2 SCU•Presents Performing Arts Center is about Arts Connecting Community with live events at Santa Clara University. From academic performances, to film showings, and visual arts exhibitions, our Arts for Social Justice program, and Visiting Artist Series, SCU•Presents invites you to experience the diverse and unique offerings of our 2023-2024 Season! Gather with our vibrant community this season to connect with the arts! Our mission is to Engage, Educate, and Entertain you. Sit back, relax, and enjoy a unique experience that only live performances can provide. SCU•PRESENTS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Butch Coyne Director, SCU•Presents Performing Arts Center Land Acknowledgement | We pause to acknowledge that Santa Clara University sits on the land of the Ohlone and Muwekma Ohlone people. We pay respect to their Elders and to people of the past and present and extend that respect to their descendants and all Indigenous people. Late Seating | Late patrons cannot be seated until intermission or a designated break in the performance. Patrons returning late from intermission will be seated at the discretion of the House Manager. Emergencies | In the event of a medical emergency, please locate the nearest usher and inform them of the situation to summon medical help. In the event of an evacuation, please gather in front of the theatre so we may ensure that all patrons have been cleared from the building, as well as provide any additional information. Additional Needs | In compliance with the ADA/504 please direct your accommodation requests to the SCU•Presents Box Office at (408) 554-4015 or call TTY-California Relay at 1 (800) 735-2929 at least 72 hours prior to the event. FOR YOUR INFORMATION
3 DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DANCE THE GAME’S AFOOT Director Scene Design Costume Design Lighting Design Sound Design Projection Design Props Design Hair & Makeup Design Jeffrey Bracco Ellen Duncan Katie Dowse Derek Duarte George Psarras Derek Duarte Heather Kenyon Katie Dowse or Holmes for the Holidays CONTENT ADVISORY Please be advised that there is staged combat and staged gun play in the show with sound effects. There will also be flashing lights and loud sound effects. There will be one 15 minute intermission between ACT I and ACT II. Ken Ludwig’s Originally Produced by Cleveland Play House; Michael Bloom, Artistic Director; Kevin Moore, Managing Director “Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
4 CAST Alexander Jordan Audrey Thomson Christian Barnard Katie Castillo Ajay Schlehuber Holly Burns Emilia Rodriguez Kennedy Dawson Christian Barnard Emma Clark Ashwin Raman William Gillette Martha Gillette Felix Geisel Madge Geisel Simon Bright Aggie Wheeler Inspector Goring Daria Chase William Understudy Martha/Inspector/Madge Understudy Felix/Simon Understudy PRODUCTION STAFF Production Manager/Technical Director Assistant Prodution Manager Theatre Operations Manager Costume Shop Manager Assistant Director Stage Manager Assistant Stage Managers Scene Design Assistant to the Costume Designer Dialect Coach Paint Charge Scenic Artists Carpenter Lead Shop Foreperson Stage Run Crew Assistant Prop Design Erik Sunderman Mihika Gupta Steven Fetter Naomi Arnst Maya Jaffe Anneliese Seidel Sydney Gorin, Ximena Melgoza Under the Supervision of Heather Kenyon Genevieve Schmidt Kristin Hill Heather Kenyon Evan Abate, Dylan Caballero, Soren Carey, Emma Clark, Ellen Duncan, Isaac Garcia-Velasquez, Gia Gonnella, Sydney Gorin, Kenzie Hill, Madison Hong, Jean Lau, Ruth Mikusko, Ryan Prioreschi, Anneliese Seidel Sam Broyles Fernando Salvador Francisco Pilar Avila Melgarejo Sydney Gorin
5 PRODUCTION STAFF CONT. Scenery Construction Crew Costume Cutter/Draper Costume Construction Crew Wardrobe Lead Wardrobe Crew Light Board Operator Sound Board Operator Assistant Sound Design Fight Coordinator Intimacy Coordinator Evan Abate, Sam Broyles, Dylan Caballero, Emma Clark, Michael Davis, Ellen Duncan, Fernando Salvador Francisco, Isaac Garcia-Velasquez, Gia Gonnella, Sydney Gorin, Malia Hardy, Kenzie Hill, Madison Hong, Isabelle Martinez, Ximena Melgoza, Ryan Prioreschi, Markus Wong Naomi Arnst Chandace-Akirin Apacanis, Cici Bohacek, Kennedy Dawson, Anika Evans, Lily Fotovat, Paulina Garcia, Cece Grassi, Rosie Huang, Isabelle Martinez, Maggie McCurdy, Anabelle Oldham, Julia Quiroz, Melanie Rayas, Tiffany Sun, Elodie Torres, Anna Truong, Megan Wiser Lindsey Gebhardt Helen Hao Mihika Gupta Arianna Chavez-Magaña Anthony Baldacci Elena Wright Pauline Locsin-Kanter Thank you to the TheatreWorks Costume Rental Department, San Jose State Theatre Department Costume Rentals, California Shakespeare, and Ron Gasparinetti. A special thanks to Soren Carey for volunteer painting and to the San Francisco Playhouse for the chandelier. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
6 A NOTE FROM THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR First and foremost, I must start off with a most sincere and heartfelt thank you. Thank you to our entire company, our actors, technicians, designers, choreographers, and everyone else who played a role in our show. My favorite thing about live theatre has always been the community that comes with it and I am beyond honored to have worked with such a talented and accomplished team. I could say many things about this play. I could talk about the life-long friendships among the characters or their bonechilling betrayals. I could talk about the history that leaches into every scene, the endless references to Sherlock Holmes and Shakespeare. I could even talk about the shocking difficulty of finding a way to use stage blood without staining a costume. But, really, the thing I care most about when it comes to our show is the ridiculousness of it. I love how absurd it is, how bizarre, how downright childish. As a writer and director, there’s a genre that I have made up for myself, I call it the bubblegum genre. This play is, at its heart, a bubblegum show. It’s a show that leans into the ludicrous and does so shamelessly. A show that understands the value of laughter and dramatics and whose main goal is to bring the audience a night of joyous entertainment. It’s a show that knows that sometimes the best thing to do is not take things so seriously. A show that some might argue lacks substance, but will never, ever lack fun. As you’re watching The Game’s Afoot, I hope you enjoy that bubblegum-like quality. I hope you let your suspended disbelief self take over. I hope you delight in the nonsensical and savor the melodrama. Most of all, I hope you laugh, I hope you dive in and partake in the sticky-sweet-silliness that comes with a bubblegum show. I know I will. - Maya Jaffe
7 KEN LUDWIG BIO Ken Ludwig has had six productions on Broadway and eight in London’s West End. His 34 plays and musicals are staged around the world and throughout the United States every night of the year. His first play, Lend Me a Tenor, won two Tony Awards and was called “one of the classic comedies of the 20th century” by The Washington Post. Crazy For You is currently running on London’s West End. It was previously on Broadway for five years, on the West End for three, and won the Tony and Olivier Awards for Best Musical. In addition, he has won the Edwin Forrest Award for Contributions to the American Theatre, two Laurence Olivier Awards, two Helen Hayes Awards, the Charles MacArthur Award, and the Edgar Award for Best Mystery of the Year. His other plays include Moon Over Buffalo, Leading Ladies, Baskerville, Sherwood, Twentieth Century, Dear Jack, Dear Louise, A Fox on the Fairway, A Comedy of Tenors, The Game’s Afoot, Shakespeare in Hollywood and Murder on the Orient Express. They have starred, among others, Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett, Kristen Bell, Tony Shaloub, Joan Collins and Henry Goodman. His book How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, published by Penguin Random House, won the Falstaff Award for Best Shakespeare Book of the Year, and his essays on theatre are published in the Yale Review. He gives the Annual Ken Ludwig Playwriting Scholarship at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, and he served on the Board of Governors for the Folger Shakespeare Library for ten years. His first opera, Tenor Overboard, opened at the Glimmerglass Festival in July 2022. His most recent world premieres were Lend Me A Soprano and Moriarty, and his newest plays and musicals include Pride and Prejudice Part 2: Napoleon at Pemberley and Lady Molly of Scotland Yard. His plays include commissions from the Agatha Christie Estate, the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Old Globe Theatre, and the Bristol Old Vic. For more information visit www.kenludwig.com.
DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DANCE FACULTY & STAFF Kimberly Mohne Hill Department Chair Professor, Acting/Voice Naomi Arnst Costume Shop Manager Aldo Billingslea Professor, Acting Jeffrey Bracco Sr. Lecturer, Directing/ Acting/History/ Musical Theatre Karyn Connell Lecturer, Ballet/Pilates Leandro Glory Damasco, Jr. Adjunct Lecturer, Modern Dance Katie Dowse Assistant Professor, Costume Design Derek Duarte Sr. Lecturer, Lighting Design Steven Fetter Theatre Operations Manager Karina Gutiérrez Assistant Professor, Theatre History/ Performance Studies Heather Kenyon Adjunct Lecturer, Scenic Design Kristin Kusanovich Sr. Lecturer, Modern Dance/Theatre/ Pedagogy DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DANCE DONORS PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Michael Ardantz Aldo & Renee Billingslea Ted Biagini & Carolyn Silberman* Robert De Mattei* Derek Duarte Jerald Enos & Clement Stasi Judy Gillette & John Price Ben Hemmen* Misa* & Mayko Horita & the Estate of Tom Horita Robert Lewis Barbara Murray* Wick Musson Vickie Poitevin* BENEFACTOR Patricia Appel* Lauren Baines* David Blanar* David Congdon* Karyn Connell Katherine Cramer Kelli Hawkins Kyle Langdon* Thu Lu* ASSOCIATE Jason & Elizabeth Baldwin John Bracco Richard Foster Steven & Elaine Kitrosser SPONSOR Robert Baines & Bette Linderman Jeff Bracco* Jennifer Bradford* Lisa Bunnell David Congdon* Susan Connelly Christie Cortese Carolyn Coulson* Tricia Eaton-Savitt* Christina Gomoljiak Nicole Hawkins Richard Hendricks* Jennifer Jacobs* Tennyson Jones* Jennifer Jordan Erika Kamholz Kristin Kusanovich* Jean C. McCarron* Marcee Maroney Keith Marshall* Kimberly Mohne Hill Tina* & Kirk Murray Alan Oakes Loretta Rezos* Patricia Rissling Donna Ryan* Rita Steel Kendall Williams Zenon Zablinski* DONOR JWilliam Duggan* John Fetter April Gebhardt Rebecca Georgenes Richard Hendricks* Steven Lotz* William J. Nichols* Veronika N. Olah* Stephen Estes & Mary Jeanne Oliva* Rebecca Reuter* Robert & Patrice Steiner Alan Tucker Eric Wu* FRIEND Sarah Bonini Greg Callaghan* Guiliana S. Chion Hannah Gini Marggi De Lusignan* Hunter Donovan* Katherine L. Sanderson Fiona Sundy* Piper Thomasson* Laila Waheed* *Denotes Alumni Pauline Locsin-Kanter Sr. Lecturer, Jazz/Tap Ruth E. Mikusko Department Manager Lazlo Pearlman Adjunct Lecturer, Theatre David J. Popalisky Associate Professor, Modern/Choreography/ Dance History Erik Sunderman Lecturer, Technical Director/ Production Manager Brian Thorstenson Sr. Lecturer, Playwriting/Devised Theater 8
9 SCU•PRESENTS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER DONORS SCU•PRESENTS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER STAFF Butch Coyne Director Tina Sciolla Business Manager Carolyn Guggemos Production Manager Danielle Foster Marketing and Communications Assistant Armida Robles Patron Services Manager PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Melanie Brace J. Gerald & Mona Clements SPONSOR Charles Barkis Mona-Lisa Blouin Puja Bohacek Debra Demartini Chris Esteban Claire Hawley Theresa Ruby-Percell John Lewis Pamela Allston Madden Craig Nairn Lawrence Nelson Laurie Poe Hudson Washburn Lizabeth Yee Barbara Murray DONOR Andre Abrahamians Jayne Booker Phyllis Brown Patricia Cain Barbara Colyar Leana Dalton Ann Digioia Krys Frank Farris Judy Foot Tuyet Giles Esther Goes Claire Hawley Julie Henriques Keith Inouye Lauren John Janet Kleinhofer Ann Krys Bette Linderman Maria Longsworth Ian Mccamey Tully Moxness Susanne Mulcahy Darryl Noda Charles Noya Jeff And Penny Osorio Katie Peuvrelle Henry & Catherine Ricardo Anna Rutter Anthony Sampson Dianne Stauffer Nick Steiner Leslie Stobbe Jill Stolarik Barbara Wadors FRIEND Chase Abrams Beverly Acuna Molly Aufdermauer Robert Baines Judy Boccignone Alina Borchardt Lisa Bowden Christella Burton Greg Callaghan Patricia Cargnoni Karen Carter Loyace Clegg Jennifer Couture Patricia Curia Sharon Dahnert Sandra De Alcuaz Henry Dearborn Michael Digioia Jack Dubin Eric Eklund Lottie Esteban Seiko Fujii Ellyn Gaich Gregory Galati Bonnie George Catherine Giberson Susan Griffin Djuwita Harjadi Claire Hawley Diane Heerwagen Judy Hodkiewicz Viki Inouye Patricia Irwin Wendy Jolles Tracey Kahan Wayne Kamiya Joey Kipp Dave Land Laura Lenza Bruce Lescher Bette Linderman Maureen Locke Ted Lorraine Hannah Luscher James Mar Kathy Mattingly Mike Metcalf Carl Miya Joanne Miyahara Lan Nguyen Ronald Ogi Lorette Pirio Marianne Poblenz Jenn Poret Katherine Sampson William Santos Pam Saunders Cindie Simms Tobie Smith Anne Marie Starr Julia Sullivan Weston Tierney Richard Upton Betty Verhoeven Tamara Welsh Kimber Wood Jane Wu Erica Yee Barbara Zinicola ARTS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE DONORS PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Esther Rechenmacher BENEFACTOR Katherine Mattingly Melinda & Stephen Scherr SPONSOR Kristen Brown Derrick & Tricia Carpenter Andrew Chai William & Kris Coyne Rebecca Cushman Ken & Judy Foot Barbara Murray Dante Nomellini, Jr Hyman Yip Manju Kumar DONOR Andre Abrahamians Katherine Almazol Dawn Burton Patricia Cain Lucy Hsu Erica Mikesh Alicia Ortiz Patti Simone Patricia Tennant Richard Upton Juley Yakominich Jason Yee FRIEND Nicole Banks Julie Garcia Anupam Goyal Barbara Green-Ajufo Freya Helton Sandra Howard Donna Johns Ashley Lucas Roslyn Lyons Ruth Mikusko Mary Miller Barbara Murray Lan Nguyen Marianne Poblenz Jenn Poret Lisa Reyes Tara Steele Norma Welles J Wentworth Jillian Yakominich