Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art | playmakersrep.org | 919.962.7529

About the Author

Title Page

Actor Bios

Creative Team Bios

General Information

PlayMakers Staff

Friends of PlayMakers

Corporate and Foundation Partners

Desktop Computer Version of playbill available here

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, Jennifer Werner, Mike Wiley.

About the Author

Duncan Macmillan is a writer for theatre, television, and film. His theatre work includes Lungs; People, Places and Things; Every Brilliant Thing; Rosmersholm (adapt. Henrik Ibsen); 1984 (adapt. George Orwell, co-written and co-directed with Robert Icke); City of Glass (adapt. Paul Auster); and 2071 (co-written with Chris Rapley). Other plays include The Forbidden Zone; Wunschloses Unglück (adapt. Peter Handke); Reise Durch die Nacht (adapt. Friederike Mayröcker). His work has been performed throughout the world, including National Theatre, The Old Vic, Royal Court Theatre, Almeida Theatre, Barbican, St. Ann’s Warehouse, Melbourne Theatre Company, Berliner Ensemble, Hamburg Schauspielhaus, Schauspielhaus Köln, Burgtheater Wien, Vesturport, Kansallisteatteri, Nationaltheatret Oslo, and in the repertory of the Schaubühne Berlin, as well as the Edinburgh Festival, the Manchester International Festival, Salzburg Festival, Festival d’Avignon, Theatertreffen, in the West End, and on Broadway. His screen work has appeared on the BBC, HBO, Netflix and at the Berlin and London Film Festivals. Reise Durch die Nacht was awarded the Nestroy Preis for Best German Language Production. Both 1984 and People, Places and Things were nominated for Best New Play at the Olivier Awards, and Rosmersholm was nominated for Best Revival.

Jonny Donahoe is a British comedian, writer and performer. He is best known for his comedy band Jonny & the Baptists, a collaboration with Paddy Gervers, who have made several appearances on BBC Radio 4. He has toured internationally with the critically acclaimed Every Brilliant Thing, which he co-wrote with Duncan Macmillan, following a very successful off-Broadway run at the Barrow Street Theatre in New York City In 2014/15 Donahoe was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance and the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show. Every Brilliant Thing was also filmed and screened on HBO in 2016.

Every Brilliant Thing

By Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe

Directed by Tom Quaintance

The 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

Every Brilliant Thing is performed with no intermission.

Actor Bio

Hayley Cartee

Resident Company Member

PlayMakers: Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Emma, The Skin of Our Teeth. Company member in their third year of UNC’s Professional Actor Training Program. The Tempest (PlayMakers Mobile). Circle Back, Den of Thieves, A Doll’s House, Part 2 (PlayMakers/DDA Ground Floor). A Durham native, Hayley almost made her PlayMakers debut when her mother went into labor in the Paul Green Theatre in the mid-90s.

New York: All’s Well that Ends Well, The Tempest.

University: Titus Andronicus, Othello, Julius Caesar, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

Education: NYU-Tisch School of the Arts; Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Matthew Donahue

PlayMakers: Company member in their first year of UNC’s Professional Actor Training Program with the Department of Dramatic Art. Much Ado About Nothing. Stupid F**king Bird (PlayMakers/DDA Ground Floor).

Regional: 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.

Saleemah Sharpe

Resident Company Member

PlayMakers: Company member in their third year of UNC’s Professional Actor Training Program. Much Ado About Nothing, Clyde’s, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Hamlet, Blues for an Alabama Sky, The Skin of Our Teeth. Dramaturg and Choreographer for How I Learned What I Learned. The Tempest (PlayMakers Mobile). The Mountaintop, Den of Thieves, A Doll’s House, Part 2, Gloria (PlayMakers/UNC Ground Floor).

New York: King Lear (NY Classical).

Regional: Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea (Rhinoleap Production NC).

University: As You Like It (Stella Adler Studio of Acting); King Lear, Soon Again Not Yet, Sopita (Royal Social Distance Company); Sins of the Father (Eden Theater Company); Significant Other (The Theatre Project); The Block (Lakai Dance Theatre); Ubu Roi, Straight Outta Kansas, Antigone (Montclair State University).

Film: To The Moon (Atlantic Pictures, Short Film), The Girl With the Eyes (Independent film), Remission Accomplished (Student film).

Television: “iCarly” (Nickelodeon), “The Electric Company” (PBS Kids).

Education/Awards/Other: Montclair State University
B.A. Theatre Studies & a double minor in Myth Studies & Business

Sanjana Taskar

Resident Company Member

PlayMakers: Company member in their third year of UNC’s Professional Actor Training Program. Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Emma, A Wrinkle in Time, The Skin of Our Teeth, Much Ado About Nothing, Every Brilliant Thing. Circle Back, Den of Thieves, Gloria (PlayMakers Ground Floor).

Regional: You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, Othello, RENT(Scranton Shakespeare Festival) White Pearl (Studio Theatre); Little Women (Virginia Theatre Festival); Three Women Walk Into Bar (Charm City Theatre Festival).

Education/Other: B.F.A. Acting, B.A. Sociology; University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Assistant Faculty member for Theatrical Intimacy Education (TIE).

Tom Quaintance

Director

PlayMakers: An Enemy of the People, Nicholas Nickleby (co-directed with Joseph Haj), Shipwrecked!, The Little Prince. Summer Youth Conservatory: Sweeney Todd, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Music Man, Oliver!.

Regionally Tom is the Producing Artistic Director of Virginia Stage Company, where his directing credits include Henry V, Matilda the Musical, Pride and Prejudice among others. He directed Twelfth Night at the Guthrie Theatre, and many productions with Cape Fear Regional Theatre during his five years as Artistic Director, including Downrange: Voices from the Homefront, a play based on interviews with military spouses from Fort Bragg. As the founder of FreightTrain Shakespeare in Los Angeles, he earned a Drama-Logue Award for Pericles. Other LA credits range from King Lear to The Devil With Boobs. Tom is a graduate of Wesleyan University with a BA in Theatre and Economics, and the UC San Diego MFA directing program.

McKay Coble

Resident Costume Designer

PlayMakers: Company member for over 30 years. Misery, Hamlet, The Skin of Our Teeth, Everybody, Bewilderness, Sherwood, Leaving Eden, Dot, My Fair Lady, Peter and the Starcatcher, An Enemy of the People, The Tempest / Metamorphoses, It’s a Wonderful Life, Red, Noises Off, The Parchman Hour, Big River, Nicholas Nickleby, Amadeus, The Little Prince, The Illusion, Cyrano, Not About Heroes, Playboy of the Western World, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Nutcracker, and many others.

Broadway: Production Coordinator, Barbara Matera, Ltd.; La Cage Aux Folles, Big River, Sunday in the Park with George, Singin’ in the Rain, Merlin, Private Lives.

Regional: Alley Theatre, Clarence Brown Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Hartford Stage, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Virginia Stage Company.

Film: The Cotton Club, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Ghostbusters, Silkwood, Places in the Heart.

Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829; NYC.

Matthew Mallard

Costume Designer

PlayMakers: 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).

Steven Allegretto

Original Sound Design

PlayMakers: Debut.

Regional: Fiddler on the Roof, The Hobbit, Henry V (Virginia Stage Company); The Secret Garden, Catch Me If You Can, Chicago (Virginia Musical Theatre); Into The Woods, Urinetown (Governor’s School for the Arts); A Chorus Line, Putnam County Spelling Bee (College of William & Mary).

Education: Full Sail University (Recording Arts, 2008).

Jeff Aguiar

Associate Director

Jeff Aguiar is the Director of Engagement and Education with PlayMakers Repertory Company. Local directing credits include Switchyard Theatre Company; OdysseyStage and the 10×10 Festival; Community Theatre of Greensboro; Greensboro Children’s Theatre; Open Space Café/Triad Pride Performing Arts; and Southwest Guilford High School. As a PhD candidate in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, his work and research focuses on group facilitation, arts-based approaches to peacebuilding, and critical community development. In addition to working in the rehearsal room, Jeff co-managed the university wide collaborations and support programming framing Every Brilliant Thing as a Student Affairs mental health and wellness initiative.

PlayMakers Leadership

Vivienne Benesch

Producing Artistic Director

Vivienne is in her eighth full season as a company member and Producing Artistic Director at PlayMakers, where she has helmed productions of 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 eight seasons with the theatre, she is particularly proud to have produced 12 world premieres and launched PlayMakers Mobile, a touring production aimed at reaching underserved 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 best summer theatres and most competitive summer training programs in the country. 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.

Jeffrey Meanza

Associate Artistic Director

An actor, director and educator, Jeffrey Meanza has spent the last 15
years 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 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 The Cake and The Legend of Georgia McBride.

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 37^th 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 member of United States Institute For Theatre Technology (USITT), 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.

PlayMakers is…

“One of America’s Best Regional Theatres”

(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.

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.

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 we build 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 americanindiancenter.unc.edu/

PlayMakers Repertory Company

Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art
CB# 3235, UNC-Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3235

Box Office: 919.962.7529
Website: www.playmakersrep.org

23/24 SEASON: UP NEXT

JAN 31–FEB 18, 2024: Fat Ham by James Ijames, directed by Jade King Carroll

MAR 6–24, 2024: Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express adapted by Ken Ludwig, directed by Tracy Bersley

APR 10–28, 2024: The Game by Bekah Brunstetter, directed by Vivienne Benesch

Health and Safety

In accordance with recent changes to state and University safety guidelines, PlayMakers will no longer require proof of COVID vaccination or negative PCR test for our productions.
Additionally, mask-wearing is encouraged but not required.

Box Office Hours

Tuesday-Friday, 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. and 90 minutes before each performance.

Use of Cell Phones and Other Electronics

Texting and using cell phones, laptops, smart watches, and other devices light- or sound-emitting devices are strictly prohibited during the performance. Please turn all electronic devices to silent, theatre mode, or off during the show.

Cameras or Recording Devices

Taking photographs or videotaping inside the theatre is strictly prohibited during performances. However, before the show, during intermission, and after the show, you are invited to take and share your photos of the stage and scenery.

Parking

There are several paid and free parking options available near PlayMakers. We recommend arriving 30 minutes before the show so that you have time to park and pay (Monday-Thursday evenings only) and find your seat. For more information and an interactive map of nearby parking options, please visit www.playmakersrep.org/parking

Policy on Young Children

As a courtesy to our patrons, it is the policy of PlayMakers not to admit children under the age of 5. All of our shows have content ratings for each production (for example: Rated PG-13). If you are considering bringing your child, please refer to website or contact our Box Office for further information. All patrons, regardless of age, must have a ticket.

Headsets for Hearing Impaired Patrons

Our theatres are equipped with sound systems that amplify the sound from the stage. Patrons who wish to use the system may obtain headsets on a first-come, first-served basis from the coat check. Headsets must be returned immediately after the performance.

Late Seating and Leaving Your Seat During the Performance

To minimize disruptions to the actors and other patrons, late seating will be provided at the discretion of the house manager at an appropriate break in the action on stage. Patrons who need to be seated late must be escorted by house staff to seats at the rear entrance of the auditorium, which entails climbing a flight of stairs. Patrons can take their regular seat at intermission.

Keith DaSILVA, Private Wealth Financial Advisor and 2023 Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors are proud to support PlayMakers Repertory Company

The Knott Private Wealth Management Group at Wells Fargo Advisors

PlayMakers’ 2023/24 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, Truist Foundation, The Educational Foundation of America

Additional Funding for Guest Artists is Provided by

Robert Boyer and Margaret Boyer Fund, Louise Lamont Fund, Emeriti Professors Charles and Shirley Weiss Fund

Producing Council

Residence Inn Chapel Hill, Larry’s Coffee

Corporate Council

Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe, Knott Private Wealth Management Group at Wells Fargo Advisors

Associates

Linda’s Bar and Grill, 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.

Administration

Vivienne Benesch, Producing Artistic Director

Artistic

Jeff Aguiar, Director of Engagement
Tracy Bersley, Movement Coach/Choreographer
Chelsea James, Producing Associate
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
Sarah Tackett, Administrative Operations Associate
Adam Versényi, Dramaturg

Administration

Matara Hitchcock, Company & Events Manager
Kate Jones, General Manager
Lisa Geeslin, Accountant
Maura Murphy, Director of Operations
Erica Bass, Alexis R. Steele-Kubuanu, Dani Elliott, Ella Hawn,
Sage Howard, Sarajane Carty, Nathaniel Kareis, Work Studies

Development

Kymberly Burkhead-Dalton, Dir. of Development
Kyle Kostenko, Assistant Director of Annual Giving
Lenore Field, Gala Coordinator

Marketing & Audience Services

Michelle Jewell, Marketing Assistant
Hannah LaMarlowe, Marketing Specialist
Thomas Porter, Box Office Manager
Rosalie Preston, Associate Director of Marketing
Lauren Van Hemert, Marketing Consultant
Kori Yelverton, Audience Services Associate
Jenna Zottoli, Audience Services Associate
Lucy Albanil-Rangel, Michelle Seucan, Marketing Work Studies
Ava Lytle, Cora Willis, Student House Managers
Ayriana Agard, Swetha Anand, Albert Carlson, Lynlee Collins,
Kali Dao, Tygia Drewhowell, Evan Jeppson, Gali Jones-Valdez,
Lindsey Kanipe, Micah Kennel, Lex Lankford, Alicia Norman,
Leah Page, Morgan Perry, Asher Pierce, Sophie Taylor, Maggie
Thornton, Izzy Twiss, Ava Wells, Ava West, August Williams,
Nicholas Williams, Box Office and Front of House Work Studies

Department of Dramatic Art

Kathryn Hunter-Williams, Chair and Associate Professor

Faculty

Milly Barranger, Professor Emerita
Vivienne Benesch, Professor of the Practice
Tracy Bersley, Associate Professor
Pamela Bond, Assistant Professor
Jan Chambers, Professor
McKay Coble, Professor
Jeffrey Blair Cornell, Associate Chair, Teaching Prof.
Ray Dooley, Professor Emeritus
Samuel Ray Gates, Assistant Professor
Julia Gibson, Associate Professor
David Hammond, Professor Emeritus
Letitia James, Assistant Professor
Gregory Kable, Teaching Professor
Jacqueline E. Lawton, Associate Professor
Matthew Mallard, Teaching Assistant Professor
Adam Maxfield, Teaching 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, Teaching Assistant Professor
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

Staff

Lucas Branch, KTC Technical Director
Victoria Danielik, Program Assistant
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:
Matty Blatt, Jocelyn Chatman, Jillian Gregory, Emma
Holyst, Jessica Land, Zachary Morrison, Sally Rath
Madeline Gibson, Clara “Hock” Hockenberry,
Undergraduate Assistants
Bao-Nhi Vu, Costume Lab Assistant
Katherine Craig, Costume Department Assistant
Natasha Harm, Wardrobe Assistant
Georgia Wood, Costume Stock Assistant
Arcadia Hiton, Costume Clerical Assistant
Amanda Tenzlinger, Costar Vintage Archivist

Lighting

Benjamin Bosch, Electrics Supervisor
Nick Rodgers, Production Swing for Lighting & Sound

Xiuping Xiong, Lighting Assistant
Alex Mitropoulos, Work Study

Props

Lauren Reinhartsen, Properties Supervisor
Emma Madison, Props Artisan
Rebecca Xhajanka, Props Artisan

Marissa Romano, Props Undergraduate Assistant
Lydia McRoy, Cami Crocker, Evan Wilker, Work Studies

Scenic

Brandon “Bruce” Hearrell, Production Carpenter
Adam Maxfield, Technical Director
Laura Pates, Technical Director
Diane Zimmerman, Scenic Charge Artist
Technical Production Graduate Students:
Rachel Van Namen, Joel Ernst, Benjamin Fink, Roark

Kaitlin Mcguire, Kee Meh, Chyna Wiles, Veta “Koa” Torres,
Scenic Painting Work Studies
Beatrice Sangangbayan, Connor Gould, Heather Robinson,
Jake Docherty, Yessenia Estrada-Zerhoudi, Carpentry Work
Studies

Sound

David Bost, Sound Supervisor
Andrew Fleming, Sound Undergraduate Assistant
Nubia Orellana, Jace Rea, Word Studies

Stage Management

Aspen Jackson, Stage Manager
Sarah Smiley, Stage Manager
Zoe Lord, Production Assistant

PlayMakers’ Resident Acting Company

Jeffrey Blair Cornell
Samuel Ray Gates
Julia Gibson
Kathryn Hunter-Williams
Tia James
Gwendolyn Schwinke

Professional Actor Training Program:

Reez Bailey, Hayley Cartee, Matthew Donahue, Elizabeth Dye, Heinley Gaspard, Jadah Johnson, Jamar Jones, Nate John Mark, Saleemah Sharpe, Sanjana Taskar, Adam Valentine, Megwe Wapimewah

THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MORE IMPORTANT TIME TO SUPPORT PLAYMAKERS AND THE ARTS

A time of urgent possibility. Now, Ways to Give more than ever, PlayMakers relies on its community of arts aficionados to help us envision a resilient future for live theater in the Triangle. By making a gift to PlayMakers, you ensure that our theater continues to serve as a hub of artistic innovation and spirited social discourse here at Carolina. Your support embraces transformative opportunities for audiences and artists alike. A tax-deductible gift enables us to:

Provoke the status quo by offering relevant, courageous, and entertaining work
Represent the diverse, brilliant artists working throughout the nation
Create experiences for the next generation of theater artists and
theatergoers to engage in the power of theater.

With the end of the year right around the corner, there is no better time to join us in this mission! Every gift, big or small, makes a huge difference.

Ways to Give

Online

Donate

Phone or Email

Kymberly Burkhead-Dalton, Director of Development
kbdalton@email.unc.edu
919.962.4846

Mail

Send your check to:
Kymberly Burkhead-Dalton
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 Director of Development Kymberly Burkhead-Dalton at 919.962.4846 or visit us at playmakersrep.org.

Donate

Friends of PlayMakers

Director’s Circle ($10,000+)

Anonymous
Susan Arrington
Betsy Blackwell and John Watson Jr. *
Munroe and Becky Cobey
Farley Fisher Charitable Gift Trust
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
David G. Frey ~
Joanne and Peter Garrett
Joan Gillings ~
The Charles Goren and Hazen Family
Foundation, Trustees Tom and Lisa Hazen
The Estate of Linda K. Griffin
Susan and Dustin Gross*
Garrett Hall and Zachary Howell*
T. Chandler and Monie Hardwick
Brian Hargrove and David Hyde Pierce
Mrs. Frank H. Kenan ~
Thomas S. Kenan III *
Paula Noell and Palmer Page*
Wyndham Robertson *
Coleman and Carol Ross
Schwab Charitable
Shubert Foundation
Ken Smith
Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program
Alan H. Weinhouse

Angel ($5,000–9,999)

Anonymous
Patrick Brennan and Lillian Jenks*
Linda and Cliff Butler*
Jan and Stephen Capps
Thomas and Holly Carr
Keith DaSilva of the Knott Private Wealth
Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors*
The Educational Foundation of America
Mr. and Mrs. Matt Hapgood
Sumeetha and Tanner Hock

Kim Kwok
Prentice Foundation
John Powell*
Raymond James Charitable Endowment
Fund
Rivers Agency, LLC*
David and Jenny Routh
Jackie Tanner*
Jennifer Werner-Cannizzaro and Thomas
Cannizzaro
Ford and Allison Worthy
Jim and Bonnie Yankaskas

Investor ($2,500–4,999)

Richard and Deirdre Arnold ^
Andrew and Katherine Asaro ^
Vivienne Benesch
Charities Aid Foundation of America
Evan and Erin Gwyn
Susan E. Hartley
Stacy and Chris Hovey
Susan J. Kelly
Knack Technologies
Duncan and Stuart Lascelles
Nick and Amy Penwarden
Suzanne and Charles Plambeck
Samyr Qureshi
Dr. and Mrs. Edward Smithwick
Roger and Marlene Werner
Louise and Derek Winstanly
Katie Woodbury

Page to Stage ($1,500–2,499)

David and Judy Adamson
Steve Benezra ^
Dr. Stephen Shaw Birdsall
Ed and Eleanor Burke ^
Cindy and Thomas Cook
Dr. Steven Dalton and Mrs. Kymberly
Burkhead-Dalton

The Rich and Tracy Harris Fund of Triangle
Community Foundation
Carol Hazard and Winston Liao
David J. Howell
Hugon Karwowski and Joanna Karwowska ^
Dr. Moyra Kileff and Mr. Brian Kileff
Dr. Catherine Kuhn and Glenn Tortorici
Mark & Bette Morris Family Foundation
Mark and Julie Morris
Paul and Linda Naylor
Bettina Patterson
RR Donnelley
Carole L. Shelby
Dr. William L. Stewart
The Rev. Wendy R. and W. Riley Waugh
Michael Weil and Peggy Link-Weil
Jenny and Julian Wiles

Jean and Joseph Ritok
David B. Sontag
Karen Sisson and Andrew Levine
Scott Taylor
Triangle Community Foundation
Paul and Sally Wright
David and Heather Yeowell

Backer ($500–999)

Anonymous (3)
Elisabeth Allore, in memory of John Allore
Pete and Hannah Andrews
Dr. Thomas C. Apostle and Sharon E. Lawrence-Apostle
Deborah Barrett and Charles Kurzman
Adam C. Beck ^
John W. Becton and Nancy B. Tannenbaum
Shula and Stephen Bernard
Patricia Beyle
Ann and John Campbell
Philip and Linda Carl
Sam and Michelle Crittenden
Anne and Alexander Dusek
Bob and Connie Eby
Randi Emerman
Thorsten A. Fjellstedt
Mrs. Linda Whitham Folda and Dr. Jaroslav
Alison Friedman
James P. Gogan ^
Dr. and Mrs. Robert S. Greenwood
Elizabeth Grey
Janet and D. Scott Guthmiller
Toby and Cheryl Harrell
C. Hawkins ^
Mr. and Mrs. David L. Henson
Don and Kay Hobart
Michael Maness and Lois Knauff
Anand and Sandhya Lagoo
K.A. and Carol Lawrence
Nelda and Douglas Lay
Dr. and Mrs. Morton D. Malkin
Ed and Connie McCraw
Amy McEntee
Laurie E. McNeil and Patrick W. Wallace
Jeanne and Herbert Miller
Dr. James C. and Dr. Susan D. Moeser
Betsy and Jefferson Newton

Linda W. Norris
Pat and Mary Norris Oglesby
Lois P. Oliver
David and Mary Ollila
Sarah Owens
Ariana Pancaldo and Michael Salemi
Louis and Jodi Patalano
Mark and Eugenea Pollock
Jodi and Glenn Preminger
Elizabeth Raft
Vikram and Susan Rao
Lucy and Sidney Smith
Dr. William W. Smith and Brenda W.
Kirby
Tim and Judy Taft
T. Rowe Price Program for Charitable
Giving
U. S. Charitable Gift Trust
Wegmans Chapel Hill

^ Sustainers Club Member
* PlayMakers Special Event Supporter
~ Deceased

This list is current as of September 1, 2023. If your name is listed incorrectly or not at all, please contact PlayMakers Development Office at 919.962.4846. We will ensure you are recognized for your
thoughtful support.

Table of Contents

PlayMakers Advisory Council

About the Author

Every Brilliant Thing

By Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe

Directed by Tom Quaintance

Scenic Designer

Costume Designer

Original Sound Designer

Associate Director

Actor Bio

Hayley Cartee

Resident Company Member

Matthew Donahue

Saleemah Sharpe

Resident Company Member

Sanjana Taskar

Resident Company Member

Tom Quaintance

Director

McKay Coble

Resident Costume Designer

Matthew Mallard

Costume Designer

Steven Allegretto

Original Sound Design

Jeff Aguiar

Associate Director

PlayMakers Leadership

Vivienne Benesch

Producing Artistic Director

Jeffrey Meanza

Associate Artistic Director

Michael Rolleri

Production Manager

PlayMakers is…

Creating Tomorrow’s Classics, Today

A Hub of Engagement

Theatre for the People

Passing the Torch

Eliminating Barriers

Our Mission

Our Vision

Antiracism Accountability Statement

Land Acknowledgment

PlayMakers Repertory Company

23/24 SEASON: UP NEXT

Health and Safety

Box Office Hours

Use of Cell Phones and Other Electronics

Cameras or Recording Devices

Parking

Policy on Young Children

Headsets for Hearing Impaired Patrons

Late Seating and Leaving Your Seat During the Performance

PlayMakers’ 2023/24 Season is Made Possible in Part by Grants from

Foundation Support

Additional Funding for Guest Artists is Provided by

Producing Council

Corporate Council

Associates

Administration

Artistic

Administration

Development

Marketing & Audience Services

Department of Dramatic Art

Faculty

Staff

Production

Costumes

Lighting

Props

Scenic

Sound

Stage Management

PlayMakers’ Resident Acting Company

Professional Actor Training Program:

THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MORE IMPORTANT TIME TO SUPPORT PLAYMAKERS AND THE ARTS

Ways to Give