BY KAREN ZACARÍAS DIRECTED BY MARC MASTERSON NATIVE GARDENS MAR 11–APR 2, 2023
BY KAREEM FAHMY DIRECTED BY JENNIFER CHANG UP NEXT AT CITY THEATRE APRIL 29 – MAY 21, 2023 TICKETS ON SALE NOW PHONE 412-431-CITY (2489) WEB CITYTHEATRECOMPANY.ORG OR VISIT THE BOX OFFICE College basketball superstar Khady is about to carry her team through the NCAA Women’s Championships, but when March Madness coincides with Ramadan, Khady lies to her devout mother about holding her fast. When her mother goes public with the story of Khady’s devotion to both Ramadan and basketball, Khady finds herself the heroine of young Muslim women, Kareem Fahmy’s new play questions family, faith, and what it means to win at all costs. NNPN ROLLING WORLD PREMIERE
NATIVE GARDENS 3 FROM THE CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTORS What a joy it is to have you at City Theatre! Whether you are a long-time supporter or a new audience member, we appreciate you. Following the extraordinarily successful What the Constitution Means to Me, the City Theatre team is proud to continue bringing challenging plays to a diverse audience with Native Gardens. The support of the Pittsburgh community made … Constitution one of City Theatre’s highest grossing productions! So, in a change of tradition, we applaud you for continuing to trust our creative and administrative teams to bring you productions that are tuned to the pulse of our current social climate. Native Gardens has a rich production history that spans over 40 productions nationwide. Karen Zacarías’s no holds barred play is an intergenerational culture clash and the fireworks are a hilarious and truthful sight to behold. Yet there is a lesson. We will not spoil it for you, but we hope through this experience we all will fully execute the familiar phrase “love thy neighbor.” With an entire cast local to Pittsburgh, including additional members of the Pittsburgh community, we have recommitted to keeping the “city” in City Theatre. Co-Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Ricardo Vila-Roger lead this knockout team of creatives including City Theatre’s Costume Supervisor Madison Michalko (Costumes), CMU MFA Student Daniel Ocanto (Sound), Paul Whitaker (Lighting), and the rightfully celebrated Tony Ferrieri (Scenic). Our City Connects program welcomes our community partners Casa San José, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce back to City Theatre. Partnerships are the backbone of this moment of theatre-making, join us as we learn how to support our community partner’s programs that service the greater Pittsburgh area. As we celebrate this season we are looking ahead to the next and have created a vibrant theatrical menu for your enjoyment! We welcome you to join us as a subscriber and frequent visitor in the 2023-24 season. Marc Masterson Clare Drobot Monteze Freeland
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
NATIVE GARDENS 5 BOARD OF DIRECTORS City Theatre is deeply grateful to the following community of volunteers who support City Theatre’s mission, programming, and artists by donating their time, wisdom, financial resources, and public advocacy. The work we do would not be possible without their ongoing leadership and support. PRESIDENT Caitlin Green † VICE PRESIDENTS Matthew J. Galando † Tamara Tunie † TREASURER Alex Condron † SECRETARY Kenneth A. Glick, MD † MEMBERS David Betts † Steve Carpenter Judy Cheteyan Tomé Cousin Betty Cruz Clare Drobot, ex-officio Holly Hatcher-Frazier † Michelle McCreery, Esq † James McNeel, ex-officio Delvina L. Morrow † Marcia Morton Cori Parise Barbara Rudiak, PhD † Susan B. Smerd, PhD Sandra Solomon Deepak Wadhwani Bria Walker Nancy D. Washington, PhD † Executive Committee Members In 2018, by resolution of the board of the directors, City Theatre created an Honorary Board to recognize the extraordinary service of previous volunteers and leaders who have been instrumental to the organization’s continued growth and success. HONORARY BOARD MEMBERS Carol R. Brown Tacy Byham, Ph.D. Norbert J. Connors, Jr. Robert M. Frankel, in memoriam Ira H. Gordon, in memoriam Edward H. Harrell Thomas Hollander Clyde B. Jones, III Gerri Kay, in memoriam Roslyn Litman, in memoriam David E. Massaro Beth W. Newbold Dee Jay Oshry Leonard Perfido David L. Porges Jeffrey Solomon Iris Amper Walker Marjorie Walker
©2022 The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. All rights reserved. PNC Bank, National Association. Member FDIC CON PDF 0618-0106 The arts make us think, make us feel, and make us wonder. And being able to support the City Theatre Company today makes us proud. Let’s see where your imagination takes you today. pnc.com
March 11 through April 2, 2023 Performed without an intermission. Run Time: Approx 90 minutes * Member of Actors’ Equity Association ** Member of United Scenic Artists + Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society Native Gardens is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com Native Gardens was commissioned and first produced by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park under Blake Robison (Artistic Director) and Buzz Ward (Managing Director). PRESENTS WRITTEN BY KAREN ZACARÍAS DIRECTED BY MARC MASTERSON+ CAST Evelyn Hernandez* Laurie Klatscher* Juan Rivera Lebron* Cotter Smith* JAMES McNEEL Managing Director MARC MASTERSON, CLARE DROBOT, and MONTEZE FREELAND Co-Artistic Directors Tony Ferrieri** Scenic Designer Madison Michalko Costume Designer Paul Whitaker** Lighting Designer Patti Kelly* Stage Manager Daniel Ocanto Sound Designer Taylor Meszaros* Assistant Stage Manager Community Production Members: Maame Danso, Juan Pablo Biye Nchama, José Pérez IV Don Wadsworth Dialect Coach Ricardo Vila-Roger Artistic Consultant
WHO'S WHO We are proud to support City Theatre and the mission of providing an artistic home of contemporary plays and the ideas that engage and challenge diverse audiences. Never underestimate the power of a great performance. BCD-SYS-16740_city_theater_print_5x8_bw.indd 1 9/8/22 2:10 PM
NATIVE GARDENS 9 CHARACTERS CAST in order of appearance Virginia Laurie Klatscher* Frank Cotter Smith* Pablo Juan Rivera Lebron* Tania Evelyn Hernandez* Setting: Two adjoining backyards in a neighborhood of Northwest Washington DC Community Production Members: Maame Danso, José Pérez IV, Juan Pablo Biye Nchama KAREN ZACARÍAS (Playwright) was recently hailed by American Theater Magazine as one of the most produced playwrights in the US. Her plays include The Copper Children, Destiny of Desire, Native Gardens, The Book Club Play, Legacy of Light, Mariela in the Desert, The Sins of Sor Juana, and the adaptations of Just Like Us, The Age of Innocence, Into the Beautiful North, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent and a bilingual Romeo y Juliet. She has been produced at The Kennedy Center, The Goodman, The Guthrie, Arena Stage, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, GALA Hispanic Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse, Old Globe, The Alliance Theater, Repertorio Español, The Latino Theater Company, Milagro Theater, and many more. She is the author of ten renown TYA musicals and the librettist of several Ballets. She is one of the inaugural resident playwrights at Arena Stage, a core founder of the Latinx Theatre Commons- a large national organization of artists seeking to update the American narrative with the stories of Latinx-, and she is the founder of the award-winning Young Playwrights’ Theater (YPT), noted as one of the best arts educational programs by the Obama White House. Karen was voted a 2019 Washingtonian of the Year for her arts advocacy by Washingtonian Magazine. She was awarded 2019 Sine Fellowship at the American University School of Public Policy for connecting art with policy making. She is a recipient of 2019 Lee-Reynolds-Award for “social, cultural, or political change with theater” awarded by the League of Professional Theater Women and honored with the 2019 Medallion by the Children’s Theater Foundation. She was a 2019 speaker at TEDX Broadway. She is a 2021 recipient of the United Artists Fellowship. Karen lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and three children and two dogs. She’s represented by the Gersh Agency and is published by Samuel French/Concord Theatricals, Dramatic Publishing and has a collection of plays with Oberon Books.
10 NATIVE GARDENS Neighborly Gardens Karen Zacarias’s funny, moving play Native Gardens is an insightful comedy that explores intergenerational, cultural, and class divides through the lens of the American Lawn. Originally commissioned and produced at the Cincinatti Playhouse in the Park, Native Gardens has gone on to productions around the country and its themes of neighborly strife have struck a resonant chord with audiences. As Zacarias describes in an interview about the production. “I think it tackles the polemical divide going on in our country in an approachable and comedic way. It’s about two couples who are well-meaning but differ in taste and culture, and they have a fight about a property line and things get progressively worse. One of the two women has a big garden and really cares about her yard. And the other cares about her yard but is really into native plants. I thought it was interesting to analyze this kind of disagreement. Nobody’s wrong and nobody’s right. The play asks what does it take to be a good friend, a good neighbor?” The differing viewpoints on gardening that Zacarias centers the play around are at the root of multiple real-life litigations. The concept behind native gardening prioritizes landscapes built to support local ecology. The US Forrest Services shares that “Native plants are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions where they naturally occur. These important plant species provide nectar, pollen, and seeds that serve as food for native butterflies, insects, birds and other animals. Unlike natives, common horticultural plants do not provide energetic rewards for their visitors and often require insect pest control to survive.” But what’s positive for the environment may not be pleasing to everyone’s eye. Eco-friendly landscaping includes plants commonly thought of as weeds and specifically attracts wildlife that might be unwanted or detrimental to neighboring “traditional” gardens. There have been The play asks what does it take to be a good friend, a good neighbor?
NATIVE GARDENS 11 multiple feuds and lawsuits over the aesthetics of lawncare. In fact, a recent law passed in Maryland in 2021 arising from a dispute between homeowners and their homeowner's association, curtailed the rights of associations across the state from enforcing controls over eco-friendly lawns. But Native Gardens is not solely a play about gardening; it’s also an investigation of intercultural assumptions. As we get to know the characters, it challenges the audience to interrogate their own misconceptions, delving into the complexity and intersectional nature of identity. Zacarias mentions that “...the play tackles class in a way that audiences aren’t used to. The wealthiest person on that stage is a young Chilean immigrant who has gone to boarding school. And the white woman is actually from a working-class Polish family in Buffalo. So it plays with our misconceptions, and not everything is what it seems. Where people have come from and where they expect to land is different for all four characters.” In this fertile ground, the action of Native Gardens takes place and invites audiences to question both the landscape of their backyards and their community connections. Quotes are from https:// www.intiman.org/crosscutcom-interview-with-nativegardens-playwright-karenzacarias/ https://www.fs.usda.gov/ wildflowers/Native_Plant_ Materials/Native_Gardening/ index.shtml
WHO'S WHO
WHO'S WHO NATIVE GARDENS 13 MARC MASTERSON (Director and Co-Artistic Director) returned to City Theatre in 2018 after serving in the same capacity at Actors Theatre of Louisville and at South Coast Repertory Theater in Costa Mesa, CA. He previously served as City Theatre’s artistic director from 1981 to 2000. In over three decades as an artistic leader, he has produced the world premieres of some of the most produced plays in the American Theatre, along with innovative productions of the classics. He has championed pioneering work in community engagement, arts education, and diverse voices for the American stage. EVELYN HERNANDEZ (Tania) As a bilingual Latinx actor from Queens, NY, Evelyn has always been passionate about being an Entertainer for over two decades. After countless all-nighters and ample caffeine, she earned her Bachelor Of Arts Degree in Theatre, magna cum laude, from Point Park University. She has performed as over 50 characters for projects in voice acting, theatre, television and movies. Credits include: The Thanksgiving Play with Arcade Comedy Theater, In The Time of the Butterflies with Prime Stage Theater, Gone with NBC Universal, modeling in Pittsburgh Fashion Week, voicing multiple roles for various productions, and now Tania in Native Gardens for her Pittsburgh City Theatre debut. She dedicates her performance to God, her mother, family and friends for their unwavering love and support. LAURIE KLATSCHER (Virginia) This is Laurie’s 15th show with City Theatre. Her original solo piece What Do the Birds Say?, commissioned by City Theatre, was filmed during the pandemic and performed out-of-doors at City of Asylum. She most recently appeared on this stage opposite Tamara Tunie in The Roommate. Other City Theatre credits: Tribes (co-production Philadelphia Theatre Co); Precious Little, (2011 PPG Performer of the Year), Shooting Star, The Good Body, The Cryptogram,Compleat Female Stage Beauty, Moonlight Room, Red Herring and Baltimore Waltz. Pittsburgh Public Theatre: The Tempest, Indecent, Hay Fever. Quantum Theatre: Cherry Orchard, Inside Passage, Dream of Autumn, Chickens in the Yard, Electric Baby, Candide, Dogface (reprised at Festival de Otoño, Madrid). Playhouse REP: Endless Lawns, Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods. PICT: A Woman of No importance, Heartbreak House. GeVa (Regional): The Misanthrope, All My Sons. Primary Stages Theatre Co (NYC): Bertrano, or Hats Don’t Lie, Late One Afternoon in Okabena. York Theatre Co: Midsummer Night’s Dream. TV: Outsiders (2 seasons,) Blank my Life, Ghostwriter, The Doctors, Search for Tomorrow. Recent Film: Dear Zoe (available on demand, starring Sadie Sink)
WHO'S WHO NATIVE GARDENS 15 JUAN RIVERA LEBRON (Pablo) (selected credits) - Guthrie Theater: Frank Churchill in Kate Hamill’s Emma, Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol, Mr. Wickham in Pride and Prejudice, and Florizel in The Winter’s Tale. Great Lakes Theater: Costard in Love’s Labor’s Lost, Orsino in Twelfth Night, Don John in Much Ado About Nothing, Cleante in Imaginary Invalid. American Players Theater: Sideway/Collins in Our Country’s Good, Mr. Worthy in The Recruiting Officer, Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Homenides in A Flea in Her Ear, and Pericles in Pericles. Seven seasons as a Company Member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Film and television credits include: Incompleteness, dir. Dave Ash; Relationship Status, dir. Peter Bean; All Night Bodega, dir. Felix Olivier; various commercials and industrials. Special visiting Faculty in Acting at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. B.F.A. - Carnegie Mellon University. M.F.A., M.S. – University of Idaho. Thanks C,S,N,A,F,Z COTTER SMITH (Frank) first appeared on a Pittsburgh stage at the Byham Theatre in the 2000 National Tour of the Tony Award winning play ART. When he returned in 2016 for the Netflix series MINDHUNTER, he and his wife quickly fell in love with this city that is now their hometown. Since then he has appeared locally at the Public Theatre, Barebones and Bricolage. He has spent the majority of his professional life in New York and Los Angeles, where his credits include many plays on and off Broadway, and numerous television and film roles. He has been teaching acting for many years, including at The New School for Drama in New York, where he also served as the Department Head of the MFA Acting Program. He is honored to be continuing his acting workshops in Pittsburgh, exploring Stanislavsky’s Active Analysis technique, which is only recently finding its way into American actor training programs. JOSÉ PÉREZ IV (Community Member) is a fight director, playwright, and actor based in Pittsburgh, PA. Resident Fight Director of Pittsburgh Public Theater (recent credits: A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Harlem, A Christmas Story, A Raisin in the Sun, Robin Hood). Artistic Director of Big Storm Performance Company. His play Very Berry Dead received its first production at Saginaw Valley State University this past February, and this May his dancetheatre play Or Forever Hold Your Peace will be presented by Kelly Strayhorn Theatre. New York City performances at venues including Times Square Arts Center, HERE Arts Center, Joe’s Pub, The Ohio Theater, and Theater for the New City. BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch Experimental Theatre Wing, MFA in Performance Pedagogy from the University of Pittsburgh. Member of the Society of American Fight Directors since 2009. MAAME DANSO (Community Member) will portray a landscaper in Native Gardens. A proud Pittsburgh since 2019, she is originally from the DC Metropolitan area where she found her passion for music and the performing arts at Thomas G Pullen Performing Arts Magnet School at the age of 13. She recently starred as Harriet Tubman in Prime Stage Sprouts production Harriet Tubman & The Underground Railroad and was an ensemble cast member in Sketchville for Arcade Comedy Theater. To learn more about what Maame is up to you can follow her on Instagram @osnad_m.
WHO'S WHO Member FDIC. ⬢®, Huntington® and ⬢ Huntington. Welcome.® are federally registered service marks of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated. ©2022 Huntington Bancshares Incorporated. A round of applause for CityTheatre. And everyone in your audience. Theater illuminates the human experience. It connects us to each other, brings us closer, and reminds us of the incredible heights we’re capable of reaching. So from all of us at Huntington, a big thank you to City Theatre for reminding us how brightly we all can shine.
WHO'S WHO NATIVE GARDENS 17 JUAN PABLO BIYE NCHAMA (Community Member) is making his stage debut in this production of Native Gardens! He is a native of Equatorial Guinea and a Pittsburgh resident for less than a year. His background includes working with Mary Angel Homecare. Juan is also working on releasing new music in the coming year. Juan thanks the United States and City Theatre for this opportunity. PATTI KELLY (Production Stage Manager) is thrilled to return to City Theatre for her 35th season! Having been with the company for over half of its lifetime, some of Patti’s favorite shows at City Theatre include The Old Man and the Old Moon, The Royale, Hand to God, The 39 Steps, Marcus; or The Secret of Sweet, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Compleat Female Stage Beauty, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, Molly Sweeney, The Baltimore Waltz, and Our Country’s Good. Other credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Hartford Stage; Hysteria for Pittsburgh Public Theater; Richard II, The Tempest, Othello, As You Like It, Horse of a Different Color, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth for Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival; and over 30 plays for the Carnegie Mellon Showcase of New Plays. Patti is a recipient of the Fred Kelly Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatre and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity. TAYLOR K. MESZAROS (Assistant Stage Manager) is delighted to be back at CTC for her 11th season. She is based in Pittsburgh, spending her time as an AEA Stage Manager and as a Standardized Patient for the University of Pittsburgh Medical School. Her passion lies in sharing theatre within the Pittsburgh community and regionally. Favorite credits include White Christmas, The Skin of Our Teeth, Hair!, A Christmas Carol (Berkshire Theatre Group), Two Trains Running, Schoolgirls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play (Pittsburgh Public Theatre), Paradise Blue, Downstairs, Cambodian Rock Band, The Burdens, Where Did We Sit On the Bus?, Pipeline, The Absolute Brightness…, Wild With Happy, Feeding the Dragon, Some Brighter Distance, Oblivion, Smart Blonde, South Side Stories, and Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir (City Theatre Company). Love to friends and family for their unwavering support. RICARDO VILA-ROGER (Artistic Consultant) is a freelance actor/director, teacher at the University of Pittsburgh, and a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association. Some directing credits include: Appropriate & Water by the Spoonful (UP Stages), In the Time of Butterflies (Prime Stage), and It’s a Wonderful Life (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center). Recent acting credits include Indecent & Murder on the Orient Express (Pittsburgh Public), and Bubble Boy (Arcade Comedy Theater), & Peribañez (Quantum Theatre).
WHO'S WHO
WHO'S WHO NATIVE GARDENS 19 TONY FERRIERI (Scenic Designer): Awards and milestones include: 42 years with City Theatre, The Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Award for Established Artist, New Works Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, “Designer of the Year” by Pittsburgh City Paper and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Frankel Award,” “Fred Kelly Award for Outstanding Achievement,” “Harry Schwalb Excellence in the Arts Award,” features in Live Design and Stage Directions, and nearly 550 designs. Recent CTC designs include: Downstairs, The Santaland Diaries, One Night in Miami, The Roommate, Pipeline, Citizens Market, Clyde’s, and ‘Til Death Do Us Part: Late Nite Catechism 3. Other recent designs include: Feeding the Dragon for Hartford Stage in CT and Primary Stages at The Cherry Lane in NYC; Clue, Miracle on 34th Street, Sweeney Todd, Big Fish, Mary Poppins, Shrek, The Phantom of the Opera, and The Little Mermaid for Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center; The Book of Merman, Double Threat Trio, Perfect Wedding, Pump Boys and Dinettes, The Toxic Avenger, The 39 Steps and First Date for CLO Cabaret; Uncle Tom’s Cabin for The Pittsburgh Playhouse Conservatory; Miss Julie, Clarissa & John, The Piano Lesson, Dulcy and Fences for Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company; The Current War, King Lear, Violetta, The Master Builder, The Winter’s Tale for Quantum Theatre; True West, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, A Streetcar Named Desire for barebones; Scared of Sarah and A Feminine Ending for Off the Wall; Tell it to the Marines for The International Poetry Forum; and You Say Tomato I Say Shut Up! for Dana Phil Playhouse Productions. Other credits include designs for Bricolage, Jewish Theatre of Pittsburgh, Carnivale Theatrics, Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre, Emelin Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Madison Rep, TheatreWorks, 1812 Productions, Playhouse Rep, Tuesday Musical Club, and Unseam’d. MADISON MICHALKO (Costume Designer) moved from Texas to Pittsburgh in 2014 after graduating from Oklahoma State University before joining City Theatre as a costume shop over-hire. Madison has since moved into the role of Costume Shop Manager (2017). In January 2018, she made her main season debut designing The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey. Her other credits at City Theatre include: The Burdens (2019), The Santaland Diaries (2019), F*ck 7th Grade (2020), Claws Out (2020) & The Garbologists (2022). Outside of the theatre, Madison works part time cultivating her other passion as a floral assistant for Blooms. Madison thanks her husband, Matthew, for his unwavering support. www.madisonhackdesign.com Please check out Madison's design on display at Phipps Conservatory honoring Billy Porter opening May 6th. PAUL WHITAKER (Lighting Designer): New York credits include work at The Public Theater, MCC Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Second Stage Theatre, Atlantic Theater Company and others. Regional credits include The Guthrie, The Alley, Yale Repertory Theatre, The Denver Center, The Geffen Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, La Jolla Playhouse, The Children’s Theatre Company, The Long Wharf Theatre, The Huntington Theatre Company, Center Stage, Hartford Stage, Dallas Theater Center, Minnesota Opera, San Diego Opera, and others. Paul is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama. Paul is a Principal Lighting Designer/Theatre Consultant for Schuler Shook. www.schulershook.com www.paulwhitakerdesigns.com
WHO'S WHO Author photo: Danielle Tait Author photo: Kate Sweeney Author photo: Makita Wilbur Author photo: Amanda Demme 2 022 /23
WHO'S WHO NATIVE GARDENS 21 DON WADSWORTH (Dialect Coach) Over the past decade he has helped actors develop British, German, Romanian, Irish, Scottish, Polish, German, Russian, Australian and Italian accents. He has worked on and off Broadway and for a variety of regional Theaters. Wadsworth is a professor of Speech and Dialects for Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. DANIEL OCANTO (Sound Designer) is a sound designer and multi-instrumentalist who has toured nation - ally and internationally with a diverse range of artists and has contributed to multiple recordings as a studio musician. A theater maker by fortuitous accident, he has composed and performed as a member of Dust Ensemble, whose score for Hillary Bettis’ Alligator (The Sol Project/New Georges) earned him and his collaborators a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Music in a Play. He earned a second nomination in the same category for his work on Adam Seidel’s Original Sound (Cherry Lane Theatre). A proud first-generation Venezuelan-American from Nebraska, he now lives in Pittsburgh where he is an MFA candidate in Sound Design at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. SAMUEL G.C. MUÑOZ (Fight Choreographer) is an actor, fight director, motion capture artist, stunt coordinator, producer, director, voiceover artist, and educator. His craft has been seen in Kenneth Branagh’s THOR, Clint Eastwood’s Invictus, Off Broadway, Tony Award winning Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Jeff Citation award winning Defiant Theatre, City Theatre Company, Second City Skybox, Improv Olympic, About Face Theatre, Chicago’s Storefront Theatre, Pittsburgh Playhouse, Virginia Shakespeare Festival, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Cinemax, and film festivals. Muñoz is co-creator of 2Households 2Assholes:Shakespeare’s R&J, earning rave reviews in the New York Times & BackStage ‘Critics Pick’. He’s a recognized Fight Director & Certified Teacher in The Society of American Fight Directors, tenured Associate Professor of Movement, Stage Combat & Acting in Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts, and a proud union member of The Society of Directors & Choreographers (SDC), Actors Equity Association (AEA), and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), and Pittsburgh Newspaper Guild/TNG-CWA Local 3806. Samuel is married to the love of his life, Jordan Maya, and father to the sweet loves of his life, Ciel & Cousteau. CLARE DROBOT (Co-Artistic Director) currently serves as one of the Co-Artistic Directors of City Theatre along with Monteze Freeland and Marc Masterson. She joined the staff at City in 2015 as the Director of New Play Development moving to Associate Artistic Director in March 2020. A dramaturg, playwright, and producer Clare has worked in various capacities at Premiere Stages at Kean University, Laura Stanczyk Casting, Williamstown Theatre Festival, The McCarter Theatre, The BE Company, Play Penn, and New Dramatists. Her work as a writer has been seen in Ars Nova’s ANT FEST and the New Hazlett Theatre’s CSA Series among others. She serves on the boards of the National New Play Network and Brew House Association and is a graduate of Leadership Pittsburgh (Class XXXVIII). She holds a BA in Creative Writing and a BFA in Music Composition from Carnegie Mellon University and is a member of LMDA.
WHO'S WHO
WHO'S WHO NATIVE GARDENS 23 MONTEZE FREELAND (Co-Artistic Director) is a multidisciplinary artist and one of the three co-artistic directors of City Theatre Company. A graduate of Point Park University, Mr. Freeland has made a career as an actor, director, playwright, teaching artist and producer. Select directing credits include Clyde’s, The Garbologists, Santaland Diaries, and Claws Out: A Holiday Drag Musical (City Theatre), In the Heat of the Night, Miss Julie, Clarissa and John, Fences and King Hedley II (Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company), I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Prime Stage) and readings of Trouble in Mind and Mark Clayton Souther’s The Coffin Maker (Pittsburgh Public Theatre). Select acting credits include roles in Paradise Blue and Wild With Happy (City Theatre) Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors, A Few Good Men, Sweat and Hamlet (Pittsburgh Public), King Lear (Quantum), Dreamgirls (PMT), A Christmas Story (Bricolage), Aida and South Pacific (CLO) East Texas Hot Links and The Piano Lesson (Pittsburgh Playwrights). In 2017 he was named the Post Gazette’s Performer of the Year and City Paper’s 2021 Person of the Year in Theatre. JAMES McNEEL (Managing Director) joined City Theatre as its Managing Director in January 2015 and has overseen the organization through a period of extraordinary change and transformation, while becoming a trusted and recognized leader in the arts management field both locally and nationally. He came to Pittsburgh after four seasons in the same role at the Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, where he was integral in the development and production of 20 new plays (including 10 world premieres and four commissions). Previously, he served as Literature Specialist at the National Endowment for the Arts, focusing on grants to nonprofit presses, magazines, and literary organizations, as well as awards to individual poets, writers, and literary translators. While at the NEA he also worked on the development of such national initiatives as Operation Homecoming, Shakespeare in American Communities, Poetry Out Loud, and the National Book Festival. In 2005, James moved to New York City where he was General Manager and project consultant for the arts management firm, The Center for Creative Resources. At the Center, he worked with numerous individual artists and arts organization in all facets of institutional development and was a team leader in the feasibility study, opening, and first year management and operation of The Times Center, owned by The New York Times Company and designed by Renzo Piano. In addition, he was Director of Development and Marketing at the historic Cherry Lane Theatre, located in Greenwich Village. James holds a B.A. degree from Shepherd University and studied Arts Management in the Master of Arts program at American University. He currently serves on the boards and/or committees of the South Side Chamber of Commerce; National New Play Network (finance); Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council (advocacy); and the League of Resident Theaters (LORT), the largest association of its kind in the country. He chairs a consortium of over 25 different venues and organizations, organized by GPAC, that has met monthly in response to Covid-19.
DONOR RECOGNITION 24 NATIVE GARDENS City Theatre receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. The Allegheny Regional Asset District, a county agency created to support and finance regional assets, including libraries, parks, cultural groups, sports, and civic facilities, and to distribute tax relief to the 128 municipalities of Allegheny County. Actors marked with * and the Stage Manager in this production are members of 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 the United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE. The Director is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Inc., an independent national labor union. City Theatre is a constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre. City Theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Scott K. Noxon Foundation Lincoln Park Prop Department Anna Szymauski Keith Udell of Udell Appraising LLC Melanie Marie Boyer and the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Monica Ruiz, Veronica Jenkins, Lizbeth Garcia, and the staff of Casa San José Joe Reed, Jordyn Melino and the staff of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens SPECIAL THANKS
DONOR RECOGNITION NATIVE GARDENS 25 CITY THEATRE CIRCLE ($15,000+) Anonymous Arthur J. & Betty F. Diskin Family Cultural Endowment Fund Tonja & Alex Condron Norbert J. Connors, Jr. & Janet Rogala Charisse Lille Marcia Morton Kemp Powers Hayes & Patricia Stover PLAYWRIGHTS CIRCLE ($10,000 - $14,999) Carol R. Brown The Burke Family Judy & Michael Cheteyan Educational and Charitable Foundation Brian Jeffrey Gross Barbara A. Rudiak, PhD Frederick W. Steinberg Walter Limbach Family Fund The Estate of Robert E. Williams DIRECTORS CIRCLE ($5,000-$9,999) Dr. Kerry Bron & Mr. Robert C. Levin Cooper-Siegel Family Foundation Catherine & Kenneth A. Glick, MD David Lesko Ann Black Masterson The Scott K. Noxon Foundation Celine & Paul O’Neill Sandra & Jeffrey Solomon Nancy D. Washington, PhD David Zeve NEW PLAY CIRCLE ($3,000-$4,999) Russell & Kathy Ayres Leslie & K. Scott Baker Tacy M. Byham, PhD Dianne & Steve Carpenter Holly Hatcher Frazier & Evan Frazier Matthew J. Galando Jean Anne Hattler, PhD Thomas H. Hollander Dr. Richard Kasdan Michelle McCreery, Esq, James McNeel Dee Jay Oshry & Bart Rack K. Oliver Rea John C. Schlotterer Susan & Peter Smerd Tamara Tunie Catherine & Deepak Wadhwani CENTER STAGE ($1,000-$2,999) Sharon Achilles & Stuart Olmsted Bahar Bazmi Dr. Andrew R. Blair Annette Calgaro & Terrence Lewis Nancy & Stanley Cieslak Family Foundation Edwin and Kathryn Clarke Family Foundation Tome' Cousin Jamini Vincent Davies Dianne & Ron Duursma Tony & Annette Ferrieri Mark Flaherty & Mary McKinney Flaherty Joseph & Kathleen Fox Sharon & James Goldberg Irving and Aaronel deRoy Gruber Foundation Kyle Haden & Chela Sanchez Rhoda & David Hartmann Linda & Brian Heery James & Jean Higgins Joseph Koscinski Dr. Erin Lopata Lea Ann & Patrick Lope Mary C. McCormick Pam & Ken McCrory Karen & Richard Miller Susan & James Morris Laurie Moser & Stewart Barmen Gail K. Neustadt Eileen & John Olmsted Leondard & Ruth Perfido Mark T. Phillis The Thomas J. Phillis Family Richard Pietroski & Susan Stuart Mark R. Power Lauren & Daniel Resnick Kristi Rogers & Jody R. Schurman Mindy & Zal Sanjana Richard Scheines & Martha Harty Sue & Walter Schneider Patricia Schroder Dr. & Mrs. Gary Schurman Linda & Richard Shaw Preston & Annette Shimer Myrna & Lee Silverman Philip & Susan Smith Jean Snodgrass M. Ellen Tarpey & John Battaglia Francis M. Vitale Janet & Chuck Vukotich Each season, we go on a journey. You take a chance on plays you’ve never seen before, often by playwrights you might not know. Our pledge to you is that we scour the country for the very best work possible—plays that speak truthfully, passionately, and urgently (and, of course, entertainingly) about the here and now. New plays are risky, but they’re filled with the excitement of the unknown, too. City Theatre is deeply grateful to our community for helping to sustain our theatre year after year. Donors acknowledged here made gifts between July 1, 2021 - January 31, 2023. Every effort has been made to accurately record and acknowledge all donors. If your name is listed incorrectly, please contact Dianne Duursma at 412.431.4400 ext. 278 or dduursma@citytheatrecompany.
DONOR RECOGNITION 26 NATIVE GARDENS Nancy F. & Michael Weissman Philanthropic Fund Bruce & Barbara Wiegand Patrick & Beth Winkler Woffington Pittsburgh Theaters Fund SPOTLIGHT ($250-$999) Judith Adelson J.R. Ambrose & Eliza Swann The Estate of Jane Callomon Arkus Ronna & C. Daniel Askin Tom & Erin Baker Elizabeth Barker Nancy & Sean Barrett Beth & Keith Battaline Raymond & Harriet Baum The Family of Mindy Sanjana Edwin H. Beachler, III Beau Beard N. Beaumont Beard Vivan & Bill Benter Daniel Berger & Sandra El-Hachem Joyce Berman & Richard Spine James & Mary Pat Bernauer Robin J. Bernstein Bernadette Bishop-Pirollo Paul E. Block Kevin Brewer & Jose Antonio Licon Lynette Brooks Jan F. Bruno Laurie & Frank Bruns Stephanie Bucklew Sandra Budd Thomas J. Burgunder Bahar Bazmi Campbell & Dean Campbell Debra L. Caplan Sheila & Alvin Catz Lynne & Alan Colker Estelle Comay & Bruce Rabin Amy & Michael Couch Betty Cruz Charles Culbertson & Nancy Simpronio Katheryn Albers & Brian Davis Ellen & Gilbert DeBenedetti Barbara DeRiso & Don Newman Ruth Deutsch Jean Dexheimer Adrienne K. Dickos Joshua & Hallie Donner Dolly & Curt Ellenberg Robert Ferguson & Elizabeth Evans Melissa Evans & Nick Sfakianakis Mary & Henry Ewalt Dr. Michael & Janet Fazzini Thomas Ferguson & Susan Ryan Richard Ferro Paula & Bob Fey Laryn & Moses Finder Mark & Holly Fleischer Anne & Bob Follette Sarah & Peter Friedman Mary Frances Gargotta Ryan Geraghty William & Margaret Ghrist Keren Gilboa & Jeremy Holzer Michael & Cathy Ginsberg Paul Gitnik Shirley H. Golden Barbara Broff Goldman Candice Gonzalez Jake Goodman & Sean Shepherd Elizabeth C. Graf Elaine Gross Joyce Candi Grove Janice Harrison George Lowenstein & Donna Harsch Jean Anne Hattler, PhD Nancy Heastings Dr. & Mrs. Fred P. Heidenreich Sandra LaPietra & Alan Helgerman Mary Ann Hobson Donna Hoffman & Richard Dum Bettyanne & Jim Huntington Dr. Deborah Landen & Dr. Carl Johnson Janis & Jonas Johnson Mary Ellen Johnson Dr. Barbara Johnstone Jane & Bud Kahn Susan & Greg Kaminski Dolores Kara S&J Karas Fund Donna Hansen & Ralph Kemp Arthur J. Kerr, Jr. Brian Kerr Gloria Kleiman Elinor Nathanson & Peter Kogan Kathy Kohan Roberta & David Konefal-Shaer Dr. Larry Leahy & John Van de Grift Ellie & Shelly Levine Katherine & H. Lewis Lobdell Dr. Erin M. Lopata Charlotte & Randy Lott Janet Lunde Louise & Michael Malakoff Beth Marcello Caitlin Green & Drew Martorella Linda Mauro Ann M. McHoes & Bob Kleinmann Jamie McMahon John McSorley, MD Nancy W. Merenstein Christina & David Michelmore Barbara Miller Karen & Richard Miller Betty Minnotte Sophia Monsour Laurie Moser & Stewart Barmen Gary Mosso Shannon Musgrave Janice Myers-Newbury Beth Newbold Sarah Nilson Terry O'Reilly Dr. William Otto Deval Paranjpe Cori & Dax Parise Richard Parsakian John Patzer & Mary DuQinn Jennifer Pesci-Kelly & Richard Kelly Laurie A. Phythyon Diane Pickle Courtney & Neil Rabi Mary & Chris Rawson David Reed Andrew M. Roman Sally & Ned Ruffin Kimberly Sachse & Joseph Grimes Debra & Donald Salvin
DONOR RECOGNITION NATIVE GARDENS 27 Marty Santalucia Karen L. Scansaroli Karen & George Schnakenberg Gerald Shoemaker Henry Snyder W. Henry & Mary Wynn Snider James & Mary Lou Southwood Helen Spalaris Thomas & Deborah Stackrow Mary Stanutz Mona & EJ Strassburger Sandra Block & John Suhrie Gene L. Svrcek Irene & David Tabish Jane & Ron Thompson Judy & Tom Thompson Dr. Edward T. Tomlinson & Dr. Carol Wooten Drs. Donna & Michael Tranovich Iris Amper Walker & Leslie Dukehart Bria Walker-Rhoze & Tim Rhoze Mark Weber Melanie & Steven Weisbord Ken Werner & Lynn Swanson Judith & Willard White George & Patty Williams Stephen M. Wolfe Thomas Wyse & Robert Neft FRONT ROW ($100-$249) Sharon & Robert Abraham Dulcie Sylvia Affleck Jean & Michael Alexander Jenny Ewing Allen Joel D. Ambrose Linda Argote & Dennis Epple Wendy Arons & Michael Perdriel Lindsay Austin Dr. Carol E. Baker & Dr. Ian Campbell Lydia Balogh Ulrike & Guy Battestilli Alison Beam Dr. Marya Bednerik Sandi & Peter Behrens Dolly Bellhouse George Bentel Richard Berg Susan Beringer Rosemarie Berman Nancy Bernstein & Dr. Robert Schoen Betensky-Kraut Family Fund Ron Bianchetti Pamela Bolkovac Susan Bonello Donna Bour Kelly Boyer Sharon Brady Bear Brandegee & Dr. Nir Kossovsky David Brockway Linda S. Brown Virginia A. Broz Michael & Sakina Brunk Erica Brusselars Gail & John Buchanan Alice May Burger Allison Cahill Patricia Calabro Yvonne Campos Lauren Carlini Paula Casasent Christine & Peter Casillo Woody & Joanne Chetlin Jill Russell Dr. Vicky A. Clark Susan & William Cohen Colleen & Michael Colarusso Janet & John Conomos Elizabeth Cooper Gabrielle Corson Dr. Charles Cullen Joyce Culbya Rebecca Culyba & Barry Ries Anthony DeCaria Nick & Judy DeGregorio Suzanne DeWalt Bethany DiLucente Prof. Sharon Dilworth & Dr. David Baker Ave Maria Dlubak Steven Doerfler John & LouAnne Dolphin Thomas W. Douglas Jeanne & Robert Drennan Adam & Lucy Drobot Paula Dworek John A. Dymun Tricia & Brian Eccher Barbara & Philip Ehrman Ami & Nurit Elis Marlene H. Ellis Rachael Ellis Frederique & Adam Ennis Paul Epstein & Rita Ray Emily Ernst Susan & William Evans Stephanie & Fred Fall Barb Feige Marian Finegold Ilene & Jay Fingeret Stephanie Flom Katherine Flood, MD Nancy Frankel-Zacchero Erika Fricke Michael Friedrich Sarah Gaffen Suzanne & Edward Galando Dr. John and Therese Gallagher Charlotte George Colleen Geyer Kathryn L. Gigler Et Gillespie Carol & Robert Gomola Candice A. Gonzalez Gabriella Gonzalez Phyllis Moorman Goode Pamela Grabowski Arnie & Kathie Green Kathleen & Christopher Green Barbara & David Greenberg Arlene & Alfred Grubbs Norton Gusky Jo Ann Haller Joel Harris & Nancy Hoffman Lou & Roger Hasket Tracy Hawkins Mary Jo & Michael Hennessy Janine Hensler Judith & David Herzog Alice & Martin Hickey Janet Hilderbrand Rebecca Himberger Velma & Stuart Hirsch Harry Hochheiser Robert Hoehl John D. Houston, II Bonnie Isacke, PhD & Robert Isacke, Jr. Daisy Jeffries
DONOR RECOGNITION 28 NATIVE GARDENS Peter & Leslie Kaplan Peggi Kelley Patricia Ward Kelly Louise Ketchum & Eve Goodman James Kincaid & Nita Motts Kincaid Alex Kintz Konegger Stefi Kirschner & Gil Schneider Laurie Klatscher & Greg Lehane John Kocur Lauren Kornick Carolyn & Randy Krakoff Betty & Bob Kripp Maureen Kroll Karen Dorey Kuhar Rick & Ann Landesberg Susan & David Laurent Dr. Judith R. Lave Peter & Sylvia Leo Prof. Hazel Carr Leroy Patti Lindsey Kristen Link & Andrew Mulkerin Brad & Leanne Lisien Prof. Diane Litman & Dr. Mark Kahrs David & Cheryl Longstreet Annie Loub Mary Ann & John Lovasz Margaret MacCall Eric MacDonald Nanci Maguire Andrea & Glenn Mahone Virginia Mance Jason & Beverly Manne Carolyn Mariano Elisa Recht Marlin Demetria & Brien Marsh Aretha E. Marshall Dane Marshall William Mason Linda A. Mates David D. Maxwell Kathleen McCann Susan McCoy Mark A. McDonald Gale McGloin J. Kevin & Kristen McMahon Anne & Thomas Medsger Tracy & Karen Merrick Robert & Christine Misback Vickie & Chris Motz Barb & Jim Moyer Torey Naylor & Richard Beuke Julia Nesbitt Jeff Neubauer & Kitty Vagley Andrew David Ostrowski Shelly Pagac Amy & Anthony Pardo Ronnie Parker & Melissa Saul Richard Pattis & Ellen Olshanksy Louise & John Pavia Brian Peiritsch Cynthia Pennington & Christopher Donohue Rodney Permigiani & Nancy Pulsifer Cynthia B. Picone Rita & Daniel Poljak Jeffrey L. Pollock, Esq. Marilyn & David Posner Emily Price & Ryan O’Donnell Jessie Ramey & John Zimmerman Lynn & Joseph Ribar Jan & Doug Ripper Harriette & Ronald Roadman Deborah J. Robinson Stephen G. Robinson Judith Roscow Gerald Rosenfeld Susan J. Rossetti & Curtis Woodhead Cynthia Ross-Katz Stevo & Sal Caito Merryl & Marc Samuels Devashish Saxena Lisa Scales Dianne & Louis Scansaroli C. Scheftic Robert Schurko Rose Scilla Janet & Martin Seltman Kari Shaffer Elizabeth Shannon Maureen Shannon Scott & Kerry Shiller Cotter Smith Ruth Snyder Dr. Thelma Snyder David Sogg & Lisa Parker Marcia & Mel Solomon Elizabeth & Jonathan Spatz Shyrl Stange Alison & Neil Styler Harmony Sullivan & Justin Cummings Irene Surmik Peter & Daralynne Swartwout Mary Ann Stuart Templeton Kathleen & Louis Testoni Nancy & Gary Tuckfelt GiGi Tunie Kellee Van Aken & Saul Straussman Jody Clarke Walter & Edward H, Walter Dorothy L. Washington Elizabeth & James Webster Barbara & Harry Wenkert Ray Werner Judge R. Stanton Wettick, Jr. & Nancy Hazlett Peggy Whitehurst Mary Widom Marta & Phillip Wilkin Harton Wolf Jane Yanosick Sister Rita M. Yeasted Gregory Youman Lindsay & Jennifer Zaltman Nancy Zionts FRIENDS (UP TO $99) GRATITUDE is front and center for City Theatre and every donation makes an impact. We apologize for moving the “Friends” level of donations to the website only. With the rising cost of paper and printing, it is prudent and fiscally-responsible to make this change. Thank you for understanding. If you have any questions, please contact Director of Development, Dianne Duursma, by email at dduursma@citytheatrecompany. org or by telephone at 412.431.4400 ext. 278.
DONOR RECOGNITION NATIVE GARDENS 29 Native Gardens Community Partners: The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (PMAHCC) is the principal regional advocate for the Hispanic business community’s civic and economic interests. It is our mission is to develop, promote and advocate on behalf of Hispanic businesses & professionals in the Pittsburgh region, while encouraging the advancement and economic growth of Pittsburgh’s Hispanic community. Casa San José: Latino Immigrant Resource Center connects, supports, and advocates with and for the Latino community. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden opened a resource center for Latino immigrants, Casa San José (House of St. Joseph), in 2013. It serves as a base of support for English language learners, helping them to access services – especially, services for children, youth, and families – in order to better acclimate to their new home in the Pittsburgh area and to know the experience of welcome here. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens has provided a world-class garden experience to its visitors since 1893. Explore the beauty and wonders of nature at Phipps, encompassing 15 acres including a 14-room glasshouse and 23 distinct gardens. For more than 125 years, Phipps has been its city’s green oasis, connecting Pittsburghers to the beauty and importance of nature while advancing the role of the public garden in the fields of education, outreach and sustainable innovation. Season Partner – Literacy Pittsburgh offers free educational programs for adults and families in Allegheny County and Beaver County. Each year, we help nearly 5,000 people in the Greater Pittsburgh area improve their reading, writing, math, English language, digital literacy, and workplace skills. Adult literacy classes and tutoring move students from learning to earning and help them succeed as workers, parents, and neighbors. Contant info: [email protected] The staff at City Theatre remembers their former colleague Andrew Homyak (January 30, 1984 – February 12, 2023) who recently passed away in New Orleans, LA. Raised in Pittsburgh and a graduate of Point Park University, Andy worked as a stage carpenter and production technician on numerous plays at City Theatre from 2017 to 2020. May his memory and passion for theatrical design and scenic construction live on through the work seen on our stages and throughout Pittsburgh’s cultural community.
DONOR RECOGNITION 30 NATIVE GARDENS CORPORATE MATCHING GIFTS Please check with your company’s personnel department to find out if your employer offers a matching gift program. If your donation and City Theatre (Arts and Culture) meet your company’s guidelines, the company cuts a check to City Theatre for the same amount as the your donation (and sometimes even two, three, or four times that amount!). The following is a sample list of corporations with an employer matching gifts program. Those in bold currently support City Theatre. American Eagle Outfitters American Express Apple Applied Test Systems Avon Axiall Corporation BNY Mellon Boeing BP (British Petroleum) Bristol-Myers Squibb Car Max Chevron Citizens Financial Group Coca-Cola Delta Disney Dominion Foundation Eaton Corporation ExxonMobil Federated Department Stores Ford Foundation GAP Corporation General Electric (GE) GlaxoSmithKline Google Hewlett-Packard (HP) Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield H.J. Heinz Company The Home Depot Houghton-Mifflin IBM Corporation John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company Johnson & Johnson JP Morgan MBIA McKesson Corporation Merck Microsoft PepsiCo Pfizer, Inc. Pittsburgh Valve & Fitting PNC PPG Industries, Inc. Soros Fund Management Starbucks State Farm Verizon Waste Management WAYS TO GIVE: Online: Visit CityTheatreCompany.org/donate to make a tax-deductible contribution anytime. Scan here: Grab your Smartphone and take a picture of the following code – you’ll be taken right to our donation page for credit card payment. By Mail: Mail a check or money order, payable to “City Theatre,” to: City Theatre, Attn: Development 1300 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 By Phone: (or for donations of stock or estate gifts) Call Dianne Duursma, Director of Development, at (412) 431-4400 x278
DONOR RECOGNITION NATIVE GARDENS 31 STEEL ($100,000 +) Allegheny Regional Asset District Byham Charitable Foundation The Heinz Endowments The Hillman Foundation National Endowment for the Arts (American Rescue Plan) Richard King Mellon Foundation The Shubert Foundation U.S. Small Business Administration (SVOG Program) DIAMOND ($50,000-$99,999) The Benter Foundation The Philip Chosky Charitable and Educational Foundation DDI The Grable Foundation PA Department of Community and Economic Development The Pittsburgh Foundation R3A Architecture The Donald and Sylvia Robinson Family Foundation PLATINUM ($20,000-$49,999) Anonymous The Buhl Foundation-Frick Educational Fund The Jack Buncher Foundation Flyspace Productions The Huntington National Bank K&L Gates LLP National Endowment for the Arts (Grants for the Arts Projects) Pennsylvania Department of Education Remake Learning’s Moonshot Grant James M. and Lucy K. Schoonmaker Foundation UPMC/UPMC Health Plan GOLD ($10,000-$19,999) The Anne L. & George H. Clapp Charitable and Educational Trust The Fine Foundation Giant Eagle Corporate Foundation National New Play Network Opportunity Fund Pennsylvania Council on the Arts PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. The Tides Foundation (Venturous Theatre Fund) SILVER ($2,500-$9,999) Bob Carter Companies, LLC Fabled Table Catering Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Human Habits Landesberg Design Penn Brewery Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting W.I. Patterson Charitable Foundation Wigle Whiskey BRONZE (UP TO $2,499) 1 Hood Media Actors Equity Foundation AmazonSmile Foundation Americans for the Arts Carmella’s Plates and Pints Restaurant DiGi Photo Booths Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council (GPAC) LaPalapa Restaurant LeMont Restaurant Levine Furniture McGee, Maruca, & Associates, P.C. Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (American Rescue Plan) Queequeg Foundation Trust Streets on Carson Restaurant CORPORATE, FOUNDATION, AND GOVERNMENT SUPPORT City Theatre extends its sincere gratitude to the following businesses, foundations and public agencies for their leadership support. Gifts acknowledged here were made between July 1, 2021 - January 31, 2023. City Theatre’s Vision, Mission, Core Values Mission: To provide an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays that engage and challenge a diverse audience. Vision: To be the finest mid-sized theater in America. Core Values: Community | Collaboration | Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility | Creativity
DONOR RECOGNITION 32 NATIVE GARDENS ’IN HONOR OF’ GIFTS Honor someone you love. Honor someone who loves theater. IN HONOR OF TACY M. BYHAM Given By Helen Spalaris IN HONOR OF TONY FERRIERI'S RETIREMENT Given By Carol R. Brown Adrienne Dickos Laurie Moser & Stewart Barmen IN HONOR OF THE STAFF OF CITY THEATRE Given By Cathy and Kenneth A. Glick, MD IN HONOR OF MATTHEW GALANDO, CITY THEATRE BOARD MEMBER Given By Suzanne & Edward Galando IN HONOR OF JANET WALSH, A LIFELONG LOVER OF THEATRE Given By Erin Walsh ’IN MEMORY OF’ GIFTS Memorial tributes honor special friends and family members. IN MEMORY OF THOMAS J. PHILLIS Given By The Thomas J. Phillis Family IN MEMORY OF JOANN SCHLOTTERER A SWEET LADY WHO ADORED THE THEATRE Given By Kathy Marks IN MEMORY OF DR. SAMUEL A. YOUSEM A DEAR FRIEND WHO ENJOYED AND LOVED CITY THEATRE Given By Elisa Recht Marlin PLANNED GIVING AT CITY THEATRE In 2022, a group of longtime City Theatre supporters responded to a fellow donor’s challenge by joining an inaugural class of individuals and families who have remembered the organization in their estate planning. We are extraordinarily grateful to the following arts advocates and philanthropists for establishing a legacy contribution for City Theatre: Anonymous (at donor’s request) Carol R. Brown Tonja & Alex Condron Norbert J. Connors, III & Janet Rogala Catherine & Kenneth Asher Glick, MD Marc Masterson James McNeel Dee Jay Oshry & Barton Rack Leonard & Ruth Perfido Planned Giving is a way of ensuring support for City Theatre that will last generations. There are numerous ways of establishing a gift through your estate, including bequests, life insurance policies, charitable trusts, Donor Advised Funds, or property and stock. If interested in remembering City Theatre in your will – or if you have done so already and would like to be included in our records or to be publicly recognized – call or email Dianne Duursma, Director of Development, at (412) 431-4400 x278 or dduursma@ citytheatrecompany.org
DONOR RECOGNITION NATIVE GARDENS 33 LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT City Theatre would like to acknowledge that our buildings reside in Dionde:gâ, the Seneca language name for the Pittsburgh region. We work and create art on the unceded, ancestral lands of many Indigenous peoples including the Seneca Nation, members of the Haudenosaunee (hoe-dee-no-SHOW-nee) Confederacy (also referred to by the French as the Iroquois Confederacy). The Confederacy was comprised of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas and formed to unite the five nations and create a peaceful means of decision making. The Seneca’s jurisdiction over the area also saw the region as home to the Lenape (also referred to as the Delaware), the Shawnee, and others. As recently as the 1960s, one-third of the Seneca’s tribal lands were taken by the U.S. government to create the Kinzua Dam northeast of the city. The region’s history also stretches back further to the prehistoric cultures the Adena people, who were followed by the Hopewell, then the Monongahela and Osage. City Theatre also recognizes its participation in and benefit from the systemic exclusion of Black, Latinx, Asian, Middle Eastern and all People of Color. We specifically recognize and acknowledge the treatment of the enslaved Africans and their descendants in the Pittsburgh community. We honor them by committing to creating an anti-racist space for the creation and enjoyment of theater. We are mindful that our work here is possible because the land and lives of people native to this place were stolen. Generation upon generation (past, present, and future) of indigenous people here and all over the world are respectful stewards of the earth and its resources. Through this acknowledgement, I invite you to join me in paying respect to the elders both past and present. We encourage you to visit the Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center to learn more and support their work: http://www.cotraic.org/ FUNDER SPOTLIGHT: THE DONALD & SYLVIA ROBINSON FAMILY FOUNDATION Donald Robinson (1925 - 2017) Sylvia Robinson (1929 - 2018) The lives and legacy of Donald and Sylvia Robinson continue on through their namesake foundation, The Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family Foundation. Now led by their children and grandchildren, the Foundation has recently made a significant multi-year grant to City Theatre, making it the lead funder behind the organization’s education programming: the Young Playwrights Contest and Young Playwrights Festival. Married for 69 years, Sylvia and Donald shared a life-long interest in the arts, with Sylvia even appearing on stage in the City Theatre New Works Festival and Jewish Community productions, and the foundation supports a wide range of organizations in Pittsburgh as well as Israel. Over the next five years, City Theatre will continue to expand and grow its reach and impact in the lives of middle and high school students throughout Western Pennsylvania due to this extraordinary gift of support. Later this spring, we look forward to a permanent recognition of The Donald and Sylvia Robinson Family Foundation as we re-name our Main Stage theatre stairwell in Sylvia’s honor.
34 NATIVE GARDENS For 47 years, City Theatre has remained one of the most beloved, impactful, and dynamic cultural organizations in Pittsburgh. From its nationallyrecognized programming of contemporary plays to its work in the schools and community, City Theatre continues to reinvent itself. The largest performing arts organization located outside of the Cultural District, City Theatre is notable for both the excellence of its artists and art as well as an audience and donor base inspired by thoughtful and thought-provoking new work. So why give? New plays exist without the safety net of tradition. New plays are risky by their nature, but essential for a vibrant, diverse, and ever-evolving art-form. During these challenging times, your support helps ensure City Theatre’s recovery from the pandemic AND is a critical investment in preserving the future of the theater field and its artists. Julianne Avolio performs in An Untitled New Play by Justin Timberlake, created by Matt Schatz, which enjoyed its world premiere at City Theatre in a co-production with Pittsburgh CLO in 2021. This production, twice-delayed due to the pandemic, was a culmination of four years of development in partnership between two local legacy arts organizations which resulted in rave reviews and a national audience. WHY GIVE
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS 36 NATIVE GARDENS AN INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE By walking through our doors, we invite you to join our community. You are welcome here. Part of our mission is to challenge and engage a diverse audience. Feel free to laugh. To cry. To react honestly. This is live theater. Our artists are living and breathing right in front of you — They need your reactions, not your distractions. Bring your full self, but please ensure your actions do not harm other audience members. Please be an audience member that joins with others, that has compassion for the experiences of others. We’re in the same space. At the same time. This Is community. 2020 taught us that community is a privilege. 2020 also reinforced that we need to do better. Historically, theater has a culture of exclusivity. Part of our anti-racism work at City Theatre is to break down barriers that limit access to art. We ask you to join us in this imperative work. We invite you to get to know our core values and to read our organizational code of conduct. We want to hold ourselves accountable. If you have a negative experience in our space, we want to know. There are multiple ways to call us in. You can: • Speak to a house manager • Or any employee present with a City Theatre name tag • Email the staff EDIA committee at [email protected] We’re here. We’re listening. Let’s build a better community together.
NATIVE GARDENS 37 VISIT CITY City Theatre is committed to providing an environment that is inclusive and welcoming to all patrons. Please identify any special seating needs to our Box Office staff when reserving your tickets in advance by calling 412.431.CITY (2489). Wheelchair accessible seating is available in both the Mainstage and Hamburg Studio Theatres. Selected performances of each production feature open captioning, audio description, and pre-show introductory workshops for those who are hearing impaired, blind, or have low vision. In addition, select productions will include an American Sign Language Interpreted performance. Performance dates are available online or by contacting the Box Office. Assistive listening devices are available. Please see the House Manager for details. Programs are available in both Braille and large print. Please see the House Manager for details. SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS Enhance your City Theatre experience and take advantage of discounted ticket prices by becoming a subscriber. Choose 3 and flex options are available to best fit your interests and schedule. To subscribe, visit the Box Office, call 412.431.2489, or order online at CityTheatreCompany.org. GROUP SALES Save when you bring friends! Groups of 10 or more are eligible for significant discounts. In addition, we are happy to help you plan your event or party. For more information, contact Audrey at 412.431.4400 x227. RUSH TICKETS Persons under 30 years of age may reserve $20 advance tickets, excluding Friday 8pm and Saturday 5:30pm performances. For these excluded show times, $20 student tickets may be purchased at the Box Office beginning two hours prior to show time. Seniors age 62 and older may also take advantage of rush tickets, $24 each. All discounted/rush tickets are subject to availability. TICKET VALUES Tickets prices vary by date and demand. In addition, pay-what-you-want performances are offered for each production. Call the box office for dates. PARKING City Theatre provides safe, convenient parking for $10 via lot access at 1317 Bingham St, across from the theatre entrance. Parking is subject to availability. On-street parking meters are monitored until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Visit www.pittsburghparking.com for more information. LATE SEATING POLICY Our theatres are very intimate. Out of respect for both the actors and audience, late arrivals will be seated only at the discretion of house management. Consider arriving early to enjoy a beverage in the Gordon Lounge or to visit South Side’s many eclectic shops and restaurants. ELECTRONIC DEVICES Please turn off all electronic devices. Ringing or vibrating cell phones, pagers, and watches disrupt the performance and interfere with the theatre’s sound equipment. No photography or video recording permitted during the performance.
38 NATIVE GARDENS CITY THEATRE STAFF ARTISTIC Marc Masterson Co-Artistic Directors Clare Drobot Monteze Freeland Katie Trupiano Director of Education & Accessibility Melva Graham Artistic Assistant & Community Coordinator Alyssa Rivera Artistic Intern Mary Feliz Education Intern Colton Vazquez Education Intern Molly Twigg Education Intern Erin McAuley Teaching Artist Brooke Echnat Teaching Artist Ace Lowry Teaching Artist Melannie Taylor Teaching Artist Claire Sabatine Teaching Artist Britt Dorazio Teaching Artist Cassidy Adkins Teaching Artist Brenden Peifer Teaching Artist Robb Lewis Scott Teaching Artist Emily Stofan Teaching Artist Rita Dorsch Teaching Artist Monica Stephenson Teaching Artist ADMINISTRATIVE James McNeel Managing Director Jason Clark Operations and Revenue Manager Sara Green Williams Director of Finance Dianne Duursma, CFRE Director of Development Beth Geatches Institutional Giving Manager Nikki Battestilli Marketing Director Joel Ambrose Director of Ticketing & Patron Services Audrey Fennell Ticketing Manager Rachael Ellis Box Office Associate & Company Manager Tasha Matthews Box Office Associate Libby Nicolay Box Office Associate Amara Walls Box Office Associate Makaila Moulden Patron Services Manager Nell Blackford House Manager Amelia Heastings House Manager Hazy Jordan House Manager Maddie Kocur House Manager Emma Morganstein House Manager Burke Rhodes House Manager Noah Welter House Manager Dustin Medvid Facilities & Parking Manager PRODUCTION Rachel D’Amboise Production Manager Patti Kelly Resident Production Stage Manager Taylor K. Meszaros Resident Stage Manager John Brucker Technical Director Sam Karas Associate Technical Director Emma Cummings Shop Foreman Sydney Dobbs Carpenter Alexx Jacobs Properties Manager Leah Blackwood Lead Scenic Artist Madison Michalko Costume Shop Manager Mars Delamater Costume Shop Assistant Brad Peterson Sound & Media Engineer Greg Messmer Master Electrician & Light Board Programmer FOR THIS PRODUCTION Ricardo Vila-Roger Artistic Consultant Don Wadsworth Dialect Coach Alyssa Rivera Artistic Intern/Dramaturg Noah Glaister Asst. Scenic Designer Jaime Ericson Costume Shop Assistant Nicole White Electrician Lauren Connolly Production Assistant Mars Delamater Production Assistant Vince Borrelli Scenic Painter Sam Munoz Fight Choreographer Craig Williams Carpenter Mathias Brucker Carpenter Bob Follette Carpenter Abigail Stone-Huchko Props Assistant CONSULTANTS Landesberg Design Graphic Design Clayton Slater Design Program Design Human Habits Website Development & Video Kristi Jan Hoover Photographer Fatima Bunafoor Talent & Equity Director Diaz Inclusion Consulting EDIA Consultants Kellee Van Aken Audio Describer
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