Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art | playmakersrep.org | 919.962.7529
Table of Contents
Desktop Computer Version of playbill available here
Welcome!
Each summer, the Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Arts opens its doors to young people – young people who love theatre and believe they’ve got magic to do. Across the Summer Youth Conservatory, we blend learning with artistry and craftsmanship. It is a testament to PlayMakers’ origins: the belief that reasoning, curiosity, and our lived experiences help us make sense of the world.
PIPPIN is no different. We find our young prince seeking greater meaning, navigating a hero’s journey. We explore the meaning of community and find ourselves in a not-so-surprising place. Like our upcoming mainstage season, we explore the meaning of living and being. It mirrors the journeys of our young artists and technicians. They navigate relationships and obligations, growing into their independence. What moves them? What keeps them going? Where does it lead? Is life a circus…or something else?
No matter the answers, many of us continue to show up in support of their quests. That support is vital to nurturing their hopes and dreams and key to sustaining the arts. As you enjoy this performance, it represents a part of what PlayMakers and the arts at Carolina are trying to do: Provoke. Represent. Create. And in the case of our Summer Youth Conservatory: Provide. Rejuvenate. Celebrate.
Please enjoy this journey and join us again for more in the 25/26 season!
Jeff Aguiar, Director of Engagement
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Pippin
BOOK BY ROGER O. HIRSON
MUSIC & LYRICS BY STEPHEN SCHWARTZ
Directed by Lormarev Jones
Choreographer
Carolyn Guido Clifford
Music Director
Christian Stahr
Scenic Designer
Arthur Reese
Costume Designer
Matthew Mallard
Lighting Designer
Latrice Lovett
Sound Designer
David Bost
Intimacy Coordinator
Veronica Dress
Stage Manager
Aspen Blake Jackson*
Meg Laskey & Mengwe Wapimewah, Theatre Intensive Assistants
Kyla Brown, Assistant Scenic Designer
Gavin Trump, Assistant Lighting Director
Rachel Van Namen, Technical Director
Bruce Hearrell, Shop Lead
Sam Gainer, Props Lead
Lauren Reinhartsen, Props Supervisor
Benjamin Bosch, Head Electrician
Nick Rodgers, Production Swing
Cori LaVernge, Scenic Charge
Bailey Doran, Draper
Zach Morrison, SYC Costume Shop Manager
Marissa Lupkas, Wardrobe Supervisor
July 16 – 27, 2025
Originally produced on the Broadway stage by Stuart Ostrow. Originally directed on the Broadway stage by Bob Fosse.
2013 Broadway revival directed by Diane Paulus.
Theo Ending Originally Conceived In 1998 by Mitch Sebastian.
PIPPIN
Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.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
Magic to Do: Leading Player, Fastrada, Berthe, Lewis, Charles, Ensemble
Corner of the Sky: Pippin
War is a Science: Charles, Pippin, Ensemble
Glory: Leading Player, Pippin
Simple Joys: Leading Player
No Time At All: Berthe, Ensemble
With You: Pippin
Spread a Little Sunshine: Fastrada, Ensemble
Morning Glow: Pippin, Leading Player, Ensemble
ACT II
Entr’acte: Ensemble
The Right Track: Leading Player, Pippin
There He Was: Catherine
Kind of Woman: Catherine, Ensemble
Extraordinary: Pippin
Prayer for a Duck: Pippin, Theo, Catherine
Love Song: Pippin, Catherine
I Guess I’ll Miss The Man: Catherine
Finale: Leading Player, Lewis, Pippin, Catherine, Ensemble
Theo’s Corner: Theo, Ensemble
Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world’s leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form. MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 100,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 150 countries worldwide. MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre, and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior® shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.
THE CAST
in Alphabetical Order
Ensemble / (Charles, u.s): Bailey Baker
Charles: Fionn Borgersen
Leading Player: Amari Bullett
Catherine: Madee Campbell
Pippin: Cat Copland
Ensemble / (Berthe, u.s): Mahlaya Diallo
Theo: Atticus Heinrich
Ensemble / (Pippin, u.s): Conor Hernandez
Berthe: Mary Mask
Fastrada: Helena Pithan Nunes
Ensemble / (Catherine, u.s): Neve Portnoy
Lewis: Finn Purvis
Ensemble / (Fastrada, u.s): Carmen Tarajano
Ensemble / (Lewis, u.s): Max Templeton
Ensemble / (Theo, u.s): Tobin Wright
Ensemble / (Leading Player, u.s): Eva Zinn
THEATRE TECH
Costumes
Scenic
Stage Management
Props & Paint
Lighting & Sound
Lormarev Jones
Director
PlayMakers: Intimacy Coordinator for Confederates, Fat Ham, Hamlet, Stick Fly, Edges of Time.
Regional: My Geriatric Uterus (Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Winner of the David C. Herriman Artists’ Pick of the Fringe Award).
Education/Other: Lormarev Jones is a Director, Choreographer, and Educator. She received her MFA in Theatre from Sarah Lawrence College. Lormarev has served as a director and choreographer at many theatres and high schools in the Triangle, including North Carolina State, Meredith College, Raleigh Charter High School, Raleigh Little Theatre and many others. She is also a deviser, playwright, and solo performer. Lormarev is currently the Director of Theatre at Meredith College, her alma mater, and continues to freelance in all her areas of expertise.
Website: lormarevjones.com
Instagram: @ladyjonesbury
Twitter: @ladyjonesbury
Carolyn Guido Clifford
Choreographer
PlayMakers: Debut
Regional: The A-List (Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati) Akin (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park) The Bureau, (Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Winner Audience Pick of the Fringe Award) My Geriatric Uterus (Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Winner of the David C. Herriman Artists’ Pick of the Fringe Award), Pippin (Dixon Historic Theatre) Barefoot in the Park (Stage Left)
University: Pippin (Xavier University) Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood (Mount Saint Joseph University) Sound of Music (Xavier University) You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown (Mount Saint Joseph University)
Education/Other: Carolyn is a playwright, director, choreographer, and arts educator. She received her MFA in Playwriting from University of California, Riverside. She served as the Director of Education and Community Engagement at Cincinnati Ballet and the Associate Director of Education at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
Christian Stahr
Music Director
PlayMakers: Debut
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: Debut.
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. 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).
Latrice Lovett
Lighting Designer
PlayMakers: Confederates, As You Like It, Stick Fly.
Regional: The Coffin Maker (Pittsburgh Public Theater) 5 Guys Named Moe, Evita (Skylight Musical Theatre).
Professional: Dear Jack, Dear Louise,The Niceties, The Mountaintop (Virginia Theatre Festival).
Community: Savior Samuel, Gem of the Ocean, Jitney, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Pittsburgh Playwrights) A Christmas Carol, Little Shop of Horrors, Cinderella the Musical, Matilda the Musical (High Point Community Theatre).
Education: MFA, University of Missouri Kansas City
David Bost
Sound Designer
PlayMakers: The Prom. Resident Sound Supervisor.
Veronica Dress
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: Much Ado About Nothing, Clyde’s, They Do Not Know Harlem, Native Gardens. The Drowsy Chaperone, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Summer Youth Conservatory). Aspen graduated in May of 2019 with a BA in Vocal Performance and Dramatic Arts from UNC-Chapel Hill. During her undergraduate career, she was stage manager for shows such as Cendrillon, Dido and Aeneas, and The Pillowman. After graduating, Aspen completed an internship with the Walt Disney World Company and she worked as a production assistant for PlayMakers Repertory Company during their 19/20 and 21/22 seasons.
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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 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 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 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.
Michael Rolleri
Production Manager
Michael is in his 37th 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.
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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.
SOCIALS
Don’t miss out on news and events. Follow us on all socials to stay connected and see what we do next!
Jump to: Letter from Jeff | Who We Are | Title Page | Musical Numbers | Creative Team Bios | General Information | PlayMakers Staff | Friends of PlayMakers
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
Acting General Manager/PRC Costume Shop Manager, Amy Evans
PRC Technical Director, Laura Pates
PRC Scenic Charge Artist, Diane Zimmerman
ABOUT SUMMER YOUTH CONSERVATORY
Pippin 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.
SUMMER YOUTH CONSERVATORY 2025
To be notified about next year’s programs, including auditions, camps, interviews and more, please email SYC@unc.edu
Every gift, big or small, makes a huge difference!
Ways to Give
Online
MANY THANKS TO OUR SYC DONORS
Mary Altpeter
Keith and Iris Archuleta
Lata Chatterjee
Willis and Virginia Cockrell
Amy and Kevin Guskiewicz
David Howell
Lewis Margolis and Linda Frankel
Bruce and Marlee Margulies
Frederick and Anne Morris
Catherine O’Connell
Mark and Karen Rodin
Margaret Rook
Robert and Tobi Schwartzman
Harriet and Stuart Solomon
We are proud to offer generous scholarship opportunities and are thankful to our Summer Youth Conservatory Fund donors who ensure no student experiences financial hardship by joining us and learning with us. We invite you to contribute to the fund and help the next generation continue to grow and create the great theatre you enjoy. playmakersrep.org/give
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