical based on the mysterious and spooky classic television show, The Addams Family. In November, we’ll take a jolly holiday with you for our youth production of Mary Poppins, performed by the best and the brightest high school students in the Capital Region. In January, the music of Dolly Parton will tumble out of bed and stumble onto the stage for 9 to 5, the Musical. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum will be a lovely way to brighten an otherwise dreary March. And closing our season in May will be the regional premiere of the beautifully simplistic bluegrass musical, Bright Star, with music by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. We aren’t quite ready to start selling season subscriptions yet, so check out our website at sloctheater.org or any of our social media platforms (@sloctheater on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) for more details in the coming weeks on how and where to purchase them. Please come back to join us in May for the sensational final show of our 92nd Season, 42nd Street. You won’t want to miss all of the exhilarating tap dancing and delightful tunes that will send you home humming your favorite classics! As always, I look forward to seeing you around our theater and thank you for your support and patronage. All the best! Michael Camelo President, Schenectady Light Opera Company 7 8 A Letter From The Director Directing 1776 has been a dream of mine for 13 years, since I first saw it at NYSTI during spring semester of my freshman year of college. It has been my honor and privilege to work with this production team and cast to make my dream a reality. I’m so proud of all they have contributed to this process, and I’m excited to share it with you now. It’s been a long journey, and I’ve had many different visions for the show, but I can’t imagine it any other way now. I wasn’t always obsessed with the show (just ask anyone who knows me – the obsession is real). When I first heard of 1776, all I could think was, “Why would someone write 7th Grade Social Studies: The Musical?” I remember thinking that there couldn’t be a more boring topic for a musical (and this is coming from a social studies nerd). Let me assure you, I was very, very wrong. The musical play you’re about to see is funny, charming, and incredibly poignant. You’ll be amazed to see how much of it still resonates today in local and national politics. We have a major problem today when it comes to talking politics (or anything “touchy”). We have forgotten that we can completely disagree with someone’s opinions but still respect them. Too often, we write off anyone with opposing viewpoints as the enemy or not worth being in our lives. I ask you to rethink this mindset. I ask that as you watch tonight, you pay special attention to John Adams & John Dickinson and the way they interact. SPOILER ALERT: These two won’t agree on a single thing. But they do share something very important: respect for each other, regardless of their political stance. What a concept?! I hope we can all take a lesson from Adams & Dickinson today. Our Founding Fathers believed in sharing opposing opinions; that’s why free speech would be included years later when writing the Constitution. To paraphrase Dr. Franklin, we are all a part of this nation they hoped to create, and whether we like it or not, we must work with each other and across the aisle to make it work as they dreamed. Thank you for coming. I hope you enjoy the show! Heather-Liz Copps Director 9 Schenectady Light Opera Company Presents America’s Prize Winning Musical Music and Lyrics by SHERMAN EDWARDS Book by PETER STONE Based on a Concept by SHERMAN EDWARDS Original Production Directed by PETER HUNT Originally Produced on the Broadway Stage by STUART OSTROW Director HEATHER-LIZ COPPS Music Director AMY SHAKE Producers MARY DARCY & MELISSA MARIE NARUSKY Our nation’s founding fathers are brought to life in this beloved, brilliant imagining of American History.