Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art | playmakersrep.org | 919.962.7529
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Season’s Greetings!
One of the greatest pleasures of my job is premiering new work for the American Stage. Several years ago, I was musing on the idea of a new play that would celebrate the holidays and, in particular, offer a uniquely Chapel Hill experience. I was hoping to capture the distinctive flavor of this community on stage, filled with joy and heart. Of course, the first challenge was to identify who would create this new work for PlayMakers – however to call it a “challenge” is a misnomer as the answer was clear to me.
The fabulous Mike Wiley and Howard Craft immediately came to mind given their unique approach to writing, their dynamic, buddy-comedy chemistry, and their deep ties to the region and our theatre. We immediately chose to center the action of the play within Chapel Hill’s African American community – focusing on a Northside family navigating loss, an uncertain future, and ripe for a North Pole intervention! Over the ensuing two years of development, Mike and Howard have created a beautiful gift to the region.
At the helm of this magical holiday confection is the wonderful Kathryn Hunter-Williams, whose own profound heart and beautiful mind are well known to the Triangle. She and her team of brilliant toymakers (designers), along with an entirely local acting company, have provided the whimsical spirit of Hezekiah, turning it into something I hope will become a Chapel Hill tradition.
As we continue to explore the American Dream this season, it has been an absolute pleasure to put our attention and creative energy toward something as joy filled as The Christmas Case of Hezekiah Jones. Regardless of how you celebrate the holiday season, I hope the play will rekindle that childlike joy of this time of year that lives within all of us.
From all of us at PlayMakers Repertory Company, thank you for being a part of the artistic life of the Triangle. We wish you all a wonderful holiday!
Vivienne
Table of Contents
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Desktop Computer Version of playbill available here
Welcome, welcome, welcome!
We are so happy to have you in this space with us.
When I first immigrated to the United States in 1994, America seemed like a land of bounty – full of wonder and opportunity under the banner of “The American Dream.” After living here for over 30 years, I’ve learned that this dream means very different things to different people. As our society evolves, we grapple with questions about whether that opportunity is equally afforded to all, what success truly means, what we value, and how we balance rugged individualism with collective responsibility.
This season at PlayMakers, we invite you to join us on a journey that promises to challenge, entertain, and inspire. The American Theatre provides a unique space to explore the American Dream – where ideas come to live and breathe, allowing the nuances of our shared ideals and our differences to be examined. What a gift to our community that we have a company like PlayMakers to offer this space for reflection, dialogue, and change.
We hope you will continue to join us throughout this season and beyond. Your support is crucial in bringing these powerful stories to life, enriching our community, and protecting the magic of live theatre. Share your experiences here with your friends, follow us on social media, and consider a donation – however you choose to support, we are truly grateful to have you with us this season.
Peace,
Jackie Tanner, Chair
PlayMakers Advisory Council
Jackie Tanner, Chair
Betsy Blackwell, Patrick Brennan, Deborah Gerhardt, Susan Gross, Amy Guskiewicz, C. Hawkins, Zach Howell, Lillian Jenks, Duncan Lascelles, Stuart Lascelles, Robert Long, emeritus, Graig Meyer, Julie Morris, Paula Noell, Jodi Patalano, Diane Robertson, Wyndham Robertson, Haley Swindal, Jennifer Werner, Mike Wiley
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About the Authors
Howard L. Craft, is a father, husband, playwright, poet, essayist and arts educator. He is the author of two books of poems, Across The Blue Chasm (Big Drum Press 2000), and Raising the Sky (Jacar Press 2016). His poetry also appears in Home is Where: An Anthology of African-American Poets from the Carolinas, edited by Kwame Dawes. His essays have appeared in The Paris Review and have been included in The Routledge Companion to African American Theatre (Routledge Press 2019). He is the author of several plays including: Freight: The Five Incarnations of Able Green, a New York Times Critic Pick for March 2015; Calypso and the Midnight Marauders, Orange Light, and The Jade City Chronicles Volume 1: The Super Spectacular Badass Herald M. F. Jones. He is the creator of the first African-American super hero radio serial: The Jade City Pharaoh. Craft is a recipient of the North Carolina Playwriting Fellowship, a two winner of the NCCU New Play Project, and the 2024 NCLHA Hardee-Rives award winner for Dramatic Art.
As an arts educator, Craft works as a creative writing instructor for Mike Wiley Productions and is the current Piller Professor of the Practice at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill for the Writing for the Stage and Screen program.
Craft lives in Durham with wife, young son, and Beagle, Shazam.
Mike Wiley is a North Carolina-based actor, playwright and director of multiple works in documentary theatre, including The Parchman Hour, Downrange: Stories From The Homefront, Dar He: The Story Of Emmett Till, the theatrical adaptation of Blood Done Sign My Name, The Fire Of Freedom, and more. Wiley has more than twenty years of credits in documentary theatre for young audiences plus film, television and regional theatre. An Upward Bound alum and Trio Achiever Award recipient, he is an M.F.A. graduate of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, former Lehman-Brady Visiting Joint Chair Professor at Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies, and current Artist in Residence for the Kenan Institute for Ethics and The Stephen and Janet Bear Assistant Research Professor of Arts, Ethics, and Education in the Program in Education at Duke University. He is recipient of the UNC Chapel Hill Distinguished Alumni Award and has conducted numerous teaching/educational residencies funded through grant programs of the North Carolina Arts Council. His plays have been jury-selected for showcasing by arts industry conferences including Arts Midwest, Arts Northwest, OAPN, Performing Arts Exchange, ArtsMarket, IPAY, plus Contact East & Contact Ontario in Canada. His ensemble-cast productions have been produced by major regional theatres including Guthrie Theatre, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Cape Fear Regional Theatre, Hattiloo Theatre, Virginia Stage and others.
A gifted and visionary artist and communicator, Wiley’s overriding goal is expanding cultural awareness for audiences of all ages through dynamic portrayals based on pivotal moments in African-American history. On every stage or screen in whatever form, this remarkably gifted playwright/actor continues to peel away distrust and misinformation to dramatically and powerfully share true stories giving honor and tribute to heroic, iconic legends and change-making unsung heroes from the AfricanAmerican history book of the United States of America. Black History Matters.
In 2020, Mike Wiley received the Ann Atwater Award presented by Manbites Dog Theater Fund to recognize Triangle theater artists and companies whose body of work reflects and honors Durham activist Ann Atwater’s lifelong commitment to social justice. He is also recipient of the NC Theatre Conference Constance Welsh Award for Theatre for Youth. Wiley founded the online series “Higher Ground Conversations” with national civil rights and social justice leaders. Mike Wiley currently tours eight solo-actor original plays, performing and conducting workshops and residencies across the US for student and adult audiences.
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Special Event
January 7–12, 2025
A tour de force by Emmy-nominated actor Sharon Lawrence, inspired by the story of the most powerful woman in journalism. Before her legendary tenure at The Washington Post, where she defied the U. S. government by publishing both the Pentagon Papers and the Watergate story, Katharine Graham was an abused wife. Her resilience set the stage for her transformation into an emblem of power in the media world.
“The Shot is a story for this moment. I hope The Shot empowers women who suffer intimate partner violence, and gives the rest of us a window into an abused woman’s soul.” – Playwright, Robin Gerber
Program Notes
By Lexi Silva, Dramaturg
The Christmas Case of Hezekiah Jones is a celebration of Chapel Hill, specifically the legacy and impact of its Black community. In this love letter to the Northside, Craft and Wiley unfurl the story of Hezekiah Jones, an analog toymaker and community fixture who is struggling to overcome the recent loss of his wife in the midst of the holiday season.
The Marian Cheek Jackson Center, a long-standing organization dedicated to preserving the future of historically Black neighborhoods, identifies the Northside, Pine Knolls, and Tin Top as the oldest Black neighborhoods in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Residents of these areas trace their family’s presence back several generations. As many Tar Heels know, the nation’s first public university was built by Black labor. Through the mid-19th century, enslaved Black people on lease or loan from wealthy white residents constructed the University buildings, laid the rock walls, maintained the grounds, hauled water from the iconic Old Well, and cooked and cleaned for the administration, faculty, and students1. If UNC continues to be the heart of Chapel Hill, the legacy of Black residents must be acknowledged as its lifeblood.
In addition to the rich local history conjured up in Hezekiah, there is also the celebration of the small businesses that have become local landmarks: Sutton’s Drug Store, Time-Out, Carolina Coffee Shop, Midway Barbershop and more. Amidst the unpredictability of an economy still recovering from the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, a story about a business struggling to keep its doors open hits close to home. After all, with the recent closure announcements from community fixtures like Mama Dip’s Kitchen and Schoolkids Records, it’s clear to see that staying in business these days is a challenging feat. The play highlights Chapel Hill and Carrboro small businesses like Epilogue, Pirate Captain, Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe, and more to uplift the significance of these institutions in the local economy.
While most of us have a reference point for Chapel Hill, Carrboro and UNC, the North Pole is a different story. Craft and Wiley create a picture of Santa’s famous workshop that showcases both the joys and wonders of the North Pole, while infusing it with the realities of corporate infrastructures and commercialism that leaves elves and humans alike feeling burned out. According to the editors of History.com, the legend of Saint Nicholas dates to A.D. 280. Gift-giving, mainly centered around children, has been an important part of the Christmas celebration since the holiday’s rejuvenation in the early 19th century. Stores began to advertise Christmas shopping in 1820, and by the 1840s, newspapers were creating separate sections for holiday advertisements, which often featured images of the newly popular Santa Claus. Civil War illustrator Thomas Nash is largely responsible for the jolly image of “the man with the bag” that remains in the Western cultural zeitgeist. In September 1897, eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon famously wrote in to the New York Sun newspaper with a simple but significant question: “Is there a Santa Claus?” The Sun editor Frances Pharcellus Church responds in an editorial in which he asserts “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.”2. This short essay has been printed time and time again because it is an affirmation that while the Holiday season has become increasingly commercial, the magic of the season is in how we care for each other.
Care for one another is a theme at the heart of this play and this community. In Hezekiah, legends like Michael Jordan, Roy Williams, Dean Smith and Mia Hamm are celebrated next to a hometown hero with the spirit of local industry and resilience that permeates Carrboro and Chapel Hill. From Franklin Street to the North Pole, playwrights Howard L. Craft and Mike Wiley craft a delightful hometown tale of resilience, community and connection with humor and care.
1The Marian Cheek Jackson Center for Saving and Making History
2Library of Congresss Archive
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The Christmas Case of Hezekiah Jones
by Howard L. Craft & Mike Wiley
Directed by Kathryn Hunter-Williams
Choreographer
Tracy Bersley
Scenic Designer
Lawrence E. Moten III
Costume Designer
Pamela A. Bond
Lighting Designer
Abigail Hoke-Brady
Sound Designer & Composer
Kate Marvin
Vocal Coach
Tia James
Dramaturg
Lexi Silva
Stage Manager
Aspen Blake Jackson
Assistant Stage Manager
Sarah Smiley
November 26 – December 15, 2024
“The Christmas Case of Hezekiah Jones” was commissioned by PlayMakers Repertory Company and made possible by support from Joanne and Peter Garrett and The New Play Commissions Fund, with production support from The Strickland Family Foundation, Joan H. Gillings Transformational Fund, and Wyndham Robertson.
Abigail Hoke-Brady is the recipient of the Robert and Margaret Boyer Distinguished Guest Artist Award
Lawrence E. Moten III is the recipient of the Charles and Shirley Weiss Distinguished Guest Artist Award
Any video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited.
The Professional Theatre of the Department of Dramatic Art Kathryn Hunter-Williams, Chair, Vivienne Benesch, Producing Artistic Director Produced in association with the College of Arts and Sciences The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Actor Bios
in Alphabetical Order
Dizzle Jollyworth: Reez Bailey
Topher: ZuZu Bersley
Fred Fizzle-Moss: Jeffrey Blair Cornell*
Pennysworth/Devon, UPS Man: Matthew Donahue
Karen: Elizabeth Dye
Silver Bell Sparkle Dash: Rasool Jahan*
Harriet Jones: Jadah Johnson
Hezekiah Jones: Trevor Johnson*
David: Nate John Mark
Ginger Nuts Brown: Jamar Jones*
Santa: Andrew Wade
Dani Green: Mengwe Wapimewah
North Pole Elves: The Company, joined by Community Members Annmarie Brown, Calvin Brown, Emily Brown, Quinn Campbell, Gabrielle Knapp.
Stage Managers: Aspen Blake Jackson* Sarah Smiley*
*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
Setting: North Pole & Chapel HIll, Current Day.
The Christmas Case of Hezekiah Jones will be performed with a 15 minute intermission.
PROFESSIONAL ACTOR TRAINING PROGRAM
Class of 2026
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Reez Bailey
Dizzle Jollyworth
PlayMakers: Company member in their second year of UNC’s Professional Actor Training Program with the Department of Dramatic Art. Murder on the Orient Express, Much Ado About Nothing. Stupid F**king Bird, The Lifespan Of A Fact, The Lonesome West, (PlayMakers/DDA Ground Floor). Little House On The Prairie (Frosted Glass Collective).
University: Ordinary Days (InterMission Theatre); Peter and the Starcatcher, God of Carnage (University Theatre).
Film: The Thing, Dream Killers (Student Film), Rapid Eye Movement (2022).
Education: BS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
ZuZu Bersley
Topher
PlayMakers: Everybody.
Summer Youth Conservatory: Bright Star.
Local: A Christmas Carol, Beauty And The Beast, Matilda, Seussical, Footloose, Annie, Treasure Island, Descendants, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Center Stage Theater). Peter Pan (Carrboro Elementary Summer Theatre Program).
Film: Dracula
Other: Zuzu enjoys riding horses, playing guitar, writing songs, and taking care of her service dog, Fella.
Jeffrey Blair Cornell
Fred Fizzle-Moss
PlayMakers: Jeff is celebrating his 30th consecutive season acting with PlayMakers. Murder on the Orient Express, Much Ado About Nothing, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Hamlet, Emma, Native Gardens, Julius Caesar, Ragtime, How I Learned to Drive, She Loves Me, Bewilderness, My Fair Lady, The Tempest, Sense and Sensibility, Angels in America, Cabaret.
New York: Two by Two, Down to Earth, Serious Business.
Regional: Guthrie Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Paper Mill Playhouse, Geva Theatre Center, among others.
Education/Other: Carbonell Award nominations for Best Actor – Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me and Falsettoland (Caldwell Theatre – FL). Studied at HB Studios in New York with Uta Hagen, Austin Pendleton, and Elizabeth Wilson and received his MFA from the PATP/UNC-Chapel Hill. Serves as Teaching Professor/Associate Chair in UNC’s Department of Dramatic Art.
Matthew Donahue
Pennysworth/Devon, UPS Man
PlayMakers: Company member in their second year of UNC’s Professional Actor Training Program with the Department of Dramatic Art. Murder on the Orient Express, Every Brilliant Thing, Much Ado About Nothing. Stupid F**king Bird, The Lonsome West (PlayMakers/DDA Ground Floor).
Regional: Little Shop of Horrors(Virginia Theatre Festival);The Fox; Peter and the Starcatcher (The Commonweal Theatre Co.); Gypsy, Oklahoma! (The Prizery).
University: The Three Musketeers, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Hands on a Hardbody, et al. (ECU/Loessin Playhouse).
Education: BFA Acting, East Carolina University.
Elizabeth Dye
Karen
PlayMakers: Company member in their second year of UNC’s Professional Actor Training Program with the Department of Dramatic Art. Crumbs from the Table of Joy, The Game, Much Ado About Nothing. The Taming, Stupid F**king Bird (PlayMakers/DDA Ground Floor).
University: Cabaret, Animal Farm, Three Sisters, Violet, Henry IV Part One (University of Evansville)
Education: BFA Theatre Performance at the University of Evansville.
Rasool Jahan
Silver Bell Sparkle Dash
PlayMakers: Fat Ham, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Emma, Dot, Intimate Apparel, Disgraced, The Parchman Hour. She was also the Assistant Director for Count at PRC2.
Regional: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (WriteAct Rep); Wit (Justice Theatre Project).
TV/Film: Hallmarks’ A Nashville Christmas Carol, “The Resident,” “House of Cards,” “Cold Mountain,” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer” with Jennifer Love Hewitt. She can also be seen on Hulu’s limited-series, “Class of 09’” with Brian Tyree Henry and Kate Mara.
Education/Other: Rasool is a proud graduate of North Carolina’s oldest HBCU. Rasool lives in Durham, serves on the Social Justice Board, Hidden Voices, and dedicates her performance to her father, Abdur-Raheem Rasool.
Jadah Johnson
Harriet Jones
PlayMakers: Company member in their second year of UNC’s Professional Actor Training Program with the Department of Dramatic Art. Crumbs from the Table of Joy, The Game (u/s perf.), Much Ado About Nothing. Stupid F**king Bird (PlayMakers/DDA Ground Floor).
Regional: Too Heavy For Your Pocket (New Horizon Theatre)
Education: B.A Theatre Arts Performance and Practices at Point Park University.
Trevor Johnson
Hezekiah Jones
PlayMakers: Everybody, Leaving Eden, Jump.
Regional: Fences, Miraculous and the Mundane, Best of Enemies, Art Tatum: Piano Starts Here, Our Town, Amadeus
University: You are Dead You are Here (UNC Process Series), Black Pioneers: A Creative Celebration, Voices from the Archives, Noms de Guerre, Aluminum Town, Working, Virtual Performance Factory, Dearly Departed, Tribute to Paul Green, Jesus Christ Superstar.
Film: I Want to Be With You in the Darkness.
Education/Awards/Other: BA Comm Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill – Wallace Ray Peppers Award; BA Theatre Education, NCCU, Summa Cum Laude
Nate John Mark
David
PlayMakers: Company member in their second year of UNC’s Professional Actor Training Program with the Department of Dramatic Art. Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Fat Ham, Much Ado About Nothing. The Lifespan Of A Fact, Stupid F**king Bird (PlayMakers/DDA Ground Floor).
Regional: Party People (Actors Theatre of Louisville); Nollywood Dreams ( Open Book Theatre); Head Over Heels (Ringwald Theatre); Taming of the Shrew (Idaho Shakespeare Festival); Othello (The Acting Company/NY); Twelfth Night (Shakespeare in Detroit).
Jamar Jones
Ginger Nuts Brown
PlayMakers: Resident Company Member 2021-24. Fat Ham, Much Ado About Nothing, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Hamlet, Emma, Blues for an Alabama Sky, A Wrinkle in Time, Stick Fly (u/s perf.), The Skin of Our Teeth. The Tempest (PlayMakers Mobile). Pass Over, Circle Back, Den of Thieves, The Brothers Size (PlayMakers/DDA Ground Floor).Ground Floor Series Producer: 2022-24.
Regional: Toni Stone (Playhouse On Park); The Legend of Georgia McBride (Theatre SilCo); Black Like Me (Chautauqua Theater Company); Everybody (Cadence/Virginia Rep); Fires in the Mirror, Passing Strange (Firehouse Theatre); Fences (Virginia Repertory Theatre); Red Velvet (Richmond Shakespeare); An Octoroon, Topdog/Underdog (TheatreLab).
Television: “Law & Order” (NBC).
Education/Awards: The College of William and Mary, B.A. UNC-CH/PATP, MFA-Acting. 2024 David A. Hammond Medal for Excellence in Dramatic Art (UNC-CH). 2022 RTCC Award, Best Lead Performance- Play for Fires in the Mirror. 2019 Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Award, Best Actor in a Leading Role – Play for An Octoroon.
www.jamarjonesofficial.com
Andrew Wade
Santa
PlayMakers: Circle Back (PlayMakers/DDA Ground Floor).
University: Next to Normal (Company Carolina & Pauper Players); Exit, Pursued by a Bear, The Seagull, and Something Rotten! (Kenan Theatre Company).
Film: The Woods (New Meridian Pictures); The Interrogation, Me, But Better, Impostor Syndrome (Student Film).
Education: BA in Dramatic Art from UNC Chapel Hill.
Mengwe Wapimewah
Dani Green
PlayMakers: Company member in their second year of UNC’s Professional Actor Training Program with the Department of Dramatic Art. Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Fat Ham, Much Ado About Nothing. The Lifespan Of A Fact, Stupid F**king Bird (PlayMakers/DDA Ground Floor).
University: Recycling Theater; The Quiet Zone (Stella Adler Studio of Acting).
Film: MAGICKY; Sisyphus (Pace University); Vices (JG Filmworks); Out of Luck (RK Productions).
Education: BFA Acting for Film, Television, Voiceovers, and Commercials at Pace School of Performing Arts.
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Kathryn Hunter-Williams
Director
PlayMakers: Company member for 26 seasons. Recent highlights include directing They Do Not Know Harlem, Stick Fly, No Fear & Blues Long Gone, Count, plus acting in The Game, Fat Ham, Hamlet, A Wrinkle in Time, The Skin of Our Teeth, Edges of Time, Julius Caesar, Everybody, Life of Galileo, Skeleton Crew, Leaving Eden, Tartuffe, Dot, Intimate Apparel, The Crucible, Trouble in Mind, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Raisin in the Sun, Imaginary Invalid, The Parchman Hour, Angels in America, Fences, Doubt, among others.
Regional/New York: Living Stage, The Negro Ensemble Company, Manhattan Class Company, New Dramatists, Archipelago Theater.
Education/Other: BFA, UNC School of the Arts; MFA, UNC-Chapel Hill. Kathryn is chair of the Department of Dramatic Art at UNC-Chapel Hill and Associate Director of HiddenVoices, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing life-changing stories into a public forum.
Tracy Bersley
Choreographer
PlayMakers: Company member for 9 seasons. Movement coach and resident choreographer. Director of Murder on the Orient Express. Recent choreography includes Fat Ham, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, The Legend of Georgia McBride, As You Like It.
Off Broadway/New York: As director/choreographer— Lincoln Center, The Public Theater, BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), The Lortel Theatre, Primary Stages, and many award-winning Off-Broadway companies, such as The Civilians and Red Bull Theatre.
Regional: As director/choreographer— Delaware Repertory Theater, Carolina Performing Arts, McCarter Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival.
Education/Other: Served as professor or guest artist at Yale School of Drama, Princeton University, New York University, Purchase College, Columbia University/Barnard College, and The Juilliard School. Tracy received her MFA in Directing from Syracuse University and is currently co-head of the Professional Actor Training Program in the Department of Dramatic Art at UNC-Chapel Hill, a member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and a Drama League Fellow.
Lawrence E. Moten III
Scenic Designer
PlayMakers: Hamlet, How I Learned What I Learned, Native Son.
Broadway: Chicken & Biscuits (Circle In The Square); What The Constitution Means to Me (Broadway & Tour Associate).
New York: The White Chip (MCC), Covenant (Roundabout), Patience (2ST Uptown), STEW & Stargazers (Page 73), Behind The Sheet (Ensemble Studio Theatre), Ghost of John McCain (SoHo Playhouse)
Regional: Black Cypress Bayou (Geffen), Bulrusher (McCarter & Berkeley Rep), Silent Night, Cosí Fan Tutte, Faust (Wolf Trap Opera), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Brothers Size, Proof & Once Upon A Bridge (American Players), Henry VI: One & Two, Twelfth Night, Trouble In Mind, King James (Old Globe), Blues For An Alabama Sky (McCarter & Guthrie), Gem of The Ocean (Two River), Metamorphoses (Folger Shakespeare Theatre), Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily (Alley Theatre), Appropriate, The Little Foxes (South Coast Rep) Christmas in Connecticut (Goodspeed Musicals), This Little Light of Mine (Santa Fe Opera), Requiem (INSeries Opera), The Last Supper (SOPAC), Much Ado About Nothing (Commonwealth Shakespeare), it’s not a trip, it’s a journey, We Declare You A Terrorist… (Round House), Gem of The Ocean (Portland Center Stage), The West End (Cincinnati Playhouse), Hype Man (ART & Company One), Gloria (ACT), Hi, Are You Single? (Woolly Mammoth), House of Joy (CalShakes), The Royale (Capital Rep); Behind The Sheet (Ensemble Studio Theatre).
Lecturer: Princeton University & Queens College.
Education/Other: BFA Ithaca College. Member of USA 829 & Wingspace Theatrical Design.
www.motendesign.com
Pamela A. Bond
Costume Designer
PlayMakers: Company member for 2 seasons. The Game, Stick Fly.
Regional: House of George (National Black Theatre Festival); FENCES (Arts Center of Coastal Carolina); White (Bulldog Theatre); Black Nativity (Justice Theatre Project). She also performed in Dance on Widows Row (Agape Theatre).
Education: B.A. in Theatre, a B.S. in Textiles & Apparel, and an M.A. in Textiles & Apparel from North Carolina Central University. Ms. Bond is a member of Alpha Psi Omega Honor Society, Gamma Xi Phi Art Society, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Pamela A. Bond is a native of Durham, North Carolina. Ms. Bond is an Assistant Professor of Dramatic Art at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Abigail Hoke-Brady
Lighting Designer
PlayMakers: How I Learned What I Learned.
New York: The White Chip (MCC Theater); To the Ends of the Earth (JACK); The Strangers Came Today and Beginning Days of True Jubilation (SOCIETY Theater Co); BUST (Soho Repertory Theater); Bound (Fresh Squeezed Opera); The Little Death Vol 1 (Prototype Festival); MukhAgni (Under the Radar/The Public Theater); Silent Voices: Lovestate (New Victory Theater / Brooklyn Youth Chorus); Portrait and a Dream (Contemporaneous).
Regional: Tosca (Pittsburgh Opera); Pagliacci (Seattle Opera); Street Scene, Fanciulla del West, Pirates of Penzance, Roméo et Juilette, Otello, and Kiss Me, Kate (Central City Opera); King James (The Old Globe); Rigoletto (Holy City Arts & Lyric Opera); Don Pasquale (Opera Omaha); Sir John in Love (Bard Music Festival); Cosi fan Tutte (San Diego Opera); The Last American Hammer, FLORIDA (UrbanArias); Glory Denied, Three Decembers (Tri Cities Opera); Mad Forest (Bard College/Theatre for a New Audience).
Education/Other: Drew University, BA. NYU, MFA. Member of USA 829.
www.hokebradydesigns.com.com
Kate Marvin
Sound Designer & Composer
PlayMakers: The Game, Misery, The Legend of Georgia McBride, A Wrinkle in Time.
Regional: Yellow Face (Roundabout Theatre Company).
Off Broadway/New York: Jonah (Roundabout); Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (Lortel Theatre); Vanessa in Bed (Audible); Merry Me (New York Theatre Workshop); Big Trip (Krymov Lab, LaMama); The Best We Could (MTC); Wolf Play (Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Sound Design; MCC/Soho Rep/Ma-Yi); Fidelio (Heartbeat Opera); Blood Meal (Theater in Quarantine); Wives (Playwrights Horizons); Chimpanzee (HERE Arts Center/Barbican/Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes); Porto (WP Theater).
Regional: McCarter Theatre Center, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Two River Theater, Northern Stage, Geva Theatre Center, Guthrie Theater, Alliance Theater, Mark Taper Forum, among others.
Film: The Memory Trade (Handmade Puppet Dreams); Out of Office (NYS Puppet Festival); White Flags (AC Pictures).
Education/Other: Kate is an associate artist with Target Margin Theater and a member of USA829 and Maestra. MFA, Yale School of Drama.
Tia James
Vocal Coach
PlayMakers: Company member for 6 seasons. Actor: Much Ado About Nothing, Clyde’s, Hamlet, Blues for an Alabama Sky, A Wrinkle in Time, Julius Caesar, Native Son. Vocal coaching includes Misery, They Do Not Know Harlem, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Stick Fly, Ragtime, How I Learned to Drive, Life of Galileo, Bewilderness, She Loves Me, Skeleton Crew, Sherwood, Jump, Your Healing is Killing Me. Director: Crumbs from the Table of Joy, How I Learned What I Learned, As You Like It, Macbeth (PlayMakers Mobile), and Constellations (PlayMakers Ground Floor).
Broadway: The Merchant of Venice.
Off Broadway/New York: The Winter’s Tale, The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare in the Park).
Regional: Much Ado About Nothing (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company); Richard III (Allentown Shakespeare); Loving and Loving (Stella Adler Studios); Much Ado About Nothing (Two River Theatre); Civilization [All You Can Eat] (Woolly Mammoth Theater).
Television: “Nurse Jackie,” “Treme.”
Teaching / Coaching / Directing: UNC-Chapel Hill, NYU Graduate Acting, NYU Dance, Atlantic Acting School, Montclair University.
Education / Awards: MFA NYU Tisch Graduate Acting Program, BFA Virginia Commonwealth University; Miller Voice Method Teacher Certification. Recipient of the 2014 NYU Graduate Acting Diversity Mentorship Scholarship, 2003 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship winner for Best Actor; 2019 Michael Chekhov/Zelda Fichandler Scholarship.
Lexi Silva
Dramaturg
Dramaturgy: Clyde’s, Misery, Much Ado about Nothing, Fat Ham, Murder on the Orient Express, The Game (PlayMakers Repertory Company).
Regional Dramaturgy: Sea Change (Capital Arts Theatre Guild); No Man’s Land (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); The Winter’s Tale, Twelfth Night, or what you will, The Mesquite Tree, The Pinata, Decolonizing Your Mind with Walter Mercado, 1970’s College Sex Comedy (Indiana University, Bloomington); How We Return (Cardinal Stage, Bloomington).
Publications: “NAATC Opens New Doors for Indy Theatremakers,” American Theatre magazine; “Active Dramaturgy in the New Play Process, or, What I Learned from Walter Mercado,” Indiana University Press
Faculty: Visiting Professor of the Practice, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Education: MFA in Dramaturgy, Indiana University, Bloomington; M.A. in English Literature, California State University, Stanislaus; Dual B.A. in Theatre Arts and English, California State University Stanislaus.
Aspen Blake Jackson
Stage Manager
PlayMakers: Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Murder on the Orient Express, Much Ado About Nothing, Clyde’s, They Do Not Know Harlem, Native Gardens. The Prom, The Drowsy Chaperone, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Summer Youth Conservatory).
Aspen is thrilled to be returning for her third mainstage season. She graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BA in Vocal Performance and Dramatic Arts. Aspen has also thoroughly enjoyed spending the last three summers serving as the Production Stage Manager for our Summer Youth Conservatory program of which the most recent production, The Prom was a hit!
Sarah Smiley
Assistant Stage Manager
This will be her 13th season with PlayMakers, since first joining the company in 2005. She has worked professionally for over 30 years in the entertainment and theatrical industries, in theme parks and road houses in eight states and the U.K. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and has been active in USITT and the Stage Managers’ Association. She received her M.F.A. from the University of Iowa.
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UP NEXT
Jan 29-Feb 16
Bear witness to the tragic unraveling of Willy Loman, a weary salesman chasing the elusive American Dream. Amidst family strife and shattered illusions, his journey becomes a haunting exploration of identity, disillusionment, and the relentless pursuit of success. Experience one of the most powerful and enduring plays in American history. Learn more.
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PlayMakers Leadership
Vivienne Benesch
Producing Artistic Director
Vivienne is in her ninth full season as a company member and Producing Artistic Director with PlayMakers, where she has helmed productions of The Game, Hamlet, The Skin of Our Teeth, The Storyteller, Dairyland, Life of Galileo, Leaving Eden, The May Queen, Three Sisters, Love Alone, RED and In The Next Room. In her time with the company, she is particularly proud to have produced 13 world premieres and launched PlayMakers Mobile, a touring production aimed at reaching under-served audiences around the Triangle.
For 12 seasons, she served as Artistic Director of the renowned Chautauqua Theater Company and Conservatory, presiding over the company’s transformation into one of the country’s best summer theatres and most competitive summer training programs. Vivienne directed both the world premiere of Noah Haidle’s Birthday Candles for Detroit Public Theatre and, in 2022, its Broadway production starring Debra Messing. She has also directed for the Folger Shakespeare Theatre (Helen Hayes nomination for best direction 2019), The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Trinity Repertory Company, NY Stage & Film, and Red Bull Theatre, among others. As an actress, Vivienne has worked on and off-Broadway, in film and television, at many of the country’s most celebrated theatres, and received an Obie Award for her performance in Lee Blessing’s Going to St. Ives. Vivienne is a graduate of Brown University and NYU’s Graduate Acting Program.
As an educator, she has directed for and served on the faculty of some of the nation’s foremost actor training programs, including The Juilliard School, UNC-Chapel Hill’s Professional Actor Training Program, Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Program, and at her alma mater, NYU’s Graduate Acting Program. She is the 2017 recipient of the Zelda Fichandler Award given by the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation.
Maura J. Murphy
Director of Operations
Maura is here for her ninth full season, returning after a 23-year hiatus. In that time, she honed her administrative skills at Duke, NCSU and of course, Carolina. She was production stage manager for PlayMakers from 1993-1996 and general manager from 1996-1999. Education: EdD and MS in Higher Education Administration, NCSU; BA in Drama, Muhlenberg College.
Jeffrey Meanza
Associate Artistic Director
An actor, director and educator, Jeffrey Meanza has spent the better part of two decades working at two of the country’s most celebrated regional theatres, overseeing the artistic, educational and community engagement efforts of the organizations. As a member of PlayMakers’ resident acting company, he has appeared in Murder on the Orient Express, Hamlet, Angels in America, Into the Woods, Lisa Kron’s Well, Amadeus, Assassins, and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, among others, and directed Misery, The Legend of Georgia McBride, The Cake, and Guys and Dolls.
From 2015 to 2021, he served as the Guthrie Theater’s associate artistic director, overseeing the theater’s education and community engagement initiatives, the literary team, casting, and the theater’s professional training programs, as well as helping to guide the work on the Guthrie’s three stages. During his tenure, Meanza managed the expansion of educational programming to serve over 35,000 students annually, including creating an artist residency program that put full-time teaching artists in high school classrooms throughout Minnesota. In addition, under his leadership, the Guthrie piloted a new Fellowship program that offers paid training opportunities for emerging leaders to experience work at one of the nation’s leading regional theaters. In 2021, Meanza returned to PlayMakers Repertory Company as Associate Artistic Director, overseeing the theater’s artistic, educational and engagement operations.
He holds an M.F.A in Acting from the Professional Actor Training Program at UNC-Chapel Hill and a B.A. in Theater and Performance Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.
Michael Rolleri
Production Manager
Michael is in his 38th season with PlayMakers Repertory Company. He has been Technical Director, Project Manager, Exhibition Technician, and Lighting Designer for industrial shows in the Southeast region, as well as lead carpenter for films, the U.S. Olympic Festival, and scenic studios. He has also been a rigger in the Southeast region and has served on the executive board and as President of IATSE Local 417. Michael is a 30-year Gold Pin member of IATSE. An active United States Institute For Theatre Technology (USITT) member, he is a three-time winner at USITT’s Tech Expo. He is a full Professor/Head of the Technical Production Program at UNC-Chapel Hill and was an instructor at High Point University and Tufts University.
Education: MFA in Design and Technical Production, UNC-Greensboro.
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Our Mission
PlayMakers Repertory Company is North Carolina’s premier professional theatre company, proudly in residence on the dynamic campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Our mission is to produce relevant, courageous work that tells stories from and for a multiplicity of perspectives. We believe that theatre can have a transformational impact on individuals and entire communities, and we are committed to the journey of becoming an anti-racist organization whose work is accessible to all. Inextricably linked to UNC’s Department of Dramatic Art, PlayMakers is devoted to nurturing and training future generations of artists and audiences.
Our Vision
Provoke
Represent
Create
Antiracism Accountability Statement
At the heart of PlayMakers Repertory Company’s mission is the belief that theatre has the power to transform individuals and entire communities. There is no more aspirational or urgent a use of that power than working to dismantle the systems of oppression, white supremacy, and racism that pervade American life and consume the American Theatre. PlayMakers continues to assess and evaluate our own practices in order to embed equitable, antiracist policies into strategic planning, our mission, and our operations.
PlayMakers Repertory Company, and those of us who work here, commit to the following:
- To work intentionally to create an antiracist culture in our company.
- To continually educate ourselves on the ways in which we can combat racism locally and nationally as we move to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable sense of belonging for every one of our constituents.
- To demonstrate our values through action in our policies, practices, and procedures.
Land Acknowledgment
We acknowledge that the Center for Dramatic Art is located on the unceded lands of one or more of Abiayala’s (the Americas’) original sovereign nations, the name(s) of which have not yet been affirmed. The unjust acquisition of these Indigenous lands came about through a history of racism, violence, dispossession, displacement, and erasure of cultures by settlers as part of the larger, land-centered project of settler colonialism.
As we look to the future, may. webuild upon the memories and goodwill of all who walked and labored here before us with truth, integrity, and honor. Learn more: UNC American Indian Center
PlayMakers is…
(American Theatre Magazine), PlayMakers Repertory Company is North Carolina’s premier professional theatre company, proudly in residence on the dynamic campus of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The professional company was founded in 1976, growing out of a storied 100-year tradition of playmaking at Carolina.
“One of America’s Best Regional Theatres”
At the very heart of the PlayMakers experience is one of the nation’s last remaining resident theatre companies, made up of accomplished performers, directors, designers, artisans, and technicians, and supported by exceptional graduate students in UNC’s Department of Dramatic Art. Our company works side by side with guest artists from all over the world and our alumni include Pulitzer Prize, Tony®, Emmy®, and Grammy Award® winners.
Creating Tomorrow’s Classics, Today
Producing Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch is continuing PlayMakers’ tradition of producing vibrantly reimagined classics, large-scale musical theatre, and significant contemporary work, but is also broadening the company’s reach to become a home for new play development and a true hub of social and civic discourse in the region. Her first seven seasons have already given life to twelve important new American plays.
A Hub of Engagement
PlayMakers seeks to provoke thought, stimulate discussion, and push the boundaries of the theatrical form in everything we do. Whether through our intimate @PLAY series, our mainstage offerings or our virtual line-up, we look for opportunities for direct, dynamic engagement between audiences, artists, and thinkers. We also offer a host of unique engagement opportunities designed to enrich our audience’s experience of the live arts.
Theatre for the People
PlayMakers Mobile is an initiative that seeks to contribute positively to the civic and social life of our region by taking world-class theatre out of our building and into the community. We create a streamlined production of a play and take it to schools, transitional housing facilities, and long-term treatment facilities around the Greater Triangle area. And best of all, it’s all free of charge.
Passing the Torch
PlayMakers’ award-winning Summer Youth Conservatory is the only professionally supported training program of its kind in the region. The Theatre Quest program provides camps to area middle school and high school students, while the Theatre Intensive and TheatreTech programs allow Triangle high schoolers to apprentice directly with professional directors, choreographers, musical directors, and technicians, culminating in a professional quality production on the PlayMakers mainstage for the whole community to enjoy.
Eliminating Barriers
With a commitment to eliminating barriers for attendance, PlayMakers offers All Access performances for our patrons living with disabilities. We also offer accessible $20 tickets for all performances and ticket prices are reduced to just $10 for UNC students. For more information, please contact prcboxoffice@unc.edu.
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PlayMakers’ 2024/25 Season is Made Possible in Part by Grants from
Foundation Support
National Endowment for the Arts, North Carolina Arts Council, The Shubert Foundation, Fidelity Foundation, Orange County Arts Commission, The Strickland Family Foundation, UNC Parents Council
Additional Funding for Guest Artists is Provided by
Jeffrey Hayden Guest Lectureship Fund, Robert Boyer and Margaret Boyer Fund, Louise Lamont Fund, Emeriti Professors Charles and Shirley Weiss Fund
Corporate Council
Craven Allen Gallery & House of Frames, Larry’s Coffee, Mediterranean Deli, Bakery, and Catering, Metal Supermarkets Raleigh, Pineapple Sol Catering, Pinsieline Properties LLC, University Florists, Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe
Associates
Glasshalfull, Infinium Spirits
PlayMakers Repertory Company is a program of the Department of Dramatic Art, The College of Arts and Sciences, and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, recognizes PlayMakers as a professional theatre organization and provides grant assistance to this organization from funds appropriated by the North Carolina General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. PlayMakers is a beneficiary of the Elizabeth Price Kenan Endowment and the Lillian Hughes Prince Endowment.
PlayMakers Repertory Company is a Member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre.
This Theatre operates under an agreement between the League Of Resident Theatres (LORT) and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
The scenic, costume, lighting and sound designers in LORT Theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE.
The Director and Choreographer are members of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.
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Administration
Vivienne Benesch, Producing Artistic Director
Artistic
Jeff Aguiar, Director of Engagement
Tracy Bersley, Movement Coach/Choreographer
Chelsea James, Producing Assistant
Tia James, Vocal Coach
Gregory Kable, Dramaturg
Jacqueline E. Lawton, Dramaturg
Jeffrey Meanza, Associate Artistic Director
Mark Perry, Dramaturg
Gwendolyn Schwinke, Vocal Coach Lexi Silva, Dramaturgy Fellow
Adam Versényi, Dramaturg
Andrew Wade, Assistant to Producing Artistic Director
Management
Lisa Geeslin, Accountant
Charisse Holloway, Admin Support Specialist. Emily N. Kelly, General Manager
Zoë Lord, Company Manager
Maura J. Murphy, Director of Operations
Sarah Tackett, Administrative Operations Associate
Ella Hawn, Work Studies
Development
Kyle Kostenko, Assistant Director of Annual Giving
Lenore Fields, Special Events Coordinator
Marketing & Audience Services
TJ Carr, Graphic Designer and Marketing Associate
Rebecca Edmonds, Audience Services Associate
Hannah LaMarlowe, Marketing Specialist
Thomas Porter, Box Office Manager
Rosalie Preston, Director of Marketing & Sales
Jenna Zottoli, Audience Services Manager
Ava Lytle, Cora Willis: Student House Managers Aryan Kale: Database Assistant Micah Kennel: Student Box Office Manager. Albert Carlson, Alicia Norman, Sophie Taylor, Maggie Thornton: Student Assistants. Swetha Anand, Lynlee Collins, Kali Dao, Tygia Drewhowell, Evan Jeppson, Gali Jones-Valdez, Lindsay Kanipe, Alex Lankford, Leah Page, Kas Perez, Watson Pope, Dani Urgiles, Ava Wells: Box Office and Front of House Work Studies
Department of Dramatic Art
Kathryn Hunter-Williams, Chair and Associate Professor
FACULTY
Judy Adamson, Professor Emerita Milly Barranger, Professor Emerita
Vivienne Benesch, Professor of the Practice
Tracy Bersley, Associate Professor
Pamela Bond, Assistant Professor
James Bray, Teaching Assistant Professor
Jan Chambers, Professor
McKay Coble, Professor
Jeffrey Blair Cornell, Associate Chair, Teaching Professor
Ray Dooley, Professor Emeritus
Samuel Ray Gates, Associate Professor
Julia Gibson, Professor
Douglas Hall, Associate Professor
David Hammond, Professor Emeritus
Rachel Hynes, Teaching Assistant Professor
Letitia James, Assistant Professor
Gregory Kable, Teaching Professor
Jacqueline E. Lawton, Associate Professor
Triffin Morris, Professor of the Practice
David Navalinsky, Professor
Bobbi Owen, Distinguished Professor Emerita
Laura Pates, Teaching Assistant Professor
Kathy Perkins, Professor Emerita
Mark Perry, Teaching Associate Professor
Rachel E. Pollock, Lecturer
Bonnie Raphael, Professor Emerita
Michael Rolleri, Professor
Gwendolyn Schwinke, Assistant Professor
Lexi Silva, Dramaturgy Fellow
Aubrey Snowden, Teaching Assistant Professor
Craig Turner, Professor Emeritus
Adam Versényi, Professor
Tao Wang, Assistant Professor
Administration
Weston Barker, Program Specialist
Lucas Branch, KTC Technical Director
Jocelyn Chatman, Costume Inventory Specialist
Lisa Geeslin, Accounting Technician
Taylor McDaniel, Student Services Manager
Karen Rolleri, Business Coordinator
Jamie Strickland, University Manager
Production
Michael Rolleri, Production Manager
Costumes
Amy Evans, Costume Shop Manager
Marissa Lupkas, Wardrobe Supervisor
Matthew Mallard, Assistant Costume Director
Triffin Morris, Costume Director
Rachel Pollock, Costume Craftsperson
Costume Production Graduate Students:
Manda Apony-Moriarty, Jillian Gregory, Kris Kingsolver, Jessica Land, Bailey Mae Doran, Zachery Morrison, Sally Rath
Ellie Steever, First Hand/Stitcher
Katherine Craig, Costume Shop Work Study
Arcadia Hilton, Clara “Hock” Hockenberry, Undergraduate Assistants
Natasha Harm, Wardrobe Assistant Work Study
Georgia Wood, Costume Stock Assistant
Lighting
Benjamin Bosch, Electrics Supervisor
Nick Rodgers, Production Swing for Lighting & Sound
Props
Lauren Reinhartsen, Properties Supervisor
Natasha Dell, Sam Gainer, Props Artisan
Leah Jarrell, Props Undergraduate Assistant
Cami Crocker, Lydia McRoy, Evan Wilker, Work Studies
Stage Management
Aspen Blake Jackson, Stage Manager
Sarah Smiley, Stage Manager
Sarah Patisaul, Production Assistant
Sound
David Bost, Sound Supervisor
Jayden Alexander Peszko, Nubia Orellana, Madison Ugan, Work Studies
Scenic
Brandon “Bruce” Hearrell, Production Carpenter
Gwendolyn Van Denburg, Alec Westmoreland, Production Carpenters
Corrinne LaVergne, Scenic Artist
Laura Pates, Technical Director
Diane Zimmerman, Scenic Charge Artist
Technical Production Graduate Students:
Rachel Van Namen, Joel Ernst, Benjamin Fink, Roark
Charlene Nguyen, Gabrielle Shulikov, Veta “Koa” Torres, Scenic Painting Work Studies
Connor Gould, Laurel Everett, Enoch Joo, Ian McDuffie, Kathryn Ouyang, Danielle Mou, Carpentry Work Studies
PlayMakers’ Resident Acting Company
Jim Bray
Jeffrey Blair Cornell
Samuel Ray Gates
Julia Gibson
Kathryn Hunter-Williams
Tia James
Gwendolyn Schwinke
Professional Actor Training Program:
Reez Bailey, Matthew Donahue, Elizabeth Dye, Jadah Johnson, Nate John Mark, Mengwe Wapimewah
For this Production
McKenna Ebert, Lighting Assistant Danielle DeLaFuente, Scenic Assistant Alan Thompson, Beat Composer
Laura Pates, Production Technical Director
Ben Bosch, Assistant Technical Director
Brandon “Bruce” Hearrell, Shop Lead
Zachary Morrison, Costume Shop Manager
Sally Rath, Crafts Supervisor Jillian Gregory, Jessica Land, Drapers Danielle Bailey, Hair and Wigs
Manda Apony-Moriarty, Bailey Mae Doran,
First Hands/ Stitchers
Ayla Rodriguez, Light Board Operator
Kaleb Glenn, Sound Board Operator
Spenser Brenton, Sophia Hunt, Grant Sizemore,Georgia Wood, Deck Crew
Alicia Laxton, Malia Tucker, Nicole Binney, Wardrobe Crew David Bost, Nick Rodgers, Jayden Alexander Peszko, Madi Ugan, Audio Engineer.
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THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MORE IMPORTANT TIME TO SUPPORT PLAYMAKERS AND THE ARTS
PlayMakers Repertory Company is a nonprofit theatre. We rely on the generosity of our community to continue delivering the Broadway-quality theatre you love. If you believe in the transformative power of theatre as much as we do, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help theatre thrive.
You can help support and sustain all our work, both on stage and off, by making a tax-deductible gift which enables us to:
- Bring innovative, entertaining, and relevant theatre to the Triangle
- Serve students across the state through our award-winning educational programs
- Engage with our audiences through artist and community conversations
- Remain flexible, safe, and better prepared for the future
Every gift, big or small, makes a huge difference!
Ways to Give
Online
Phone or Email
Kyle Kostenko, Assistant Director of Annual Giving
kostenko@unc.edu
919.445.1282
Send your check to:
Kyle Kostenko
PlayMakers Repertory Company Development Department
Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art
CB 3235
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3235
PlayMakers is grateful to the members of the Friends of PlayMakers for their generous support. For more information about how to join this dynamic group of supporters, call the Assistant Director of Annual Giving Kyle Kostenko at 919.445.1282 or visit us at playmakersrep.org.
Friends of PlayMakers
Director’s Circle ($10,000+)
Anonymous
Betsy Blackwell and John Watson Jr. *
Cindy and Thomas Cook Druscilla French and Stephen M. Cumbie
David G. Frey ~
Joanne and Peter Garrett
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
The Farley Fisher Gift Fund
Deborah Gerhardt
Joan Gillings ~
Cynthia Strickland Graham
Susan and Dustin Gross
Garrett Hall and Zachary Howell
T. Chandler and Monie Hardwick
Mrs. Frank H. Kenan ~
Thomas S. Kenan III * Sharon Lawrence and Thomas Apostle
Paula Noell and Palmer Page
John and Debra Ratliff
Wyndham Robertson
Coleman Ross
Schwab Charitable
Shubert Foundation
The Robert Strickland Family Foundation
The Robertson Foundation
T. Rowe Price Program for Charitable Giving
Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program
Alan H. Weinhouse
Jim and Bonnie Yankaskas
Angel ($5,000–9,999)
Anonymous
Patrick Brennan and Lillian Jenks Kymberly Burkhead-Dalton and Stephen Dalton
Thomas and Holly Carr
Charities Aid Foundation of America
Munroe and Becky Cobey
Amy and Kevin Guskiewicz +
Mr. and Mrs. Matt Hapgood
Dorothy Heninger Kim Kwok
Prentice Foundation
Ken Smith
Investor ($2,500–4,999)
Anonymous
Alicia and Bill Allred
Richard and Deirdre Arnold ^ Vivienne Benesch
Ed and Eleanor Burke ^
Adam Cifu
Susan E. Hartley
Carol Hazard and Winston Liao
Johnson & Johnson Matching Gift Program
Susan J. Kelly Dr. Moyra Kileff and Mr. Brian Kileff
Duncan and Stuart Lascelles
D.G. and Harriet Martin
Louis and Jodi Patalano
Nick and Amy Penwarden
Pinsieline Properties LLC
Robert and Tobi Schwartzman +
Mrs. Carol Smithwick
Jackie and James Tanner
Jennifer Werner
Jennifer and Sandy Williams
Page to Stage ($1,500–2,499)
David and Judy Adamson
Mary Altpeter +
Andrew and Katherine Asaro ^
Steve Benezra ^
Ed and Eleanor Burke ^
Ed and Virginia Cockrell + Emerald HPC International
Cornell University Foundation
Mrs. Linda Whitham Folda and Dr. Jaroslav Thayer Folda, III
John and Diane Formy-Duval
Dana and Robert Greenwood
Hugon Karwowski and Joanna Karwowska ^
Dr. Catherine Kuhn and Glenn Tortorici
Shirley and Tom Kunkel
Metal Supermarkets Raleigh
Paul and Linda Naylor
Abigail Panter and George Huba
Jay and Cris Preble
David Price
The Shelby Family Foundation
Carole L. Shelby
Dr. William L. Stewart
The Rev. Wendy R. and W. Riley Waugh +
Michael Weil and Peggy Link-Weil
Roger and Marlene Werner
Partner ($1,000–1,499)
Anonymous (4)
Michael and Marie Andreasen
Jeremy Arkin and Marian Fragola
Bruce and Dianne Birch Dr. Stephen Shaw Birdsall
Dr. Stephen Shaw BirdsallDr. Stanley Warren Black, III Fiona Brady and Carl Mehling ^ Carolyn and Jackson Breaks
Peggy Britt Joan Clendenin
Bill Cobb and Gail Perry Julie and M. Brian Daniels Georgia and Alec Donaldson
Dr. Carrie Donley and W.P. Gale ^
Shelley Earp
Dr. and Mrs. John P. Evans Alison Friedman Buck and Kay Goldstein Julia and Bill Grumbles Eric and Elizabeth Gutt
David J. Howell+
Robert Huddleston
Dr. Moyra Kileff and Mr. Brian Kileff
Jack Knight and Margaret Brown
Katie Kosma+
Robert and Kathryn Kyle
Douglas MacLean and Susan Wolf Carolyn Maness
Elaine Mangrum and Michael Freedberg
Holly and Ross McKinney
Herbert and Jean Miller
Cathy O’Connell Bettina Patterson
Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund
Jean and Joseph Ritok
Kyle and Jenn Smith
Lucy and Sidney Smith
David B. Sontag Karen Levine and Andrew Sisson Stephen Tell and Rosemary Hoban Triangle Community Foundation Carol Uphoff
J. Stephen and Denise Vanderwoude, in honor of John Vanderwoude +
Amanda and Mal Watlington Dr. Jesse L. White
Derek and Louise Winstanly
Paul and Sally Wright
David and Heather Yeowell Alan Young Miriam and Thomas Zietlow
Backer ($500–999)
Anonymous (3)
Richard and Susan Allison Bailey and Tammy Hoffmeister
Susan and Tony Barrella
Deborah Barrett and Charles Kurzman
Adam C. Beck ^
John W. Becton and Nancy B. Tannenbaum
Shula and Stephen Bernard
Patricia Beyle
Frank Binkowski
Jerri Lynne Bland Lisa and Greg Brown Keith Burridge and Patricia Saling
Ann and John Campbell
Philip and Linda Carl
Ann and Bayard Collins
David Doll
Bob and Connie Eby
Thorsten A. Fjellstedt
Windi and Roger Glogowski
James P. Gogan ^ Dr. and Mrs. Robert S. Greenwood Elizabeth Grey Dede Hall
Toby and Cheryl Harrell
C. Hawkins ^
David and Leslie Henson Don and Kay Hobart Steve and Lisa Jones Laura Kline and David Robinson Anand and Sandhya Lagoo K.A. and Carol Lawrence Nelda and Douglas Lay Karen and Stephen Lyons Dr. and Mrs. Morton D. Malkin Michael Maness and Lois Knauff
Ed and Connie McCraw
Amy McEntee Mary McMorris and Leonard Santoro
Laurie E. McNeil and Patrick W. Wallace Dr. James C. and Dr. Susan D. Moeser
Fred and Anne Morris + Betsy and Jefferson Newton
Linda W. Norris Pat and Mary Norris Oglesby
David and Elizabeth Nuechterlein
Lois P. Oliver David and Mary Ollila Sarah Owens Ariana Pancaldo and Michael Salemi Mark and Eugenea Pollock
Jodi and Glenn Preminger
Elizabeth Raft
Vikram and Susan Rao +
Dr. William W. Smith and Brenda W. Kirby
Susan Stedman and Charles Higgins Jr.
Tim and Judy Taft
Karen and Tom Tierney
Peter Vitale and Stephen Nelson Wegmans Chapel Hill
~ indicates deceased
^ indicates PlayMakers Sustainer
+ indicates Summer Youth Conservatory Supporter
This list is current as of August 1, 2024. If your name is listed incorrectly or not at all, please contact the PlayMakers Development Office at 919.962.4846. We will ensure you are recognized for your
thoughtful support.
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