Steven Breese, Artistic Director Drew Martorella, Managing Director Kim Martin, General Manager/Producer Antonio Colaruotolo, Associate Producer ORDINARY DAYS Created by Dave Solomon and Jason Ardizzone-West Music & Lyrics by Adam Gwon Directed by Dave Solomon Music Director Production Design Costume Design Camille Villalpando Rolla Jason Ardizzone-West Pei-Chi Su Lighting Design Sound Design Director of Photography Cat Wilson Peter Brucker William “Buzz” Miller Video Editor Stage Manager Production Manager Mickey Miller Gabrielle Colwell James Ogden II pittsburghplayhouse.com Originally produced in New York City by Roundabout Theatre Company. Todd Haimes, Artistic Director; Harold Wolpert, Managing Director; Julia C. Levy, Executive Director as part of Roundabout Underground at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre. ORDINARY DAYS was presented at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Festival of New Musicals in 2008. www.namt.org. ORDINARY DAYS was originally produced and performed by Pennsylvania Centre Stage at Penn State University. ORDINARY DAYS was first developed by New York Theatre Barn in New York City in 2007. ORDINARY DAYS is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com DIRECTOR’S NOTE New York City, 2006; it seems like another era, another time...especially right now. But the themes of perspective and connection in Ordinary Days feel more relevant now than ever. In fact, when I was first asked what musical I might be interested in directing virtually, in a new medium, at this time, I immediately and instinctually responded: Ordinary Days. Despite all the incredible challenges that would present themselves over the three months in which we were rehearsing a musical (on Zoom) and creating a film/theatre hybrid production with dual casts (in the middle of a pandemic!!); working on this music, these characters, these words with such an incredibly gifted group of actors and designers and the most dedicated and hard-working production team, has been truly therapeutic and restorative. I first brought the idea of doing this show to my colleague and collaborator, designer Jason Ardizzone-West, because I knew he would ask the same questions I was asking myself: “Why?” and “How?” We had already been having conversations about ways to further the medium of virtual theatre, and he answered the ‘why’ and ‘how’ with a brilliant visual concept and language that allowed us to look at the piece through the lens of today while keeping it set securely in the world of NYC in 2006. The musical we present here is unchanged – except for some fun gender-swapped versions of the original characters that Adam Gwon tweaked exclusively for these specific casts and actors. In the show, one of those characters, Warren (and in our Cast ‘D’ version: Lauren), speaks of a painting by Monet that reminds him/her of “people like us. Thousands of tiny specks huddled together in random arrangements that nobody expects. Every dot on its own ordinary and pale, but thrown together one by one, they make this dazzling, joyous, hopeful sort of [fairy tale]”. In our unique theatrical/cinematic world, our characters literally appear inhabiting the pixels of a larger image. Right now, we see a lot of the world, and of each other, through pixels...and through boxes on a screen. An ordinary day today might be quite different than it was in the fall of 2006, but who we are – our humanity, our need to connect with others and our drive to figure out our ‘Big Picture’ and discover our ‘Life Story’ – remain unchanged. We might be looking at these things through a new lens (or computer screen), but we are still asking the same questions. Adam Gwon’s beautiful, funny and thought-provoking musical may not have the answers to life’s biggest questions, but it offers us some comfort in the constant unknowns. CAST O Clay Koby Fink Jason Jaquel Spivey Deb Emily Botnen Warren Gabriel Lasley CAST D Claire Jana Glover Jason Bennett Speith Drew Will Cobb Lauren Zoey Myers Setting New York City, 2006 Special Thanks Joe Christopher, RWS Entertainment Group, Brendan Bradley, Jennifer Ardizzone-West, Evan Alexander *This DIGITAL PRODUCTION is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America and other countries. Unauthorized duplication, copyright or use of all or part of this DIGITAL PRODUCTION may result in civil liability and/or criminal prosecution in accordance with applicable laws. SONGS “ONE BY ONE BY ONE” Warren/Lauren & Company “DON’T WANNA BE HERE” Deb/Drew “THE SPACE BETWEEN” Jason “LET THINGS GO” Clay/Claire “DEAR PROFESSOR THOMPSON / Deb/Drew & Warren/Lauren LIFE STORY” “I’M TRYING” Clay/Claire & Jason “SATURDAY AT THE MET” Company “FAVORITE PLACES” Jason “SORT-OF-FAIRY TALE” Warren/Lauren & Deb/Drew “FINE” Jason & Clay/Claire “BIG PICTURE” Company “HUNDRED-STORY CITY” Jason & Company “CALM” Deb/Drew “LIFE STORY” (REPRISE) Warren/Lauren “GOTTA GET OUT” Clay/Claire “ROOFTOP DUET / FALLING” Company “I’LL BE HERE” Clay/Claire “BEAUTIFUL “ Warren/Lauren & Deb/Drew CAST BIOS Emily Botnen (Deb) is thrilled to be making her mainstage debut at Point Park in such an innovative and beautiful production, previously performing in the One Acts Festivals (Leah in Zionsville and Axis in A Collection of Things...) and in student films (Illia in Night Life and Regina Sally in Murder in the Rink). She is a junior musical theatre major grateful now more than ever to be back in the room (or Zoom) creating once more. She’d like to thank Dave, Adam, Camille, Gabby, and the OD cast and crew for their vision and trust, as well as her family, boyfriend, and MT ‘22 for their light and love. “The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting joy from common things.” Will Cobb (Drew) is overjoyed to be making his Point Park digital mainstage debut in this groundbreaking production of Ordinary Days! Will is a sophomore musical theatre major with a minor in dance, and is originally from Colquitt, GA. Will would like to thank Dave, Camille, and Adam for their guidance through this process and all of his amazing professors. Mom and Dad, thank you for everything. Love you. Koby Fink (Clay) is a sophomore musical theatre major and is making his Pittsburgh Playhouse debut! Koby’s previous credits include Frank Jr. in Catch Me If You Can, Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, and the Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Koby would like to give a huge thank you to Dave, Adam, and Camille for this incredible opportunity and the privilege of telling this story—and of course his parents for paying his tuition. Koby’s future plans include graduating college, moving to the Big Apple, bumping into Patti LuPone at a Duane Reade, and maybe being on Broadway! He is dreaming big! @kobyfink Jana Glover (Claire) is a junior musical theatre major and is extremely excited to be a part of her third Point Park production. She was previously a part of the premiere of Bound in Before last fall and a part of the ensemble in the musical Pippin. Jana is grateful for all of her friends, family and faculty for their support during this process, and gives a special thank you to all of the cast, crew and directors! Jana recognizes that these are scary and uncertain times, but she is grateful for the opportunity to share this art with the world. Gabriel Lasley (Warren) is a senior musical theatre major at Point Park University. In addition to his theatrical studies, he is also earning his minor in dance with a concentration in jazz. Gabriel has most recently been seen at the Pittsburgh Playhouse in the ensemble of Pippin. Other Conservatory credits include Diamonds in the Rough, Reclaiming, and the Pittsburgh Playhouse's inaugural Gala celebration featuring Rob Ashford, Shirley Jones, and Tony Yazbeck. Endless thanks to the cast, crew, and his family for all the love and support to create art that changes the world. Proud Dreamer. Black Lives Matter. Trans Lives Matter. #MMIWAwareness Zoey Myers (Lauren) is a junior musical theater major, and she is so excited to share this beautiful story of connection with everyone. Her most recent credits include Kat in Tammy Ryan’s Zoom reading of Helicopters with City Theater, and #14 in the Playhouse’s production of The Wolves. She wants to sincerely thank her family, and every single person involved in the production of Ordinary Days for their patience, love, and support along the way. “Break all the legs to this stunning cast. We hope you enjoy our show!” Bennett Speith (Jason – Cast D) is a junior musical theatre major and both a music and dance minor at Point Park University. Favorite roles include Bert (Mary Poppins), Jester (Once Upon a Mattress), and Randall (Bring It On: The Musical). He is thrilled to be a part of this revolutionary adaptation of Ordinary Days and would like to thank Dave, Adam, and Camille, as well as the rest of the crew for the opportunity to bring this story to life. He would also like to thank the cast, his parents and sister, friends and God for leading him to this moment and for their support. Instagram: @bennettjspeith Jaquel Spivey (Jason – Cast O) is excited to be a part of his first virtual production and second mainstage production at Point Park. Favorite credits: The Little Mermaid (Sebastian), Spring Awakening (Georg), and Sunday in the Park with George (Louis/Billy). All love to God, his fabulous family, gracious friends, and beautiful cast. Special thanks to the creative team. All Black Lives Matter!!! PRODUCTION BIOS Steven Breese (Artistic Director and Dean, Conservatory of Performing Arts) has enjoyed a national and international acting-directing-playwriting career that has spanned more than 35 years.