POPE JOAN'S POEM :
I:iow sweet, to watch from the shore the wind-whipped ocean
Toss someone else's ship in a mighty struggle;
Not that the man's distress is cause for mirth Your freedom from those troubles is what's sweet;
And sweet, to see great lines of soldiers marshaled
In the plains of war, when you are free from peril;
But nothing is sweeter than to dwell in the calm
Temples of truth, the strongholds of the wise.
You can, from there, look down upon others wandering
Randomly, straying, seeking the path of life.
Warring with all their talent, wrestling for rank,
Night and day straining with the utmost toil
To fight their way to the heights of wealth and power.
0 pitiable minds of men, 0 blind intelligences!
In what gloom of life, in how great perils
Is passed all your poor span of time!
Not to see that all nature barks for is this:
That pain be removed away out of the body,
A nd that the mind, kept away from care and fear,
E njoy a feeling of delight
-Titus Lucretius Carus, from De Rerum Natura (IJ ,I)
Translated by Anthony M. Esolen
TOP GIRLS
by Caryl Churchill
ACT ONE: SCENE ONE,
A LONDON RESTAURANT IN THE 1980S
CAST IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE*
Marlene
Julia Kobos
Waitress
A bbi Westwood
Isabella Bird
Ayla Kapiloff
Lady Nijo
Caitlin Monahan
Dull Gret
Mollie Remillard
Emma
Givens
Pope Joan
Patient Griselda
Leah Bell
PRODUCTION
Director
Asst. Director
Stage Manager
Asst. Stage Mgr.
Set Design
Lighting Design
Costume D esign
P0srer Design
Janis Young, inspired by Kelly Muzzi
Mac Young
Ryan Smith
Gairt Rikhve
Caitlin Loehr
Tor Puckett
Daniel Michaelson's Introduction to Costume Design Class
Charlotte Sullivan
f ) Ll Ci.1J!.l e:f} t-a ti()D
Sue Rees
CREW
Light Board Operator
Sound Board Operator
Wardrobe
Light Hang Crew
Cris tian Panaite
Itoger Gordon
K yle Mos holder
Lani Rook, Jami Marshall-Lively, Sebastian Naskanis,
Alex Bleek, Jessica Little, Nedjo Spaich
*THE CHARACTERS
(1831-1904) lived in Edinburgh, traveled extensively between ages of 40 and 70
Isabella Bird:
Lady Nijo:
(b. 1258) Japanese- Emperor's courtesan and later Buddhist nun
who traveled Japan on foot
subject of a Brueghel painting 'Dulle Griet' (c. 1568)
Dull Gret:
in which a woman charges through hell
disguised as a man, is thought to have been Pope between 854 - 856
Pope Joan
Patient Griselda
the obedient wife whose story is told by Chaucer
(c.1344-1400) in 'The Canterbury Tales'
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Dina, for the idea; Mike Rancourt and Linda Hurley for extra help; the drama faculty - Jean, Michael,
Danny, Kirk, Jenny, Gladden - for steadfast support; Hope Barry, Joan Edwards and Susan Huggins for
pitching in; Elissa Tenny, for making it happen, and to all of Kelly's friends and family.
"\'\!hen 1 make wo rk in th e theatre, l bring a lot of cxc itemcm
and pa ss io n to the process .. it is stn:ngth in that it gives m e the
energy to get thro ugh the grind.T love brainstorming id eas and
exploring the possibilities of a scene .."
"I wam to give ac tresses the opportuni ty to work with such
i.ncred.ibly rich, challenging material. The characte rs come togeth er
fro m across histo r ' to fo rm a gro_up that surprises us with its
similarities. "
"I\ [arlene has created a wo men's o nl y space, a kind o f back stage
, : ~ a I life. Here, these womcn Y expe riences arc va lidated in a
way tha t was not poss ible in their act ual Life times."
"The themes explored th rough their stories are the same iss ue!'
that 1\ larlcne is grappling with in her real life: estrangement from
fami lv, finding
mcanmg in life, loss of chil dren. loss o f fat her, fai led love
relauonshi JS , loneliness, and success through adve rsity."
Ke lly Muzz i on Top Cidr
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