Letter from Viv. Vivienne Benesch, Producing Artistic Director

Welcome to the 2025/26 season at PlayMakers!

I can’t think of a better way to open our season of “Theatre That Moves” than with Marco Ramirez’s theatrical and thrilling play The Royale. On its surface, the play is about a boxer fighting for his place in the ring. But step inside the ropes, and you’ll find a far more complex match at play: one that wrestles with history, justice, ambition, and the cost of greatness. Inspired by the real-life legend Jack Johnson, the first Black heavyweight world champion, Ramirez’s play unfolds in six gripping rounds, each blending the power of poetry, movement, and silence to reveal the “sweet science” of both the sport and the soul.

Directing this work has been both a thrilling challenge and a privilege. The play’s themes resonate in ways that feel urgently now. Our wonderful cast and creative team have worked together with a rare kind of focus and generosity, building something that feels at once physical, psychological, and deeply human, crafting a world that’s as much about inner battles as it is about the roar of the crowd.

While boxing may seem like a solitary sport, this production has reminded me that victories are only made possible by a team. PlayMakers has one of the very best teams in the industry and I can’t wait to dazzle you with all the great “plays” we’ll make this season.

In October, our production of The Wolves shifts the focus to a contemporary high school women’s soccer team while our Mobile production of King James explores the complexities of fandom through a friendship forged over a shared love of LeBron James! Along with The Royale, this hat trick of productions that we’re calling “Fall Madness” boldly explores how athletic spaces and pursuits become arenas for transformation.

That’s what this season is all about: sharing stories that entertain, engage and leave you moved when you exit back into the real world.

Enjoy the first round!

Warmly

Vivienne

We are so glad you have chosen to be here with us as we explore our new season of Theatre That Moves and what exactly that means to us, our bodies, and minds. We will be delving into the idea of how we act as a team, and while it is often said that there is no ‘I’ in the word, it seems beneficial to understand the individual elements that allow us to be stronger together. Our cross-campus collaborations have been something I am proud of, previously on the topic of mental health and now around the links between art and sport. At PlayMakers we seek to facilitate and enhance the understanding of other perspectives and belief systems and how they align with our own, if at all. More than ever, connecting with the experience of others, both on stage and with fellow audience members, can be illuminating.

I am personally very grateful to our Producing Artistic Director for being a fearless leader and to the incredible team she has built, both staff and volunteers. I have come to know Viv as a human who loves to initiate productive dialogue with incredibly insightful and instinctive talent. She has brought us pieces of art that have been uncannily on point for our time, and I cannot wait to see her perform in Macbeth. It is my hope that you believe that what we do here at PlayMakers matters. I hope that we can count on your support as we continue to bring you meaningful stories that you find inspiring, entertaining and transforming — in short, stories that move you. Join us on our journey through another spectacular season, as patrons, as donors, as ambassadors. We are grateful for every single one of you, and hope you continue to cheer us on.

Peace,

Jackie Tanner, Chair

Donate

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

About the Author

Marco Ramirez has had plays produced at Lincoln Center Theater, The Kennedy Center, The Humana Festival, The Old Globe (San Diego), The Bush Theatre (London), American Theater Company (Chicago), Soulpepper (Toronto) and Center Theatre Group (LA). Honors include Helen Hayes and Drama Desk nominations, the Outer Critics Circle’s John Gassner Playwriting Award, Juilliard’s Lila Acheson Wallace Playwriting Fellowship, Lincoln Center’s Le Comte du Nouy Award and TCG’s Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. Marco is also a WGA and Emmy Award-nominated TV writer and producer, where his credits include Marvel’s Daredevil (Netflix), Marvel’s The Defenders (Netflix), Sons of Anarchy (FX), Orange is the New Black (Netflix) and Fear the Walking Dead (AMC). Other plays he has written include Buena Vista Social Club.

Program Notes

The Royale: Fighting For Glory, Fighting For Change

By Jacqueline E. Lawton, Dramaturg

Marco Ramirez is a critically acclaimed writer of television, film, and theatre. In addition to The Royale, he recently wrote the book for the musical, Buena Vista Social Club. His television credits include Da Vinci’s Demons (Starz), Daredevil (Netflix), Orange is the New Black (Netflix), and Sons of Anarchy (FX). As a playwright, he distinguishes himself with sharp, witty dialogue and a seamless ability to blend theatrical and filmic techniques into the world of his plays.

The Royale premiered in 2013 at Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles. Set in the early 1900s, the play follows Jay, a professional boxer pursuing the world title, inspired by historic figure Jack Johnson, who was the first Black heavyweight boxing champion crowned in 1908. The title of the play refers to the brutal and illicit “battle royale” matches, notorious for forcing Black men to compete violently for the entertainment of white spectators.

In a recent interview with Stay Thirsty Magazine, Ramirez addressed the representation of violence on stage. His response speaks to the magic of theatre and the power of the imagination:

“For me, the magic of theater is in the imagined space between audience and performance. I’m not impressed when an actor sits on a fancy throne on a stage. I’m impressed when an actor sits on a stool and calls it a throne and hundreds of people in the audience all see a throne.”

But in a play about boxing, we expect to see boxing. And we do. Several rounds and multiple fights. At the same time, Ramirez reaches far beyond the realm of boxing.

The Royale is set during a time of institutionalized racial segregation. It was a time when boxing was far more than a test of strength, skill, and stamina. What happened in the ring reflected larger social and cultural tensions. Jack Johnson’s rise to prominence was both a beacon of hope to marginalized communities and a challenge to the status quo. For Johnson and those who looked up to him, each match was a powerful metaphor for the ongoing fight against racial injustice.

After Jack Johnson won the match in 1908, race riots erupted in cities across the country. Black men and boys were targets for celebrating Johnson’s win. In the play, Jay’s sister, Nina, tries to help him understand the consequences of his success. She reminds him that he’s not just fighting for himself. He’s fighting for his fans and for the people who look like him. She warns him each win comes at a cost and that his life is not the only life at risk. Through the lens of his characters, Ramirez has written a rich and compelling story about the complexity of racial identity, the personal costs of ambition, and the consequences of fighting for change.

We’re excited to bring this production of The Royale to you. As the story unfolds, we hope you find yourself swept into Jay’s world, feeling every victory, every loss, and each moment that urges us to reflect on what it means to fight not just for glory, but for our families, our communities, and lasting change. This play is more than an electrifying drama within a boxing ring. It is a powerful, poetic, and thought-provoking meditation on justice, identity, and legacy. It asks us to confront uncomfortable truths and to consider the personal cost of ambition. As the lights dim and the match begins, we invite you to witness not just a fight, but a reckoning—where every round delivers not only blows, but also questions, hopes, and the possibility of transformation.

The Royale

by Marco Ramirez

Directed by Vivienne Benesch

Scenic Designer
Yi-Hsuan (Ant) Ma

Costume Designer
Sabrina Guillaume-Bradshaw

Lighting Designer
Tao Wang

Sound Designer
Daniel Baker

Movement Director
Christopher Windom

Vocal Coach
Gwendolyn Schwinke

Dramaturg
Jacqueline E. Lawton

Stage Manager
Sarah Smiley

Assistant Stage Manager
Aspen Blake Jackson

New York casting, Pat McCorkle, CSA, Rebecca Weiss, CSA

September 10 – 28, 2025

The Royale is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, INC. www.concordtheatricals.com

Center Theater Group/Kirk Douglas Theatre, Michael Ritchie, Artistic Director produced the World Premiere of THE ROYALE in Los Angeles, CA in 2013

Originally Produced by Lincoln Center Theater, in 2016, New York City

Galen Ryan Kane is the recipient of the Louise Lamont Distinguished Guest Artist Award

Ray Anthony Thomas is the recipient of the Jeffrey Hayden Distinguished Guest Artist Award

Ant Ma is the recipient of the Charles M. and Shirley F. Weiss Distinguished Guest Artist Award

The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this production and distributing recordings or streams in any medium, including the internet, is strictly prohibited, a violation of the author(s)’s rights and actionable under United States copywright law. For more information, please visit:

https://concordtheatricals.com/resources/protecting-artists

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

Actor Bios

in Alphabetical Order

Fish: Zack Bazile*
Max: Matthew Donahue
Nina: Tia James*
Jay: Galen Ryan Kane*
Wynton: Ray Anthony Thomas*

Stage Managers: Sarah Smiley* Aspen Blake Jackson*

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

UNDERSTUDIES

Understudies never substitute for listed players unless a specific announcement is made for the appearance at the time of performance.

JAY – Nate John Mark

FISH – Adam Moskowitz

NINA – Mengwe Wapimewah

Setting: Various cities in the U.S.

Time Period: 1900-1910

The Royale will be performed no intermission.

Zack Bazile

Fish

PlayMakers: Debut.

Off-Broadway/New York: The One (AMT Theater); Trynna be a player (Dixon Place).

Film: Top of the Stairs (Directed by Mitch Consky).

Education: Susan Batson Studio / Carl Ford, Terry Knickerbocker Studio.

Awards: NSAL Drama NJ Chapter Winner.

Matthew Donahue

Max

PlayMakers: Company member in their third year of UNC’s Professional Actor Training Program with the Department of Dramatic Art. Little Shop of Horrors, Death of a Salesman,The Christmas Case of Hezekiah Jones, 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).

Education: BFA Acting, East Carolina University.

Tia James

Nina

PlayMakers: Company member since 2018. Actor: Confederates, Much Ado About Nothing, Clyde’s, Hamlet, Blues for an Alabama Sky, A Wrinkle in Time, Julius Caesar, Native Son. 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).PlayMakers Resident Vocal Coach.

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.”

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.

Galen Ryan Kane

Jay

PlayMakers: Debut.

Off-Broadway: Native Son, Measure for Measure(The Duke on 42nd).

Regional: The Piano Lesson (Hartford Stage); Intimate Apparel (McCarter Theatre); Petrol Station (The Kennedy Center); Everybody Black (Actors Theatre of Louisville, Humana Festival).

University: Othello, This Land Was Made, The Brothers Size, The Winter’s Tale (Yale School of Drama).

Film: Life Fine Tuned.

Television: “Madam Secretary,” “Chicago P.D.”

Education: Yale School of Drama, American Globe Conservatory, The Linklater Center, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Stella Adler Studio.

Awards: AUDELCO Award Nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Play (Native Son).

Ray Anthony Thomas

Wynton

PlayMakers: Fences.

New York: Ray Anthony Thomas is a member of The Atlantic Theater Company. Between Riverside and Crazy (premiere, Pulitzer Prize), Distant Fires, Edmond, and The Exonerated.

Broadway: I Need That (starring Danny DeVito), American Buffalo (starring Sam Rockwell and Darren Criss), Trouble In Mind (starring La Chanze), The Crucible, Race (Mamet), and Jitney (also National Tour).

Film: American Fiction, The Harbinger, Isn’t It, Romantic, Shutter Island, Trouble With The Curve.

TV: “Flatbush Misdemeanors” and “High Maintenance” (HBO), “Law & Order” and “New Amsterdam” (NBC), and “The Last O.G.”

Other: Ray has also appeared in Water By The Spoonful (Pulitzer Prize), creating the role of ‘Chutes&Ladders.’ Ray is a Wilsonian Warrior, recognized for all his work in the canon of August Wilson.

Vivienne Benesch

Director

See PlayMakers leadership Bio

Yi-Hsuan (Ant) Ma

Scenic Designer

PlayMakers: Debut. Ant is an international scenic and production designer; her approach to design is interdisciplinary and poetic, and she now teaches at UVA.

Off-Broadway selected credits: Cymbeline (NAATCO); Usus (Clubbed Thumb); Blood Work (National Black Theater); Smart (Ensemble Studio Theater); Bloom Bloom Pow (ART/NY).

Awards: Her theatrical installation work, Samuel at The Tank, has been nominated for a Notable Effects Show at the Hewes Design Awards. www.ant-setdesign.com

Sabrina Guillame-Bradshaw

Costume Designer

PlayMakers: Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Fat Ham.

Off-Broadway/New York: Elements of Humanity: Garments of San Juan Hill (Lincoln Center); Mary Speaks (The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture); Mirrors (New York Theater Workshop); Black Exhibition (The Bushwick Starr); Drama League- DirectorFest (New Ohio Theater).

Regional: Fat Ham (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company); Hotel Berry (Tantrum Theater); Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters (Lincoln Community Playhouse).

Education: Sabrina received her M.F.A. in Design and Technical Production from Brooklyn College.

Award: Opera America- Robert L.B. Tobin Director-Designer Prize, 2021.

www.sabrinabianca.com

Tao Wang

Lighting Designer

PlayMakers: Death of a Salesman, What the Constitution Means to Me, The Game, Misery.

Regional: UrbanArias Keegan Theatre, Hattiloo Theatre – Black Repertory Theatre, Taft Theatre, Corbett Theatre, MainStage Musical Theatre and Dance Company, Stauss Theatre.

Film/Events/ TV/ Shows: “Nanjing, Nanjing,” The Universal Beijing Resort, Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony 2008 and Special Olympics World Games in Shanghai Opening Ceremony, Turandot in Paris, Beijing TV Virtual Reality Interactive Showroom, USITT 2019 National Conference.

Teaching: Assistant Professor and David and Rebecca Pardue Fellow, serving as a Media and Lighting Designer in the Department of Dramatic Arts at UNC, Chapel Hill.Proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829; NYC and USITT. www.wangtman.com

Daniel Baker

Sound Designer

PlayMakers: Debut.

Broadway: Eclipsed, Parisian Woman, Purlie Victorious (assistant), American Son (assistant).

Off Broadway: Toni Stone (Roundabout Theatre Company); The Lying Lesson, The Great Leap, The Jammer, and These Paper Bullets! (The Atlantic); The Four of Us and When We Were Young and Unafraid (MTC); Bull in a China Shop (LCT3); The Good Negro and Eclipsed (The Public); A Winter’s Tale (TFANA). Daniel has designed sound for over 150 productions at 25 regional theaters across the country. He holds an MFA in Sound Design from the Yale School of Drama and teaches at Barnard College.

Christopher Windom

Movement Director

PlayMakers: Confederates.

Off-Broadway: Choreographer,Kid Victory (The Vineyard Theatre).

Regional Theaters: Director: Fences, Fairview, A Christmas Carol (Trinity Repertory Company); Light It Up! (Cleveland Play House); Annie (Alabama Shakespeare Festival). Choreographer: Beautiful (Marriott Theatre); Cabaret (Alabama Shakespeare Festival); Melancholy Play (Trinity Repertory Company); Les Miserables (Dallas Theatre Center); Frozen: Live at the Hyperion for Disney Resorts. Christopher choreographed the feature film RESPECT for MGM, starring Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin. He was the Drama League Fellow Assistant Director for the Broadway production of Pippin, directed by Diane Paulus (HAIR, Waitress, Porgy & Bess). He was Associate Director for the national tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, directed/choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton, In The Heights, Bandstand). Christopher has performed on Broadway and National Tours of Fosse and Damn Yankees starring Jerry Lewis. Member of SDC, and a Drama League Fellow. MFA, Brown/Trinity.

Gwendolyn Schwinke

Vocal Coach

PlayMakers: Company member since 2019. Voice/Dialect Coach:Confederates, Fat Ham, Much Ado About Nothing, Clyde’s, Blues for an Alabama Sky, As You Like It, and many more.Actor: Murder on the Orient Express, Much Ado About Nothing, The Skin of Our Teeth, As You Like It.

International: Voice/Text/Dialect/Somatic Coach with Prague Shakespeare Company and Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble.

New York & Regional: Voice and Text Coaching for over 50 professional shows, including over 25 Shakespeare productions, and 50-plus different international or regional accents. Coaching at Utah Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare & Company (seven seasons), Clarence Brown Theatre, Frank Theatre, and more Actor with multiple regional theatres. Director: PlayMakers/PATP Ground Floor, Tennessee Shakespeare Company, Walker Art Center, Atlantic Stage, The Playwrights’ Center, Switch Theatre, and others.

Teaching: David G. Frey Scholar/Associate Professor of Voice & Speech. Designated Linklater Voice Teacher and Mentor/Trainer, Guild-certified Feldenkrais Teacher, Certified Teacher of Louis Colaianni Approach to Speech & Accents.

Jacqueline E. Lawton

Dramaturg

PlayMakers: Company member since 2015 and associate professor in the Department of Dramatic Art at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Regional Dramaturgy: Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Humana Festival of New American Plays, Arden Theater, Arena Stage, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Ensemble Studio Theater, Ford’s Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Horizons Theater, Interact Theatre, Kennedy Center VSA Program, Rorschach Theatre, Round House Theatre, the Stratford Festival, Theater J, Virginia Stage Company and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

Broadway Dramaturgy: Good Night, Oscar (Belasco Theatre).

Playwright: Anna K; Behold, a Negress; Blackbirds; Blood-bound and Tongue-tied; Deep Belly Beautiful; The Devil’s Sweet Water; Diola; Edges of Time; Freedom Hill; The Hampton Years; Hotel Berry, Intelligence; The Inferior Sex; Love Brothers Serenade; Mad Breed; Noms de Guerre; So Goes We; and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Education/ Affiliations: MFA in Playwriting, University of Texas at Austin; James A. Michener Fellow. TCG Young Leaders of Color, National New Play Network (NNPN), Arena Stage’s Playwrights’ Arena, Center Stage’s Playwrights’ Collective, and the Dramatist Guild of America.

Pat McCorckle (McCorckle Casting , LTD)

New York Casting

Broadway: Over 50 productions including On The Town, Amazing Grace, End of the Rainbow, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus, She Loves Me, A Few Good Men. Off-Broadway: Highlights; Clever Little Lies, Shear Madness, Tribes, Our Town (Barrow Street), Freud’s Last Session, Toxic Avenger, Almost Maine, Driving Miss Daisy. Feature Films: Year by the Sea, Premium Rush, Ghost Town, The Thomas Crown Affair, Die Hard with a Vengeance, School Ties, etc. Television: Twisted, Humans for Sesame Street, Hack (CBS), Californication (Emmy Nomination), Max Bickford (CBS), Chapelle’s Show, Strangers with Candy, Barbershop and many more.

www.mccorklecasting.com

Sarah Smiley

Stage Manager

This is Sarah’s 14th 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.

Aspen Blake Jackson

Assistant Stage Manager

PlayMakers: 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 fourth season with PlayMakers Repertory Company. A graduate of UNC Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Vocal Performance and Dramatic Arts.

UP NEXT

By Sarah Delappe

Directed By Aubrey Snowden

October 8-26

A team. A tribe. A turf. As a fierce squad of high school girls navigate soccer drills, secrets, and ambitions, you experience the fire, humor, and heartbreak of growing up all over again—where every play, on and off the field, could change everything.Learn more.

PlayMakers Leadership

Vivienne Benesch

Producing Artistic Director

Vivienne is in her tenth 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 14 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 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 Studio Theatre and the Folger Shakespeare Theatre in D.C. (Helen Hayes nomination for best direction), The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Trinity Repertory Company, NY Stage & Film, and Red Bull Theatre, among others. She will direct Measure for Measure at The Old Globe in San Diego in June of 2026. 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. She is a recipient of the prestigious Zelda Fichandler Award given by the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation.

Maura J. Murphy

Director of Operations

Maura is here for her tenth 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.

Michael Rolleri

Production Manager

Michael is in his 39^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 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.

Tina CoyneSmith

Director of External Relations

Tina is excited to begin her first season with PlayMakers Repertory Company! She will oversee all aspects of external affairs including revenue, marketing, communications, and audience development strategies. Tina brings with her close to three decades of external relations experience at UNC-Chapel Hill, a majority of that organizing the work of the Board of Directors for the Arts & Sciences Foundation. She has served on the development teams for the Ackland Art Museum, the Kenan Flagler Business School, the Adams School of Dentistry, and the Duke University Nasher Museum of Art. Tina looks forward to connecting with patrons, alumni, and our broader community to share a passion for theatre and to build support that will sustain PlayMakers as a vibrant hub for creativity and world-class performance. Tina earned degrees in English from Loyola University in Maryland and the College of William & Mary (with an honors thesis in 18th C. drama). She is passionate about Shakespeare, eclipses, colonial American history, musicals, musicals about colonial American history, grammar, photography, escape rooms, games, roller coasters, and air fryers! Expect an invitation to coffee to rhapsodize about all of the above as well as the treasure that is PlayMakers!

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–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 making our work accessible to all. PlayMakers also serves as the professional laboratory for UNC-Chapel Hill’s Department of Dramatic Art, nurturing future generations of artists and audiences.

Land Acknowledgment

We acknowledge that the land on which the University of North Carolina stands is the ancestral homeland of Eastern Siouan-speaking Indigenous peoples (Yesàh, “The People”). We honor and acknowledge the citizens of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Coharie Indian Tribe, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe, the Sappony, the Meherrin Nation, the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, and the Waccamaw-Siouan Tribe, who, along with citizens of other tribal nations, comprise one of the largest populations of Indigenous people east of the Mississippi River.

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 www.americanindiancenter.unc.edu.

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.

PlayMakers’ 2024/25 Season is Made Possible in Part by Grants from

Foundation Support

Joan H. Gillings Foundation, Frey Foundation, Robertson Foundation, The Educational Foundation of America, Highland Vineyard Foundation, The Shelby Family Foundation, Rao Family Foundation, T. Rowe Price Program for Charitable Giving

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, Lanza’s, Top Of The Hill.

Associates

Glasshalfull

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.

For this Production

Kira Cornell, Assistant Director Sarai Melancon-Powers, Lighting Assistant Ava Downs, Scenic Assistant Jeff A.R. Jones, Coreographer
Lormarev jones, Intimacy Coordinator Rachel Van Namen, Production Technical Director
Roark, Assistant Technical Director
Brandon “Bruce” Hearrell, Shop Lead
Ethan Clark, Simba Mauridi, Projection Assistant
Manda Apony-Moriarity, Crafts / Management Assistant Jillian Gregory, Jessica Land, Zachary Morrison, Drapers Aquila Butler, Wigs
Bailey Mae Doran, Kris Kingsolver
First Hands/ Stitchers
Naomi Eckhaus, Eva Hoke, Susan Newcomer, Costume Shop Volunteers 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, Audio Engineer.

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, Dawson Bourdreaux, Matthew Donahue, Elizabeth Dye, Delany Jackson, Jadah Johnson, Nate John Mark, Caroline Marques, Trevele Morgan, Adam Moskowitz, Celeste Pelletier, Mengwe Wapimewah

Administration

Vivienne Benesch, Producing Artistic Director

Artistic

Jeff Aguiar, Director of Engagement
Tracy Bersley, Movement Coach/Choreographer
Chelsea James, Associate Producer
Tia James, Vocal Coach
Gregory Kable, Dramaturg
Jacqueline E. Lawton, Dramaturg
Mark Perry, Dramaturg
Gwendolyn Schwinke, Vocal Coach
Adam Versényi, Dramaturg
Bridgette Bagley, Assistant to Producing Artistic Director

Management

Lisa Geeslin, Accountant
Charisse Holloway, Admin Support Specialist.
Amy Evans, General Manager
Zoë Lord, Company Manager
Maura J. Murphy, Director of Operations
Ella Hawn, Work Studies

External Relations

Tina CoyneSmith, Director of External Relations
Lenore Field, Special Events Coordinator
Anna Fletcher, Assistant Director of Annual Giving

Marketing & Audience Services

TJ Carr, Graphic Designer and Marketing Associate
Alex James, Audience Services Associate
Hannah LaMarlowe, Marketing Specialist
Ava Lytle, Audience Services Associate
Thomas Porter, Box Office Manager
Rosalie Preston, Director of Marketing & Sales
Alicia Norman, Sophie Taylor: Student House Managers
Micah Kennel: Student Box Office Manager.
Christopher Bailey, Lynlee Collins, Lindsey Kanipe, Deonna Koonce, Alex Lankford, An Thanh Nguyen, Leah Page, Kas Perez, Laura Santiago: Box Office and Front of House Work Studiesi

Department of Dramatic Art

Kathryn Hunter-Williams, Chair and Associate Professor

FACULTY

Judy Adamson, 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, Professor Emeritus
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
Matthew Mallard, Lecturer
Triffin Morris, Professor of the Practice
David Navalinsky, Professor
Bobbi Owen, Distinguished Professor Emerita
Laura Pates, 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
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
Sarah Tackett, Director of Business Administration

Production

Michael Rolleri, Production Manager

Costumes

Jocelyn Chatman, Costume Shop Manager
Matthew Mallard, Assistant Costume Director
Triffin Morris, Costume Director
Janis Nordeen, Wardrobe Supervisor
Rachel Pollock, Costume Craftsperson
Costume Production Graduate Students:
Jillian Gregory, Kris Kingsolver, Jessica Land, Bailey Mae Doran, Mackenzie Privett, Francis Werth, Costume Production Graduate Students
Ellie Steever, First Hand/Stitcher
Katherine Craig, Costume Shop Work Study
Natasha Harm, Wardrobe Assistant Work Study

Lighting

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

Props

Eden Clementine, Swing Scenic Artist/Props Artisan
Sam Gainer, Props Artisan
Lauren Reinhartsen, Properties Supervisor
Evan Wilker, Props Undergraduate Assistant
Ava Casey, Work Studies

Stage Management

Aspen Blake Jackson, Stage Manager
Sarah Smiley, Stage Manager
Kayla Jordan, Production Assistant

Sound

David Bost, Sound Supervisor
Jayden Alexander Peszko, Work Studies

Scenic

Brandon “Bruce” Hearrell, Shop Supervisor
Laura Pates, Technical Director
Rachel Van Namen, Associate Technical Director
Diane Zimmerman, Scenic Charge Artist
Benjamin Fink, Roark, Gibson Cameron, Josh Zietak, Technical Production Graduate Students

BE OUR MVP

We’re running a playbook filled with reimagined classics, bold new voices, and blockbuster favorites. At PlayMakers you’ll see champions: our acclaimed resident company brings their A Game to every performance alongside guest artists who boast Pulitzer, Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Awards.

But unlike athletes with sponsorship deals, our players don’t have big contracts. With ticket sales covering just under 40% of expenses, we rely on you to keep the magic of theatre alive in the Triangle.

When you give to the PlayMakers Fund, you support:

Our championship team—the PlayMakers resident company
Award-winning guest artists from across the globe
Sets, lighting, sound, and costumes—Broadway-quality made here
New work commissions that amplify multiple voices
K–12 student matinees and the Summer Youth Conservatory

When you support PlayMakers, you’re not just cheering from the sidelines—you’re making the winning play. Be part of the team that makes it all possible.

Be Our MVP Today!

Donate

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
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The Robertson Foundation
T. Rowe Price Program for Charitable Giving
Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program
Alan H. Weinhouse
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Angel ($5,000–9,999)

Anonymous
Patrick Brennan and Lillian Jenks Kymberly Burkhead-Dalton and Stephen Dalton
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Charities Aid Foundation of America
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Dorothy Heninger Kim Kwok
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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
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 +
Keith and Iris Archuleta + Andrew and Katherine Asaro ^
Steve Benezra ^
Ed and Eleanor Burke ^
Ed and Virginia Cockrell + Emerald HPC International
Cornell University Foundation
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Hugon Karwowski and Joanna Karwowska ^
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Metal Supermarkets Raleigh
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David Price
Andrew Sisson and Karen Levine
Dr. William L. Stewart
The Rev. Wendy R. and W. Riley Waugh +
Michael Weil and Peggy Link-Weil
Roger and Marlene Werner Paul and Sally Wright

Partner ($1,000–1,499)

Anonymous (4)
Michael and Marie Andreasen
Jeremy Arkin and Marian Fragola
Bruce and Dianne Birch Dr. 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 John and Carolyn Falletta Kausik Gangopadhyay Alison Friedman Buck and Kay Goldstein Julia and Bill Grumbles Eric and Elizabeth Gutt
David J. Howell+
Robert Huddleston
Jack Knight and Margaret Brown
Katie Kosma+
Robert and Kathryn Kyle
Anand and Sandhya Lagoo Douglas MacLean and Susan Wolf Carolyn Maness
Elaine Mangrum and Michael Freedberg
Bruce and Marlee Margulies + Holly and Ross McKinney
Herbert and Jean Miller
Cathy O’Connell Bettina Patterson
Suzanne and Charles Plambeck Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund
Jean and Joseph Ritok
The Shelby Family Foundation Carole L. Shelby Kyle and Jenn Smith
Lucy and Sidney Smith
David B. Sontag Stephen Tell and Rosemary Hoban Triangle Community Foundation
J. Stephen and Denise Vanderwoude, in honor of John Vanderwoude +
Amanda and Mal Watlington Dr. Jesse L. White
Derek and Louise Winstanly
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
Evelyn Barrow Adam C. Beck ^
John W. Becton and Nancy B. Tannenbaum
Shula and Stephen Bernard
Patricia Beyle
Dr. Stephen Shaw Birdsall
Jerri Lynne Bland Lisa and Greg Brown Keith Burridge and Patricia Saling
Kris and Alisha Byrd Ann and John Campbell
Philip and Linda Carl
Ann and Bayard Collins
Britta Couris David Doll
Elizabeth Eagle and David Crews 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 Ann Holloman Steve and Lisa Jones Laura Kline and David Robinson K.A. and Carol Lawrence Nelda and Douglas Lay Karen and Stephen Lyons Dr. and Mrs. Morton D. Malkin Michael Maness and Lois Knauff
Ann McCracken 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
Carol Uphoff Peter Vitale and Stephen Nelson Wegmans Chapel Hill George Weinhouse

~ indicates deceased

The above list represents patrons who have made gifts to PlayMakers between July 1, 2024 and August 15, 2025.

A heartfelt thanks to the Friends of PlayMakers whose generosity makes it possible to produce world-class theatre here in Chapel Hill. For more information about supporting PlayMakers, or to request request a correction to the listing above, please contact Tina CoyneSmith, director of external relations, at 919.962.4846 or tc@unc.edu.

Table of Contents

PlayMakers Advisory Council

About the Author

Program Notes

The Royale

by Marco Ramirez

Directed by Vivienne Benesch

September 10 – 28, 2025

Actor Bios

Zack Bazile

Fish

Matthew Donahue

Max

Tia James

Nina

Galen Ryan Kane

Jay

Ray Anthony Thomas

Wynton

Vivienne Benesch

Director

Yi-Hsuan (Ant) Ma

Scenic Designer

Sabrina Guillame-Bradshaw

Costume Designer

Tao Wang

Lighting Designer

Daniel Baker

Sound Designer

Christopher Windom

Movement Director

Gwendolyn Schwinke

Vocal Coach

Jacqueline E. Lawton

Dramaturg

Pat McCorckle (McCorckle Casting , LTD)

New York Casting

Sarah Smiley

Stage Manager

Aspen Blake Jackson

Assistant Stage Manager

UP NEXT

By Sarah Delappe

Directed By Aubrey Snowden

October 8-26

PlayMakers Leadership

Vivienne Benesch

Producing Artistic Director

Maura J. Murphy

Director of Operations

Michael Rolleri

Production Manager

Tina CoyneSmith

Director of External Relations

Our Mission

Land Acknowledgment

PlayMakers is…

Creating Tomorrow’s Classics, Today

A Hub of Engagement

Theatre for the People

Passing the Torch

Eliminating Barriers

PlayMakers’ 2024/25 Season is Made Possible in Part by Grants from

Foundation Support

Additional Funding for Guest Artists is Provided by

Corporate Council

Associates

For this Production

PlayMakers’ Resident Acting Company

Professional Actor Training Program:

Administration

Artistic

Management

External Relations

Marketing & Audience Services

Department of Dramatic Art

FACULTY

Administration

Production

Costumes