Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art | playmakersrep.org | 919.962.7529
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HE-LLOOOOOOOOO (DOLLY)!
Welcome to the Paul Green Theater and our Summer Youth Conservatory production of Stewart and Herman’s Hello, Dolly! based on Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker. This show marks our 20th summer of SYC and kicks off PlayMakers’ 50th Anniversary Season.
Hello, Dolly! seems a perfect fit for this season that explores Legacy Forward. For some it is a story of love and Golden Age hijinks. For others, it’s a story of resilience and becoming, both in intimate relationships and in big places like New York City. For all, it resonates with the power of connection, of taking next steps together, and reminds us that legacy is not just background to the present, it is an active exchange of ideas and values. We see this exchange played out across the lyrics and music, into the choreography, and the storytelling of this ever-vibrant musical. Who we want to be is in deep conversation with whom we have been and what we need to happen, shaping our perspectives of today and tomorrow. What better material for high schoolers to be contemplating and understanding?!
That spirit of legacy and growth is deeply reflected in the 20 installments of the Summer Youth Conservatory, which has helped launch and nurture the artistic careers of countless young people. Among them are director Chelsea James, an alumna of the very first SYC, and Lighting Designer Jeremy Diamond, a graduate of the SYC TheatreTech program, both of whom stand as examples of the enduring impact this program has had on generations of students and artists. Most of all, we hope this Golden Age musical reminds you that, no matter the challenges, there is love and joy on the journey! Thank you for being on that journey and supporting both PlayMakers’ legacy and the incredible youth of our future.
Jeff Aguiar, Director of Engagement
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Hello, Dolly!
BOOK BY
Michael Stewart
MUSIC & LYRICS BY
Jerry Herman
Based on the play The Matchmaker by
Thornton Wilder
Directed by Chelsea James
Choreographer
Courtney Liu
Music Director
Christian Stahr
Scenic Designer
Arthur Reese
Costume Designer
Matthew Mallard
Lighting Designer
Jeremy Diamond
Sound Designer
Eric Alexander Collins
Intimacy Coordinator
Tracy Bersley
Stage Manager
Aspen Blake Jackson*
Ali Patalano, Assistant Director
Eric Pettit, Assistant Choreographer
Kyla Brown, Assistant Scenic Designer
Eileen Jiang, Assistant Lighting Designer
Lily Kays, Assistant Intimacy Coordinator | Rachel Van Namen, Technical Director | Bruce Hearrell, Shop Lead
Sam Gainer, Props Lead | Lauren Reinhartsen, Props Supervisor
Benjamin Bosch, Electrics Supervisor | Mazie Aubin, Production Swing | Nick Rodgers, Audio Supervisor
Diane Zimmerman, Scenic Charge | Sam Rigsbee, Assistant Scenic Charge | Denise Chukhina, Draper
Jocelyn Chatman, Costume Shop Manager | Janis Nordeen, Wardrobe Supervisor
Leah Serritella, Stitcher | Naomi Eckhaus, Costume Shop Volunteer
Helen Erikson, Scene Shop Volunteer | Asher Marguiles, SYC Volunteer
July 16 – 26, 2026
Original Production Directed and Choreographed by Grover Champion
Produced for the Broadway Stage by David Merrick and Champion Five, Inc.
HELLO, DOLLY!
Is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC. www.concordtheatricals.com
The video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited.
*Indicates members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
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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Musical Numbers
ACT I
Overture: Orchestra
Call On Dolly: Chorus of Townspeople
I Put My Hand In: Dolly
It Takes A Woman: Horace, Cornelius, Barnaby, Chorus
It Takes A Woman (Reprise): Horace, Dolly
Put On Your Sunday Clothes: Cornelius, Barnaby, Dolly, Ambrose, Ermengarde, Chorus
Ribbons Down My Back: Irene
Motherhood March: Dolly, Irene, Minnie
Dancing: Dolly, Cornelius, Barnaby, Irene
Before The Parade Passes By: Dolly and Chorus
Finale Act One: Dolly
ACT II
Entr’acte: Orchestra
Elegance: Irene, Minnie, Cornelius, Barnaby
The Waiters’ Gallop: Orchestra
Hello, Dolly!: Dolly, Chorus
Polka: Orchestra
It Only Takes A Moment: Cornelius, Irene, Chorus
So Long Dearie: Dolly
Finale Ultimo: The Company
Musicians
Conductor/Piano: Christian L. Stahr
Woodwinds: Nicky Lazzara
Trumpet: Christian McIvor
Bass: Jack Hopper
Percussion: Scott Lane
The Cast
in Alphabetical Order
Ensemble (Ermengarde, u/s): Violet Abern
Ambrose Kemper (Barnaby, u/s): Claye Adams
Mrs. Rose / Ensemble (Ernestina, Cornelius, u/s): Amari Bullett
Ensemble (Irene Molloy, u/s): Cat Copland
Ensemble / (Rudolph, Mrs. Rose, u/s): Mahlaya Diallo
Ermengarde: Clara Gellad
Barnaby Tucker: Nina Heinrich
Horace Vandergelder: Conor Hernandez
Ensemble (Ambrose, u/s): Cabel Kraskin
Ensemble (Horace, u/s): Henry Martin
Ernestina / Ensemble (Dolly, u/s): Livia McIntyre
Dolly Gallagher Levi: Wren Motley
Cornelius Hackl: Carson Ohrel
Minnie Fay: Florence Owen
Irene Molloy: Larkin Ragland
Rudolph Reisenweber / Ensemble (Minnie Fay, u/s): Eden Santo-Kilgore
Dance Captain: Livia McIntyre
Assistant Dance Captain: Amari Bullet
THEATRE TECH
Costumes
Scenic
Stage Management
Props & Paint
Lighting & Sound
Chelsea James
Director
PlayMakers: Producer: PlayMakers Mainstage Season; King James, Measure for Measure, The Tempest (PlayMakers Mobile); Pippin, The Prom, The Drowsy Chaperone, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (SYC). Assistant Director: Little Shop of Horrors, The Game, The Legend of Georgia McBride. Actor: The Crucible (Susanna, Mercy (u/s)), The Music Man, Oliver! (SYC).
Regional: Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, National Women’s Theatre Festival; STAGE; Orlando Repertory Theatre, Garden Theatre, Winter Park Playhouse.
Education: BA, UNC; MA, UNCo. Spring Awakening (Director, UNCo), Dance Nation (Assistant Director, Kenan Theatre Company).
Courtney Liu
Choreographer
PlayMakers: The Prom (Choreographer)
Broadway: The Phantom of the Opera (Ensemble, Swing, Meg u/s, Assistant Dance Captain)
Off-Broadway/New York: Select credits include the Radio City Christmas Spectacular (Ensemble), Queen of the Night (Swing), the Broadway Dance Lab (Featured Ensemble)
West End/International: 20th Anniversary UK Tour of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake (Featured Ensemble)
Commercial: Norwegian Cruise Lines (Assistant Director, Swing), Busch Gardens Theme Parks (Featured Ensemble)
Regional: The Prom at Forestburgh Playhouse (Choreographer), Rock of Ages at Timber Lake Playhouse (Choreographer), American Dance Festival Made in NC (Choreographer), Forthcoming: The Mermaids at Timber Lake Playhouse (Choreographer)
University: MFA and BA from Duke University
Other: Currently Director-Choreographer and Assistant Professor of Music Theatre at Elon University.
Favorite recent choreography and direction credits include: An American in Paris, Legally Blonde, RENT, A Chorus Line, Grapes of Wrath, and a disco version of Romeo & Juliet.
Christian Stahr
Music Director
PlayMakers: Summer Youth Conservatory’s Pippin.
International: St. Olaf the Lucky One (Composer & Music Director), 4Real (Composer)
Regional: Burning Coal Theatre: Sunday in the Park with George (Music Director & Orchestrator), A Little Night Music (Music Director), Merrily We Roll Along (Music Director), Copenhagen (Composer). Raleigh Little Theatre: Cinderella (Music Director & Orchestrator).
Arthur Reese
Scenic Designer
Playmakers: Summer Youth Conservatory’s Pippin.
Regional: Caroline and Change (Justice Theater Project), Hadestown (RJ Reynolds Arts Magnet), Sherlock Holmes and the Hands of Othello (Neverstop Productions).
Off Broadway: Unentitled (Negro Ensemble Company), Stickfly (Just A Night Out Productions).
International: Mahalia! Sing Sister Sing! ( Stardust BV Amsterdam), Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Bermuda Music and Dramatic Society).
Professor Arthur M. Reese received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Virginia. Reese was the first and to our knowledge, is still the only African American to earn this degree in theatre from UVA.
One of the most meaningful highlights in Reese’s career came when he was presented at court in Bermuda to Prince Phillip of England in recognition of his outstanding work with young people. Reese thanks God for the opportunity to work and for the world’s best assistant Ms. Kyla Brown.
https://www.behance.net/nbtftd0cc3
https://www.neverstopprod.com/arthur-reese
Matthew Mallard
Costume Designer
PlayMakers: Every Brilliant Thing. Pippin, The Prom, The Drowsy Chaperone (Summer Youth Conservatory).
Regional Costume Work: Murder on the Orient Express (Delaware Rep, with Fabio Toblini); Twelfth Night, Cinderella, Miracle Worker, Fly (Alabama Shakespeare Festival, with Pamela Scofield and Toni Leslie James); A Moon for the Misbegotten with Audra McDonald, Paradise Blue, Unknown Soldier (Williamstown Theatre Festival with Jane Greenwood and Clint Ramos). Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Janeic Opera Company at Brevard Music Center, Atlanta Opera, Synchronicity Theatre, Westport Country Playhouse, Geva Theatre.
Other: White Out Lung Cancer Fashion Show co-designer with Jordan Jaked Carrier to benefit lung cancer research: Raleigh, NC
Education: MFA in Costume Design and Technology from the University of Georgia (Much Ado About Nothing, Doubt), BA in English and Professional Writing from the University of North Alabama (Amadeus, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Diviners).
Jeremy Diamond
Lighting Designer
PlayMakers: Debut
Eric Alexander Collins
Sound Designer
PlayMakers: What the Constitution Means to Me, A Wrinkle in Time, Ragtime, She Loves Me, Temples of Lung and Air, The Crucible, We Are Proud To Present…, Peter and the Starcatcher
Regional: Newsies, A Night With Janis Joplin, Gypsy, Jesus Christ Superstar (North Carolina Theatre); Once, Big Fish, Rock of Ages, The Secret Garden (Theatre Raleigh); MacBeth, Lynn Taylor-Corbett’s Dracula and The Little Mermaid (all World Premieres) at Carolina Ballet; The Music Man, Idina Menzel (in concert), Natalie Merchant (in concert) for the North Carolina Symphony; The 39 Steps, Anon(ymous), The (Real) Merry Housewives of Windsor (NC State University Theatre).
A 25-year veteran of the pro audio field, Eric Alexander Collins has worked across the U.S, Europe, and Austrailia in venues from Ceasar’s Palace to the iconic Sydney Opera House. A North Carolina native, today Eric is proud to support the rich theatre community we have here.
Tracy Bersley
Intimacy Coordinator
PlayMakers: Debut.
Founder of The Dress Rehearsal, a sexuality education and intimacy direction practice, Veronica is passionate about creating consent-forward spaces where everyone can thrive. You can find her directing intimacy throughout the North Carolina and beyond for both stage and screen.
Aspen Blake Jackson
Stage Manager
PlayMakers: Steel Magnolias, Primary Trust, The Wolves, Confederates, The Shot, The Christmas Case of Hezekiah Jones, Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Murder on the Orient Express, Much Ado About Nothing, Clyde’s, They Do Not Know Harlem, Native Gardens. Pippin, The Prom, The Drowsy Chaperone, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Summer Youth Conservatory).
Aspen is delighted to be returning for her fifth season with PlayMakers Repertory Company. A graduate of UNC Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Vocal Performance and Dramatic Arts, she found her true home behind the scenes—where creativity meets coordination. She loves the heart, humor, and hustle that stage management demands, and is deeply thankful to be part of the magic of live theatre—and to help bring that magic to life, night after night.
About The Authors
Jerry Herman (1931-2019). Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage Aux Folles are home to some of the most popular, most-often performed and most successful musical hero(in)es of all time, and have given Jerry Herman the distinction of being the only composer/lyricist in history to have had three musicals that ran more than 1,500 consecutive performances on Broadway. His first Broadway show was Milk and Honey (1961), followed by Hello, Dolly! (1964), Mame (1966), Dear World (1969), Mack & Mabel (1974), The Grand Tour (1979), La Cage Aux Folles (1983), Jerry’s Girls (1985) and Mrs. Santa Claus (1996), a CBS TV special starring Angela Lansbury. Showtune, a revue of his life’s work, is performing in regional theatres around the country and two of Jerry’s classic songs are the emotional highlights of the hit Disney-Pixar film WALL-E. His string of awards and honors includes multiple Tony Awards, Grammys, Olivier Awards, Drama Desk Awards, the Johnny Mercer Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, the Oscar Hammerstein Award, the Frederick Loewe Award, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Theatre Hall of Fame and, most recently, The Kennedy Center Honors.
Michael Stewart (1924-1987) scored on Broadway the first time when he won a Tony Award for his Bye Bye Birdie libretto. He was the librettist for Carnival (Drama Critics Circle Award) and Hello, Dolly!, which earned him both a Tony and Drama Critics prize. Stewart also wrote the lyrics for Barnum and the book for: George M! (with Francine and John Pascal); Mack & Mabel; The Grand Tour and 42nd Street (with Mark Bramble); Harrigan and Hart; and I Love My Wife.
Thornton Wilder(1897-1975) was a novelist and playwright whose works celebrate the connection between the commonplace and the cosmic dimensions of human experience. He is the only writer to win Pulitzer Prizes for both drama and fiction: for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey, and two plays, Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth. His other novels include The Cabala, The Woman of Andros, Heaven’s My Destination, The Ides of March, The Eighth Day and Theophilus North. His other major dramas include The Matchmaker (adapted as the musical Hello, Dolly!) and The Alcestiad. The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden, Pullman Car Hiawatha and The Long Christmas Dinner are among his well-known shorter plays. He enjoyed enormous success as a translator, adaptor, actor, librettist and lecturer/teacher and his screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt remains a classic psycho-thriller to this day. Wilder’s many honors include the Gold Medal for Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. More information on Thornton Wilder and his family is available in Penelope Niven’s definitive biography, Thornton Wilder: A Life (2013) as well as on the Wilder Family website.
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General Info
PlayMakers Repertory Company is the professional theatre in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
HOW DO I GET IN TOUCH WITH PLAYMAKERS IF I HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?
For the quickest response, please email, prcboxoffice@unc.edu or call 919.962.7529 Tuesday-Friday between 12-5 p.m.
WILL THE BOX OFFICE BE OPEN?
The Box Office is planned to be open Tuesday-Friday, from 12-5 p.m.
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SYC PLAYMAKERS STAFF
Producing Artistic Director, Vivienne Benesch
Director of Operations, Maura Murphy
Production Manager, Michael Rolleri
Director of Engagement and Education, Jeff Aguiar
Director of External Relations, Tina CoyneSmith
Associate Producer, Chelsea James
Company Manager, Zoe Lord
General Manager, Amy Evans
PRC Technical Director, Laura Pates
PRC Scenic Charge Artist, Diane Zimmerman
ABOUT SUMMER YOUTH CONSERVATORY
Hello, Dolly! is a culmination of PlayMakers’ Summer Youth Conservatory, a six-week practicum for high school students—both on stage and behind the scenes—combining top-notch teaching with unparalleled practical experience. Students work with professional directors, choreographers, musical directors, and theatre technicians to mount a professional quality production for all to enjoy.
In addition to our flagship summer productions over the past decade, we host a wide variety of theatre summer camps for area middle school and high school students.
To be notified about next year’s programs, including auditions, camps, interviews and more, please email SYC@unc.edu
Ways to Give
Online
MANY THANKS TO OUR SYC DONORS
Mary Altpeter
Keith and Iris Archuleta
Patricia Beyle
Lata Chatterjee
Ed and Virginia Cockrell
Anne Dixon
Linda Frankel and Lewis Margolis
Amy and Kevin Guskiewicz
Jeffrey and Kate Hedges
David Howell
Leah Johnson
Laura Kline and David Robinson
Anna and Matthew Lorenz
Bruce and Marlee Margulies
Ned McClurg
David Michaud
David and Dori Mitzi
Fred Morris
Catherine O’Connell
Mark and Karen Rodin
Margaret Rook
Robert and Tobi Schwartzman
Harriet and Stuart Solomon
Riley and Wendy Waugh
Thank you to our generous patrons who champion the Summer Youth Conservatory, a program that helps young people learn, create, grow, and discover their voices through theatre. Your support also makes it possible for all accepted students to participate regardless of their family’s financial circumstances. We invite you to contribute to the fund to help the next generation. www.playmakersrep.org/give
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
Tobi and Robert Schwartzman
We both grew up on Long Island and had an early exposure to high level theater. That introduction fostered a love of theater that has continued throughout our lives. Our younger son Josh also is a big theater fan and participated for many years in technical theater, including the 2013 SYC production of Sweeney Todd. Since that time, we have enjoyed following SYC and appreciate the opportunities the program provides to kids that are devoted to theater. We strongly believe in this program and that every student that wants to participate in SYC should have the opportunity to do so regardless of cost, and that is why we think it is important to provide support for the program and to make that opportunity available to all.
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