Porgy and Bess Program [pdf] - American Repertory Theater

Contents SEPTEMBER 2011 

12 Artistic Director’s Welcome 

15 The Gershwins’ Porgy 

and Bess program 

38 About the A.R.T. 

39 A.R.T./MXAT Institute 

40 Donors 

44 General Information 

45 Staff 

PLUS: 

4 Backstage 

6 Re-imagining an American Classic 

by Christopher Wallenberg 

46 Guide to Local Theater 

54 Guide to Cambridge Dining 

60 Dining Out: Upstairs on the Square 

62 Dining Out: Nubar 

theatrebill 

STAFF 

President/Publisher: Tim Montgomery 

Art Director: Scott Roberto 

Associate Art Director: John Herron Gendreau 

Contributing Writer: Christopher Wallenberg 

Vice President 

Publishing: Rita A. Fucillo 


Advertising: Jacolyn Ann Firestone 

Account Executive: Tony Enslow 


Operations: Tyler J. Montgomery 

Business Manager: Melissa J. O’Reilly 

Information 

Technology Manager: Mike Hipps 

Publishing services are provided by Theatrebill, a publication 

of New Venture Media Group LLC, publisher of 

Panorama: The Official Guide to Boston, 332 Congress 

Street, Boston, MA 02210, 617-423-3400. 

WARNING: The photographing or sound recording of any 

performance or the possession of any device for such photographing 

or sound recording inside this theatre, without 

the written permission of the management, is prohibited 

by law. Violators may be punished by ejection and violations 

may render the offender liable for money damages. 

EMERGENCIES: In case of emergency, contact the House 

Manager or nearest usher. 

FIRE NOTICE: Please take a moment to locate the nearest 

emergency exit. In the event of a fire or other emergency, 

remain calm and listen for directions from 

management and/or via our public address system. 

To advertise in Theatrebill, call 617-423-3400. 

THE GERSHWINS’ PORGY AND BESS 3

BACKSTAGE 

Behind the scenes in local 

and national theater 

The Colonial Theatre Goes Dark 

The high-profile, Broadway-bound musical adaptation 

of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess is basking in the 

glory of its triumphant return to the Greater Boston 

area, but in a bittersweet turn of events, Porgy’s original 

birthplace, the Colonial Theatre on Boylston 

Street, went dark earlier this summer for what could 

be an extended period of time. 

Porgy premiered at the historic Colonial Theatre 

in 1935 (September 30, to be exact) prior to its engagement 

on Broadway. The new revival is testing 

its wings at the American Repertory Theater in 

Cambridge. Meanwhile, the 1,700-seat Colonial, famous 

for pre-Broadway tryouts, including the premieres 

of such landmark musicals as Oklahoma! and 

La Cage aux Folles, was shut down in early July following 

a four-week engagement of a revival of West 

Side Story, and its future is uncertain. Boston’s oldest 

continuously operating theater, the Colonial is 

known for its spectacular murals, extensive ornate 

gold leafing throughout the interior and unbeatable 

sight lines for a venue of its size. The Colonial’s shuttering 

comes on the heels of a breakdown in negotiations 

between Emerson College, which 

purchased the theater in 2006, and Broadway 

Across America-Boston, which has been the theater’s 

longtime presenter of Broadway touring musicals, 

having leased it for more than a decade. 

According to a report in The Boston Globe, 

Emerson told Broadway Across America-Boston in 

early 2010 that it first wanted to explore the option 

of leasing the theater to other potential producers. A 

lease renewal was finally offered by Emerson last 

November, but Broadway Across America-Boston declined, 

saying it had waited as long as it could and 

went ahead with other plans for its 2011–12 season. 

Instead, the organization will present two touring 

shows next season at Boston’s Shubert Theatre, 

as well as The Opera House, which it owns. The 

Shubert Theatre, which is operated by the Citi 

Performing Arts Center, has been used mostly by 

the Boston Lyric Opera, although the Boston premiere 

of Jersey Boys played there three summers ago. 

BERNSTEIN IN BOSTON: The Huntington 

Theatre Company mounts Mary Zimmerman's 

new adaptation of Leonard Bernstein's classic 

musical Candide, based on Voltaire's famous 

satire, at the Boston University Theatre beginning 

September 10. 

Next year, Broadway Across America-Boston will 

present a tours of La Cage aux Folles and The 

Addams Family at the Shubert. 

Andrew Tiedemann, Emerson’s vice president for 

communications, told Playbill.com in July, “Emerson 

is actively seeking a new tenant. We have enjoyed 

having Broadway Across America as our tenant…we 

hope in the future they would consider a lease.” 

While Emerson hopes that Broadway Across 

America will return the following season, it is seeking 

out other presenters and producers in the meantime. 

According to the Globe and other sources, last 

year Emerson was in negotiations with longtime 

Boston theater stalwart Jon B. Platt, who ran the 

Colonial for more than a decade before selling his 

company, American Artists/Broadway in Boston, in 

1998 to SFX Theatricals (which, after various owners 

and entities, has morphed into Broadway Across 

America). But discussions between Platt and 

Emerson reportedly stalled. Platt, a veteran 

Broadway producer of shows like the current blockbuster 

The Book of Mormon, helped to raise the 

money for a $2 million renovation to the Colonial 

in the early ’90s. In a statement to the Globe, Platt 

said, “For Boston to lose The Colonial Theatre as a 

home for Broadway shows would indeed be a tragic 

day in the cultural life of our beloved city.” 

Liz Lauren 

4 AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER

ackstage (continued) 

Zimmerman’s new Candide 

at the Huntington 

While Porgy and Bess has been generating a lot of 

buzz in the theater scene of late, there’s another 

high-profile adaptation of a classic opera-musical 

hybrid playing on the other side of the Charles 

River this month. Beginning September 10, 

Boston’s Huntington Theatre Company kicks 

off its 30th anniversary season with Mary 

Zimmerman’s new version of the Leonard 

Bernstein classic Candide, playing the Boston 

University Theatre through October 16. 

ATony Award winner and MacArthur “Genius” 

grand recipient, Zimmerman has newly adapted the 

book for Candide from the classic French satire by 

Voltaire, using her signature style of close collaboration 

with her company and creative team. 

(Zimmerman most famously directed her play, 

Metamorphoses, on Broadway in 2002.) Her new version 

of Candide played to packed houses in Chicago 

and Washington, D.C., last year, and was greeted by 

mixed to enthusiastic reviews in both cities. 

While Zimmerman has newly adapted the 

libretto (originally written by Lillian Hellman, yet 

rewritten in 1974 by Hugh Wheeler), the immortal 

Leonard Bernstein score, with lyrics by Richard 

Wilbur, remains as luscious as ever. The nearly 30 

songs include the classics “The Best of All Possible 

Worlds,” “Oh Happy We,” “Glitter and Be Gay” 

and “Make Our Garden Grow.” 

The show recounts the tale of Candide, a sheltered 

and sunny optimist subscribing to the crackpot 

philosophy of Dr. Pangloss, who teaches that 

everything happens for the best in this “best of all 

possible worlds.” Living on his uncle’s Eden-like estate, 

Candide falls in love with Cunegonde, the couple’s 

illicit affair is discovered, and they are thrown 

out into an often cruel world where increasingly 

awful misfortune tests their unbounded optimism. 

Questioning Our Values and 

Malkovich Come to Town 

ArtsEmerson’s ambitious slate of performers and 

artists for its second season at the Paramount Center 

downtown kicks off with the world premiere of The 

Foundry Theatre’s How Much Is Enough: Our 

Values in Question, which grapples with the concept 

of “value” in people’s lives and how we determine 

what matters to us. The show runs from 

September 13–25 at the Center’s Jackie Liebergott 

Black Box theater. 

Based in New York, the Foundry touts that it has 

developed the first “audience performance company” 

in which the audience shapes the show’s narrative 

through an interactive question and answer session. 

The play itself will be built out of questions posed by 

performers to audience members about the ways 

they’ve lived their lives, their plans for the future, how 

they balance priorities and any advice they have for 

helping create lives of value. The questions are asked 

as the audience is seated around tables. The answers 

make up the evening’s performance, which explores 

how notions of “value” change throughout life. 

“The experience will change with every performance 

because the ‘dialogue’ isn’t scripted. 

Rather, it comes from the hearts and minds of the 

audience,” said ArtsEmerson executive director Rob 

Orchard in a press statement. “The atmosphere is 

relaxed and communal. People will be asked to participate 

only at a level that suits them. 

On September 29 and 30, ArtsEmerson presents 

internationally acclaimed film and theater actor 

John Malkovich performing in The Infernal 

Comedy: Confessions of a Serial Killer at the 

Cutler Majestic Theatre for two performances only. 

The award-winning Malkovich is famed for his 

roles in films like Places in the Heart, The Killing 

Fields, Dangerous Liaisons, In the Line of Fire and for 

playing a cinematic version of himself in Charlie 

Kaufman’s Being John Malkovich. 

Written and directed by Michael Sturminger, 

The Infernal Comedy is the perfect vehicle for 

Malkovich’s patented brand of creepy, self-possessed 

intensity. The play is based on the true story of serial 

killer Jack Unterweger, who was sentenced to life 

in prison in 1976 for murdering a young girl and 

later became a literary celebrity after the publication 

of his autobiography. Considered a model of prisoner 

rehabilitation, Unterweger was paroled in 

1990—only to end up murdering 11 more women. 

Sturminger’s play imagines Unterweger back from 

the grave for an autobiographical book tour as he 

narrates his sordid story. Each section concludes with 

a different aria—yes, an aria—from the likes of 

Mozart, Haydn and Vivaldi, sung by two sopranos 

and accompanied by the Musica Angelica Orchestra. 


Michael Lutch 

RE-IMAGINING AN 

AMERICAN CLASSIC 

Seventy-six years after its premiere, Diane Paulus, 

Suzan-Lori Parks and company revamp the Gershwins’ 

landmark masterpiece, Porgy and Bess by Christopher Wallenberg 

George and Ira Gershwin’s landmark “folkopera” 

Porgy and Bess, with a libretto cowritten 

by DuBose Heyward, may be 

three quarters of a century old, but Diane Paulus, 

the director of the current re-imagining of this operatic 

masterpiece, has been steadfastly approaching 

Porgy and Bess as if it’s a living, breathing entity 

as relevant today as it was in 1935. To that end, 

she’s simultaneously looking backwards to understand 

its history and its original inspirations while 

pushing forward to think about what this iconic 

American work means right now. 

“What makes a classic great is that it responds. 

Shakespeare responds. It’s not stuck in 

1598. And Porgy and Bess continues to reverberate 

and hold universal meaning over time,” says 

Paulus, nestled in an armchair in her spacious 

office at the American Repertory Theater’s Loeb 

Drama Center in Cambridge, where her 

musical-theater version of The Gershwins’ Porgy 

and Bess made its highly anticipated debut on 

August 17. 

“That’s been my whole interest as a director: 

How do we look to the masterworks of our the- 

GONE FISHIN’: (above, left to right) Norm Lewis 

(as Porgy), Joshua Henry, Wilkie Ferguson, 

Roosevelt André Credit and Trevon Davis perform 

a scene from The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. 


atrical history and bring them forward in a way 

that continues to make them feel pertinent and 

immediate—to make the audience feel as if 

they’re alive with the work, almost as if it were 

written yesterday.” 

These aren’t platitudes, says Paulus, the 

A.R.T.’s artistic director. She says that she 

believes in this approach and in these ideals with 

all her soul and tries to infuse them into every 

aspect of the theater she creates, which includes 

the 2009 Broadway revival of another landmark 

musical work, Hair. That production landed 

Paulus on the national radar, and Porgy marks 

another watershed moment for the artistic leader. 

Indeed, it stands as her biggest and boldest 

project yet—and the one with the highest 

stakes—since she took the reins at the A.R.T. 

three years ago, dramatically shaking up that 

storied institution. 

The creative team she’s assembled for Porgy, 

including Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Suzan- 

Lori Parks and Obie Award-winning composer 

Diedre Murray, have been hard at work, shaping 

and developing their vision for Porgy, which hasn’t 

been seen on Broadway in decades. (Today, it’s 

mostly performed as an opera.) The fruits of 

Paulus and Co.’s nearly year-long labor was unveiled 

at the A.R.T. last month when the curtain 

went up on The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess for a 

seven-week run, with the production then moving 

to Broadway in December. (The star-studded 

cast includes four-time Tony Award-winner 

Audra McDonald as Bess, Broadway veteran 

Norm Lewis as Porgy and actor/comedian David 

Alan Grier as Sporting Life.) 

The project was launched when Paulus’ Hair 

producer, Jeffrey Richards, told her that the 

Gershwin estates and the DuBose Heyward trust 

(Heyward helped adapt the libretto from his 

original novel) had been looking for a team to 

revive Porgy as a musical and asked her if she was 

interested. “What moved me was their impulse 

to come to a team in 2011 and say, ‘The opera 

is the opera. But what about Porgy and Bess living 

on the musical stage? What could that be? How 

could it speak to the next generation?’ That was 

the gauntlet they threw down to us—how can 

you make this piece dramatically the most 

powerful and meaningful version for an audience 

today?” 

BESS ACTRESS: Stage and screen star Audra 

McDonald portrays Bess alongside Broadway 

veteran Norm Lewis, who plays Porgy, in the 

American Repertory Theater’s production of 

The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. 

When Porgy premiered in 1935 at the 

Colonial Theatre in downtown Boston, it was 

immediately embraced. Yet when it moved to 

Broadway, it was greeted by a mixed reaction. Its 

reputation, however, grew in the 1940s, especially 

in Europe. Over time, the groundbreaking 

and culturally significant nature of the score was 

applauded. Not only did George Gershwin 

mash-up the operatic form with folk music styles 

like gospel and the dynamic sounds of jazz and 

Michael Lutch 


lues, but he insisted on casting classically 

trained African-American singers—something of 

a bold decision at that time. 

When Paulus and Parks made their presentation 

for the estates last year, they talked about the 

strength of the show being the immortal score, 

including classic songs such as “Summertime,” 

“It Ain’t Necessarily So” and “I Loves You, 

Porgy.” But what needed developing and underlining, 

they argued, was the story and character 

arcs. They talked about a production that wasn’t 

operatic in scope, but intimately scaled—zooming 

in on the interior life of the characters. 

The story centers on the denizens of the 

Catfish Row enclave in Charleston, South 

Carolina circa 1930, focusing in particular on the 

searing love triangle between three unlikely lost 

souls. When the troubled prostitute Bess is abandoned 

after her controlling lover Crown commits 

murder and flees town, she turns to the crippled 

beggar Porgy for nurturing and a place to call 

home. As their love blooms, Crown and his conniving 

cohort, the drug-dealing gambler Sporting 

Life, threaten to pull the new lovers apart—while 

Bess struggles to contain her addiction and Porgy 

veers towards a desperate act. 

Paulus says she and Parks were clear from 

Day 1 that they were not going to “Katrina-ize” 

Porgy by moving it to a contemporary setting. 

Instead, the women concentrated on strengthening 

and adding dimension to the characters and 

their story arcs, figuring out what makes these 

people tick and underlining the dramatic transformations 

that happen to them through the 

course of the story—often using the novel as a 

guide to flesh out specifics. They paid particular 

attention to fleshing out Bess’ character arc and 

understanding her motivations. 

“We want to strip away anything that becomes 

distracting, that would raise the question of: Is 

that authentic? What’s authentic is the emotions, 

the story, the desperate journeys of these characters 

and the complexity of who these people are. 

Therein lies the richness of the theatrical experience: 

The audience’s identification with these people. 

Sitting in the audience, no matter what 

century I live in and whatever my background, I 

can say I understand what Bess is feeling. I can 

Classic. 

 

Homer and Joyce. Shakespeare and Mamet. Velasquez and Sargent. 

If you’re interested in how great writers and artists transform our 

world, we invite you to check out our courses—on campus or online. 

Select courses: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8 AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER 

www.extension.harvard.edu

identify with Porgy. I’m rooting for that love affair 

to survive. It’s the specific becoming universal.” 

In moving Porgy from the opera form to the 

musical-theater idiom, the team has had to decide 

which musical recitatives should now be spoken as 

dialogue instead of sung and which ones should 

be retained. Paulus has also kept the set design 

simple, shunning supposedly authentic scenery in 

favor of a more abstract, timeless approach. “We’ve 

tried to break free of the past conventions 

of Porgy and Bess, 

having ‘realistic’ architecture 

on stage, with gates 

and shutters and buildings. 

We all know that’s 

not real anyway.” Two other potentially controversial 

changes to the show: Gone is Porgy’s goatdrawn 

cart (he ambles around with a cane 

instead), and there’s a new, more upbeat ending. 

One of the biggest challenges facing Paulus 

and Parks is the thorny problem of racial stereotyping 

in Porgy and Bess. With the birth of the 

Civil Rights movement, Porgy became a radioactive 

property among African-Americans. Harry 

Belafonte turned down the 1959 film version, 

and Sidney Poitier later said he 

THREE’S COMPANY: 

American Repertory 

Theater Artistic 

Director Diane Paulus 

(middle) poses with 

The Gershwins’ Porgy 

and Bess collaborators 

Suzan-Lori Parks 

(left) and Diedre 

Murray (right). 

at the shalin liu 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 28, 2 PM 

JAZZ: Grace Kelly and 

Phil Woods, saxophones 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 5 PM 

JAZZ: Bill Charlap Trio 

37 Main Street, Rockport, Massachusetts 

CLASSICAL – JAZZ – FOLK – 

OPERA & THEATRE HD BROADCASTS 

CONCERTS AND EVENTS 

THROUGHOUT THE YEAR! 

Met Opera HD Broadcasts 

Six Encore Productions 

September 6 – October 4 

Visit www.rockportmusic.org for afull 

calendar of events! 

Group and senior discounts available! 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 7 PM 

COMEDY: One Man, Two Guvnors 

National Theatre HD Broadcast 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 7 PM 

JAZZ: Regina Carter, violin 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 7 PM 

COMEDY: The Kitchen 

National Theatre HD Broadcast 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 8 PM 

JAZZ: New YorkVoices 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 8 PM 

FOLK: Livingston Taylor 

www.rockportmusic.org | 978.546.7391 


egretted doing it. But Parks has talked about the 

script’s flirtations with minstrelsy and “noble savage” 

cliches as a “shortcoming of understanding.” 

While the creative team has altered material in 

the book, always with a careful hand, Paulus says 

the stereotyping usually stems from the lack of 

dramaturgical purpose. 

“‘I Got Plenty of Nuthin’’ can have a bad 

rap, because here it is, this African-American 

man singing how he’s happy with nothing. What 

Suzan-Lori was interested in, even more than 

[the derogatory stereotyping], is the context of 

the song in the show. So she has written a few 

lines that give it a purpose that relates to the specific 

action of the story at that moment. We’re 

looking at anything in the script that sticks out as 

dramaturgically questionable, because usually the 

problem is that the characters are incomplete. 

Therefore, you can look at them as cliches.” 

Paulus may be striving to make Porgy and Bess 

resonate today, but she certainly has a reverence 

for the work’s rich history. After all, she taught a 

course on Porgy at Harvard last spring with 

renowned cultural historian Marjorie Garber. 

Indeed, Paulus’ grasp of Porgy’s roots are impressive. 

She mentions how George Gershwin and 

his associates famously walked Boston Common 

the night after the show’s premiere and decided 

to make major cuts to the show. She talks 

passionately about Porgy’s complex social and 

racial history and its evolution over the decades 

in various mediums. She points out that Porgy 

had its real breakthrough and solidified its status 

in the canon when it was revived on Broadway 

in 1942 as a musical under the auspices of 

Cheryl Crawford, ran for nine months, then 

toured the country. 

In the 1950s, it became a main diplomatic 

export of the U.S. State Department, she says, 

and the cast (including a young Maya Angelou) 

were some of the first American artists to perform 

behind the Iron Curtain. When the 1960s 

hit, with the rise of the Civil Rights and black 

power movements, few wanted to touch Porgy 

and Bess because of its stereotypes and perceived 

racism. But at that time, the music exploded into 

the popular consciousness, as jazz and blues 

artists, from Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday to 

Stop Guessing 

tutoring test preparation admissions 

call to inquire about courses and small group lessons 

617 395 4160 or visit us at veritutors.com 

$50 off your first lesson if you sign up before september 1 st . just mention this ad. 


Miles Davis and Nina Simone, popularized 

many of its songs. In the ’70s, Porgy and Bess 

reentered the culture as an opera (thanks to the 

famous 1976 Houston Grand Opera production), 

and the fashion was to perform it uncut. 

Today, that’s the medium where most people experience 

the show. 

Paulus relishes sharing one anecdote in particular 

about Porgy’s history that most people 

don’t know. Following the show’s run on 

Broadway in 1936, it went on a four-city tour, 

including a stop in Washington, D.C. Todd 

Duncan, who played Porgy, discovered that the 

National Theatre, where they were scheduled to 

play in D.C., was segregated. He said he would 

refuse to perform the show there if the theater 

was not desegregated, and the cast, including 

Anne Brown as Bess, rallied to his side. The theater 

offered to open up the top half of the balcony 

and to hold specific “blacks only” 

performances, says Paulus. The musicians’ union 

even threatened to fine the performers, yet the 

cast would not relent. Finally, the National 

Theatre management acquiesced, and the venue 

was desegregated for the run of the show. 

“This is all because Todd Duncan said, ‘I will 

not perform this unless anybody can sit anywhere—regardless 

of the color of your skin.’ This 

is March 1936—like 20 years before Rosa Parks 

and the birth of the Civil Rights movement. Who 

knows that this man did this? Here’s an artist who 

stood up for his rights politically, who made this 

social action through this piece of work. It’s sort 

of reprehensible that we as a country, or certainly 

as artists, don’t even know the history that goes 

back only 76 years—that we don’t own that action 

and that story and teach people about it.” 

Considering Porgy’s lofty status as such a bold 

work for its time, Paulus says she and her creative 

team are trying to honor, embrace and tap into 

the same daring spirit in which the show was created. 

“Gershwin was a hybrid artist, this mash-up 

artist who was way ahead of his time,” Paulus 

says. “So our goal is to get in touch with those 

original impulses and to transfer all those impulses 

out of the opera house and onto a musical 

stage, where we can create a more intimate, theatrical, 

visceral experience that is putting as much 

emphasis on the words and the story as the music. 

That’s the radical step for Porgy and Bess now.” 

suffield 

acad emy 

Founded in 1833 | Grades 9-12 (PG) 

400 Students | 5:1 student & faculty ratio 

Co-ed boarding & day 

185 North Main Street 

Suffield, Connecticut 06078 

www.suffieldacademy.org 

Suffield Academy is a school grounded 

in rich tradition with a healthy 

respect for community and an 

eye toward innovation. 

Come to Suffield and discover 

endless opportunities for you to 

create your Suffield experience. 

Suffield Academy does not discriminate on the 

basis of sex, race, color, religion, creed, national 

or ethnic origin, citizenship, physical attributes, 

disability, age, or sexual orientation. We administer 

our admissions, financial aid, educational, 

athletic, extracurricular, and other policies so 

that each student is equally accorded all 

the rights, privileges, programs, and 

facilities made available by the school. 


Photo: Dario Acosta 

Artistic Director’s Welcome 

Welcome to the American Repertory Theater’s production 

of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess! 

This production is a homecoming of sorts. The first 

performance of this American masterpiece took place on 

September 30th, 1935 at the Colonial Theatre, right across 

from Boston Common where Gershwin famously walked 

for hours after the curtain came down, making forty-five 

minutes of cuts to the score that very evening. That night 

marked the beginning of a journey for Porgy and Bess 

that tells a story about American history as much as it 

does about the evolution of this iconic work. 

In 1936, the show went on a tour that landed the cast in Washington, D.C. at 

the National Theatre, which had a policy of segregation. Todd Duncan, the first 

Porgy, was determined not to perform unless every seat was made available to 

any person regardless of the color of their skin. Anne Brown, the original Bess, 

stood by his side. The theater’s manager offered to allow African Americans to 

attend Wednesday and Saturday matinees. When Duncan refused, he offered to 

allow African Americans to sit in the second balcony for every performance. 

But Duncan did not relent, and in March of 1936, the National Theatre was desegregated 

for the first time in its history. It is to the memory of Todd Duncan 

and Anne Brown that we dedicate this production. As we look to the future of 

sharing this important classic with new generations, we honor the legacy of 

these two artists and their impact on our cultural and social history. 

We are very grateful to the estates of George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, and 

DuBose and Dorothy Heyward for their support of this production. They have 

encouraged us to create a show for an intimate theatrical setting that focuses on 

the story and characters as much as on the glorious score that we all cherish. I 

could not imagine a better team to work on this than Suzan-Lori Parks, Diedre 

Murray, Ron K. Brown, our designers, orchestrators, musical and production 

staff, and the entire cast of performers who have thrown their hearts and souls 

into this process. 

Lastly, I must express gratitude to the A.R.T. Trustees and Advisors for their 

belief in this project, and to all the individuals and companies who have come 

forward to support Porgy and Bess and our mission to serve the broadest 

possible audience in Boston with a version of this work that promotes dialogue, 

education and access. The A.R.T. lost a longtime friend and supporter with the 

passing of Myra Kraft, a true force within the Boston community. We honor her 

spirit of inclusion and community building with this production. 

Thank you for engaging with us at the A.R.T., and joining us for this next 

chapter in the history of Porgy and Bess. 


Charlie Haydock, CFA 

Chief Investment Officer 

Harvard A.B. 1974 

Adrienne Silbermann, CFA 

Director of Research 

Knowing wealth. 

Knowing you.

AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER 

PRESENTS 

BY 

GEORGE GERSHWIN, DUBOSE and DOROTHY HEYWARD and IRA GERSHWIN 

SUZAN-LORI PARKS 

ADAPTED BY 

DIEDRE L. MURRAY 

SCENIC DESIGN COSTUME LIGHTING DESIGN SOUND DESIGN 

RICCARDO DESIGN CHRISTOPHER ACME SOUND 

HERNANDEZ ESOSA AKERLIND PARTNERS 

ORCHESTRATORS 

WILLIAM DAVID BROHN and CHRISTOPHER JAHNKE 

MUSIC SUPERVISOR 

DAVID LOUD 

CONDUCTOR 

SHEILAH WALKER 

ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR 

BRIAN HERTZ 

CASTING 

TELSEY + COMPANY 

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR/PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER 

NANCY HARRINGTON* 

CHOREOGRAPHER 

RONALD K. BROWN 

DIRECTOR 

DIANE PAULUS 

First performance on August 17, 2011 

Gala Sponsor 

Production Sponsor 

Opening Night Sponsor 

THE WORLDWIDE COPYRIGHTS IN THE WORKS OF GEORGE AND IRA GERSHWIN FOR THIS PRESENTATION 

ARE LICENSED BY THE GERSHWIN® FAMILY 


Cast 

(in order of appearance) 

Clara ..................................................................................NIKKI RENÉE DANIELS* 

Mariah ....................................................................NATASHA YVETTE WILLIAMS* 

Frazier, the Crab Man ......................................................................CEDRIC NEAL* 

Lily..................................................................................................HEATHER HILL* 

Jake................................................................................................JOSHUA HENRY* 

Mingo, the Undertaker ....................................................................J.D. WEBSTER* 

Sporting Life ..........................................................................DAVID ALAN GRIER* 

Robbins ............................................................................NATHANIEL STAMPLEY* 

Serena ........................................................................BRYONHA MARIE PARHAM* 

Porgy ................................................................................................NORM LEWIS* 

Crown ..........................................................................................PHILLIP BOYKIN* 

Bess ........................................................................................AUDRA McDONALD* 

Peter, the Honey Man ............................................................PHUMZILE SOJOLA* 

Detective ..........................................................................CHRISTOPHER INNVAR* 

Policeman ..................................................................................JOSEPH DELLGER* 

Strawberry Woman ........................................................ANDREA JONES-SOJOLA* 

Fishermen................................................................ROOSEVELT ANDRÉ CREDIT*, 

TREVON DAVIS*, 

WILKIE FERGUSON* 

Women of Catfish Row ....................................................ALLISON BLACKWELL*, 

ALICIA HALL MORAN*, 

LISA NICOLE WILKERSON* 

(*) members of Actors’ Equity Association 

UNDERSTUDIES 

Understudies never substitute for listed players unless a specific announcement 

for the appearance is made at the time of the performance. 

For Porgy and Crown—NATHANIEL STAMPLEY*; for Bess—ALICIA HALL MORAN*; 

for Sporting Life—CEDRIC NEAL*; for Serena and Mariah—ALLISON BLACKWELL*, 

ANDREA JONES-SOJOLA*; for Clara—ANDREA JONES-SOJOLA*; for Robbins— 

WILKIE FERGUSON*; for Jake and Mingo—TREVON DAVIS*; for Frazier and Peter— 

J.D. WEBSTER*; for Male Ensemble—CARL JAMES; for Female Ensemble—SARITA LILLY 

ORCHESTRA 

Violin—SASHA CALLAHAN; Viola—ASHLEIGH GORDON; Cello—LEO EGUCHI; 

Bass—JOE HIGGINS; Piano/Celeste—BRIAN HERTZ; Flute/Piccolo— 

EBONEE THOMAS; Oboe/English Horn—MIE SHIRAISHI; Clarinet/Flute/Alto Sax— 

BOB BOWLBY; Clarinet/Bass Clarinet/Alto & Tenor Sax—PETER L. COKKINIAS; 

Horn 1—ROSLYN BLACK; Horn 2—DIANTHA MILLOTT; Trumpet 1/Flugelhorn— 

JOHN REPLOGLE; Trumpet 2/Flugelhorn—GREG SMITH; Trombone— 

MARTIN WITTENBERG; Tuba/Bass Trombone—DON ROBINSON; 

Tenor Sax/Bari Sax/ Bassoon—GREG NEWTON; Accordion—ROBERTO CASSAN; 

Percussion—ROBERT SCHULZ 


BOSTON’S BEST DISCO DANCE PARTY 

STO ON 

N’S BEST DISCO DA 

A CE PA AR 

THE SECOND STAGE OF THE 

AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER 

TER 

A DESTINATION ION FOR 

THEATER & NIGHTLIFE 

THE DONKEY SHOW 

SHAKESPEARE AND DISCO COLLIDE 

EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT 

TICKETS FROM $25 

THE BIG QUIZ THING 

MONTHLY MULTIMEDIA MEDIA TRIVIA 

FREE ADMISSION—CASH PRIZE 

NEW WORKS SERIES 

AUGUST 29 8PM | FREE 

INSPIRED BY OBERON ITSELF, 

LOCAL ARTISTS SHARE EXCITING 

WORKS IN PROGRESS 

JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND 

SEPTEMBER ER 21 

RETURNING TO 

OBERON 

FOR ONE NIGHT 

ONLY 

AND MANY OTHER 

EVENTS 

2 ARROW ST. CAMBRIDGE 

WWW.CLUBOBERON.COM 

WW.CLUBOBER 

EVERY 

SATURDAY 

7 30 P M 

NIGHT! 1 

7:30 P.M. 

10:30 P.M. 

TICKETS: 617.547.8300.830 

americanrepertorytheater.org 

eperto eater.org 

GROUPS & PARTIES: 

617.599.7718 or vip@amrep.org

ADDITIONAL STAFF 

Dialect Coach..............Denise L.Woods 

Dramaturgy................Ryan McKittrick, 

Jenna Clark Embrey 

Stage Manager................Julie Baldauff* 

Asst. Stage Manager........Sharika Niles* 

Asst. Director ......................Mia Walker 

Asst. Choreographer ......Arcell Cabuag 

Asst. to Diedre Murray........Robin Pitre 

Dance Captain....Lisa Nicole Wilkerson 

Orchestra Coordinator ......Neil Grover 

Rehearsal Pianist ......David F. Coleman 

Music Preparation ..............Larry Abel, 

Supervising Copyist 

Music Preparation International 

Wig/Hair Design ..........J. Jared Janas & 

Rob Greene 

Asst. Set Designers ..........Maruti Evans, 

Andrew Boyce 

Asst. Costume Designer ....Ashley Farra 

Asst. Lighting Designer ......Seth Reiser 

Music Interns ......................Neil Reilly, 

Nehemiah Luckett 

Sound Intern..............Samantha Sewell 

PORGY AND BESS 

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM— 

HARVARD UNIVERSITY 

Charlotte Alter, Directing 

Haley Bennett, Music 

Andrew Boyd, Artistic 

Jacob Brandt, Artistic 

Kayla Ixtlahuac, Stage Management 

Lily Karlin, Dramaturgy 

Margaret Kerr, Costumes and Props 

Anh Marie Le, Production 

Elizabeth Yun Yeng Mak, Lighting 

Katherine Olaskiewicz, Marketing 

Telsey + Company: 

Bernie Telsey CSA, Will Cantler CSA, 

David Vaccari CSA, 

Bethany Knox CSA, Craig Burns CSA, 

Tiffany Little Canfield CSA, 

Rachel Hoffman CSA, 

Justin Huff CSA, Patrick Goodwin CSA, 

Abbie Brady-Dalton CSA, 

David Morris, Cesar A. Rocha, 

Andrew Femenella, Karyn Casl 

Rehearsed from July 5–15, 2011 at the New 42nd Street Studios 

Rehearsed from July 18–August 16, 2011 at the Loeb Drama Center 

SPECIAL THANKS 

Jerry Frankel and Jeffrey Richards 

Bess costumes by Tricorne, Inc.; Huntington Theatre Costume Shop (Nancy 

Brennan, Costume Director; Anita Canzian, Draper; Becky Hylton, First Hand; 

Michelle Theresa Ross, First Hand); Liz Perlman and Costume Works, Inc.; 

Cyberhoist North America; Pearl Studios NYC; Steve Weiss Music; Eric Engel, 

Dana Knox, Andrew Gitchel, New College Theater; Christie Teeters; Patrick 

Hollenbeck; Brenda Anderson and the Kendall Hotel; Robin Young; Evgenia Eliseeva; 

Anastasia Korotich; Will Trice; Jody Steiner 


A Note from Suzan-Lori Parks 

When Diane Paulus called me on the phone and said, “I’m thinking about doing a 

revival of Porgy and Bess, do you want to help revive the book?” My first question was, 

how many other writers are you talking to? She said, “Just you.” And I said, “I’m in.” 

Was I familiar with the book of Porgy and Bess? Not at all. But I felt a gut thing: I was 

literally called on the phone, and I felt that I’d also been “called” in a spiritual sense. This 

project feels right up my alley; an organic next-step in the kind of writing I’ve been doing 

for years. Whether riffing on The Scarlet Letter, or “dancing” with Abraham Lincoln 

throughout my plays, or entering the world of Porgy and Bess to help give it a new life— 

throughout my work, shaped by the aesthetic of “repetition and revision,” I’m continually 

called (and re-called) to create an understanding between the past and the present. 

Porgy and Bess was written by white authors attempting to replicate an “authentic” 

black voice and, while the original opera triumphs on so many levels, I feel the writing 

sometimes suffers from what I call “a shortcoming of understanding.” There are times in all 

of our lives when, regardless of who we are, we experience shortcomings of understanding. 

In DuBose and Dorothy Heyward and the Gershwins’ original, there’s a lot of love and a lot 

of effort made to understand the people of Catfish Row. In turn, I’ve got love and respect 

for their work, but in some ways I feel it falls short in the creation of fully realized 

characters. Now, one could see their depiction of African-American culture as racist, or one 

could see it as I see it: as a problem of dramaturgy. It’s very important and very liberating 

to my writing process that I continually make that distinction and that I allowed myself to 

see Porgy and Bess as a piece of writing that, while not morally flawed, very much needed 

to be fleshed out. 

When I wrote Topdog/Underdog, and we premiered it downtown, the rapper Mos Def, 

before he was cast in the Broadway version, attended the off-Broadway production 

countless times. Once he ran backstage wanting to meet “the guy who wrote the play.” 

Ah! He hadn’t read the program! He thought some dude wrote Topdog—he was having a 

shortcoming of understanding. As a writer, you’re constantly extending yourself; and if, 

like DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, like George and Ira Gershwin, and like myself now 

with Porgy and Bess, if you’re a writer going into new and important territory, you’ve got 

to be much more than badass. You’ve got to be bold. 

Diedre Murray, Diane Paulus and Suzan-Lori Parks 


Courtesy of Ira and 

Leonore Gershwin Trusts 

Institute on the Federal Theatre Project and 

New Deal Culture, George Mason University 

Todd Duncan and 

Anne Brown 

Porgy and Bess: 

Reinvention and Restagings 

By Jenna Clark Embrey 

September 30, 1935: Colonial Theatre, Boston 

On the opening night of Porgy and Bess, George Gershwin receives a fifteenminute 

standing ovation. Despite the applause, director Rouben Mamoulian 

paces Boston Common with Gershwin until 3 o’clock in the morning and tries 

to convince him to make cuts to the almost four-hour production. Before the 

show transfers to Broadway, Gershwin agrees to cut 45 minutes from the score. 

October 10, 1935: Alvin Theatre, New York City 

Porgy and Bess opens on Broadway starring Todd Duncan (Porgy), Anne 

Brown (Bess), and John Bubbles (Sportin’ Life). Some critics deride the work as 

either a too-populist opera or an overly ambitious piece of musical 

theater. Others laud the work—Brooks Atkinson writes in the New 

York Times, “Mr. Gershwin has contributed something glorious.…A 

resounding new sound in American theater.” The production runs 

for 124 performances. 

March 21, 1936: National Theatre, Washington D.C. 

When the national tour makes its final stop in Washington, D.C., 

Todd Duncan will not perform unless the National Theatre forgoes 

its policy of white-only audiences. The theater’s manager, S.E. Cochran, refuses. Duncan holds his 

ground, even under threat of a ten-thousand dollar fine from the Theatre Guild. Finally, Cochran 

relents, and the National Theatre allows integrated audiences for the first time. 

1956 Breen-Davis 

Tour Warsaw poster 

Picnic time: “Oh, I Can’t Sit 

Down” (Vandamm Studio, NYC) 

January 22, 1942: Majestic Theatre, New York City 

Cheryl Crawford directs a streamlined Broadway revival with Todd Duncan 

and Anne Brown reprising their roles as Porgy and Bess. Crawford replaces 

the recitatives with spoken dialogue and reduces the orchestra by half. The 

musical theater-style revival runs for a record 286 performances. 

March 23, 1943: Danish Royal Opera, Copenhagen 

The European premiere opens in Copenhagen with an all-white cast in blackface, 

during the Nazi occupation. The Gestapo strongly disapproves of this 

American work about blacks and written by a Jew, and orders the theater to 

close the production. The Royal Opera only shuts down the show after the 

Gestapo threatens to bomb the theater. Later, the Danish underground jams 

Nazi radio broadcasts with recordings of “It Ain’t Necessarily So.” 

1952–1956: International Tour 

Director Robert Breen and producer Blevins Davis take a new production 

of Porgy and Bess on an international tour, which is funded in part by the 

U.S. Department of State. Leontyne Price (Bess), William Warfield (Porgy), 

Cab Calloway (Sportin’ Life), and Maya Angelou (ensemble) all perform in 

the production. After playing in Berlin, London, Athens, Cairo, New York, 

and the famed Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the company arrives in the Soviet 

Union. Performances in Leningrad and Moscow prove to be a hit with 

Russian audiences, and the show sells out. 

1952 Breen-Davis Tour 

June 24, 1959: The Samuel Goldwyn Company, Hollywood Chicago 

Porgy and Bess makes it to the big screen, though critics are underwhelmed. 

Despite the star power of Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Diahann Carroll and 

THE GERSHWINS’ PORGY AND BESS 21 

Courtesy of Ira and 

Leonore Gershwin Trusts 

Institute on the Federal Theatre Project and 

New Deal Culture, George Mason University

MAKE A SMART MOVE 

VISIT 

THE GAMES PEOPLE PLAY 

Foreign and Domestic Board Games 

and Table Games 

Chess Sets, Clocks, Books 

Mathematical Puzzles and Toys 

Jig Saw Puzzles from 35 to 32,000 Pieces 

Since 1974 

“We’re A.R.T. fans!” 

watertownsavings.com 

Not your average bank. 

Member FDIC Member DIF 


program notes (continued) 

Pearl Bailey, reviews cite the film’s “loss of 

authenticity” from the stage versions. 

June 25, 1970: 

Municipal 

Auditorium, 

Charleston, South 

Carolina 

As a featured event 

in Charleston’s Tricentennial 

celebration, 

Porgy and Bess is performed 

in the town of its 

setting for the first time. 

1959 Porgy and Bess 

film poster 

September 26, 1976: 

Houston Grand Opera, Texas 

Directors Jack O’Brien and John DeMain restore 

many of the cuts that had been made to Porgy 

and Bess since the Boston opening in 1935. 

This expanded three-hour production becomes 

the first opera to win a Tony Award. 

February 6, 1985: 

Metropolitan Opera, New York City 

Fifty years after the premiere, Anne Brown and Todd 

Duncan meet with the leads, Simon Estes and Grace 

Bumbry, of the Metropolitan Opera production, 1985 

Fifty years after its Broadway premiere, Porgy 

and Bess is finally performed at the Met. The 

production features Grace Bumbry and Simon 

Estes in the title roles. James Levine, who 

served as music director and conductor for 

the production, describes Porgy and Bess as 

having “everything great opera has—great 

music, great drama and a psychological and 

social milieu that is as involving as the milieu 

of Don Giovanni or Boris Godunov.” 

July 5, 1986: 

Glyndebourne Festival, England 

British director Trevor Nunn mounts a nearly 

four-hour production, which is later scenically 

expanded and filmed for television in 1993. 

The George and Ira Gershwin 

Collection, Library of Congress 

Winnie Klotz, photographer, 

Metropolitan Opera Association, Inc., 

Lincoln Center, New York, NY 10023

ALLISON 

BLACKWELL 

Woman of Catfish Row 

A.R.T.: Debut. Las Vegas: 

The Lion King (u/s Shenzi & 

Sarabi). Regional: Ragtime, 

Paper Mill Playhouse; 

Caroline, or Change, 

TheatreWorks and The Studio Theatre; A Little 

Night Music and Nunsense, Sacramento Music 

Circus; Aida, Arvada Center; Dreamgirls, PCLO; 

Hairspray and Les Misérables, North Shore Music 

Theatre. Concerts: Show Boat, Carnegie Hall; 

Burt Bacharach to the Future, New World Stages; 

Kurt Weill and His Music, NY Historical Society. 

Award: 2008 San Francisco Bay Area Critics 

Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress 

(Caroline, or Change). B.A. Spelman College, 

M.M. The Boston Conservatory. 

PHILLIP BOYKIN 

Crown 

A.R.T.: Debut. National 

Tours: The 75th anniversary 

of Porgy and Bess 

(Crown, dir. Charles 

Randolph-Wright), Show 

Boat (Joe, dir. Clayton 

Phillips). Regional: Crowns (Man, dir. Ken 

Roberson), Arena Stage; Jesus Christ Superstar 

(Caiaphas, dir. Robert Johanson), North Shore 

Music Theatre; Smokey Joe’s Café (Fred, dir. 

Barry Ivan), Pittsburgh CLO; If This Hat Could 

Talk (Sonny/Roy Wilkins, dir. George Faison), 

The Apollo Theater; Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Ken), 

Show Palace. Opera credits: Séance On A Wet 

Afternoon (Inspector Watts, Stephen & Scott 

Schwartz), New York City Opera; Porgy and Bess 

(Crown) Dayton Opera, also in Germany, 

France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Australia, 

Russia, Poland and New Zealand; The Rape of 

Lucretia (Tarquinius), Così fan Tutte (Don 

Alfonso), The Hartt School Opera. Gospel: Jesus 

Christ Super Star Gospel (Lewis St. Lewis), 

Alliance Theater; Golden Gospel Singers, Europe, 

Harlem Gospel Singers Europe, Director/ 

Baritone NY Harlem Singers (Linda Twine) 

annual Asian tour, concert: You Believed In Me 

Phillip Boykin Live Recording. For more information 

www.phillipboykin.com. 

Cast 

ROOSEVELT 

ANDRÉ CREDIT 

Fisherman 

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: 

Harold Prince revival of 

Show Boat (also national 

tour). Off Broadway: Marie 

Christine, Prince and the 

Pauper at Madison Square Garden. Regional theater: 

Show Boat and Ragtime, Forestburgh 

Playhouse; For The People, Majestic Playhouse, 

Gettysburg; Voice From Within, Apollo Theatre; 

The Whitehouse Cantata, Alice Tully Hall. 

Concerts: Neil Burg’s 100 Years of Broadway, U.S., 

Barbados; Duke Ellington’s Sacred Service, Jazz 

at Lincoln Center; Schubert’s Mass, Carnegie 

Hall; Music Is In the Air, Town Hall; Bach’s B 

Minor Mass, Basically Bach Festival of Saint 

Peter’s Church; Fauré’s Requiem, Bach’s St. John 

Passion and Handel’s Messiah. Movie short, All 

American Eyes. Recordings: Ol’ Time Religion, 

Letting Go. Published choral and solo music 

with Laurendale Publishing. Eagle Scout of 

troop 254. M.M. in Voice and M.M. in 

Conducting Northwestern University, B.S. 

Oregon State University. For more information 

visit www.RooseveltACredit.com. 

NIKKI RENÉE 

DANIELS 

Clara 


Anything Goes; Promises, 

Promises; Les Misérables 

2006 revival; Little Shop of 

Horrors; Lestat; Nine; The 

Look of Love; Aida. New York City Opera: Porgy 

and Bess (Clara). Regional: Caroline, or Change 

(Emmie), The Guthrie; Anything Goes (Hope 

Harcourt), Williamstown Theatre Festival; Ray 

Charles Live! (Della B), Pasadena Playhouse; 

Beauty and the Beast (Belle), American Musical 

Theater of San Jose and Sacramento Music 

Circus; Ragtime (Sarah), North Shore Music 

Theatre; Dorian (Celia Vane), The Denver 

Center; Aida (Aida), Artpark. Television/Film: 

“Chappelle’s Show” and The Other Woman. 

Concert appearances: soloist with the San 

Francisco Symphony Orchestra, the Ottawa 

Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati 

Symphony Orchestra and at Carnegie Hall. 

B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from the University of 

Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. 


cast (continued) 

TREVON DAVIS 

Fisherman 

A.R.T.: Debut. New York 

City: Dreamgirls (C.C. 

White), Apollo Theater/national 

Broadway tour; 

Amazing Grace (Reading). 

Atlanta, Georgia: Black 

Voices: The Struggle Continues, The Urban Theatre 

Company of Atlanta, Inc. Television: BET’s 

“Sunday Best” Season 1 (Top 7 Finalist), MTV’s 

“Making the Band 4” (Atlanta Finalist; New York 

City Contestant). Graduate of Clark Atlanta 

University, B.A. Mass Media Arts: Television. 

Member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of 

America, Inc. and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. 

JOSEPH DELLGER 

Policeman 


Ragtime (Father), Lestat 

(Magnus). Regional: My 

Way—A Sinatra Tribute, 

Infinity Theater Company, 

Annapolis, MD; A 

Christmas Carol (Scrooge), Arvada Center; Jacques 

Brel (Man #1), Alliance Theater; 101 Dalmatians 

(Splendid Vet). National Tour: The Phantom of the 

Opera (André), San Francisco; The Visit (Inspector 

Hanke), The Goodman Theater; Man of La 

Mancha 25th anniversary production (Padre), 

Goodspeed Opera House; Nerds (Tom Watson), 

world premiere at the Philadelphia Theatre 

Company; Follies (Ben), Signature Theatre; 

Camelot (Arthur), Shubert Theatre, Boston; Les 

Misérables (The Bishop), Theater of the Stars. 

WILKIE FERGUSON 

Fisherman 


Wonderland. First national 

tours: In The Heights, 

Hairspray. Other theater: 

Sister Act (world premiere), 

Pasadena Playhouse; Ray 

Charles Live! (Young Ray), Pasadena Playhouse; 

Stormy Weather (with Leslie Uggams), Pasadena 

Playhouse; Porgy and Bess (Undertaker, Jim), 

Hollywood Bowl; Dreamgirls (with Frenchie 

Davis), West Coast tour, Pittsburgh CLO; Annie, 

Trinity Rep; South Pacific (with Reba McEntire), 

Hollywood Bowl; Smokey Joe’s Café (Victor), 

Pioneer Theatre, Westchester Broadway; Miss 

Saigon (John), Westchester Broadway. Assistant 

Director/Piano Accompanist/Music Theory 

Instructor, Boys’ Choir of Harlem. Eastman School 

of Music, classical piano performance, Morehouse 

College, New World School of the Arts. 

DAVID ALAN GRIER 

Sporting Life 

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: The 

First (Jackie Robinson, Tony 

nomination, Theatre World 

Award), Dreamgirls, A Soldier’s 

Play, Race (Tony nomination). 

Films: A Soldier’s Story, 

Robert Altman’s Streamers (Golden Lion for Best 

Actor at the Venice Film Festival), Dance Flick and 

the upcoming We the Peeples. Television: “In Living 

Color” (1990–1994, Emmy Award); “DAG” 

(2000–2001); “Life with Bonnie” (2003, Image and 

Golden Satellite nomination); and he also appeared 

on “Chocolate News.” Grier has been named one of 

Comedy Central’s “100 Greatest Stand-ups of All 

Time.” In his first, recently published book, Barack 

Like Me: The Chocolate Covered Truth, he expounds 

on politics, culture and race while recounting his 

own life story in this edgy, timely, timeless and hilarious 

memoir and look at all things Barack. He 

holds an M.F.A. from the Yale School of Drama. 

JOSHUA HENRY 

Jake 


The Scottsboro Boys 

(Haywood Patterson, Tony 

nomination), American Idiot 

(Favorite Son), In the Heights 

(Ensemble/u.s. Benny, 

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble 

Performance). Off-Broadway: The Wiz and In the 

Heights. Regional: American Idiot, Berkeley Rep 

Theatre; Godspell, Paper Mill Playhouse. Film: Sex 

and the City. Television: “Kings.” Bachelor in Music 

degree from University of Miami Frost School of 

Music. Founding member of Jaradoa Theater 

Company and Revolucion Latina, for which he 

composed the title track “Dare to Go Beyond” on 

their debut CD Dare to Go Beyond the album. 

HEATHER HILL 

Lily 

A.R.T.: Debut. Opera: 

L’elisir d’amore, Semiramide, 

Caramoor Festival; Moby- 

Dick, Dallas Opera; 

Mitridate, LOTNY; Strange 

Fruit, New York City Opera 

Vox; Porgy and Bess, European/Australian tour; 

Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Opera Colorado; 

Die Zauberflöte, Bronx Opera. Concert soloist ap- 



pearances include Knickerbocker Holiday and 

Grapes of Wrath at Lincoln Center, Carmina 

Burana at Carnegie Hall. Education: B.S. Biology 

Clark Atlanta University, M.M. Voice Manhattan 

School of Music. www.HeatherHillSoprano.com. 

ANDREA 

JONES-SOJOLA 

Strawberry Woman 

A.R.T.: Debut. Theater: 

Three Mo’ Divas, Big River, 

Iroquois Amphitheater. 

Opera: Porgy and Bess, New 

York Harlem Productions 

in Germany and Italy; Carmen, Die Zauberflöte, 

Dayton Opera; Don Giovanni, Lucca, Italy; Dead 

Man Walking, Cincinnati Opera. Concerts: Show 

Boat, Carnegie Hall; The Messiah, Milwaukee 

Symphony; Fauré Requiem, Lexington 

Philharmonic. Film: For Colored Girls. 

Recordings: For Colored Girls soundtrack; The 

Tender Land; The Spirit of the Holidays, Old Time 

Religion, with the American Spiritual Ensemble; 

and Treemonisha, with Paragon Ragtime 

Orchestra. 

CHRISTOPHER 

INNVAR 

Detective 


The People In The Picture 

(Chaim), 110 In The Shade 

(File), The Three Penny 

Opera (Tiger Brown), 

Roundabout at Studio 54; Les Misérables (Javert); 

Victor/Victoria. Off-Broadway: Floyd Collins, Gun- 

Shy, Playwrights Horizons; The Boys In The Band, 

Transport Group; A New Brain, Lincoln Center; 

The Witch Of Edmonton, Red Bull; The Chemistry 

Of Change, Women’s Project; Eight Days 

Backwards, Vineyard; Speck’s Last, Atlantic; Time 

And Again, MTC. Regional: Steppenwolf, 

Guthrie, Yale Rep, McCarter, Long Wharf, 

Wilma, Shakespeare Theatre D.C. (Affiliated 

Artist). Director: The Whipping Man, Collyer 

Brothers At Home, Period Piece, Barrington Stage 

(Artistic Associate). Film/TV: Don’t Mess With 

The Zohan, Prime, Speck’s Last, Rock The Paint, 

“Gravity,” “Law & Order CI/SVU,” “Third 

Watch,” “Spin City.” 

COMMONWEALTH SCHOOL 

BEST PRIVATE SCHOOL —Boston magazine, September 2009 

Photo by Layla M., 

Class of 2011 

SHARP MINDS & GENEROUS HEARTS 

Small, challenging classes led by inspiring faculty. Meaningful 

service to others. Independent projects each year. Deep and 

durable friendships. High-powered academics and robust arts. 

Fall Open House, Sunday, October 23, 3–5 p.m. 

www.commschool.org/learnmore 

151 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02116 | (617) 266-7525 



NORM LEWIS 

Porgy 


Sondheim on Sondheim 

(Soloist), The Little Mermaid 

(King Triton), Les Misérables 

(Javert, Drama League 

nomination), Chicago (Billy 

Flynn), Amour, The Wild Party, Side Show (Jake), 

Miss Saigon (John) and Tommy. London: Les 

Misérables (Javert), West End, London; Les 

Misérables 25th anniversary concert, London’s 

O2 Arena. Off-Broadway: Dessa Rose (Nathan, 

Drama Desk nomination, Audelco Award), The 

Two Gentlemen of Verona (Valentine, Drama 

League nomination), Captains Courageous (Doc), 

A New Brain (Roger). Regional: Ragtime 

(Coalhouse), Dreamgirls (Curtis, with Jennifer 

Holliday), First You Dream, Sweeney Todd 

(Sweeney), The Fantasticks (El Gallo). Concerts: 

Chess (Molokov, with Josh Groban), Dreamgirls 

(Curtis), Actor’s Fund; Golden Boy (Eddie), 

Encores! Film and television: Sex and the City 2, 

Preaching to the Choir, Confidences, Mystery 

Woman, “Cosby,” “Strong Medicine,” “All My 

Children” and “As the World Turns.” Recordings 

include: his debut solo CD, Norm Lewis: This Is 

The Life. www.normlewis.com. 

AUDRA McDONALD 

Bess 


Carousel (Tony Award), 

Master Class (Tony Award), 

Ragtime (Tony Award), A 

Raisin in the Sun (Tony 

Award), Marie Christine 

(Tony nomination), 110 in the Shade (Tony nomination, 

Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a 

Musical), Henry IV, The Secret Garden. Opera: 

Francis Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine and the world 

premiere of Michael John LaChiusa’s Send (who 

are you? I love you), Houston Grand Opera; Kurt 

Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, Los 

Angeles Opera. Television: “Private Practice” (Dr. 

Naomi Bennett) on ABC, “A Raisin in the Sun” 

(Emmy nomination), “Wit” (Emmy nomination), 

“Homicide: Life on the Street,” “Law & 

Order: SVU,” “Having Our Say: The Delany 

Sisters’ First 100 Years,” “The Bedford Diaries,” 

and “Kidnapped,” and the 1999 television remake 

of “Annie” (Miss Farrell). Films: She Got 

Problems, Best Thief in the World, It Runs in the 

Family, The Object of My Affection, Seven Servants 

and Rampart (upcoming, starring Woody 

Harrelson). McDonald has recorded four solo albums 

for Nonesuch Records, including Way Back 

to Paradise, How Glory Goes, Happy Songs and 

Build a Bridge, and won two 2009 Grammy 

Awards for The Rise and Fall of the City of 

Mahagonny. She maintains an active concert career, 

appearing with her own ensemble and with 

major orchestras and conductors across the U.S. 

and abroad. In the fall of 2011, she opens the 

season of Celebrity Series of Boston at Symphony 

Hall and embarks on a coast-to-coast North 

American concert tour. Training: The Juilliard 

School. Favorite role: Mommy to Zoe Madeline. 

ALICIA HALL 

MORAN 

Woman of Catfish Row 

A.R.T.: Debut. Theater: The 

Motown Project Chamber 

Ensemble (Leading Lady); 

Things of the Heart (Marian 

Anderson); Threepenny Opera 

(Jenny); Milestone (Wife). Concert and Recital: 

Jazz@Lincoln Center with Charles Lloyd, Café 

Sabarsky, Duke University, WNYC Greene Space, 

Rubin Museum. Other Theater: Bill T. Jones/ 

Arnie Zane Dance Company’s Chapel/Chapter 

(U.S./Europe, Bessie Award for Musical 

Collaboration); Jason Moran & the Bandwagon’s 

Slang and Live: Time and Milestone (U.S./Europe); 

Simon Schama’s Rough Crossings; Joan Jonas’ Mirror 

Piece II (U.S./Mexico); Adam Pendleton’s The Revival 

and three scenes (Isabella Gardner Museum); Simone 

Leigh and Liz Magic Laser’s Breakdown (opera/film). 

Education: B.A. Barnard College of Columbia 

University, B.M. Manhattan School of Music. 

CEDRIC NEAL 

Frazier 

A.R.T.: Debut. Regional: A 

Christmas Carol; Henry IV; 

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane…It’s 

Superman; Death Of A 

Salesman; A Midsummer 

Night’s Dream; The Who’s 

Tommy (Rabin Award), Dallas Theater Center; Lost 

In The Stars, A Dog’s Life, Theatre Three; Porgy and 

Bess (Austin Critics Circle Award), Zach Theatre, 

Austin; Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues, Brief History of 

White Music, WaterTower Theatre; The Life, Aida, 

The Normal Heart and tick, tick…BOOM!, Uptown 

Players; Crowns, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Jubilee Theatre. 

Television/Film: “The Good Guys,” “Chase,” 

“Friday Night Lights.” Attended Eastman School 

of Music (Rochester, New York) and a member of 

the Brierley Resident Acting Company, Dallas 

Theater Center. 



BRYONHA MARIE 

PARHAM 

Serena 


Ragtime (revival). New 

York: Red Eye of Love (workshop), 

Ain’t Love Grand 

(workshop). Regional: 

Ragtime, Kennedy Center; For the Glory/Civil War, 

Networks/Flat Rock Playhouse; Ain’t Misbehavin’, 

Mason Street Warehouse; Crowns, Seaside Music 

Theatre; Once on This Island, Coterie Theatre; A 

Streetcar Named Desire, Greenbrier Valley Theatre; 

Kiss Me, Kate, Show Palace; Chicago/Seussical, 

Peach State Summer Theatre. Graduate of 

Illinois Wesleyan University, B.F.A. Music 

Theatre. Proud Actors Equity member. 

PHUMZILE SOJOLA 

Peter 

A.R.T.: Debut. Off-Broadway 

and tour: Three Mo’ Tenors, 

Little Schubert Theater, 

Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 

Opera: L’étoile, Troubled 

Island, New York City 

Opera; Porgy and Bess, Edinburgh International 

Festival, Opera National de Lyon, New York 

Harlem Theater; Lost in the Stars, Skylark Opera; 

Just Above My Head, Pittsburgh Opera Theater; La 

Bohème, Missouri Symphony Orchestra; Carmen, 

Die Zauberflöte, Dayton Opera; Death in Venice, 

Glimmerglass Opera; La Traviata, Cincinnati 

Opera. Recordings: Paragon Ragtime Orchestra— 

Treemonisha; American Spiritual Ensemble—The 

Spirituals, Lily in the Valley. Education: B.M. 

University of Kentucky, College Conservatory of 

Music University of Cincinnati. 

NATHANIEL 

STAMPLEY 

Robbins 

A.R.T.: Debut. West End, 

London: The Lion King 

(Disney UK Ltd). Broadway: 

The Color Purple, The Lion 

King. Tours: Ragtime. 

Regional: Abyssinia, North Shore Music Theatre; 

Pacific Overtures, Chicago Shakespeare Theater; 

Lost in the Stars, NY City Center’s Encores!; Strike 

Up the Band and One Touch of Venus, Auditorium 

Theatre’s Ovations! Series; Violet, Once on This 

FAMILY 

PERFORMANCE 

The Snow Queen 

Join us this holiday season for a 

world premiere adaptation inspired by 

Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved tale. 

STARTS DECEMBER 10 

ON SALE NOW! 

americanrepertorytheater.org 

617.547.8300 | All tickets $15 



Island and Big River (Joseph Jefferson Award nomination), 

Apple Tree Theatre; Show Boat, 

Sacramento Music Circus. The voice of “Sudden 

Death” on NFL Rush Zone: Guardians of the Core. 

“Lanette’s husband, Ayana and Isaiah’s papi.” 

J.D. WEBSTER 

Mingo 


Wonderful Town, Ragtime, 

Show Boat. New York: Two 

Gentlemen of Verona, New 

York Shakespeare Festival; 

17 Encores!, City Center; 

Mufti Series, York Theatre; Bernstein’s Mass, South 

Pacific, Ira Gershwin at 100 and Spring is Here, 

Carnegie Hall. Regional: Avenue X, Jesus Christ 

Superstar Gospel, Alliance Theatre; An American in 

Paris, Houston Alley Theatre; The Blackamoor 

Angel, Bard Music Festival; Violet, Connecticut Rep; 

Jam and Spice, Westport Playhouse; Guys and Dolls, 

Alabama Shakespeare Festival; Finian’s Rainbow, 

Coconut Grove; The Desert Song, Sacramento 

Music Circus. Graduate of The College of William 

and Mary and The Juilliard School. 

LISA NICOLE 

WILKERSON 

Woman of Catfish 

Row/Dance Captain 

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: The 

Lion King (Nala u/s, Shenzi 

u/s). National Tours: Mamma 

Mia! (Ali), The Lion King 

(Nala). Off-Broadway: River Deep: Tribute to Tina 

Turner, Playwright’s Horizons. Regional: Abyssinia 

SASHA CALLAHAN 

Violin 

Assistant principal 2nd violin, Portland 

Symphony; member of Rhode Island 

Philharmonic and New Hampshire Music 

Festival. Frequent performances with Boston 

Modern Orchestra Project, Boston Lyric Opera, 

Opera Boston, the Boston Pops and Boston 

Pops Esplanade. B.M. in Violin Performance, 

Rice University; M.M. in Violin Performance, 

Boston University. Further studies: 

Meadowmount School of Music, Mozarteum 

Academy, Leopold Auer Academy, Tanglewood 

Music Center. 


Orchestra 

(Lily), Goodspeed, North Shore; Once on This Island 

(TiMoune), Gallery Players; Godspell (Robin), St. 

Louis Black Rep; Purlie (with Blaire Underwood 

and Loretta Devine, respectively), City Center 

ENCORES!, Pasadena Playhouse. Television: “The 

Tony Awards” 2008, “The Today Show,” “Oprah,” 

“Jay Leno.” Film: Unconditional Love. Dance: xodus 

dance collective, Karen Gayle, artistic director; Joel 

Hall Dancers, Joel Hall, a.d.; Deeply Rooted (apprentice), 

Kevin Iega Jeff, a.d. Broadway in South Africa cofounder. 

Northwestern University, B.S., Journalism. 

NATASHA YVETTE 

WILLIAMS 

Mariah 


The Color Purple (Sofia) and 

Dessa Rose, Lincoln Center. 

West End, London: Trevor 

Nunn’s Gone With the 

Wind (Mammy). National Tours: Xanadu 

(Melponmene), The Drowsy Chaperone (Trix the 

Aviatrix), All Shook Up (Sylvia), Seussical the Musical 

(Sour Kangaroo), Cinderella (Grace). Selected regional 

credits: Hairspray (Motormouth) and Ain’t 

Misbehavin’ (Armelia), Paper Mill Playhouse; 

Mahalia (title role), Cleveland Playhouse; 

Abyssinia (Selma), Goodspeed/North Shore. 

Featured soloist with the Indianapolis, Baltimore 

and Ottawa symphony orchestras and The 

Naples Philharmonic. NaTasha will be singing at 

Carnegie Hall in October with the NY Pops. She is 

the mother of newborn twins Mackenzie and 

Nile. NaTasha’s CDs are available at www.digstation.com; 

for more information, please visit her 

website at www.natashayvettewilliams.com. 

ASHLEIGH GORDON 

Viola 

Member of Neponset Valley Philharmonic 

Orchestra and Juventas New Music Ensemble. 

Performances with Callithumpium Consort, 

Atlantic Symphony and Glens Falls Orchestra. 

Anticipated Master of Contemporary Music from 

International Ensemble Modern Academy 

(Germany), Master of Music in Viola 

Performance from New England Conservatory, 

Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from 

Baldwin-Wallace College. Summer Festivals: 

International Ensemble Modern Academy 

(Austria, 2010), Pierre Monteux School for 

Conductors and Orchestral Musicians (Maine, 

2003/2007), Aspen Music Festival (Colo., 2005).

orchestra (continued) 

LEO EGUCHI 

Cello 

Xanthos (a new music ensemble in residence at 

Boston University); Assistant Principal of 

Camerata New England; principal of New 

Bedford Symphony; member of New 

Hampshire Music Festival and Portland 

Symphony. Frequent performer with the 

Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston Lyric 

Opera, Boston Pops Esplanade. B.S. in Physics, 

University of Michigan; B.M. in Cello 

Performance, University of Michigan; M.M. in 

Cello Performance, Boston University; 

Meadowmount School of Music (1998–2001). 

JOE HIGGINS 

Double Bass/Electric Bass 

Principal Bass, New Hampshire Music Festival; 

member of the Rhode Island Philharmonic 

Orchestra. Regular performer with the Portland 

Symphony Orchestra, Providence Performing 

Arts Center, North Shore Music Theatre. 

Performances with the Boston Pops Esplanade 

Orchestra, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, 

Spoleto Festival, Emmanuel Music, the Artie 

Shaw Orchestra, Jaki Byard, George Garzone and 

the Aardvark Jazz Orchestra. B.M. from the New 

England Conservatory. Studies in Double Bass 

Performance at Oberlin Conservatory. 

To make sure your art looks 

boffo, bring it to: 

30% off custom framing 

Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee 

3 LOCATIONS: 

Harvard Square 

1100 Mass. Ave. 

617.864.4487 

Belmont Porter Square 

493-B Trapelo Rd. 2044 Mass. Ave. 

617.484.5900 617.491.0011 

BigPictureFraming.com 

click on “locations” or 

e-mail michael@bigpictureframing.com 

EBONEE THOMAS 

Flute/Piccolo 

Principal Flute of the Florida Grand Opera in 

Miami, Florida. One-year position as Second 

Flute with the Houston Symphony. Recently 

completed a four-year fellowship with New 

World Symphony. Degrees from Southern 

Methodist University and the New England 

Conservatory. Performances with: Star Wars in 

Concert Orchestra, The Los Angeles 

Philharmonic; Sarasota Orchestra; Florida 

Orchestra; Oregon, Omaha, Kansas City and 

San Antonio symphonies. Studies with Claire 

Johnson, Patty Mecklin, Helen Blackburn, Jean 

Larson and Fenwick Smith. 

MIE SHIRAISHI 

Oboe/English Horn 

Member of Atlantic Symphony Orchestra; 

performances with Boston Pops Esplanade 

Orchestra, A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra, 

Gardner Chamber Orchestra, New Bedford 

Symphony Orchestra, Plymouth Philharmonic 

Orchestra; International Musical Arts Institute, 

Chamber Music Concert Series, Fryeburg, Maine, 

2005–2011. Graduate Performance Degree from 



Longy School of Music; M.M. New England 

Conservatory; B.M. from Musashino Academia 

Musicae, Tokyo, Japan. 

BOB BOWLBY 

Flute/Clarinet/Alto Saxophone 

Multi woodwind player in Boston theaters. 

Saxophonist with Boston Pops since 1981. 

Toured with Artie Shaw, Buddy Rich, Frank 

Sinatra, Mel Torme, Natalie Cole, Rita Moreno, 

Carol Channing, Barry Manilow, Star Wars in 

Concert. National Broadway tours: Fosse, Avenue 

Q, Cats. Berklee College of Music: alumnus/ 

former faculty. 

PETER L. COKKINIAS 

Clarinet/Bass Clarinet/Alto 

Saxophone/Tenor Saxophone 

Professor at Berklee College of Music. Boston, 

Rhode Island and North Shore Musicians’ 

Union. Performances with Boston Symphony 

and Boston Pops, Music Director/Conductor 

Metrowest Symphony Orchestra. Theater 

Musician: Boston Opera House, Colonial, 

Huntington Theatre. Doctor of Music. 

College: Conservatory University of 

Cincinnati, Ohio. Master: Manhattan School 

of Music; Hartt School of Music, Tanglewood 

Music Center: 1980. 

ROSLYN BLACK 

French Horn 

Member of the New World Symphony, Miami 

for four years; in 2008 Acting Sub-Principal 

Horn of the BBC Symphony, London. Other: 

Porgy and Bess, Opéra Comique, Paris. Performs 

regularly with the Toronto Symphony and the 

Canadian Opera Company. B.M. from the 

University of Victoria, M.M., New England 

Conservatory. 

DIANTHA MILLOTT 

French Horn 

Regular member of Bay Colony Brass 

Ensemble, Occasional Brass and Strings. 

Recent theater: Joseph and the Amazing 

Technicolor Dreamcoat, Orpheum Foxboro 

Theater; 42nd Street, Walnut Hill School for 

the Arts; Curtains, Newton North. Former 

member of the Air Force Band of Liberty at 

Hanscom Air Force Base, Sudbury Savoyards, 

New Philharmonia Orchestra, Concord Band. 

B.M. DePaul University, M.M. Yale University 

School of Music. 

JOHN REPLOGLE 

Trumpet/Flugelhorn 

Performances with Chico O’Farrill Afro Cuban 

Jazz Orchestra, George Russell The Living 

Time Orchestra, Terri Lyne Carrington, Danilo 

Perez, Warren Wolf, Eric Reed, Idan Santhus 

Jazz Orchestra, Kendrick Oliver and the New 

Life Jazz Orchestra, NPR/WGBH: “Toast of the 

Nation” program, Boston Pops eight-piece 

group and others. Bachelor of Arts Berklee 

College of Music in Jazz Performance. Master 

of Music New England Conservatory in 

Jazz Studies. 

GREG SMITH 

Trumpet/Flugelhorn 

Member: Atlantic, Cape Cod and Glens Falls 

symphonies. Performances with Emmanuel 

Music and the Berkshire, Indian Hill, Granite 

State, Lexington, Nashua, New Bedford and 

New World symphonies. Graduate diploma 

from New England Conservatory; B.A. from 

Bard College; fellowships for the Tanglewood 

Music Center, Pacific Music Festival and the 

Spoleto Festival USA. 

MARTIN WITTENBERG 

Trombone 

Bala Brass. Principal Trombone, Philharmonia 

of the Nations, 2006–09. Leipzig Gewandhaus 

Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, 

Opera Boston, Colorado Music Festival, Spoleto 

Festival USA, Munich Brass, Munich Bach 

Soloists, Ensemble Classique, Cape Cod 

Symphony. Recordings: Decca Concerts, 

EuroArts, BMOPSound, MMO, Profil, Haenssler 

Classics, NCA. Trombone Faculty: Longy School 

of Music, Gordon College. Doctoral Candidate, 

Boston University; M.M. Yale University; Music 

Performance and Music Education Diplomas, 

Trossingen Hochschule für Musik, Germany. 

DON ROBINSON 

Bass Trombone/Tuba 

Member of Indian Hill and New Hampshire 

Music Festival orchestras. Performances with 

Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, Esplanade, 

Boston Ballet and Boston Lyric Opera. 

Performed in musicals at the Colonial, Shubert, 

Wang Center and Boston Opera House. B.M. 

Eastman School of Music, M.M. New England 

Conservatory. 



GREG NEWTON 

Tenor Saxophone/Baritone 

Saxophone/Bassoon 

Member of Boston Philharmonic, Boston 

Classical Orchestra, Radius Ensemble, Landmarks 

Orchestra. Performances with Boston Symphony, 

Boston Pops, Boston Ballet, Bolshoi, Prague 

Radio Orchestra, BMOP, Boston Lyric Opera, 

Opera Boston. Pre-Broadway/National Tours 

(New England segments): A Chorus Line, Carousel, 

Marty, Titanic, Miss Saigon, The Producers, The 

Sound of Music, Sweet Charity, Camelot, Fiddler on 

the Roof, The Light in the Piazza, Dirty Rotten 

Scoundrels, Young Frankenstein. M.M. New 

England Conservatory, B.F.A. SUNY Buffalo. 

ROBERTO CASSAN 

Accordion 

Performed and recorded with many artists, including 

Mexican folk singer Lila Downs and 

singer-songwriter Martin Sexton. The duo 

Roberto Cassan and John Muratore (guitar) performs 

music of Piazzolla, Galliano, Brouwer, 

Debussy and Cassan. Member of Grand Fatilla, 

a superb world music quartet; Newpoli, a ninepiece 

ensemble exploring the ancient Southern 

Italian Tarantella; and Musaner. Degree in 

Musicology from University of Cremona and 

studies at Berklee College of Music. 

ROBERT SCHULZ 

Percussion 

A.R.T.: The Sound of a Voice. Principal 

Percussionist with Boston Landmarks Orchestra, 

Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston Musica 

Viva, Opera Boston. Grammy nomination in 

2004 for Yehudi Wyner’s The Mirror, world premiere 

recording of Kick and Ride (concerto for 

drumset and orchestra) by Eric Moe, to be released 

on BMOP/Sound in 2011. International 

tours with Allea III, Boston Symphony, Musica 

Viva and pipa virtuoso Wu Man. 


GEORGE GERSHWIN 

Music 

George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn on 

September 26, 1898, and began his musical training 

when he was 13. At 16 he quit high school to 

work as a “song plugger” for a music publisher, 

and soon he was writing songs himself. 

“Swanee,” as introduced by Al Jolson, brought 

George his first real fame and led to his writing a 

succession of 22 musical comedies, most with his 

older brother, Ira. The Gershwins’ shows include 

Lady Be Good; Oh, Kay!; Strike Up The Band; Girl 

Crazy; and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Of Thee I 

Sing. From his early career George had ambitions 

to compose serious music. These ambitions were 

realized in some of his masterpieces, among them 

“Rhapsody In Blue,” “Concerto In F,” “An 

American In Paris” and “Second Rhapsody.” In 

the late ’20s George became fascinated by the 

DuBose Heyward novel Porgy, recognizing it as a 

perfect vehicle for opera using jazz and blues idioms. 

George’s “folk opera” Porgy and Bess opened 

in Boston on September 30, 1935, and had its 

Broadway premiere two weeks later. In 1937 

George was at the height of his career. While 

working on the score of The Goldwyn Follies in 

Hollywood, he collapsed, and on July 11, died of 

a brain tumor. He was not quite 39 years old. 

DUBOSE HEYWARD 

Librettist/Lyricist 

DuBose Heyward (1885–1940) was a native and 

life-long resident of Charleston, South Carolina. 

Although born into modest economic circumstances, 

he was of an old Charleston family and 

his ancestors were prominent members of 

Charleston society, one of whom, Thomas 

Heyward, Jr., was a signer of the United States 

Declaration of Independence. In the early 1920s, 

Heyward co-founded the Poetry Society of South 

Carolina and co-published Carolina Chansons: 

Legends of the Low Country, which established his 

reputation as an American poet. In 1923 Heyward 

married Dorothy Hartzell Kuhns (1890–1961), 

whom he had met the previous year at the 

MacDowell Colony, an artists’ retreat in New 

Hampshire, and who was an aspiring author from 

Ohio. He then devoted himself full-time to writing. 

The first major result of this effort was the 

novel, Porgy, published with great success in 1925. 

In his 2000 biography of Heyward, James 

Hutchisson describes Porgy as the first major southern 

novel to present African Americans realistically 

and without condescension. Dorothy inspired, 

and collaborated in, the transformation of Porgy 


Creative Team 

into a play, which ran a total of 367 performances 

on Broadway. The Heywards later collaborated 

with George and Ira Gershwin in the creation of 

the opera, Porgy and Bess, contributing the libretto, 

based largely on the play, and co-writing many of 

the songs. Heyward’s many other works include 

the novel, Mamba’s Daughters, which he, together 

with Dorothy, transformed into a play. Mamba’s 

Daughters successfully opened in New York in 

1939, with Ethel Waters in the cast; a 1997/1998 

production was awarded an Obie, and was also 

presented at the 1999 Spoleto Festival in 

Charleston. Among his other works were the play, 

Brass Ankle, the novella, Half Pint Flask, and the 

novel, Peter Ashley, all of which portray the lives of 

African Americans in Charleston and the surrounding 

low country. He also wrote (for his 

daughter, Jenifer) Country Bunny and the Little Gold 

Shoes, which became an American classic children’s 

book, and the screenplays for the movie versions 

of Eugene O’Neill’s Emperor Jones, starring 

Paul Robeson, and Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth. 

IRA GERSHWIN 

Lyricist 

Ira Gershwin, the first songwriter to be awarded 

the Pulitzer Prize, was born in New York City on 

December 6, 1896. In 1917 The Evening Sun published 

his first song (“You May Throw All The 

Rice You Desire But Please Friends, Throw No 

Shoes”). Four years later Ira enjoyed his first 

major stage success, Two Little Girls in Blue, written 

with another Broadway newcomer, Vincent 

Youmans. In 1924 Ira and his brother, George, 

created the smash hit Lady Be Good and went on 

to continue their remarkable collaboration 

through a dozen major stage scores, producing 

such standards as “Fascinating Rhythm,” “The 

Man I Love,” “S’ Wonderful,” “Embraceable 

You,” “I Got Rhythm,” “But Not For Me” and 

others far too numerous to mention. During his 

long career, Ira also enjoyed productive collaborations 

with such songwriters as Harold Arlen, 

Vernon Duke, Kurt Weill, Burton Lane and 

Jerome Kern, with whom he created his greatest 

song hit of any one year, “Long Ago And Far 

Away.” Ira Gershwin died on August 17, 1983, 

in Beverly Hills, California. 

SUZAN-LORI PARKS 

Adapter/Additional Scenes 

A.R.T.: The America Play. Named one of Time 

magazine’s “100 Innovators for the Next New 

Wave,” Ms. Parks’ plays include The Book of 

Grace, In the Blood (2000 Pulitzer Prize finalist),

creative team (continued) 

Venus (1996 OBIE Award), The Death of the Last 

Black Man in the Whole Entire World, Father 

Comes Home from the War Part I: The Union of My 

Confederate Parts, Fucking A, Imperceptible 

Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom (1990 OBIE 

Award for Best New American Play), and 

Topdog/Underdog (Broadway) for which she won 

the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama becoming the 

first African-American woman to do so. Ms. 

Parks has a leading acting role in The Making of 

Plus One, which premiered at the Cannes Film 

Festival. She’s written screenplays for Brad Pitt, 

Denzel Washington, Girl 6, written for Spike Lee, 

and adapted Zora Neale Hurston’s classic novel 

Their Eyes Were Watching God, which premiered 

on ABC’s “Oprah Winfrey Presents.” In 2007, 

her project 365 Days/365 Plays was produced in 

over 700 theaters worldwide, creating one of the 

largest grassroots collaborations in theater history. 

Parks’ first novel, Getting Mother’s Body, 

(Random House, 2003) is set in the west Texas of 

her youth. A student of James Baldwin, with 

whom she credits the launch of her interest in 

playwriting, Ms. Parks is a MacArthur “Genius” 

Award recipient, and has been awarded grants 

by the National Endowment of the Arts, the 

Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, 

and the New York State Council on the Arts. She 

is recipient of a Lila-Wallace Reader’s Digest 

Award, a CalArts/Alpert Award, a Guggenheim 

Foundation Grant and is an alumna of Mount 

Holyoke College and New Dramatists. Her work 

is the subject of the PBS film The Topdog Diaries. 

Ms. Parks is at work on her second novel and 

her Ray Charles musical, Unchain My Heart, is 

scheduled to premiere on Broadway within the 

coming year. She teaches at NYU, and is currently 

performing her experimental solo show, 

Watch Me Work at the Public Theater, where she 

serves as Master Writer Chair. Please visit 

Suzanloriparks.com. 

DIEDRE L. MURRAY 

Musical Adapter 

A.R.T.: Best of Both Worlds (composer). Pulitzer 

Prize finalist, two-time OBIE Award winner, innovative 

composer, cellist, and producer. In the 

1970s and 1980s, she pioneered the use of the 

cello as a jazz and new world music instrument 

touring extensively worldwide. Musical and theater 

works: Unending Pain, a choral/chamber 

work (co-presented by the Performance Garage 

and the Whitney Museum of American Art); 

Let’s Go Down to the River, a score for octet, 

Willasau Jazz Festival in Switzerland; The Eves of 

Nhor, a string trio for National Dutch Radio and 

De Effenaar Festival in Eindhoven Holland; 

Kamerados, for mixed ensemble, The Women’s 

Improviser Festival in New York; Five Minute 

Tango, a score for the inaugural concert at the 

Danny Kaye/Sylvia Fine Playhouse, performed 

by the Manhattan Brass Quintet; The 

Conversation for the Seattle-based New 

Performance Group at the Walker Arts Center in 

Minnesota; You Don’t Miss the Water, a musictheater 

piece, in collaboration with noted poet 

Cornelius Eady, produced by the Music-Theatre 

Group (MTG); FANGS; Women In The Dunes, a 

dance piece created by Blondel Cummings for 

the Japan Society; the jazz-opera Running Man, 

for which she wrote the original story and score, 

and book with Cornelius Eady, Here Theatre in 

New York City (two OBIE Awards, finalist for the 

1999 Pulitzer Prize for Drama); music arrangements 

for Eli’s Coming (OBIE Award), Vineyard 

Theatre; In 2006 Ms. Murray composed the 

music for the Music Theater Group/Kathryn 

Walker production of the Rage of Achilles and the 

Odyssey which was performed at the Lensic 

Theater in Santa Fe; The Blackamour Angel, an 

opera written by Carl Hancock Rux, Bard 

College; an adaptation by Diane Paulus of James 

Baldwin’s Another Country, Columbia University; 

an adaptation of The Voice Within with Marcus 

Gardley, Harlem Stage and the Apollo Theatre. 

Current projects include a new musical, Sweet 

Billy and the Zooloo’s, with writer Lynn Nottage, 

for Colored Girl Productions; and Patient Zero, 

book by Cornelius Eady for the Music Theater 

Group for a production scheduled for 2012. Ms. 

Murray has received numerous grants and 

awards for her work as a composer. She received 

a B.S. degree from Hunter College in ethnomusicology, 

and has appeared on over 100 recordings 

as a cellist. 

DIANE PAULUS 

Director 

Artistic Director of the A.R.T., where her directing 

credits include: Prometheus Bound, Death 

and the Powers: The Robots’ Opera (premiered 

in Monaco in September 2010), Johnny 

Baseball, Best of Both Worlds and The Donkey 

Show, a disco adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s 

Dream, which ran for six years Off-Broadway. 

Her recent theater credits include The Public 

Theater’s revival of HAIR on Broadway (2009 

Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a 

Musical, nominated for eight Tony Awards including 

Best Director, as well as winner of a 

Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award 

and Drama League Award for Best Revival of a 



Musical), and in the West End. Other recent 

work includes Kiss Me, Kate (Glimmerglass 

Opera) and Lost Highway (ENO co-production 

with the Young Vic). Opera credits include Il 

Mondo Della Luna (Gotham Chamber Opera at 

the Hayden Planetarium), Don Giovanni, Le nozze 

di Figaro, Turn Of The Screw, Cosi fan tutte; and Il 

ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, L’incoronazione di Poppea 

and Orfeo at the Chicago Opera Theater. Diane is 

a Professor of the Practice of Theater at Harvard 

University. This year Paulus was named one of 

the “50 Most Powerful Women in Boston” by 

Boston magazine and received the 2011 Elliot 

Norton Award for Best Director for her work on 

Prometheus Bound, Johnny Baseball and HAIR. 

She is a recent recipient of an Honorary 

Doctorate from Boston Conservatory. 

RONALD K. BROWN 

Choreographer 

A.R.T.: Debut. Founder and Artistic Director of 

Evidence, A Dance Company, a New York-based 

contemporary dance ensemble since 1985. Has 

also created work for the African American Dance 

Ensemble, Philadanco, Cleo Parker Robinson 

Dance Ensemble, Dayton Contemporary Dance 

Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 

(Grace in 1999, Serving Nia in 2001, IFE/My Heart 

2005 and Dancing Spirit during special tribute season), 

Ailey II, Cinque Folkloric Dance Theater, 

Jennifer Muller/The Works and Jeune Ballet 

d’Afrique Noire. He has collaborated with composer/designer 

Omotayo Wunmi Olaiya, the late 

writer Craig G. Harris, director Ernie McClintock’s 

Jazz Actors Theater, choreographers Patricia 

Hoffbauer and Rokiya Kone, and composers 

Robert Een, Oliver Lake, Bernadette Speech, 

David Simons and Don Meissner. Awards and fellowships 

include a John Simon Guggenheim 

Memorial Foundation Fellowship in 

Choreography, a National Endowment for the 

Arts Choreographer’s Fellowship, a New York 

Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in choreography, 

New York Dance and Performance Award 

(Bessie), a Black Theater Alliance Award, the 

American Dance Festival Humphrey/Weidman/ 

Limón Award, and fellowships from the Edward 

and Sally van Lier Fund. In addition, Brown was 

named Def Dance Jam Workshop Mentor of the 

Year in 2000. In 2003, he received an AUDELCO 

(Black Theatre Award) for his choreography for 

Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats, 

originally produced by the McCarter Theater and 

presented off-Broadway in 2003. In fall 2006, 

Brown received The United States Artists Rose 

Fellowship, being one of only four choreographers 

out of fifty artists to receive the inaugural 

award. He is a member of Stage Directors and 

Choreographers Society. 

RICCARDO HERNANDEZ 

Set Designer 

A.R.T.: Close to 20 credits, including most recently 

Prometheus Bound, Best of Both Worlds, The 

Seagull, Julius Caesar, Britannicus and 

Marat/Sade. On Broadway he designed The People 

in the Picture (Studio 54); Caroline, or Change (also 

National Theatre London); Topdog/Underdog (also 

Royal Court, London); Elaine Stritch at Liberty (also 

West End’s Old Vic, London and national tour); 

Parade Hal Prince director (Tony and Drama Desk 

nominations); Bells Are Ringing; Noise/Funk (also 

national tours and Japan); The Tempest. Other 

New York credits: Over two dozen productions at 

New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater; as 

well as Lincoln Center, Second Stage, NYTW, 

MTC, MCC, Playwrights Horizons, Cherry Lane, 

BAM; and numerous regional theaters: Guthrie, 

Goodman, Taper, etc. Opera: Lyric Opera of 

Chicago, San Francisco Opera, NYCO, Houston 

Grand and most recently Il Postino for Los Angeles 

Opera, Opera de Chatelet Paris, Theater an der 

Wien and Lost Highway (London’s English 

National Opera/Young Vic) directed by Diane 

Paulus. Also: Avignon Festival, Festival Automne 

Paris, Oslo National Theater, Det Norske Teatret, 

Norway. Upcoming: Die Entfuhrung Aus dem Serail 

for Opera de Nice, France. 

ESOSA 

Costume Designer 

A.R.T.: Best of Both Worlds. Broadway: 

Topdog/Underdog, also London and various regional 

theaters. Off Broadway: By the Way, Meet 

Vera Stark and Trust, Second Stage; Break of Noon, 

MCC, also Geffen Playhouse; The Capeman, 

Delacorte; Juan and John; Father Comes Home 

from the Wars, Parts 1, 8 & 9, Public Labs; Romeo 

and Juliet, The Public Theater and Shakespeare in 

the Park; The Story and Radiant Baby, The Public 

Theater. Regional: Ruined, Arena Stage; Twist, 

Alliance; Measure for Measure and American Night, 

Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Fences, Geva 

Theatre. 2003 Audelco Award and 2006 TDF/ 

Irene Sharaff Young Master Award. ESosa is a 

“Project Runway” Season 7 finalist. 

CHRISTOPHER AKERLIND 

Lighting Designer 

A.R.T.: The Seagull, Britannicus, Island of Slaves, 

Orpheus X, Olly’s Prison, Desire Under the Elms, 

Oedipus, La Dispute, Uncle Vanya, Enrico IV, 



and Misalliance. Broadway: Superior Donuts, Top 

Girls, 110 In The Shade (Tony nom.), Talk Radio, 

Shining City, Awake and Sing! (Tony nom.), Well, 

Rabbit Hole, A Touch of the Poet, In My Life, The Tale 

of the Allergist’s Wife, Reckless, The Piano Lesson, 

Seven Guitars (Tony nom.), and The Light in the 

Piazza (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics’ Circle 

Awards). Recent credits include Groove Lily’s new 

musical Sleeping Beauty Wakes (La Jolla 

Playhouse/McCarter Theatre), Ariadne auf Naxos 

(Opera Nationale de Bordeaux), The Emperor of 

Atlantis/After Image (Boston Lyric Opera), 

Kafeneion (Athens/Epidaurus Festival), Franco 

Dragone’s holiday circus K’do! (Foret Nationale, 

Brussels), All My Sons (Huntington Theatre), and 

the world premiere of Phillip Glass’s opera, 

Appomattox (San Francisco Opera). His extensive 

credits in opera include productions at the Boston 

Lyric, Bordeaux, Dallas, Glimmerglass, Hamburg, 

Houston, Los Angeles, Metropolitan, Minnesota, 

New York City, Nissei, San Francisco, Washington 

National, and Santa Fe operas, and over 50 productions 

for Opera Theater of Saint Louis where 

he was Resident Lighting Designer for twelve 

years. He is the recipient of an OBIE Award for 

Sustained Excellence in Lighting Design, the 

Michael Merritt Award for Design and 

Collaboration and numerous nominations for the 

Drama Desk, Lucile Lortel, Outer Critics Circle 

and Tony Awards. 

ACME SOUND PARTNERS 

Sound Design 

A.R.T.: Johnny Baseball. Over 30 Broadway 

shows since 2000 including: Bengal Tiger at the 

Baghdad Zoo (Tony nomination), The Merchant of 

Venice, Lombardi, Fences (Tony nomination), The 

Addams Family, Ragtime, Hair (Tony nomination), 

In The Heights (Tony Nomination), [title of show], 

Legally Blonde, A Chorus Line (2006), The Drowsy 

Chaperone, The Light in the Piazza, Monty Python’s 

Spamalot, Avenue Q, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and 

La Bohème. Acme is Tom Clark, Mark Menard, 

Nevin Steinberg and Sten Severson. 

WILLIAM DAVID BROHN 

Orchestrations 

A.R.T.: Debut. Orchestrations: Miss Saigon, Martin 

Guerre, Crazy For You, The Secret Garden, Wicked, 

Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, My Fair Lady, 

Oliver!, Betty Blue Eyes, Witches of Eastwick, Sweet 

Smell of Success, Curtains, Ragtime (1998 Tony 

Award—Best Orchestrations), Dessa Rose, A Man 

of No Importance, The Three Musketeers, Marguerite, 

Wuthering Heights, High Society, Show Boat, Jerome 

Robbins’ Broadway, Gone With the Wind, Hey Mr. 

Producer, Busker Alley, The Red Shoes, 110 in the 

Shade, King of Hearts. Arranger: O! Freedom (with 

Jack Waddell). Recordings: Joshua Bell (Gershwin 

album/West Side Story Suite), Andre Previn, 

Prokofiev “Alexander Nevsky” (Reconstruction), 

Marilyn Horne, Placido Domingo. 

CHRISTOPHER JAHNKE 

Orchestrations 

A.R.T.: Debut. Orchestrations: Dessa Rose, A Man 

of No Importance, Legally Blonde (2011 Olivier 

Award Best Musical), Cry-Baby, Grease (2007 revival), 

Tom Jones (Stiles/Leigh), Chasing Nicolette, 

The Toxic Avenger Musical, Not Wanted On The 

Voyage (Bartram & Hill), Just So (Stiles & Drewe), 

Dear World. New orchestrations for Les Misérables 

(Broadway/U.S. tour/Madrid/Netherlands/ 

London/UK tour/Dutch cast album/25th anniversary 

cast album/O2 arena concert in London, UK, 

DVD/Blu-ray). Assistant to William David Brohn: 

Sweet Smell of Success, Ragtime, The Three 

Musketeers (Stiles/Leigh), The Witches of Eastwick, 

Mary Poppins, Wicked. Music Producer/Music 

Supervisor of Memphis (Tony Award Best Musical 

2010). Current: Music Producer/Arranger of 

Operation: Mindcrime with actor Adam Pascal and 

writer Micah Schraft. 

DAVID LOUD 

Music Director 

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: The Scottsboro Boys, 

Ragtime, Curtains, Sondheim On Sondheim, Steel 

Pier, A Class Act, The Look of Love and revivals of 

She Loves Me, Sweeney Todd, Company and The 

Boys From Syracuse. Off-Broadway: And the World 

Goes ’Round, for which he wrote the vocal and 

dance arrangements, and Pacific Overtures. 

Regional: The Visit (world premiere), Harold and 

Maude (world premiere), First You Dream, Billy 

Bishop Goes to War. He recently created the 

arrangements for two acclaimed concerts in 

New York: All the Things You Are (Songs of 

Jerome Kern) and On a Clear Day: the Musical 

Vision of Burton Lane. Acting credits: originated 

three roles on Broadway: Curtains (Sasha) 

Terrence McNally’s Master Class (Manny) and 

Harold Prince’s original production of Stephen 

Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along (Ted). He is a 

graduate of Yale University and has served on 

the faculty of the Yale School of Drama. 

SHEILAH WALKER 

Conductor 

A. R. T.: Debut. Winner of the 2005, 2006 Leon 

Rabin Award for Outstanding Music Direction 

for Ragtime and Urinetown, Dallas-Ft. Worth area. 



Music Supervisor for Ragtime in London, starring 

Maria Friedman. Music Director/Conductor: 

National tour of Ragtime, with David Loud, supervisor; 

two national tours of Fiddler on the 

Roof, starring Theodore Bikel; national tour of 

Funny Girl, starring Deborah Gibson; national 

tour of Oprah Winfrey’s production of The Color 

Purple, starring Fantasia (NAACP Theatre Award 

nomination for Best Music Direction in Los 

Angeles). Broadway: Fiddler on the Roof (associate 

conductor) starring Topol, Don’t Get God Started 

with BeBe Winans. National tours of The Mystery 

of Edwin Drood, Grand Hotel, South Pacific and 

Hello, Dolly!, with Jean Stapleton, Joel Grey, 

Liliane Montevecchi and Carol Channing. Tours 

in Europe, Japan, Canada and Puerto Rico as pianist/accompanist 

for several theater productions. 

Acting credits: Ain’t Misbehavin’ and 

Tintypes, Dallas-Ft. Worth; Barnum (Joyce Heth), 

New Mexico. Vocal coach/accompanist in New 

York; former head of the Vocal Department at 

Dallas Arts Magnet High School, receiving a 

teacher of the year award for outstanding work. 

BRIAN HERTZ 

Associate Conductor/Piano/Celeste 

A.R.T.: Debut. Pianist for the Radio City 

Christmas Spectacular; played in the Broadway 

orchestras of Shrek, 9 to 5, The Little Mermaid, 

Avenue Q, Legally Blonde, Xanadu, Les Misérables, 

Sister Act. Assistant conductor at Avenue Q and 

Altar Boyz. National tours: Legally Blonde 

(Associate Music Director), Wonderful Town 

(Associate Conductor); Paper Mill Playhouse: 

Peter Pan (conductor), Forum (keyboards), Full 

Monty (keyboards). Ithaca College grad. 

TELSEY + COMPANY 

Casting 

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway/Tours: SPIDER-MAN: 

Turn Off the Dark, The Normal Heart, Baby It’s You!, 

Sister Act, Catch Me If You Can, Priscilla Queen of 

the Desert, The Addams Family, Memphis, Rock of 

Ages, Wicked, Bring It On, Next to Normal, 9 to 5, 

Peepshow in Vegas. Off-Broadway: Rent, Million 

Dollar Quartet, Atlantic, MCC, Signature. Film: 

The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Joyful Noise, Friends 

with Kids, Margin Call, Howl, Sex and the City 1 & 

2, Jonah Hex, Main Street, The Other Woman, I Love 

You Phillip Morris, Rachel Getting Married, Dan in 

Real Life, Then She Found Me, Across the Universe, 

Ira & Abby, Rent, Pieces of April, Camp, The Grey 

Zone, Finding Forrester, The Bone Collector. TV: 

“Smash,” “A Gifted Man,” “The Big C,” “Ugly 

Betty” (pilot), “Whoopi,” HBO’s “Undefeated,” 

commercials. www.telseyandco.com. 

NANCY HARRINGTON 

Associate Director/ 

Production Stage Manager 

A.R.T.: Children of Heracles, Prometheus 

Bound, Death and the Powers. Broadway: 

Collaborator of Bill Irwin for 28 years, one of 

the creators of the Tony Award-winning Fool 

Moon, Largely NY & The Regard of Flight. Other 

Broadway: The Rainmaker, Uncle Vanya, A View 

From The Bridge, The Full Monty, The Play What I 

wrote, I Am My Own Wife, HAIR. Other projects 

with Ms. Paulus include: Capeman, Turandot— 

Rumble For The Ring, HAIR also in Central Park, 

London, and national tour. In Additional: 60 

premiere productions of New American plays 

and musicals, over 200 productions worldwide. 

DENISE L. WOODS 

Dialect Coach 

A.R.T.: Debut. Denise Woods’ work as a dialect 

coach includes working with Academy Awardnominated 

actors Will Smith (Ali) and Ken 

Watanabe (The Last Samurai). Woods has worked 

as a vocal coach with “NBC Nightly News,” 

CNBC, “The Today Show,” CNN, “Inside 

Edition” and “KTLA News.” Some of her clients 

include Phylicia Rashad, Ellen Burstyn, Jeanne 

Tripplehorn, Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Paul 

Rodriguez, Ray Liotta, Porscia Derossi, Rachel 

Weisz, Forest Whitaker, Maggie Gyllenhaal and 

Mike Myers. She is a graduate and former faculty 

member of The Juilliard School and is currently 

on faculty at California Institute of the Arts. 

RYAN McKITTRICK 

A.R.T. Dramaturg 

A.R.T.: Lead dramaturg on more than thirty productions, 

half of which were world premieres. 

He is the A.R.T. Dramaturg and Co-Head of the 

A.R.T. Institute’s Dramaturgy Program. He received 

his M.F.A. in Dramaturgy from the 

A.R.T./Moscow Art Theatre School Institute for 

Advanced Theater Training at Harvard and his 

B.A. in History and Literature from Harvard. He 

is also a Lecturer in Dramatic Arts at Harvard 

University and a Lecturer in Theater Arts at 

Brandeis University. His articles on theater have 

appeared in The Boston Globe, Correspondence, 

Theatre and The Boston Phoenix. He is a recipient 

of the TCG New Generations Award and the 

NTC Scholarship Award. His co-translations 

with Julia Smeliansky include Anton Chekhov’s 

Lady with a Lapdog, Rezo Gabriadze’s Forbidden 

Christmas and The Selected Letters of Olga 

Bokshanskaya. 



JULIE BALDAUFF 

Stage Manager 

A.R.T.: Children of Herakles, Death and the 

Powers: The Robots’ Opera. Broadway: Hair, The 

Wedding Singer, I Am My Own Wife, King Lear, 

Henry IV parts 1 & 2, The Play What I Wrote, The 

Full Monty, Fool Moon, The Little Foxes, The 

Rehearsal, Summer and Smoke, Getting Away with 

Murder. Off-Broadway: You Never Can Tell, 

Roundabout; Prides Crossing, LCT; Arms and the 

Man, Roundabout; Hapgood, LCT. Regional: 

Death and the Powers: The Robots’ Opera, Monaco 

and Chicago; I Am My Own Wife, European and 

U.S. tour; The Children of Herakles, European 

tour; Fool Moon, Kennedy Center; and six seasons 

and more than twenty productions at The 

Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. 

SHARIKA NILES 

Assistant Stage Manager 

A.R.T. Debut. Broadway: The Color Purple, First 

National Tour. Other credits: Seed; Without You 

(Korea); P**ssy Valley; Indomitable; F**king A; See 

What I Wanna See; All That I Will Ever Be; Flow; 

The Seven; Satellites; Richard III; Well; Take Me 

Out; Helen; House Arrest; A Winter’s Tale; 

Slanguage; Cavedweller; Suburbia; Caroline, or 

Change; Two Gentleman of Verona; This Is How It 

Goes; The Book of Grace; Summerstage NYC; The 

Apollo Theater; KCD Worldwide; The Public 

Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival; HBO; 

Lincoln Center. Film: Our Song. 

MIA WALKER 

Assistant Director 

A.R.T.: Prometheus Bound, Johnny Baseball. 

New York: Paul Simon’s The Capeman (The 

Public Theater, dir. Diane Paulus). Trained at The 

Berkshire Theatre Festival, American 

Conservatory Theater, NYU Tisch and Vassar 

Powerhouse. Resident Director at The Flea 

Theater, where she directed the world premiere 

of Trista Baldwin’s American Sexy. B.A. in Film 

Production/Studies (Magna Cum Laude), 

Harvard University. 

ARCELL CABUAG 

Assistant Choreographer 

A.R.T.: Debut. Associate Artistic Director and senior 

dancer of the Ronald K. Brown Evidence 

Dance Company. He has assisted Brown in creating 

work on Ballet Hispanico, MUNTU, 

Philadanco and the Alvin Ailey American Dance 

Theater. 2004 recipient of the New York Dance 

Bessie Award. Dance credits include: Paramount 

Picture’s Rock the House, California; The Shoji 

Tabuchi Show, Branson, Missouri; the Richard 

Rodgers Centennial Production of The King and I, 

Paper Mill Playhouse. Television: Episode 

“Choreographed” on “Law and Order: SVU.” 

Commercial: “Codorinu” with Pilobolus. 

NEIL GROVER 

Orchestra Coordinator 

A.R.T.: Debut. Principal: Boston Musical Services. 

Founder: Grover Pro Percussion, Inc. On the 

Board of Directors of Percussive Arts Society 

(Indianapolis, Ind.), Margaret & H.A. Rey Center 

(Waterville Valley, NH) and Winchester 

Community Music School (Winchester, MA). He 

has lectured in music at more than 100 universities 

throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and 

Australasia, a published author (Alfred Music) 

and a former faculty member of Boston 

Conservatory, University of Massachusetts. 

Grover attended Florida State University. New 

England Conservatory. 

J. JARED JANAS & ROB GREENE 

Wig/Hair Design 

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: All About Me, Next to 

Normal. Other: By the Way, Meet Vera Stark 

(world premiere), Twist, Alliance Theatre; 

Curtains and Peter Pan, Paper Mill Playhouse; 

Meet Me in St. Louis, TUTS; NEWSical; Beebo 

Brinker Chronicles; Shout!; Smokey Joe’s Café; 

Speech and Debate; Oroonoko; Ohio State Murders; 

M. Butterfly; Tea and Sympathy; Accomplices; 

Dinah Was; Silence! the Musical; Trouble in 

Paradise. National Tour: The Full Monty. 

Television: “The Supreme Court” (PBS documentary). 

They have also built wigs currently seen in 

Wicked, The Addams Family, How to Succeed… 

and Jersey Boys. 

Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of 

Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. 

Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents 

more than 45,000 actors and stage managers in the United 

States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre 

as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and 

working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health 

and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated 

with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The 

Equity emblem is our mark of excellence. www.actorsequity.org 

The scenic, costume, lighting and sound designers in 

LORT Theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists 

Local USA-829 IATSE. 

A.R.T. Musicians are members of the Boston Musicians’ 

Association, Local 9-535 which has protected the interests 

of musicians and promoted the art of live music since 1896. 

GERSHWIN is a registered Trade Mark of Gershwin Enterprises, 

and PORGY AND BESS is a registered Trade Mark of Porgy and 

Bess Enterprises 


About the A.R.T. 

Diane Paulus, Artistic Director 

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is one of the country’s most celebrated resident 

theaters and the winner of numerous awards, including the Tony Award, the Pulitzer Prize 

and regional Elliot Norton and I.R.N.E. Awards. In May of 2003 it was named one of the 

top three regional theaters in the country by Time magazine. The A.R.T. was founded by 

Robert Brustein in 1980, who served as Artistic Director until 2002, when he was succeeded 

by Robert Woodruff. In 2008, Diane Paulus became the A.R.T.’s Artistic Director. During its 

31-year history, the A.R.T. has welcomed many major American and international theater 

artists, presenting a diverse repertoire that includes premieres of American plays, bold reinterpretations 

of classical texts and provocative new music theater productions. The A.R.T. 

has performed throughout the U.S. and worldwide in 21 cities in 16 countries on four 

continents. 

The A.R.T. is also a training ground for young artists. The Theater’s artistic staff teaches 

undergraduate classes in acting, directing, dramatic literature, dramaturgy, voice, and design 

at Harvard University. In 1987, the A.R.T. founded the Institute for Advanced Theater 

Training at Harvard University. A two-year, five-semester graduate program that operates 

in conjunction with the Moscow Art Theater School, the Institute provides world-class 

professional training in acting, dramaturgy and voice. 

Since becoming the A.R.T.’s Artistic Director, Diane Paulus has programmed innovative 

work that has enhanced the A.R.T.’s core mission to expand the boundaries of theater. 

Productions such as Sleep No More, The Donkey Show, Gatz, The Blue Flower and 

Prometheus Bound have immersed audiences in original theatrical experiences. The 

A.R.T.’s club theater, OBERON, which Paulus calls a “second stage for the 21st century,” 

has become an incubator for local artists and has also attracted national attention for its 

groundbreaking model for programming. Through all of its work, the A.R.T. is committed 

to building a community of artists, technicians, educators, staff and audience, all of whom 

are integral to the A.R.T.’s mission to expand the boundaries of theater. 

A.R.T. Board of Trustees 

Donald Ware, Chairman 

Philip Burling 

Paul Buttenwieser 

Kevin Cole Costin 

Mike Dreese 

Michael Feinstein 

Provost Alan M. Garber 

Lori Gross 

Ann Gund 

Sarah Hancock 

Fumi Matsumoto 

Rebecca Milikowsky 

Ward Mooney 

Diane Paulus 

James Rhee 

Diana Sorensen 

Lisbeth Tarlow 

A.R.T. Board of Advisors 

Kathleen Connor, Co-Chair 

Rachael Goldfarb, Co-Chair 

Frances Shtull Adams 

Joseph Auerbach* 

Page Bingham 

Greg Carr 

Antonia Handler Chayes* 

Susan Cohen 

Susan Edgman-Levitan 

Erin Gilligan 

Barbara Grossman 

Horace H. Irvine II 

Dan Mathieu 

Natalie Reed 

Ellen Gordon Reeves 

Linda U. Sanger 

Maggie Seelig 

John A. Shane 

Michael Shinagel 

Sam Weisman 

Alfred Wojciechowski 

Yuriko Jane Young 

Founding Director 

Robert Brustein 

*Emeriti 


A.R.T./MXAT Institute 

For Advanced Theater Training 

Scott Zigler, Director Julia Smeliansky, Administrative Director 

Marcus Stern, Associate Director 

Nancy Houfek, Head of Voice and Speech Andrei Droznin, Head of Movement 

Anatoly Smeliansky, Co-Head of Dramaturgy Ryan McKittrick, Co-Head of Dramaturgy 

American Repertory Theater 

Diane Paulus, Artistic Director/CEO 

Moscow Art Theater School 

Anatoly Smeliansky, Head 

The Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard was established in 1987 by the 

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) as a training ground for the professional American theater. Its 

programs are fully integrated with the activities of the A.R.T. In the summer of 1998, the Institute 

commenced a historic joint program with the Moscow Art Theater (MXAT) School. Students engage 

with two invaluable resources: the work of the A.R.T. and that of the MXAT, as well as their affiliated 

schools. Together, this exclusive partnership offers students opportunities for training and 

growth unmatched by any program in the country. 

The core program features a rigorous two-year, five-semester period of training in acting, 

dramaturgy, or voice pedagogy, during which students work closely with the professionals at 

the A.R.T. and the MXAT as well as with the best master teachers from the United States and 

Russia. At the end of the program, students receive a Certificate of Achievement from the faculty 

of the American Repertory Theater and an M.F.A. Degree from the faculty of the Moscow 

Art Theater School. 

Further information about this program can be obtained by calling the Institute for a free catalog 

at (617) 495-2668 or going to our web site at www.harvardtheatertraining.org. 

Faculty 

Donna Ames 

Singing 

Robert Brustein Criticism and Dramaturgy 

Erin Cooney 

Yoga 

Thomas Derrah 

Acting 

Andrei Droznin 

Movement 

Jane Guyer Fujita 

Voice 

Tatyana Gassel Russian Language and Culture 

Jeremy Geidt 

Acting 

David Hammond 

Acting, Shakespeare 

Arthur Holmberg Theater History, Dramaturgy 

Nancy Houfek 

Voice and Speech 

Robert Lada 

Alexander Technique 

Jodi Leigh Allen 

Coordinator of 

Movement Training 

Will Lebow 

Voice-over 

Ryan McKittrick Dramaturgy, Dramatic Literature 

Pamela Murray 

Singing 

Robert Najarian 

Combat 

Diane Paulus 

Theater Practice 

Anatoly Smeliansky Theater History, Dramaturgy 

Julia Smeliansky History of Set Design, Translation 

Marcus Stern 

Acting 

Tommy Thompson Alexander Technique 

Catherine Ulissey 

Ballet 

Robert Walsh 

Combat 

Sam Weisman 

Director of Professional 

Development 

Scott Zigler 

Acting, Dramaturgy 

Staff 

Angela DeVivo 

Chelsea Keating 

Christopher Viklund 

Skip Curtiss 

Acting 

David Abrams 

Milia Ayache 

Elizabeth Bates 

Kristen Alyson Browne 

Matthew Christian 

Liza Dickinson 

Samantha Eggers 

Marisa Fratto 

Teri Gamble 

Ashruf Ghanimah 

Alison Gregory 

Dustyn Gulledge 

Elijah Guo 

Rose Hogan 

Megan Hopp 

Amen Igbinosun 

Carl James 

Michael Kane 

Rushi Kota 

Luke Lehner 

Lindsey Liberatore 

Lisa Maley 

Mark Parrish 

Scott Ray 

Sarah Beth Roberts 

Adeola Role 

Lanise Shelley 

Financial Aid 

Institute Associate 

Production Manager 

Technical Director 

Henry Austin Shikongo 

Dereks Thomas 

Robert Torres 

Katherine Vos 

Roland Walsh 

Luke Woodruff 

Alexandra Wright 

Jing Xu 

Dara Yazdani 

Dramaturgy 

Annie DiMario 

Jenna Clark Embrey 

Christina Farris 

Kenneth Molloy 

Liana Stillman 

Tyler Monroe 

Voice 

Ronald Carlos 

Sarah Jessop 


The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess: 

Sharing a Cultural Treasure 

The American Repertory Theater expresses our sincere thanks to the following generous donors 

whose extraordinary gifts were designated to support the production as well as the expanded 

education and community access programs for The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess: 

Bank of America 

Paul and Katie Buttenwieser 

Philip and Hilary Burling 

Bernadette Mannix Feeney 

Ira and Leonore Gershwin 

Philanthropic Fund 

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE 

Marc George Gershwin and KarmaLoop 

Andrea Gershwin 

Lizbeth and George Krupp 

Frances Gershwin Godowsky Trust Rebecca and Nathan Milikowsky 

Ann and Graham Gund 

Don and Susan Ware 

John Hancock Financial 

Welch and Forbes 

Marcia Head 

Anonymous 

DuBose Heyward Trust 

FRIENDS: 

Jim and Chris Barker; Nancy and David Berman; Michael and Linda Frieze; Paul Traub; Susan Whitehead 

Special thanks to Dan Mathieu and Max Ultimate Food for underwriting the celebratory 

Welcome Reception for The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess cast. 

Annual Fund Donors 

The American Repertory Theater is deeply grateful for the generous Annual Fund support from 

individuals, foundations, corporations and government agencies, whose contributions make our 

work possible. The following gifts were received between August 1, 2010 and August 11, 2011. 

$100,000 and above 

The President and Fellows of Harvard College 

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation 

The Shubert Foundation 

The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust 

$50,000–$99,999 

Anonymous 

The Carr Foundation 

Edgerton Foundation New 

American Plays Award 

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation 

Sarah Hancock 

Hershey Family Foundation 

Rebecca and Nathan Milikowksy 

Lisbeth Tarlow and Stephen Kay 

Don and Susan Ware 

$25,000–$49,999 

Philip and Hilary Burling 

Paul and Katie Buttenwieser 

Michael and Laura Dreese 

$10,000–$24,999 

Anonymous (2) 

Leo L. Beranek Foundation 

Cambridge Trust Company 


Ted and Joan† Cutler 

The E.H.A. Foundation, Inc. 


Massachusetts Cultural Council 

Michael Feinstein and Denise Waldron 

Barbara W. Hostetter 

Horace H. Irvine II 

Heni Koenigsberg 

Fumi and Kako Matsumoto 

Ward K. and Lucy Mooney 

National Corporate Theatre Fund 

National Endowment for the Arts 

Cokie and Lee Perry 

James Rhee 

Greg and Dina Selkoe 

Trust for Mutual Understanding 

Yuriko Jane Young 

$5,000–$9,999 

Anonymous 

Bernard Chiu 

Clarke and Ethel D. Coggeshall 

Susan and Gerald Cohen 

Erin Gilligan and Hoil Kim 

Rachael Goldfarb 

$2,500–$4,999 

Steve and Rosemarie Johnson Maggie and John Seelig 

Dan Mathieu and Neal Balkowitsch/ The Shane Foundation 

MAX Ultimate Food 

Beth Weir 

Bob and Alison Murchison Ted and Mary Wendell 

Janet and Irv Plotkin 

Alfred Wojciechowski and 

Valerie Beth Schwartz Foundation Tammerah Martin 

Anonymous 

Dr. Millicent Bell 

Barbara Wallace Grossman and 

Steve Grossman 


Joseph W. Hammer 

The Roy A. Hunt Foundation 

Paul and Wladzia McCarthy 

Robert and Janine Penfield 

Cynthia Samuelson 

John Travis

annual fund donors (continued) 

$1,000–$2,499 

Anonymous (2) 

Elizabeth Adams 

Frances Shtull Adams 

Sheldon Appel 

Barbara E. Bierer and 

Steven E. Hyman 

Linda Cabot Black Foundation 

Sheldon and Dorothea Buckler 

Candy Kosow Gold 

Jill Goldweitz and Morris Levitz 

Nicholas Greville 

Lori E. Gross 

Gardner Hendrie and 

Karen Johansen 

$500–$999 

Jerome and Sheridan Kassirer 

Lars Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Levitan 

John D.C. Little 

Nick and Jennifer Littlefield 

Gregory Maguire 

James and Marie Marlas 

Alan Muraoka 

Diane Paulus 

Finley and Patricia Perry 

Carol and Steve Pieper 

Dr. Lawrence Pratt 


Andres Rodriguez 

Patricia Romeo-Gilbert and 

Paul B. Gilbert 

The Schneer Foundation 

Michael Shinagel and 

Marjorie North 

Marshall Sirvetz 

Mason and Jeannie Smith 

John Snow, Inc. 

Dr. Clive Standley 

Deborah Sweet and Steven Lazar 

Francis H. Williams 

Zipcar 

Howard and Leslie Appleby 

Leonard and Jane Bernstein 

Diane Borger 

Herrick Chapman and 

Lizabeth Anne Cohen 

Antonia H. Chayes 

Liz Coxe and David Forney 

Thomas Engelman and Laurie Burt 

Howard Gardner 

Dena and Felda Hardymon 

Mr. and Mrs. James Joslin 

Carol and Jonah Kanin 

CC King and Tom Tarpey 

Lawrence Kotin 

Ellen Kulik and Bill Barry 

Liberty Mutual Give with 

Liberty Program 

Barbara Manocherian 

Erica and Bob Mason 

Mark Natale 

NSTAR Foundation 

Jeryl and Stephen Oristaglio 

Vincent Piccirilli and 

Anita Meiklejohn 

Skip Pile and Mary Jane Patrone 

Thomas and Jennifer Pincince 

Sally C. Reid and John D. Sigel 

Charles and Patty Ribakoff 

Janice Saragoni 

Wendy Shattuck and 

Sam Plimpton 

Mark Slovenkai 

Michele Steckler 

Mindee Wasserman, Esq. 

Ms. Kelsey Wirth and 

Dr. Samuel Myers 

Peter and Dyann Wirth 

$250–$499 

Anonymous 

Karen Allen 

Clark and Susana Bernard 

Ronnie Bretholtz 

Paul and Cris Carter 

Judith Chernoff, in honor of 

Audra McDonald 

Robert and Kathleen Garner 

Tiffani Gavin 

Mark Glasser 

Marie and Daniel Glenn 

Dr. Jeffrey and Laurie Goldbarg 

Professor Byron Good and 

Professor Mary-Jo DelVecchio Good 

Homer Hagedorn 

Margaret and Timothy Heitz 

Alison M. Hodges and 

Thomas F. Clarke 

Hurlbut Family Charitable 

Lead Trust 

Dr. Joseph Kahan 

Tosh Kawakami 

Bill and Lisa Laskin 

Mary Pfeifer Lentz and Tom Lentz 

Greg and Mary Beth Lesher 

Lorraine Lyman 

Barbara A. Manzolillo 

Steven and Kelly Migliero 

Michael and Annette Miller 

Evelyn Musser 

Drs. Hilda and Max Perlitsh 

Emily Rooney 

Belinda and Evan Schapiro 

Mary Shannon 

Ellen Simons 

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Snider 

Diana Sorensen 

Stephen Stulck 

Wendell Sykes 

Arnold and Gloria Tofias 

Kirk and Glynis Wood 

† deceased 

In-Kind Supporters 

The A.R.T. thanks the following individual and corporate supporters for their invaluable in-kind donations. 

MAX Ultimate Food/Dan Mathieu & Neal Balkowitsch 

The Weekly Dig 

Boston Beer Company 

Cambridge 1 

The Charles Hotel 

Event Illuminations 

Google Inc. 

Grafton Street 

Grendel’s Den 

Henrietta’s Table 

OM 

Sandrine’s 

Robert Stolzberg 

Tory Row 

The Urban Grape 

Upstairs on the Square 

The Hotel Veritas 

Every effort has been made to ensure that all donor information is accurate, but if you have any 

questions or concerns, please contact the Development Office: 617.496.2000 x8847. 


National Corporate Theatre Fund 

National Corporate Theatre Fund is a not-for-profit corporation created to increase and strengthen 

support from the business community for ten of this country's most distinguished professional 

theatres. The following foundations, individuals and corporations support these theatres through 

their contributions of $10,000 or more to National Corporate Theatre Fund: 

Bank of America # 

Bloomberg 

BNY Mellon * 

Steven Bunson 

Christopher Campbell/ 

Palace Production Center * 

Cisco Systems, Inc. * 

Citi # 

Datacert, Inc. 

Dorsey and Whitney Foundation 

Ernst & Young 

Goldman, Sachs & Co. 


Marsh & McLennan Companies 

The McGraw-Hill Companies # 

MetLife 

Morgan Stanley 

Pfizer, Inc. 

RBC Wealth Management 

RVM/Vincent Brunetti 

salesforce.com * 

Sharp Electronics ^ 

George S. Smith, Jr. 

James S. Turley 

UBS 

USA Today * ^ 

Vernalis Systems ^ 

Wells Fargo # 

Wilkie Farr & Gallagher LLP * 

* NCTF/BNY Mellon Fund for New 

American Theatre 

^ Includes In-kind support 

# NCTF Fund for Theatre Education 

As of June 2011 

A.R.T. in N.Y.C. 

This new initiative is expanding the A.R.T.’s presence and supporters in New York City. The first event, held in June 

2011 in conjunction with Sleep No More, was a success thanks to the work of the A.R.T. in N.Y.C. Committee: 

Kevin Cole Costin, Chair 

Devon Aoki and James Bailey, Jim Bailey and RoAnn Costin, Rachel Berman and David Finch, Caroline Costin, John and 

Jill Dietz, Stephanie Altman Dominus and Andrew Dominus, Leigh Fondakowski, Scott Frankel, David Goldweitz, Erin 

Jacobs and Rob Valentine, Brian Kenny, Annmaria Mazzini and Rob Sedgwick, Brina Milikowsky, Rebecca Milikowsky, 

Becky Mode, Joan Parker, Julia Pearlstein, Julia Pershan and Jonathan Cohen, Gwen and Woody Pier, Ellen Gordon Reeves, 

Maura Costin Scalise and Bob Scalise, Angus Shillington and Lisa Tornell, Todd Shuster, Steven Skybell, Robert Stanton, 

Don and Susan Ware, Ann Wozencraft Willey and Craig Willey 

For more information about getting involved with A.R.T. in N.Y.C. please call the Development Office: 

617.496.2000 x8847 

The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess 

Gala Celebration 

On September 10, 2011, the A.R.T. will celebrate the landmark homecoming of this cultural treasure with a special 

gala, which will raise funds to support the production and its education and outreach activities. For more 

information or to order tickets, please contact Emily O’Neil: 617.496.2000 x8832 or emily_oneil@harvard.edu. 

Honorary Committee 

Governor Deval Patrick and 

First Lady Diane Patrick 

Harvard University President 

Drew Faust 

Dr. Maya Angelou 

Alexis Bittar 

Ted Cutler 

Harry J. Elam, Jr. 

Morgan Freeman 

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. 

John Lithgow 

Diane Paulus 

Stephen Schwartz 

Tommy Tune 

Individual Sponsors 

Jim Bailey and RoAnn Costin 


Ted Cutler 


Steve and Rosemarie Johnson 

GALA SPONSOR: Bank of America 

Event Co-Chairs: Ann Gund, Trustee • Kevin Cole Costin, Trustee 

Host Committee 

Hod Irvine II 

Andrew E.S. Anderson 

Steve and Rosemarie Johnson 

Kathy Connor 

Lizbeth and George Krupp 

Jim Bailey and RoAnn Costin Renée Landers and 

Phil and Hilary Burling 

Thomas L. Barrette, Jr. 

Carol Beggy 

Dan Mathieu 

Paul and Katie Buttenwieser Kathleen McCartney 

Amy Fine Collins and 

Rebecca and Nathan Milikowsky 

Brad Collins, Jr. 

Ward K. and Lucy Mooney 

Daher Interior Design 

Karen and Gary Mueller 

Alan and Suzanne Dworsky David G. Mugar 

Michael Feinstein and 

Bob and Alison Murchison 

Denise Waldron 

Ofer and Shelly Nemirovsky 

Pat Romeo-Gilbert and 


Paul Gilbert 

Saragoni and Company 

Erin Gilligan and Hoil Kim James Swan 

Rachael Goldfarb 

Lis Tarlow and Stephen Kay 

Alicia and Martin Gordon Don and Susan Ware 

Barbara Lemperly-Grant and Yuriko Young 

Frederic Grant 

Wine Sponsor: The Urban Grape 

Sarah Hancock 

As of August 11, 2011 

Priscilla S. Hunt and Richard M. Hunt

A.R.T. EDUCATION EXPERIENCE 

& COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS 

The A.R.T. outreach initiatives are designed to provide 

an unprecedented level of access to A.R.T. artists and productions. 

The Education Experience engages the theater’s resources to provide a 

deep arts education experience for students in the Greater Boston area. 

Each of the A.R.T.’s partner schools enter into a season-long collaboration 

with the A.R.T., during which students are provided subsidized access to 

A.R.T. performances, mentoring opportunities, classroom visits from A.R.T. 

to specific A.R.T. productions. To date, more than 500 students are 

committed to attend The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. 

Community Connections aligns the theater with Greater Boston nonprofit 

organizations, for the purpose of providing under-resourced families 

and individuals with access to high-quality arts experiences. Community 

Connections partners get a custom-built arts program that pairs 

subsidized tickets to the A.R.T. with an array of enrichment programming— 

ranging from private artist talks to creative workshops. 

Our 2011/12 Community Connections Partners: 

Artists for Humanity 

Boston Learning Center 

Downtown Boston Veterans Shelter 

Goddard House 

Mssng Lnks 

MGH Center for 

Community Health Improvement 

Wheelock Family Theater 

YWCA Boston 

The A.R.T. would like to thank the following for being our “connectors”: 

Susan Edgman-Levitan, Erin Gilligan, Mike Feinstein, Sheldon Fisher, 

Sarah Patrick and Ann Moritz. 

Both the A.R.T. Education Experience and A.R.T. Community 

Connections are dependent upon charitable contributions. 

Providing support for education and outreach not only underwrites 

a ticket, but also provides a student or community member with an 

unforgettable arts experience. 

A Gift of $25 Sponsors a Child 

A Gift of $50 Sponsors a Child and a Parent 

A Gift of $100 Sponsors a Child for the Entire 2011-2012 Season 

Please visit americanrepertorytheater.org, or call the Development 

Department at 617.496.2000 x8838 for more information on 

sponsorship, including opportunities to sponsor an entire school 

or non-profit organization.

GET THE BEST SEATS AT THE BEST PRICES 

WITH A SUBSCRIPTION OR MEMBERSHIP 

VISIT: AMERICANREPERTORYTHEATER.ORG CALL: 617.547.8300 

LARGE 

PRINT 

P 

BOTH THE LOEB DRAMA CENTER 

& OBERON ARE FULLY ACCESSIBLE. 

ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICES ARE 

AVAILABLE TO ALL A.R.T. PERFORMANCES. 

LARGE PRINT PROGRAMS ARE AVAILABLE FOR 

USE DURING EVERY A.R.T. PERFORMANCE. 

THE A.R.T. OFFERS ASL INTERPRETATION 

AT DESIGNATED PERFORMANCES OF 

PORGY AND BESS. 

EMAIL: BOXOFFICE@AMREP.ORG FOR TICKETS 

DISCOUNTED PARKING IS AVAILABLE AT 

CHARLES SQUARE GARAGE (BENNETT ST.) & 

UNIVERSITY PLACE GARAGE (UNIVERSITY RD) 

FOR BOTH VENUES. 

ADVANCED PURCHASE PERMIT PARKING IS 

AVAILABLE AT THE 1033 MASSACHUSETTS 

AVENUE LOT FOR OBERON. 

REFRESHMENTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR 

PURCHASE AT ALL A.R.T. PERFORMANCES. 

LOOKING TO DINE BEFORE OR AFTER A 

SHOW? FOR OUR RESTAURANT PARTNERS 

AND THEIR GREAT DEALS 

VISIT: AMERICANREPERTORYTHEATER.ORG/ 

DISCOUNTS 

NEW THIS SEASON: WEDNESDAY MATINEES 

AT THE LOEB DRAMA CENTER 

DON’T MISS POST-SHOW DISCUSSIONS 

FOLLOWING SELECT MATINEES 

BOX OFFICE 

ADDRESS: 64 BRATTLE ST., 

CAMBRIDGE, MA. 02138 

HOURS: TUE-SUN, NOON-5 P.M. 

OR 1/2 HOUR BEFORE CURTAIN 

BOOK A GROUP: 

AMERICANREPERTORYTHEATER.ORG/ 

GROUPS 

LOVE US? 

Facebook: americanrepertorytheater 

Twitter: americanrep 

Give: americanrepertorytheater.org/support 

COMING SOON 

Three Pianos 

By Rick Burkhardt, Alec Duffy, 

and Dave Malloy 

Directed by Rachel Chavkin 

Hilarity and heartbreak unfold on a 

blustery winter night, when three friends 

come upon a copy of Schubert’s song 

cycle Winterreise. starts 12/7 

AT OBERON 

OBERON IS THE SECOND STAGE 

OF THE A.R.T.—A DESTINATION FOR 

THEATER & NIGHTLIFE ON THE FRINGE 

OF HARVARD SQUARE. 

In addition to A.R.T. season 

programming, OBERON is a thriving 

incubator for local and emerging artists. 

Attracting national attention for its 

groundbreaking model of programming, 

the immersive experience at OBERON 

makes the audience a partner in the 

theatrical event. CLUBOBERON.COM 

The Donkey Show 

NOW PLAYING—EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT 

FAMILY FUN 

The Snow Queen 

By Hans Christian Andersen 

Directed by Allegra Libonati 

Adapted by Tyler Monroe 

Featuring The A.R.T./MXAT Institute 

Class of 2012 

Hans Christian Andersen’s exuberant 

ode to childhood comes to life in this 

new adaptation. 

starts 12/10 — TICKETS FROM $15 

Our 2011/12 Season is 

generously supported by: 

OFFICIAL 

PRINT SPONSOR

Staff 

AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER STAFF 

ARTISTIC 

Artistic Director/CEO.......................................Diane Paulus 

Producer/Interim Managing Director..............Diane Borger 

Artistic Coordinator .................................Chris De Camillis 

Director of Special Projects ........................Ariane Barbanell 

Dramaturg...................................................Ryan McKittrick 

Special Assistant to the 

Artistic Director/CEO...................................Lauren Antler 

Artistic Associate .........................................Allegra Libonati 

Artistic Director Fellow .............................Shira Milikowsky 

Artistic Intern....................................Kendrick Terrell Evans 

Dramaturgy Intern ................................................Eli Keehn 

INSTITUTE 

Director ...............................................................Scott Zigler 

Administrative Director..............................Julia Smelianksy 

Associate Director ............................................Marcus Stern 

Co-head of Dramaturgy ........................Anatoly Smeliansky 

Co-head of Dramaturgy..............................Ryan McKittrick 

Resident Literary Advisor..........................Arthur Holmberg 

Head of Voice and Speech .............................Nancy Houfek 

Institute Associate .......................................Chelsea Keating 

Financial Aid ................................................Angela DeVivo 

Production Manager............................Christopher Viklund 

Technical Director..............................................Skip Curtiss 

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS 

DEVELOPMENT 

Director of Development ....................................Ellen Kulik 

Deputy Director of Development...............Megan Hinckley 

Institutional Giving Officer .....................Meghan Coleman 

Donor Information Coordinator .....................Emily O’Neil 

MARKETING 

Director of Marketing and Communications...Anna Fitzloff 

Director of Press and Public Relations........Katalin Mitchell 

Marketing and Communications Manager ..........Jared Fine 

Interim Communications Manager........Amanda Gutowski 

Graphic Design Associate .....................................Joel Zayac 

Outreach and Education Associate.................Brendan Shea 

Marketing and Communications Associate......Grace Geller 

Marketing Interns ...........Chris Masterson, Olivia D’Angelo 

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION 

Comptroller................................................Barbara Addison 

Assistant Comptroller ...................................Angela DeVivo 

Financial Administrator ....................................Stacie Hurst 

Theater and Facilities Manager .........................Tracy Keene 

Company Manager .......................................Mark Lunsford 

Front of House Manager ........................Stephen Wuycheck 

Receptionists ............................Sarah Leon, Maria Medeiros 

House Managers .........Kevin Cloud, Gretjen Hargesheimer, 

Michael Haviland, Heather Quick, 

Eleanor Regan, Matthew Spano, Matt Wood 

Volunteer Usher Coordinator .................Barbara Lindstrom 

BOX OFFICE 

Head of Patron Systems .................................Derek Mueller 

Box Office Manager ...........................................Ryan Walsh 

Box Office and Group Sales Coordinator .........Alicia Curtis 

Box Office Representative ...............................Karen Snyder 

PRODUCTION 

Production Manager...................................Patricia Quinlan 

Associate Production 

Managers .....................Christopher Viklund, Skip Curtiss 

Loeb Technical Director ............................J. Michael Griggs 

COSTUMES 

Costume Shop Manager ...........................Jeannette Hawley 

Assistant Costume Shop Manager ..................Mary R. Hurd 

Crafts Artisan ......................................David Israel Reynoso 

Costume Draper...........................................Caitlin Menotti 

Wardrobe Supervisor ...................................Stephen Drueke 

Costume/Props Stock Manager.....................Suzanne Kadiff 

LIGHTS 

Master Electrician ..........................................Derek L. Wiles 

Light Board Operator ................................Matthew Houstle 

PROPERTIES 

Properties Manager ............................ Cynthia Lee-Sullivan 

Properties Carpenter............................Stacey Horne-Harper 

SCENERY 

Technical Director ....................................Stephen Setterlun 

Assistant Technical Directors.............................Nick Fouch, 

Chris Swetcky 

Scene Shop Supervisor....................................David Buckler 

Scenic Charge Artist..............................................Jerry Vogt 

Master Carpenter...........................................Peter Doucette 

Scenic Carpenters ............York-Andreas Paris, Jason Bryant, 

Kristin Knutson 

Carpentry Interns .....................Nathaniel Drake, Jon Seilor 

Paint Intern .....................................................Laura Muñoz 

SOUND 

Resident Sound Designer/Engineer ..............Clive Goodwin 

Production Sound Engineer.......................Katrina McGuire 

Sound Console Operator.................................Brian Walters 

STAGE 

Stage Supervisor .............................................Jeremie Lozier 

Assistant Stage Supervisor ............Christopher Eschenbach 

Production Assistants ..........Kevin Klein, Matthew Sebastian 

OBERON 

Producer .........................................................Randy Weiner 

Associate Producer .....................................Ariane Barbanell 

Production Manager ..........................................Skip Curtiss 

Venue Manager....................................................Erin Wood 

Programming Manager....................................James Wetzel 

House Technician...........................................Garrett Herzig 

Donkey Show VIP Coordinator......................Sonia Carrion 

ADDITIONAL STAFF FOR PORGY AND BESS 

Carpenters...............................Dan Black, Nathaniel Drake, 

George Kane, Rena Luczkiewicz, Martin Lynch, 

Sam Lynch, Garrett McEntee, Jon Seilor, Ben St. Louis 

Scenic Painters .........................Heather Morris, Lori Hruska 

Paint Intern.....................................................Laila Milevski 

Stitchers ......................................Ameera Ali, Teka England, 

Sally Ravitz, Carmel Dundon 

Dressers............................Robin Rittenour, Brian Choinsky, 

Emily Damron, Amber Voner 

Milliner .........................................................Denise Wallace 

Crafts Assistant.............................................Jeffery Burrows 

Draper.........................................................Penney Pinnette 

First Hands..............................Jen Bennett, Karen Martakos 

Wig Maintenance ..............................Rachel Padula-Shufelt 

Wig Crew ..................................................Sydney Robinson 

Props Assistant/Craftspersons ........................Justin Seward, 

Rebecca Helgeson 


GUIDE to 

LOCAL 

THEATER 

September/ 

October 2011 

DOWNTOWN/THEATRE DISTRICT 

BLUE MAN GROUP, Charles Playhouse, 74 Warrenton St., 617- 

931-2787 or 617-426-6912. Ongoing. This giddily subversive 

off-Broadway hit serves up outrageous and inventive theater 

where three muted, blue-painted performers spoof both contemporary 

art and modern technology. Wry commentary and bemusing 

antics are matched only by the ingenious ways in which 

music and sound are created. The show has recently been updated 

with new performance pieces and music. 

DELUSION, Paramount Theatre, 559 Washington St., 617-824- 

8000. Sep 27–Oct 2. This evening of performance art legend 

Laurie Anderson’s personal meditations on life, language, mem- 

ory and identity is centered around the belief that words and 

stories can create the world, as well as make it disappear. 

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?: OUR VALUES IN QUESTION, The 

Foundry Theatre, The Jackie Liebergott Black Box at the 

Paramount Center, 559 Washington St., 617-824-8000. Sep 

13–25. This interactive theater piece, a world premiere, is a 

series of questions posed to audience members, creating a 

lively talk show environment that discusses how participants 

have lived their lives, what plans they’ve made for the future 

and what advice they can offer to us and one another as we all 

attempt to create lives of value. 

THE INFERNAL COMEDY, Cutler Majestic Theatre at Emerson 

College, 219 Tremont St., 800-233-3123. Sep 29 & 30. 

Featuring stage and screen star John Malkovich, this cross 

between a chilling crime drama and Baroque opera (featuring 

a live orchestra playing period instruments) is based on the 

life story of serial killer Jack Unterweger. Mysteriously back 

from the grave for an autobiographical book tour, Unterweger 

oozes disconcerting charm as he narrates his sordid and 

shocking history. 

MORTAL TERROR, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre and Suffolk 

University, Modern Theatre at Suffolk University, 525 Washington 

St., 866-811-4111. Sep 15–Oct 2. National Medal of Arts winner 

Robert Brustein brings the spirit of William Shakespeare back to 

the stage in his imaginative story of political upheaval set during 

the ignition of the Gunpowder Plot. 

SHEAR MADNESS, Charles Playhouse Stage II, 74 Warrenton 

St., 617-426-5225. Ongoing. This hilarious Boston-set whodunit, 

where the clues change every night and the laughs 

THE FESSENDEN SCHOOL 

Honesty, Compassion and Respect 

ADMISSIONS OPEN HOUSES 

Sunday, October 23, 1:00-3:00 p.m. 

Tuesday, November 15, 6:30-8:00 p.m. 

for prospective 

Kindergarten 

parents 

Sunday, December 4, 1:00-3:00 p.m. 

ADMISSIONS RECEPTION 

Monday, January 9, 2012, 7:00-9:00 p.m. 

BRINGING OUT THE BEST IN BOYS 

K-GRADE 9 DAY, GRADES 5–9 BOARDING 

250 Waltham Street, West Newton, MA www.fessenden.org 617-630-2300 


guide to local theater (continued) 

come fast and furious, is a worldwide phenomenon filled with 

up-to-the-minute spontaneous humor and quicksilver improvisation 

where the audience becomes part of the action and gets 

to solve the crime. 

SOUTH PACIFIC, Boston Opera House, 539 Washington St., 

617-931-2787. Sep 27–Oct 2. Based on James Michener’s 

Pulitzer Prize-winning book Tales of the South Pacific, Rodgers 

& Hammerstein’s classic musical set on a tropical island during 

World War II tells the story of two couples and how their happiness 

is threatened by the realities of war. The beloved show’s 

songs include “Some Enchanted Evening,” “I’m Gonna Wash 

That Man Right Outa My Hair,” “This Nearly Was Mine” and 

“There is Nothin’ Like a Dame.” 

THE SPEAKER’S PROGRESS, Sulayman Al-Bassam Theatre, 

Paramount Theatre, 559 Washington St., 617-824-8000. Oct 

12–16. Using Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night as a starting point 

to explore events in the Middle East, this play set in a totalitarian 

Arab state where all forms of theater have been banned is 

a satire on the decades of political inertia that have fed recent 

revolts across the Arab region and a daring theatrical metaphor 

for the mechanisms of dissent. 

YOU BETTER SIT DOWN: TALES FROM MY PARENTS’ 

DIVORCE, The Civilians, Paramount Theatre, 559 Washington St., 

617-824-8000. Oct 12–16. This hysterical account of marriage 

and divorce, based on the troupe members’ interviews with their 

own parents, presents four actors—each playing his or her own 

parents—who serve as conduits for stories of family division. 

LOCAL/REGIONAL THEATER 

AS YOU LIKE IT, Theatre@First, Seven Hills Park (behind the 

Davis Square T station), Holland Street, Somerville, 888-874- 

7554. Sep 8–11. This free outdoor production presents one of 

Shakespeare’s most enduring comedies, in which city and 

country collide as Rosalind, a Duke’s daughter fleeing the 

wrath of her uncle, heads into the woods to find her father— 

and herself. 

THE BACCHAE, Whistler in the Dark, Charlestown Working 

Theater, 442 Bunker Hill St., 866-811-4111. Sep 15–23. In 

Euripides’ ancient tragedy, the citizens of Thebes deny the divinity 

of Dionysos, who punishes them by inciting the women 

into a frenzy—driving them from their homes into the mountains 

where they enact the wild rituals of worship to Bacchus. 

The young king Pentheus wrestles the god for control of his 

city, but will his lack of understanding lead to his ruination? 

BEFORE I LEAVE YOU, Huntington Theatre Company, Wimberly 

Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 

527 Tremont St., 617-933-8600. Oct 14–Nov 13. In a blink, 

Emily’s Harvard Square world falls apart. Her husband Koji suddenly 

embraces his Asian roots. Her friend Jeremy’s work on his 

novel gets interrupted by a health scare and his sister Trish moving 

in. Four longtime friends face too much past and too little future 

in this moving new comedy. 

BIG RIVER, Lyric Stage Company, 140 Clarendon St., 617-585- 

5678. Sep 2–Oct 8. Join Huck and Jim on the Mississippi River 

in the 1840s, where Huck, escaping from his drunken father, 

meets up with Jim, a runaway slave. The story of their journey 

downstream is an American classic that captures the idyllic 

pleasures and unacknowledged injustices of life on the big river 

with humor, song and spirit. 

Stage 

Spotlight 

YOUR GUIDE TO 

NEW ENGLAND THEATRE 

PRESENTS THE MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF 

NORTON JUSTER’S ACCLAIMED STORY 

The Phantom Tollbooth 

OCTOBER 21–NOVEMBER 20, 2011 

617-879-2300 • tickets@wheelock.edu 

www.WheelockFamilyTheatre.org 

Boston’s Professional, Affordable Theatre 

for Every Generation 

THE BOSTON CONSERVATORY 

Curtains 

THE MUSICAL COMEDY WHODUNIT FROM 

THE CREATORS OF CABARET AND CHICAGO 

DIRECTED BY DAVID GRAM 

MUSICAL DIRECTION BY BILL CASEY 

OCTOBER 3–6, 2011 

The Balcony 

BY JEAN GENET • DIRECTED BY JOHN KUNTZ 

FOR MATURE AUDIENCES 

NOVEMBER 17–20, 2011 

The Boston Conservatory Theater 

31 Hemenway Street 

Box Office opens Sept. 6, 2011: 617-912-9222 

http://bostonconservatory.ticketforce.com 

Advertise in Theatrebill’s 

Not-for-Profit Theater section. 

Call 617-423-3400 for more information. 

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION


book, music, and lyrics by Jonathan Larson 

directed by Benjamin Evett 

musical direction by Todd C. Gordon 

choreography by Kelli Edwards 

featuring New Rep Favorites 

Aimee Doherty, Eve Kagan 

and Maurice E. Parent 

IN RESIDENCE AT THE 

ARSENAL CENTER FOR THE ARTS 

newrep.org 

617-923-8487 

Sept. 4 - Sept. 25, 2011 

charles mosesian theater 

HUNTINGTON 

THEATRE 

COMPANY 

MUSIC BY 

321 ARSENAL ST. WATERTOWN MA 

Tickets start at $28 

Free Parking! 

PRESENTS 

LEONARD BERNSTEIN 

LYRICS BY 

RICHARD WILBUR 

DIRECTED BY 

MARY ZIMMERMAN 

THE GLORIOUS MUSICAL 

CANDIDE 

SEPT.10-OCT.16 

“Gorgeously 

imagined, 

Candide is 

a garden 

of delights!” 

BU THEATRE / AVENUE OF THE ARTS 

— CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 

BUDDY COP 2, Stoneham Theatre, 395 Main St., Stoneham, 

781-279-2200. Oct 20–Nov 6. For the residents of Shandon, 

Indiana, it’s Christmas in August as the town rallies to honor a 

girl’s dying wish and the local police fight crime from the community 

center after a flood. As the fruitcakes and Christmas 

watermelons collect, this quirky and touching play shows how 

a community unites to help one of its own, and how, even in 

the smallest of towns, secrets are waiting to be revealed. 

CANDIDE, Huntington Theatre Company, Boston University 

Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave., 617-266-0800. Sep 10–Oct 16. 

Featuring Leonard Bernstein’s soaring score and lyrics from 

some of the wittiest writers of all time, this outrageous 

musical satire tells the story of naïve Candide. Banished for 

romancing the Baron’s daughter, Candide is plagued by a 

series of absurd hardships that challenges his optimistic 

outlook on life and love. 

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, Riverside Theatre Works, 45 

Fairmount Ave., Hyde Park, 617-361-5269. Sep 16–Oct 2. Set 

in the 1950s in the Deep South, Tennessee Williams’ classic 

begins as a plantation owner celebrates what he thinks is his 

cure from cancer on his 65th birthday. This sultry drama explores 

a family’s internal battle to look truthfully at its own past 

as shocking secrets are revealed. 

CHICAGO, Metro Stage Company, Cambridge Family YMCA 

Theatre, 820 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-524-5013. 

Oct 21–29. In roaring ’20s Chicago, Roxie Hart murders a 

faithless lover and is sent to death row, where she and fellow 

“Merry Murderess” Velma Kelly vie for headlines and the spotlight, 

ultimately joining forces in search of the “American 

Dream”: fame, fortune and acquittal. 

COLLECTED STORIES, New Repertory Theatre, Charles 

Mosesian Theater, Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal St., 

Watertown, 617-923-8487. Oct 9–30. Ruth Steiner, a critically 

acclaimed author, takes her student, Lisa, under her wing. When 

Lisa becomes a much-admired published writer and uses 

Ruth’s secretive life story for her own novel, the balance of 

power shifts and the boundaries of their relationship is called 

into question in this play by Pulitzer Prize winner Donald 

Margulies (Dinner With Friends). 

CURTAINS, The Boston Conservatory Theater, 31 Hemenway 

St., 617-912-9222. Oct 3–6. It’s the brassy, bright and promising 

year of 1959. Boston’s Colonial Theatre is host to the opening 

night performance of a new musical. When the leading lady 

mysteriously dies on stage, the entire cast and crew are suspects. 

Enter a local detective, who just happens to be a musical 

theater fan. 

DEARLY BELOVED, The CoLab Theatre Company, Unity Church 

of God, 6 William St., Somerville, 800-838-3006. Oct 21–Nov 

19. In this world premiere by by Brendan Doris-Pierce, Julius 

and his best friend Morrie live together comfortably, reliving 

their college days. But Julius’ girlfriend, June, is growing frustrated 

with Morrie’s quirks—specifically his phobia of all things 

related to love and sex. They find themselves awash in wedding 

invitations, prompting a crisis in Julius’ and June’s relationship. 

THE DIVINE SISTER, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Roberts 

Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for 

the Arts, 527 Tremont St., 617-933-8600. Oct 21–Nov 19. This 

gleefully twisted tale by Charles Busch (Die, Mommie, Die! and 

Psycho Beach Party) tells the story of an indomitable Mother 



Superior trying to cope with a young postulant experiencing “visions,” 

a sensitive schoolboy in need of mentoring, a mysterious 

nun visiting from Berlin and a former suitor intent on luring 

her away from her vows. 

DOGG’S HAMLET and CAHOOT’S MACBETH, Whistler in the 

Dark, Plaza Black Box Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 

Tremont St., 617-933-8600. Oct 27–Nov 19. An evening of 

word-wizardry combining two short Tom Stoppard plays is presented. 

In the first play, three students are setting up for their production 

of a 15-minute Hamlet to be performed in its original 

language. The catch? These students speak Dogg—a language 

comprised of English words but with different meanings. In the 

second play, renegade actors stage a secret performance of 

Shakespeare’s Macbeth that becomes a stark and moving 

metaphor for resistance in a time of censorship. 

THE DONKEY SHOW, American Repertory Theater, Oberon, 

2 Arrow St., Cambridge, 617-547-8300. Ongoing. Bringing the 

ultimate disco experience to Boston, this crazy circus of mirror 

balls, feathered divas, roller skaters and hustle queens tells the 

story of A Midsummer Night’s Dream through great ’70s anthems 

you know by heart. 

THE FARM, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Walcott Theatre, 949 

Commonwealth Ave., 866-811-4111. Sep 29–Oct 23. Something 

went wrong, but Finn’s not talking. Instead, he’s retiring, and 

Parker needs to know why. But trust doesn’t come easy at the 

CIA, and as the two operatives match wits, it becomes clear that 

they may not even be on the same side. 

FIGHTING OVER BEVERLEY, Gloucester Stage Company, 

267 East Main St., Gloucester, 978-281-4433. Through Sep 

11. Israel Horovitz’s romantic comedy pits three 70-somethings—Beverley, 

a WWII English war bride; Zelly, her fisherman 

husband; and Archie, the Brit Beverley jilted 53 years 

ago—against each other as they hash out their feelings while 

plotting an uncertain future. 

FISHNET-NETWORKS.NET!, The Theatre at Club Cafe, 209 

Columbus Ave., 866-811-4111. Through Sep 9. Economy got 

you down? Job trouble? Sick of being trapped in your cubicle? 

Get the urge to smack your co-workers with a fish stick (or 

10)? Don’t worry! FishNet-NetWorks.Net is hiring in this hilarious, 

politically incorrect audience-interactive parody of a large 

American computer networking company. 

THE GERSHWINS’ PORGY AND BESS, American Repertory 

Theater, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, 617- 

547-8300. Through Oct 2. Internationally renowned stars 

Audra McDonald, Norm Lewis and David Alan Grier and A.R.T. 

Artistic Director Diane Paulus take on a revival adapted by 

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks 

(Topdog/Underdog) and OBIE-winning composer Diedre Murray 

(Best of Both Worlds). Set in 1930s Charleston, South Carolina, 

this classic (which had its world premiere at Boston’s Colonial 

Theatre in 1935) tells the story of beautiful and troubled Bess, 

who turns to crippled beggar Porgy in search of safety after her 

possessive lover commits murder, and boasts such beloved 

works as “Summertime,” “Bess, You Is My Woman” and “It 

Ain’t Necessarily So.” 

Richard Bell: 

Uz vs.Them 

Ken Gonzales-Day: 

Profiled 

 

 

TUFTS UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY 

@ THE SHIRLEY AND ALEX AIDEKMAN ARTS CENTER 

 

 

 

 

 



THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, Central Square Theater, 

450 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 866-811-4111. Sep 

7–Oct 2. Three actors, sixteen roles: Steven Canny and John 

Nicholson’s fast-paced send-up of the classic Sherlock Holmes 

novel returns after a hit run in summer of 2010, teeming with 

physical humor and visual gags. 

IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER, Company One, Plaza 

Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St., 617- 

933-8600. Oct 28–Dec 3. Oya can run faster than anyone, but 

not fast enough to escape her fate. When pressed to choose 

between her dying mother and her dreams of escape, she 

makes a life-changing decision in this play by Tarell Alvin 

McCraney, one of the most celebrated young writers in the 

American theatre. 

THE KING AND I, North Shore Music Theatre, 62 Dunham 

Road, Beverly, 978-232-7200. Sep 27–Oct 9. It is 1862 in 

Siam when an English widow and her young son arrive at the 

Royal Palace in Bangkok, having been summoned by the King 

to serve as tutor to his many children and wives. With both 

keeping a firm grip on their respective traditions and values, 

Anna and the King grow to understand and eventually respect 

one another in a truly unique love story featuring a dazzling 

Rodgers and Hammerstein score that includes such beloved 

songs as “Getting to Know You” and “Shall We Dance.” 

MOJO, Theatre on Fire, Charlestown Working Theater, 442 

Bunker Hill St., 866-811-4111. Oct 7–22. Silver Johnny is the 

new singing sensation of 1958 London. His success could be 

the big break for two dead-end, pill-popping bar hands, but before 

they can dream what to do with all the money they’ll 

make, the owner turns up dead, Silver Johnny disappears, the 

second in command takes over the bar and a power struggle 

ensues in this high-speed, menacing comedy filled with the 

raw energy of early rock ’n’ roll. 

NEIGHBORHOOD 3: REQUISITION OF DOOM, Happy Medium 

Theatre, Factory Theatre, The Piano Factory, 791 Tremont St., 

617-549-9854. Oct 20–29. In a suburban subdivision with 

identical houses, parents find their teenagers addicted to an 

online horror video game. The goal? Smash through an army of 

zombies to escape the neighborhood for good. But as the line 

blurs between virtual and reality, both parents and players realize 

that fear has a life of its own. 

NEXT FALL, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Roberts Studio 

Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 

527 Tremont St., 617-933-8600. Sep 16–Oct 15. Luke, a devout 

Christian, and Adam, a non-believer, have been together 

for four years, yet spiritual differences continue to spark trouble 

in their relationship. A sudden twist of fate, however, 

changes everything in this compelling new play that looks at 

what it means to believe and what it might cost us not to. 

THE ODYSSEY, Charlestown Working Theater, 442 Bunker Hill 

St., 866-811-4111. Sep 14–25. This adaptation of Homer’s 

epic poem—told in fragments floating on top of song, text, 

Intermezzo The New England Chamber Opera Series 

ROCKET’S 

RED BLARE 

an opera buffa in two acts 

 

 

presents 

 

 

 

For tickets call 617-899-4261 

$20, 30, $45 in advance or at the door; cash or check 

See www.intermezzo-opera.org for more information 

starring 

D’Anna Fortunato 

David Kravitz 

Ray Bauwens 

Natalie Polito 

Gregory Zavracky 

Edward Jones, conductor 

Kirsten Z. Cairns, director 

William A. Fregosi, designer 


SLASHER, Apollinaire Theatre Company, Chelsea Theatre 

Works, 189 Winnisimmet St., Chelsea, 617-887-2336. Oct 

14–Nov 5. In this horrifying comedy by Allison Moore, Sheena 

is cast as the “last girl” in a low-budget slasher flick. She 

thinks it’s the big break for which she’s been waiting, but it inguide 

to local theater (continued) 

image and physicality—is performed by two people traveling 

together in a small boat, sailing across a half-real, half 

imaginary landscape of one-eyed giants, voodoo priestesses 

and seafarers. 

OR, Lyric Stage Company, 140 Clarendon St., 617-585-5678. 

Oct 14–Nov 6. Aphra Behn is getting out of the spy game and 

into showbiz. All she has to do is finish her first play, lure Nell 

Gwynne to be the star, keep King Charles II as her patron and 

stop her former lover from getting them all killed. This sexy, riotous 

comedy is loosely inspired by the true story of the literal 

first lady of the stage. 

OUR TOWN, Riverside Theatre Works, 45 Fairmount Ave., Hyde 

Park, 617-361-5269. Oct 28–Nov 13. Thornton Wilder’s memorable 

American classic tells the story of two families in a 

small New England town and their personal hopes for a good 

life, lasting love and eternal peace as they experience life’s 

greatest joys and tragedies. 

THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, Wheelock Family Theatre, 

200 The Riverway, 617-879-2300. Oct 21–Nov 20. Passing 

through a mysterious tollbooth, Milo embarks on a quest to 

restore the Princesses of Rhyme and Reason to the Kingdom 

of Wisdom in the musical adaptation of Norton Juster’s awardwinning 

book. 

RENT, New Repertory Theatre, Charles Mosesian Theater, 

Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal St., Watertown, 

617-923-8487. Sep 4–25. Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize 

and Tony Award-winning musical tells the story of a group of 

struggling bohemian artists living in New York City’s Lower 

East Side. This ground-breaking and powerful rock opera, 

based on Puccini’s La Bohème, explores the necessity of love 

and friendship, and the repercussions of living with AIDS in 

modern day society. 

THE RIVER WAS WHISKEY, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, 

Odyssey Theatre, 949 Commonwealth Ave., 866-811-4111. 

Oct 27–Nov 20. A gritty ghost story set amongst the racial tensions 

of 1940s Mississippi, William C. Fancher’s Southern 

Gothic tale features original music by the playwright and 

pulses with past revenge and present retribution. 

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, Turtle Lane Playhouse, 283 

Melrose St., Newton, 866-811-4111. Oct 7–30. Newly engaged 

couple Brad and Janet encounter a problem when their 

car halts in the rain and they find themselves at the castle of 

transvestite Dr. Frank-N-Furter. A place to stay is offered, but 

will Brad and Janet want to remain there? Especially when a 

large group of Transylvanians dance to the “Time Warp” and 

Dr. Frank-N-Furter builds his own man. 

ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD, The 

Footlight Club, Eliot Hall, 7A Eliot St., Jamaica Plain, 617- 

524-3200. Sep 16–Oct 1. Tom Stoppard’s absurdist, existentialist 

tragicomedy expands upon the exploits of two minor 

characters from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, who voice their 

confusion at the progress of events of which they have no 

direct knowledge. 

Located in Stowe, Vermont at the 

 

World class performances in a 

stunning mountain setting... 

your destination for the arts! 

The Grand Opening 2010-2011 

Season has included artists 

and performances by 

James Taylor, Ben Vereen, Juan 

DeMarcos and the Afro-Cuban 

All Stars, Little Feat, The Bacon 

Brothers, Celtic Crossroads and 

many more... 

Upcoming events include: 

An Evening with Groucho starring 

Frank Ferrante (Sept 2-3) 

Bo Bice in Concert (Sept 4) 

Blackberry Smoke (Sept 9) 

Orla Fallon (Oct 7) 

Classic Albums Live! presents 

Thriller (Oct 14) 

ETHEL with Robert Mirabal 

(Oct 21) 

The Second City (Oct 22) 

Mad Science Theatre presents 

CSI Live! (Oct 28-29) 

For more information, please 

visit www.sprucepeakarts.org or 

call 802-760-4634 



stead unleashes her malingering mother’s thwarted feminist 

rage. Mom is prepared to do anything to stop filming—even if 

it kills her. 

STEEL MAGNOLIAS, Stoneham Theatre, 395 Main St., 

Stoneham, 781-279-2200. Sep 15–Oct 2. On the morning of 

her wedding day, Shelby Eatenton, her mother and her 

mother’s outrageous friends—the lovable curmudgeon Ouiser 

and small-town grande dame Clairee—gather in Truvy’s smalltown 

Louisiana beauty parlor. Filled with humor and heartbreak, 

these women make us laugh and cry as they face life’s 

uncertainties with courage and humor. 

TWELFTH NIGHT, Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Plaza Theatre, 

Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St., 617-933-8600. 

Sep 27–Oct 23. A shipwreck on the shores of Illyria provides 

the collision that sends Shakespeare’s sublime characters 

on a course toward self-discovery. Through foibles and 

mistaken identities, we learn that neither love nor knowledge 

is ever uncomplicated, and that laughter at others comes at 

one’s own peril. 

WOMEN OF WILL, The Nora Theatre Company, Central Square 

Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 866-811-4111. 

Oct 13–Nov 6. Shakespearean impresario Tina Packer takes 

audiences on a journey, illuminating the evolution of the feminine 

in the Bard’s plays and revealing the ways in which 

Shakespeare believed we could build a better world. 

DANCE 

KINGS OF SALSA, Cutler Majestic Theatre at Emerson College, 

219 Tremont St., 800-233-3123. Oct 13–15. This sizzling, 

high-energy dance and music performance captures the 

hottest salsa moves direct from Havana. 

OPERA 

BÉATRICE ET BÉNÉDICT, Opera Boston, Cutler Majestic Theatre 

at Emerson College, 219 Tremont St., 800-233-3123. Oct 21–25. 

Based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Hector Berlioz’ 

lovely, luminous opear stars tenor Sean Panikkar and mezzo-soprano 

Kelley O’Connor as Shakespeare’s battling couple who realize 

their love for each other through their friends’ plotting. 

ROCKET’S RED BLARE, Intermezzo New England Chamber 

Opera Series, Aggasiz Theater, Harvard University, 14 Mason 

St., Cambridge, 617-899-4261. Sep 23 & 24. A king and 

queen of a mythical kingdom forbid their son to marry a girl 

from the village or risk banishment by being sent in a rocket to 

the other side of the world in this two-act work by James 

Yannatos fashioned after the traditional “opera buffa.” 

Audra 

McDonald 

in concert 

Sunday | October 2 | 5pm | Symphony Hall 

Join Celebrity Series of Boston for the opening night performance of the 

2011-12 season, an unforgettable evening of songs with Audra McDonald! 

Tickets start at $40. To purchase call: 

SymphonyCharge | 888-266-1200 

www.celebrityseries.org 


Direct from its sold-out run 

at the New York Theatre Workshop 

THREE 

PIANOS 

A lively romp inspired by Schubert’s Winterreise 

"Just the cure for seasonal 

affective disorder conceived 

with hedonistic gusto. Three Pianos is 

a fast festive ode to a somber work of art." 

Ben Brantley, The New York Times 

ON SALE NOW 

TO MEMBERS & SUBSCRIBERS 

ON SALE TO PUBLIC: OCT. 11 

STARTS DEC. 7 

VISIT: americanrepertorytheater.org 

CALL: 617.547.8300

GUIDE to 

CAMBRIDGE 

DINING 

L–Lunch • D–Dinner • B–Breakfast 

C–Cocktails • VP–Valet Parking 

SB–Sunday Brunch • LS–Late Supper 

THE ASGARD IRISH PUB & RESTAURANT, 350 Massachusetts 

Ave., 617-577-9100. The Asgard was designed in Ireland, with 

local artists putting the finishing touches on a truly one-of-akind 

bar. Communal tables and a variety of cool, comfortable 

places to sit—along with an extensive menu, a large craft beer 

selection, outdoor patio, live music, trivia nights, DJs and no 

cover charge—make the Asgard a perfect spot for a pint and a 

meal. L, D, Sat & SB, LS, C. 

BONDIR, 279A Broadway, 617-661-0009. This cozy, farmhouse-style 

restaurant showcases the pastoral and marine 

SOME ’PHIN FOR EVERYONE: Enjoy some of 

the freshest seafood around—from oysters and 

lobsters to fried clams and swordfish—at 

Dolphin Seafood. 

bounty of New England and offers a finely curated selection 

of American and European wines and beers. Following a 

simple philosophy of quality and care, Chef Jason Bond uses 

vegetables picked the same day, fish hours out of the ocean 

and pasture-raised meats on his daily-changing menu. D 

Wed–Mon 5–10 p.m. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


guide to cambridge dining (continued) 

BORDER CAFE, 32 Church St., 617-864-6100. Sizzling fajitas, 

overstuffed quesadillas and giant margaritas are the highlights 

at this Tex-Mex hotspot in Harvard Square. Other specialties include 

Cajun and Creole dishes, all served in a bustling, lively 

and fun atmosphere. L, D, C, LS. 

CAMBRIDGE, 1., 27 Church St., Harvard Square, 617-576- 

1111; 1381 Boylston St., Boston, 617-437-1111. City dwellers 

looking for refined, sophisticated pizzas can find comfort in 

Cambridge, 1. Its Best of Boston award-winning, thin crust, 

charcoal-grilled pies include such toppings as grilled chicken, 

potato, arugula and even lobster. Both locations offer salads in 

addition to beer and wine while the Fenway site features select 

appetizers and pasta dishes. L, D, C, LS. 

CHEZ HENRI, 1 Shepard St., 617-354-8980. Chef/owner Paul 

O’Connell offers up delicious French cuisine with a Cuban twist 

in a classy and comfortable settting, located between Harvard 

and Porter Squares. Be sure to sample signature dishes like 

the camarones rellenos de yuca (baked stuffed shrimp) and the 

blanquette de lapin (braised rabbit with creme fraiche), and 

pair them with one of Chez Henri’s standout tropical cocktails. 

D Mon–Thu 6–10 p.m., Fri & Sat 5:30–10:30 p.m., Sun 

5:30–9:30 p.m. 

DANTE, Royal Sonesta, 40 Edwin H. Land Blvd., 617-497- 

4200. Chef Dante de Magistris dishes out playful, rich fare with 

Italian, French and Spanish influences. The sophisticated 

eatery boasts a seasonal patio and gorgeous views of the 

Charles River and the Boston skyline. B Mon–Fri 6:30–10:30 

a.m., Sat & Sun 7–11 a.m.; L Mon–Fri 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.; 

D Mon–Thu 5:30–10 p.m., Fri & Sat ’til 11 p.m.; Sat & SB 

11 a.m.–2 p.m. 

DOLPHIN SEAFOOD, 1105 Massachusetts Ave., 617-661- 

2937. If you’re in the mood for quality seafood, then this longtime 

neighborhood favorite is not to be missed. From fried 

seafood platters to healthier options like swordfish to all varieties 

of shellfish, if it comes from the sea, Dolphin serves it up 

deliciously and fresh off the boat. L, D. 

EAST COAST GRILL, 1271 Cambridge St., 617-491-6568. This 

eatery from chef Chris Schlesinger offers fresh seafood and 

grilled fish as well as hot and spicy barbecue options, all 

served with traditional sides like cole slaw, beans, cornbread 

and watermelon. An oyster bar, cabana-like cocktails and a 

funky atmosphere prove fine dining can be fun. D, SB. 

THE ELEPHANT WALK, 2067 Massachusetts Ave., 617-492- 

6900. Offering the city’s most extensive menu of Cambodian/ 

French cuisine, The Elephant Walk has long been lauded as 

one of Cambridge’s most unique and delicious dining destinations. 

Chef Gerard Lopez pleases all palates with a full range of 

menus—including those for vegetarians, vegans and glutenintolerant 

diners—packed with tasty traditional Cambodian 

soups, salads and entrees and classic French dishes. 

FINALE, 30 Dunster St., Harvard Sq., 617-441-9797; One 

Columbus Ave., Boston, 617-423-3184; 1306 Beacon St., 

Brookline, 617-232-3233. A trendsetter among dessertfocused 

restaurants, Finale offers a wide array of time honored 

favorites and specialty desserts, savory fare for lunch and 

“Serving The Best Since 1975” 

TWIN LOBSTERS $22.95 

special price for Theatrebill readers 

must present ad for discount 

617-661-2937 

EVERY 

WEDNESDAY– 

SATURDAY 

$1 RAW 

BAR 

LATE NIGHT 

DINING 

EVERY FRIDAY 

& SATURDAY 

NIGHT 

1105 MASSACHUSETTS SACHUSETTS 

AVENUE 

CAMBRIDGE, HARVARD RD SQUARE 

www.dolphinseafood.com 

w 

od.com 



dinner, and an impressive selection of Illy coffee drinks, wine 

and cocktails. Sample award-winning creations like the gooey 

Molten Chocolate Cake and enjoy carry-out options from The 

Finale Bakery including freshly baked cookies, cakes, minipastries 

and tarts. Dunster St.: Mon 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; Tue–Thu 

’til 11:30 p.m.; Fri ’til 12:30 a.m.; Sat noon–12:30 a.m.; Sun 

’til–11 p.m. Columbus Ave.: Mon 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.; Tue–Thu 

’til 11:30 p.m., Fri ’til midnight; Sat 5 p.m.–midnight; Sun 4–11 

p.m. Beacon St.: Sun & Mon 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; Tue–Thu ’til 

11:30 p.m.; Fri–Sat ’til 12:30 a.m. www.finaledesserts.com. 

GRAFTON STREET, 1230 Massachusetts Ave., 617-497-0400. 

This neighborhood hotspot is named after the spirited 

cobblestone-lined shopping district in Dublin’s famed Temple 

Bar area. Grafton Street deftly combines a traditional Irish 

pub’s warmth and coziness with a comfortable full-service 

restaurant serving contemporary American cuisine. L,D, LS, C, 

Sat & SB. 

Sustainable, fresh, 

local ingredients daily. 

279A Broadway | Cambridge, MA 

02139 

5–10 p.m. | Closed on Tuesday 

Call now for reservations: 617-661-00091-0009 

www.bondircambridge.com 

m 

58 JFK St., 

Cambridge 

617.864.9161 

GRENDEL’S DEN, 89 Winthrop St., 617-491-1160. Since 1971, 

Grendel’s Den has been a comfortable, down-to-earth neighborhood 

eatery and bar, justly earning landmark status in the 

Harvard Square community. Priding itself on a wide and varied 

selection of domestic and imported beer, Grendel’s also offers 

excellent food at even better prices. Tucked away in a basement 

off the cobbled paths of Winthrop Street, this Cambridge 

classic is open late and never disappoints. L, D, BR, LS, C. 

HARVEST, 44 Brattle St., 617-868-2255. In keeping with its 

name, Harvest—located in the heart of Harvard Square—specializes 

in dishes that incorporate only the freshest local ingredients. 

Chef Mary Dumont adjusts her expansive menu of 

classic American cuisine seasonally, taking full advantage of the 

bounty available from New England farms and greenhouses. 

Diners can treat themselves to delicious dishes like roasted 

squash and apple soup, roasted local beet salad and Nova 

Scotia halibut, as well as selections from Harvest’s raw bar. 

HENRIETTA’S TABLE, The Charles Hotel, One Bennett St., 617- 

661-5005. Nothing but locally grown and organic produce is 

used to create a lively, textured menu of reinterpreted New 

England classics. Private dining room available. B Mon–Fri 

6:30–11 a.m., Sat 7–11 a.m., Sun 7–10:30 a.m.; Sat and SB 

noon–3 p.m.; L Mon–Fri noon–3 p.m.; D daily 5:30–10 p.m. 

HONG KONG, 1238 Massachusetts Ave., 617-864-5311. A local 

favorite for more than five decades, this Harvard Square fixture 

serves a full array of classic Chinese dishes and exotic drinks, 

including its world-renowned scorpion bowl. Perfect for a meal 

with friends, including lunch, dinner or late-night snacks, or for 

checking out the latest sports action in the bar. Sun–Wed 11:30 

a.m.–2 a.m., Thu ’til 2:30 a.m., Fri & Sat ’til 3 a.m. 

what to do • where to go • what to see 

THE 

Welcome Center 

A T C O P L E Y P L A C E 

presented by PANORAMA, The Official Guide to Boston 

Adjacent to the Skybridge connecting to The Westin Hotel 


JASPER WHITE’S SUMMER SHACK, 149 Alewife Brook 

Parkway, 617-520-9500; 50 Dalton St., Boston, 617-867- 

9955. Top-notch fare such as pan-roasted lobster, awardwinning 

fried chicken and an impressive raw bar in a casual 

setting. Boston: Sun–Wed 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m., Thu–Sat ’til 

11 p.m., raw bar Thu–Sat ’til 1 a.m. Cambridge: Mon–Thu 

11:30 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri & Sat ’til 11 p.m., Sun 3–9 p.m. 

LEGAL SEA FOODS, 20 University Road, Charles Square, 

617-491-9400; 5 Cambridge Center, Kendall Square, 617-864- 

3400; Prudential Center, 800 Boylston St., Boston, 617-266- 

6800; other locations. Legal Sea Foods, a Boston tradition for 

more than 50 years, features more than 40 varieties of fresh


fish and shellfish as well as an award-winning wine list. 

Named “Boston’s Most Popular Restaurant” (Zagat 2009). L & 

D. www.legalseafoods.com. 

NOIR, The Charles Hotel, One Bennett St., 617-661-8010. This 

award-winning, stylish bar and lounge offers seasonally inspired 

cocktails as well as classic drinks like the Sidecar and 

Old-Fashioned along with crispy pressed sandwiches, flavorful 

flatbread pizzas, fresh salads and small bites in a sophisticated 

setting. C 4:30 p.m.–2 a.m.; D 5–11 p.m. 

NUBAR, Sheraton Commander Hotel, 16 Garden St., Harvard 

Square, 617-234-1365. Under the glow of a Cambridge landmark, 

this restaurant and lounge boasts food reflective of its 

surrounding neighborhood: smart, seasonal and approachable. 

Nubar serves elegant comfort food with a modern approach 

applied to classic dishes. Private dining & reservations available. 

B, L, D daily ’til 11 p.m. C Sun–Thu ’til midnight, Fri & Sat 

’til 1 a.m. www.nubarcambridge.com. 

OM, 92 Winthrop St., 617-576-2800. OM Restaurant & Lounge 

in Harvard Square offers globally-influenced modern American 

cuisine, drawing in foodies and neighborhood patrons alike. A 

popular nightlife destination, OM’s lounge boasts sleek leather 

sofas, a hypnotic water wall and signature cocktails. D, C. 

THE RED HOUSE, 98 Winthrop St., 617-576-0605. Savor the cozy 

atmosphere inside this funky 1802 cottage nestled in the center of 

Harvard Square, which offers an intimate main dining space, a 

cozy fireside bar, three private dining rooms for small groups and a 

shaded bluestone patio for seasonal al fresco dining. Chef/owner 

Paul Overgaag serves eclectic European and Mediterranean fare 

loaded with fresh, organic ingredients from his very own local 

farm, as well as homemade pasta, fresh seafood and Maine lobster. 

L & D Tue–Sun noon-3 p.m. and 5–11 p.m. 

RENDEZVOUS, 502 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, 617- 

576-1900. Acclaimed Boston chef Steve Johnson uses regional 

products and the spices of Northern Africa, Italy, France and Spain 

to create his own twist on seasonal cuisine. Rotating entrees can 

include grilled Portuguese sardines with roasted peppers, fennel 

and capers or Moroccan style kofte with minted yogurt. D. 

RUSSELL HOUSE TAVERN, 14 JFK St., 617-500-3055. 

Combining Executive Chef Michael Scelfo’s seasonally inspired 

menu of modern interpretations of American classics with a 

bar serving all-American wines, a locally driven craft beer selection 

and classic as well as modern hand-crafted cocktails, 

this Harvard Square restaurant is a comfortable gathering spot 

for every occasion. L, D, SB, LS, C. 

SANDRINE’S BISTRO, 8 Holyoke St., 617-497-5300. Renowned 

chef Raymond Ost serves delicious French cuisine with German 

flair in a cozy, upscale atmosphere right around the corner from 

Harvard University. Signature dishes include Alsatian pizza, escargots, 

steamed mussels, foie gras and creme brulee for dessert. L 

Mon–Sat 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.; D daily 5:30–11:30 p.m. 

SHAYS PUB & WINE BAR, 58 JFK St., 617-864-9161. A 

Harvard Square fixture since 1984, this casual and comfortable 

tavern boasts an excellent beer and wine selection along with 

made-from-scratch appetizers, burgers, sandwiches and 

Our Treat 

*Applies to food items only. 

Enjoy 10% off* any meal or dessert, pre or 

post theatre during the ART 2011 season. 

at the commander · 16 garden street cambridge, ma 

617.234.1365 · www.nubarcambridge.com · dining until 11pm 


Best Western PLUS 


Bravo! 

Experience the BEST of 

Cambridge & Boston 

Family friendly lodging 

Complimentary hot buffet 

breakfast daily 

Bar 220, now open 

Convenient to area attractions 

Free shuttle to Harvard Square 

& public transportation 

AAA and Special Packages available 

www.hoteltria.com 

(617) 491-8000 or (866) 333-Tria 

Stephanie Mitchell 

SWEET DREAMS: Finale, a paradise for dessert 

aficionados, offers such delectable dishes as 

the Chocolate Crescendo (above) at its 

Harvard Square location, one of three in the 

Boston area. 

Mexican specialities, all at reasonable prices. L & D Mon–Sat 

11 a.m. –1 a.m., Sun noon–1 a.m. 

TORY ROW, 3 Brattle St., Harvard Square, 617-876-TROW. 

Located at the heart of Harvard Square, Tory Row takes its 

name from the 1770s term for Brattle Street, once populated by 

British loyalists. Serving up an eclectic mix of Euro-American 

dishes at affordable prices, this neighborhood bar and restaurant 

has shed the conservative roots of its name and replaced 

them with a diverse and creative culinary aesthetic. L, D. 

UPSTAIRS ON THE SQUARE, 91 Winthrop St., 617-864-1933. 

Boasting an eclectic decor, this lush urban oasis features 

everything from poached Atlantic salmon to fire-roasted 

Meadow Farms lamb chops. A charming blend of eccentricity 

and culinary luxury. L, D, C, LS. 

ZOE’S, 1105 Massachusetts Ave., 617-495-0055. Offering a 

menu of delicious homemade Greek and American food in a 

fun atmosphere, this retro establishment serves breakfast all 

day, and take-out and catering are available. A popular destination 

for the weekend brunch crowd, Zoe’s is also a great 

place for dinner, boasting an affordable selection of beer and 

wine. For dessert, try the delicious cheesecake frappe or the 

famous frozen hot chocolate. B, L, D, SB. Mon–Wed 7:30 

a.m.–9 p.m., Thu–Sat ’til 10 p.m., Sun 8 a.m.–9 p.m. 


ELL 

RADCLIFFE YARD 

CAMBRIDGE ST 

GARDEN ST 

HILLIARD ST 

APPIAN WAY 

LOEB DRAMA 

CENTER 

Our Neighborhood Partners 

Cambridge, 1. 

CHURCH ST 

T 

HARVARD 

MBTA 

HARVARD YARD 

BRATTLE ST 

MT. AUBURN ST 

NIVERSITY RD 

STORY ST 

BENNETT ST 

OM 

Henrietta’s 

Table 

ELIOT ST 

JFK ST 

HARVARD 

MBTA 

T 

BRATTLE ST 

The Charles Hotel 

WINTHROP ST 

Tory Row 

T 

HARVARD 

MBTA 

Sandrine’s 

UpStairs on the Square 

HOLYOKE ST 

LINDEN ST 

PLYMPTON ST 

BOW ST 

MT. AUBURN ST 

BOW ST 

QUINCY ST 

Grafton Street 

MASSACHUSETTS AVE 

ARROW ST 

PRESCOTT ST 

HARVARD ST 

OBERON 

WARE ST 

Hotel Veritas 

TROWBRIDGE ST 

MEMORIAL DR 

CHARLES RIVER 

27 Church St. 

cambridge1.us 

1 Bennett St. 

charleshotel.com 

1230 Massachusetts Ave. 

graftonstreetcambridge.com 

1 Remington St. 

thehotelveritas.com 

1 Bennett St. 

henriettastable.com 

92 Winthrop St. 

omrestaurant.com 

8 Holyoke St. 

sandrines.com 

3 Brattle St. 

toryrow.us 


upstairsonthesquare.com 

For current promotions and discounts, 

visit: americanrepertorytheater.org/discounts 

Restaurant Partners as of Aug. 1.

Dining Out UPSTAIRS ON THE SQUARE 

Haute cuisine and childlike whimsy deliciously 

and delightfully intersect in 

Harvard Square at Upstairs on the 

Square, a venerable restaurant that offers diners a 

wealth of refined culinary experiences in 

a vibrant setting. 

Diners who come to Upstairs have 

the option of eating in either the firstfloor 

Monday Club Bar, a bright and colorful 

wood-paneled room which features 

a rotating menu of upscale casual 

brunch, lunch and dinner fare; or the 

Soiree Dining Room, which resembles 

the inside of a young girl’s dollhouse 

with its pink and raspberry walls and 

gold-painted chairs. Both venues are 

lighthearted and welcoming, allaying 

any fears of a stuffy dining experience. 

One notable aspect about dining at Upstairs is 

the equanimity with which carnivores and vegetarians 

are considered, with almost an even split 

between meat and meat-free dishes. Even the chef’s 

tasting menu (available nightly in five- or sevencourse 

options) has a vegetarian version, making 

Upstairs that rare restaurant where those who eschew 

meat can still feel fully invited to the fine 

dining party. 


UPSTAIRS ON 

THE SQUARE 


617-864-1933 

Refer to Dining 

Guide, page 58 

“ 

Where haute 

cuisine and 

childlike whimsy 

deliciously 

intersect. 

” 

For appetizers, the salad of wild arugula, shaved 

zucchini and tempura blossom with a sliver of feta 

tart offers a refreshing start to any meal. On the 

heartier side, the gorgonzola dulce ravioli served over 

roasted peach and pistachio delivers a 

perfect blend of sweet and salty. 

Entrees are presented with panache 

but never resemble the kind of over-thetop 

modern “food art” that diners are too 

afraid to dig into. Whether one opts for 

Chef Steven Brand’s prime skirt steak 

served with tater tots and 

chimichurri, the roasted chicken panzanella 

served with cucumber, sunburst 

tomato and fennel flowers, the 

sirloin cheeseburger on a buttered potato 

roll with gruyere cheese, Niman 

Ranch bacon and pickles, or any of 

the other sumptuous selections, diners are assured 

of a dish bursting with flavor and flair. 

Delectable desserts range from rich zebra cake 

to ginger pavlova served with roasted peaches, 

blackberries and honey ginger ice cream, and are 

the perfect way to round out your meal. Upstairs 

on the Square truly elevates gourmet cuisine, 

proving that fine dining and fun dining aren’t 

mutually exclusive.

Dining Out 

NUBAR 

If you were familiar with the old-fashioned 

restaurant formerly at the landmark Sheraton 

Commander Hotel in Harvard Square, then 

Nubar, the newly renovated eatery that stands in its 

place, will be a revelation. For those who 

weren’t familiar with the Commander’s 

old dining space, welcome to one of 

Cambridge’s newest places to enjoy the 

freshest New England cuisine around. 

With a modern and stylish decor 

highlighted by dark wood floors, 

cream-colored walls, a sleek bar and a 

cozy lounge warmed by a gas fireplace, 

Nubar boasts an elegant and 

breezy atmosphere thanks to its high 

ceilings and open floor plan. 

The decor is not the only thing 

that is brand new, however. The 

menu has been reinvented as well, taking advantage 

of the bounty available throughout the region 

with a heavy emphasis on local ingredients. 

Updated takes on crowd pleasers like grilled steak 

frites and the Nubar burger (Angus beef served on 

a brioche bun) are joined by Nubar’s variations on 

Yankee staples, such as Maine peeky toe crabcake, 

Gloucester cod, Pat’s littleneck clam roast (served on 

angel hair pasta with baby shrimp in a garlic and 


NUBAR 

Sheraton 

Commander Hotel 

16 Garden St. 

617-234-1365 



“ Cambridge’s 

newest place to 

enjoy the 

freshest cuisine 

around. 

” 

white wine sauce), pan seared diver scallops (accompanied 

by wild mushrooms, spinach and potatoes) 

and a thick-as-can-be New England clam 

chowder, garnished with steamed littlenecks still in 

their shells and crumbled bacon. 

Innovative dishes that give a nod to 

seasonal fare include appetizers like the 

blue fish fingers and the asparagus, golden 

beet and goat cheese salad. New England’s 

ethnic heritage is highlighted as well in 

starters like the Taleggio polenta served 

with wilted baby spinach and a crispy 

poached egg, entrees such as potato 

gnocchi with seasonal vegetables and 

even a savory meatball sandwich loaded 

with marinara sauce and mozzarella. 

Tasty flatbreads are also available and 

can be topped with everything from 

caramelized onion, bacon and gruyere to duck confit, 

mushrooms and Manchego cheese. 

Nubar even keeps it local with desserts, serving 

Cambridge’s own Christina’s ice cream, among 

other sweet treats. A wonderful wine, beer and 

cocktail selection and a friendly, knowledgeable 

waitstaff help complete a dining experience sure 

to stay as enjoyable and ever-surprising as the 

changing of the seasons.

Dining Out 

NUBAR 

If you were familiar with the old-fashioned 

restaurant formerly at the landmark Sheraton 

Commander Hotel in Harvard Square, then 

Nubar, the newly renovated eatery that stands in its 

place, will be a revelation. For those who 

weren’t familiar with the Commander’s 

old dining space, welcome to one of 

Cambridge’s newest places to enjoy the 

freshest New England cuisine around. 

With a modern and stylish decor 

highlighted by dark wood floors, 

cream-colored walls, a sleek bar and a 

cozy lounge warmed by a gas fireplace, 

Nubar boasts an elegant and 

breezy atmosphere thanks to its high 

ceilings and open floor plan. 

The decor is not the only thing 

that is brand new, however. The 

menu has been reinvented as well, taking advantage 

of the bounty available throughout the region 

with a heavy emphasis on local ingredients. 

Updated takes on crowd pleasers like grilled steak 

frites and the Nubar burger (Angus beef served on 

a brioche bun) are joined by Nubar’s variations on 

Yankee staples, such as Maine peeky toe crabcake, 

Gloucester cod, Pat’s littleneck clam roast (served on 

angel hair pasta with baby shrimp in a garlic and 


NUBAR 

Sheraton 

Commander Hotel 

16 Garden St. 

617-234-1365 



“ Cambridge’s 

newest place to 

enjoy the 

freshest cuisine 

around. 

” 

white wine sauce), pan seared diver scallops (accompanied 

by wild mushrooms, spinach and potatoes) 

and a thick-as-can-be New England clam 

chowder, garnished with steamed littlenecks still in 

their shells and crumbled bacon. 

Innovative dishes that give a nod to 

seasonal fare include appetizers like the 

blue fish fingers and the asparagus, golden 

beet and goat cheese salad. New England’s 

ethnic heritage is highlighted as well in 

starters like the Taleggio polenta served 

with wilted baby spinach and a crispy 

poached egg, entrees such as potato 

gnocchi with seasonal vegetables and 

even a savory meatball sandwich loaded 

with marinara sauce and mozzarella. 

Tasty flatbreads are also available and 

can be topped with everything from 

caramelized onion, bacon and gruyere to duck confit, 

mushrooms and Manchego cheese. 

Nubar even keeps it local with desserts, serving 

Cambridge’s own Christina’s ice cream, among 

other sweet treats. A wonderful wine, beer and 

cocktail selection and a friendly, knowledgeable 

waitstaff help complete a dining experience sure 

to stay as enjoyable and ever-surprising as the 

changing of the seasons.

Porgy and Bess Program [pdf] - American Repertory Theater

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?