PRESENTS
PYGMALION
By George Bernard Shaw
Directed by Jason Gerace
June 18 - July 16, 2016
Austin Gardens | Oak Park, Illinois
Pygmalion
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A N O T E F R O M O U R B OA R D P R E S I D E N T
When I was in fourth grade, my family was taking care of two sets of
stereos—one for a friend of my older brother and one for a friend of
my parents. “Stereo-sitting” we called it. These people had very
different album collections. Consequently, my two favorite albums
growing up were: The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night and the sound track
to My Fair Lady.
Later, I discovered that Pygmalion was the same story without the musical breaks. Still
later, I learned that Pygmalion was the original (what can I say, I wasn’t a quick learner).
As my tastes expanded, I grew less fond of the musical and more enamored of Shaw’s
fascinating work. Yet, one can easily see why Lerner and Loewe chose this story as a
musical subject. The mandatory attention to detail from Higgins regarding sounds and
tones and rhythms of language are the very things most of interest to a librettist and
musical theatre playwright.
Now flash forward to the spring of 2015. We at OPFT were debating what shows to
do this season. We discussed the likelihood that there was to be at least one woman
candidate running for a major office. To honor that historic event, we wanted to offer
this season of strong women. First up—Eliza with her deep roots in the poorer sections
of Victorian London who learns to be “a lady”, only to discover that she has some pretty
strong opinions of her own.
Eliza is a part of all us as we attempt to rise from our past and learn to become
significant—and more importantly, heard.
So enjoy the words and sounds and music of this nonmusical production. And to my
family friends, I will be forever indebted to you for instilling this love of language and
intonations ensuing from the speakers of borrowed stereo systems.
Paul Engelhardt
Board President
Oak Park Festival Theatre
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Oak Park Festival Theatre
F R O M T H E A R T I S T I C D I R E C TO R
Welcome to the 42nd season of Oak Park Festival Theatre. We’re thrilled
you’re here! There are many exciting things happening at OPTF this
year, and I want to share them with you. First and foremost is the
hiring of Jhenai Mootz as our new managing director. Jhenai has
been on board only 5 months and we are already wondering how we
ever got along without her energy, grace and professionalism!
Additionally, we have relocated to some spacious offices on Marion
Street. And we have a new board president. I would like to welcome
Paul Engelhardt, who succeeds Brad Bartels in this pivotal role. Thanks to Brad for his
many years of leadership, and to Paul for taking the reins.
There’s big news at Austin Gardens as well. OPFT audiences will be pleased to discover
a brand-new eco-friendly Park District building in the Gardens. This state-of-the-art,
Platinum LEED education center will provide space for environmental programming of
various kinds, as well as indoor bathrooms!
Finally, I am thrilled to announce our season selections for 2017. Next year we will
present Shakespeare’s tale of ambition and murder, Macbeth, directed by Oak Park
favorite Barbara Zahora, followed by a swashbuckling comedy, The Fair Maid of the West
by Thomas Heywood, adapted and directed by Kevin Theis. We love this pairing of two
action-packed plays, and we know you will, too.
Last year was one of our most successful seasons, thanks to your support. Your generous
donations, attendance and word-of-mouth
recommendations inspire us to work even
harder to bring you outdoor classical
theatre at its very finest. We couldn’t do
it without you. From the bottom of our
hearts, thank you.
Jack Hickey
Artistic Director
Oak Park Festival Theatre
Pygmalion
3
P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F P R O F I L E S
C O N T.
several plays for Equity Library Theatre
including Julius Caesar, Macbeth and
Broadway Bound and for Theatre-Hikes he
has directed Tom Sawyer.
in 2012. Other Chicago credits include
work with Shattered Globe, Next Theatre,
Bailiwick Repertory, Strawdog, City Lit,
Stage Left Theatre (where she’s a member
emeritus), and Plasticene.
Larisa Bocka (Assistant Stage Manager,
Hamlet) is delighted to be part of this
production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet
by Oak Park Festival Theatre. Chicago
credits include: Assistant Stage Manager
Jane Austen’s Emma (Dead Writers Theatre
Collective); Assistant Stage Manager Ain’t
Misbehavin’ (Porchlight Music Theatre);
Stage Manager The Cherry Orchard (Stage
Center Theatre); Sound Operator; Director’s
Assistant; and Ensemble Actor.
Robert W. Behr* (Stage Manager, The
Importance of Being Earnest) returns to the
booth for his 24th production as stage
manager for OPFT. In addition, he’s been
production manager for several, performed
in one (Sir Richard de la Lee in Robin Hood),
and is OPFT’s former treasurer. A proud
member of Actors’ Equity Association
since 1980, Bob has performed and stagemanaged in the Chicago area at Drury
Lane South, Drury Lane McCormick Place,
Drury Lane North, Chicago Dramatists,
Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Theater Wit
and the Pickwick Theater among others.
He has also been the stage manager at
Westgate Dinner Theater (Toledo), and the
Eastman School of Music’s opera program
in Rochester, New York. He has directed
Irina Gavrilova (Assistant Director,
Hamlet) is delighted to be a part of her
first production with Oak Park Festival and
is grateful for everything she’s learned in
this process. She is a rising sophomore at
Yale University where she is a prospective
Theatre Studies major with a concentration
An Oak Park Tradition
A classic American Bistro setting makes us the perfect destination
before or after the performance. Share appetizers with friends, enjoy a relaxed
dinner for two, just a glass of wine or late night dessert and cappucino.
151 North Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park 708.386.2600
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4
Oak Park Festival Theatre
Hamlet / The Importance of Being Earnest
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Pygmalion
5
A B O U T T H E P L A Y B Y B E L I N DA B R E M N E R , A R T I S T I C A S S O C I AT E
“A man who writes about himself and his own time is the only man who writes about
all people and all time.” – George Bernard Shaw
Pygmalion, arguably Shaw’s most popular and most frequently reinterpreted work,
is indeed a work of his time. However, the public and private inequalities at which
he aimed his stinging wit still plague us. In fact they are at the very core of this year’s
polarizing election battles. More than 100 years later, Pygmalion is every bit as relevant
today as it was in 1912. For duchesses and guttersnipes read the One vs Ninety Nine
Percent. Perceptions count for more than substance. This thesis on the artificiality of
class distinction shocked its audiences in its own time. Today, even in America (the land
of constant self-reinvention), we are still judged more by our color and countenance (as
well as our consonants) than by the content of our character and the convictions of our
hearts. Women and the working class are still dismissed, demeaned, and disenfranchised.
We are still confounded by the power of facade over fact. And our future is still the stuff
of speculation and debate. These disparities in our social fabric are food for further
exploration and why we chose to address them in our 2016 Look to the Lady season.
We do have a few facts about Pygmalion:
It was written in 1912 as a present and star turn for Mrs. Patrick Campbell, for whom Shaw
pined “violently and exquisitely” but, alas for him, unsuccessfully. Because “Mrs. Pat” was
suffering from a nervous collapse, the play premiered not in London but in German in
Vienna in 1913. The 1914 London debut was rife with scandal and strife. Mrs. Pat, the now
49 year old “ingénue” Eliza, married the considerably younger George Cornwallis-West
who was recently divorced from Winston Churchill’s mother, Jennie Jerome. On-stage she
dared to utter that “incarnadine adverb”—the now all too tame “Bloody.” The production
was directed by Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree who also played Higgins. Playwright and
Director famously battled about the ending. Tree argued for “a happy ending” with Eliza
and Higgins reconciled and wed. Shaw had called the work a “Romance”, had he not? Shaw
was so adamant that Eliza does not become Higgins “consort battleship” that he added an
afterword stating clearly that Eliza marries Freddy. There was a madly successful London
revival (again starring Mrs. Pat) in 1920.
Since that time the play has been produced around the globe and there have been
countless film and television versions, the musical adaptation My Fair Lady, and modern
reimagining’s such as Pretty Woman.
Why is this century-old stinging social satire still the subject of both delight and debate?
The blistering wit is still as cut crystal bright and brittle as Eliza’s new learnt pronunciation.
The debate on the steep price of respectability vs society’s contempt for the “undeserving
poor” wages and rages on. The artificiality of class distinctions possesses the tenacity of
cockroaches. Now as then, we all need as urgently as breath to be treated with kindness.
We need our own “unique spark(s) of divine fire” to be recognized and kept alight.
Pygmalion is much, much more than a five-act “romance” with an ambiguous ending
charting the course of a man and a woman engaged in a social experiment. It is much
more than a masterpiece advocating the equality of the sexes and the stupidity of judging
by appearances. It is the story of equal forces, both victims of their widely disparate social
classes, who struggle to find and to save their souls.
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Oak Park Festival Theatre
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Pygmalion
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THE CAST
Henry Higgins........................................................................................................................... Kevin Theis*†
Eliza Doolittle....................................................................................................................Amanda Drinkall*
Colonel Pickering....................................................................................................................Jack Hickey*†
Mrs. Higgins............................................................................................................................Mary Michell*†
Alfred Doolittle..........................................................................................................................Brian Rooney
Mrs. Pearce........................................................................................................................Belinda Bremner †
Freddy Eynsford Hill......................................................................................................................Kyle Curry
Clara Eynsford Hill...................................................................................................................... Erica Bittner
Mrs. Eynsford Hill................................................................................................................ Lynda Shadrake
Bystander & Butler................................................................................................................. Michael Pacas
London Citizens................................................ Dana Clouser^, Shalyn Grow^, Jennifer Mitchell^
SET TING
Place: London
Time: 1913
There will be one 15-minute intermission
UNDERSTUDIES
Understudies never substitute for listed performers unless
announced at the time of the performance.
For Henry Higgins—Kyle Curry; For Eliza Doolittle—Tressa Greschak;
For Alfred Doolittle and Colonel Pickering—Joe Page;
For Mrs. Higgins and Mrs. Eynsford Hill—Belinda Bremner†;
For Mrs. Pearce—Lynda Shadrake; For Freddy Eynsford Hill—Ryan Luzzo^;
For Clara Eynsford Hill—Brooke Teweles^
P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F
Director .......................................................................................................................................Jason Gerace
Assistant Director...................................................................................................................Carson Crow^
Stage Manager .....................................................................................................................Daniel D. Drake
Assistant Stage Manager .....................................................................................................Ciara Hickey^
Set Designer ...........................................................................................................................Sean McIntosh
Costume Designer ....................................................................................................... Rachel Sypniewski
Sound Designer .............................................................................................................................. Joe Court
Props Designer ....................................................................................................................Clara Wendland
Production Manager ......................................................................................................... Catherine Allen
Technical Director ...........................................................................................................................Ian Olsen
Casting Director ...............................................................................................................................Lucy Carr
House Manager ...................................................................................................................Adam Meredith
Box Office Manager ................................................................................................................. Mary Liming
Intern Coordinator ...........................................................................................................Amanda Forman
Park Operations Manager ...............................................................................................Robert W. Behr*
Photographer......................................................................................................................... Johnny Knight
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*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers
†Oak Park Festival Theatre Company Member | ^Summer Season Intern
Oak Park Festival Theatre
CAST PROFILES
Erica Bittner (Clara
Eynsford Hill)) returns
to OPFT where she last
appeared in Love’s
Labours Lost. Favorite
Chicago credits: Bad
Jews (Theatre Wit); The
Madness of Edgar Allan Poe (First Folio
Theatre); A Christmas Carol (Drury Lane);
Richard III: No Beast So Fierce (Oracle
Theatre); and work with Light Opera Works,
Redmoon, One Year Chekhov, Chicago
Dramatists, Victory Gardens, and Chicago
Shakespeare Theater. International: The
Two Noble Kinsmen (RADA) and Momentary
Opera (Redmoon). Television: Chicago Fire,
American Greed. Erica holds a BFA from the
Chicago College of Performing Arts and
trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art. Represented by Gray Talent Group.
Belinda Bremner (Mrs.
Pearce) is an Artistic
Associate with OPFT
and has appeared as an
actor with the company
in Henry V, The Glass
Menagerie, The
Importance of Being Earnest, and To Kill a
Mockingbird. As a director for OPFT:
Dancing at Lughnasa, Of Mice and Men,
Richard III, Faith Healer, and Someone Who’ll
Watch Over Me. Ms. Bremner has written
and directed Mrs. Coney, Midwinter’s Tales,
and the WVOP Mysteries for OPFT. Cofounder of ShawChicago where she acted
in, directed, and/or wrote some 30
productions. Founding member Body
Politic Ensemble and has worked with
Goodman, Northlight, St. Nicholas, Court
among others.
Kyle Curry (Freddy
Eynsford Hill) is making
his OPFT debut. Some
of his other Chicago
credits are
Shakespeare’s Greatest
Hits and Dunsinane with Chicago
Shakespeare Theatre as well as Great
Expectations at Strawdog. Kyle has worked
regionally at theaters including Milwaukee
Repertory Theatre, Utah Shakespeare
Festival, NextAct Theatre, Kentucky
Shakespeare, Virginia Shakespeare,
Houston Shakespeare, Shakespeare Dallas,
Oklahoma City Shakespeare, Stages
Repertory Theatre, and Contemporary
Theatre of Dallas. Kyle received his MFA
from the University of Houston Professional
Actor Training Program and is represented
by Gray Talent.
Amanda Drinkall*
(Eliza Doolittle) makes
her OPFT Debut.
Chicago credits: Mary
Page Marlowe
(Steppenwolf ), Venus in
Fur and Measure for
Measure (Goodman); White Guy on the Bus
and Funnyman (Northlight); Rest (Victory
Gardens); Last Train to Nibroc (Haven); Great
Expectations (Strawdog); Pride and Prejudice
(Lifeline); hamlet is dead. no gravity, The
Skriker, The Love of the Nightingale, and
Pullman, WA (Red Tape); and more than a
dozen shows with The Back Room
Shakespeare Project. TV credits: Chicago
Med. Film credits: The View From Tall. Ms.
Drinkall holds a BFA from the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is
represented by Gray Talent Group.
Tressa Greschak
(Understudy Eliza
Doolittle) is happy to
be back at OPFT. As an
Intern at OPFT during
the 2014 season, she
understudied the roles
of Gwendolyn in The Importance of Being
Earnest, and Osric in Hamlet. She has her
BFA in acting from Northern Illinois
University. Recently, she has been seen as
the title role in Mary Poppins, and as Blast
Pygmalion
9
CAST PROFILES
c o n t.
from the Past Brendan in The Garbage Life
Of Brendan Fraser. One of her favorite
acting experiences thus far was performing
at the Adana Theatre Festival (in Turkey) as
Jean Paul Marat in Marat / Sade.
Jack Hickey* (Colonel
Pickering) is the Artistic
Director of the Oak Park
Festival Theatre, and
this summer he will
also appear here as
Gremio in The Taming
of the Shrew. This season is his 15th year
with the company and Pygmalion marks
his 23rd production with the company. For
the Festival, Jack directed As You Like It, The
Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing,
and Love’s Labour’s Lost. For NIU Jack
directed An Ideal Husband and for Village
Players he directed You Can’t Take It With
You. Roles at OPFT include Claudius in
Hamlet, Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night,
Sheriff Heck Tate in To Kill A Mockingbird,
Michael (Equity Jeff Nomination) in
Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, Drummond
in Inherit the Wind, Falstaff in Henry the
Fourth, Fluellen in Henry V, Teddy in Faith
Healer and the title role in Cyrano de
Bergerac. Jack is also a company member
of ShawChicago, where he recently played
William the Waiter in You Never Can Tell.
Other recent ShawChicago credits include
The Devil in Don Juan in Hell, Undershaft in
Major Barbara and Crofts in Candida.
Mary Michell* (Mrs.
Higgins) Pygmalion
marks Mary Michell’s
fourth appearance with
OPFT. She also
appeared in Seascape,
Faith Healer and
Dancing at Lughnasa. Mary has worked
with ShawChicago since 1999, and
appeared this season in Private Lives and
You Never Can Tell. Local audiences have
also seen her at Chicago Dramatists, The
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Oak Park Festival Theatre
Shakespeare Project, Bailiwick Repertory,
Drury Lane, Illinois Theatre Center and the
Ravinia Festival, where she performed the
narration to Mendelsohn’s Midsummer
Night’s Dream with the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra. Regional credits include the
Arena Stage in Washington DC; the
Mummers Theatre in Oklahoma City;
Actors Theatre of Louisville. She is an OPFT
Artistic Associate.
Joe Page (Understudy
Col. Pickering/Alfred
Doolittle) is thrilled to
be a part of this
production and to be
working with OPFT for
the first time. This
spring Joe was seen in the One Minute Play
Festival (Den Theater) and Proof (Oil Lamp
Theater). Other Oil Lamp credits include
The God Committee, Three Viewings and It’s
a Wonderful Life. Joe was also seen in
recent summer productions of Hamlet and
Romeo and Juliet (Muse of Fire). Joe’s film
credits include Bridgebuilders, Gardening at
Night and Stage 3 (DePaul University.) Visit
his website at joepageactor.com.
Brian Rooney (Alfred
Doolittle) returns to
OPFT where he
appeared in The
Importance Of Being
Earnest. Following
Pygmalion he returns to
the cast of Flanagan’s Wake at Chicago
Theater Works. In Chicagoland: Fantasticks,
The Merry Widow (Light Opera Works);
Madness Of George III, Since I Suppose
(Chicago Shakespeare); Sweet Smell Of
Success (Kokandy); Man Who Was Thursday
(New Leaf ); Jake’s Women (Spartan).
Regionally, Brian has worked with
Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Illinois
Shakespeare Festival, Hey City Theater, The
Lost Colony and Theatre South Carolina in
addition to several theatres in Portland and
CAST PROFILES
c o n t.
Los Angeles. For film and additional credits,
visit his website at brianrooneyactor.com
Lynda Shadrake (Mrs.
Eynsford Hill) appeared
in The Importance of
Being Earnest with OPFT
(2014). An ensemble
member with Griffin
Theatre, her credits
include Pocatello, Balm in Gilead, Letters
Home and Frindle. Other theatre: Mine and
Yours (Stage Left’s Leapfest); Late Nite
Catechism (Royal George); Flanagan’s Wake,
Don’t Drink the Water (Noble Fool). Improv:
The Spew (co-creator), League of Improv
Heroes, Free Associates (founding
member), ComedySportz, and Chicago
Improv Festival. TV: Trading Spaces- prank
episode. Film: Teenage Ghost Punk, Hunter,
Dear Mr. Fidrych. Web: The Dreamers, The
Adventures of Jacketman. She’s represented
by Big Mouth Talent.
Visit www.lyndashadrake.com.
Kevin Theis* (Henry
Higgins) returns to Oak
Park Festival for a
sixteenth time, his
tenth as a performer.
Favorite roles at OPFT
include Benedick in
Much Ado About Nothing, George in Of Mice
and Men, Salieri in Amadeus, the title role in
Richard III and Edward in Someone Who’ll
Watch Over Me, for which he was
nominated for a 2014 Joseph Jefferson
Award for Principal Actor. Kevin has also
performed with the Goodman Theatre,
Next Theatre, Lifeline, Irish Theatre of
Chicago (where he is an ensemble
member) and CT20 Ensemble, where he
served as Artistic Director. In addition to his
acting, Kevin is also a director, having
staged six shows for OPFT, another six at
City Lit, four at Irish Theatre of Chicago and
four at Lifeline Theatre, among others. He
has been nominated for three Jeff Awards
for his directing work and proudly shared
the 2015 Best Ensemble Award with his
castmates from Seanachai Theatre’s
production of The Seafarer. OPFT will
produce Kevin’s adaptation of Thomas
Heywood’s The Fair Maid of the West next
summer.
Dana Clouser
(Ensemble)
Dana has been
interning for OPFT
and is excited to be
in her first show here.
Dana was last in Fame!
at Illinois Wesleyan University. She held
the position of ASM for Blown Youth and
has taken part in two student directed
shows, What She Found There and Love
and Information. Last year, she assistant
directed a children’s production of The
Jungle Book with IWU Young Artists. Dana
Pygmalion
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CAST PROFILES
c o n t.
has worked with HOTT Productions,
Greenman Theatre Troope, Circle Theatre,
and the NHSI program (Cherubs). She is
currently pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre
at Illinois Wesleyan University.
Ryan Luzzo (Freddy
Understudy) is going to
be a junior at the
University of Illinois in
Urbana-Champaign
(UIUC) studying acting
and dance. At UIUC
Ryan has been in productions such as 1984,
The Grapes of Wrath, and will be in UIUC’s
upcoming production of Dontrell, Who
Kissed the Sea. In addition to acting and
dancing, Ryan enjoys adapting novels for
the stage, as he is currently working on his
adaption of Shane Koyczan’s Stickboy. He
hopes everyone enjoys the show and prays
that rain is not in the near future!
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Oak Park Festival Theatre
Shayly Grow
(Ensemble)
is excited to make
her Chicago theatre
debut as an ensemble
member in Oak Park
Festival Theatre’s
Pygmalion. She is currently pursuing a BFA
in Musical Theatre at Western Kentucky
University, and will be a senior this
upcoming fall.
Jennifer Mitchell
(Ensemble)
is excited for her
debut at Oak Park
Festival Theatre as an
ensemble member in
Pygmalion. Jennifer is
a Sophomore at The Chicago College of
Performing Arts (Roosevelt University).
Favorite roles include American Songbook
(Featured Soloist) and Freshman Showcase
(Featured Soloist).
CAST PROFILES
c o n t.
Brooke Teweles (Clara
U/S) is thrilled to be
interning and
understudying
Pygmalion at OPFT. An
incoming Junior at
Illinois Wesleyan
University, Brooke has performed this year
in Blown Youth (Anne), Klauzal Square
(Ildiko) and a workshop performance of
Good Friday (Natalie.) Regional credits
include Seussical (Gertrude) and A Wrinkle
in Time (Meg.)
PREVIEW
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Pygmalion
13
S TA F F P R O F I L E S
Catherine Allen (Production Manager)
is thrilled to work with Oak Park Festival
Theatre for the first time this summer.
Catherine is an Artistic Associate and
resident production manager at Step Up
Productions where she has worked since
2013. As a production manager, she has
worked with Steep Theatre, Griffin Theatre,
Pegasus Theatre Chicago, Haven Theatre,
A Red Orchid Theatre Youth Ensemble, and
Pine Box Theater Company (where she was
also an ensemble member). She served as
associate producer at The Mission Theater,
founded by Chicago improv talents TJ
Jagodowski and David Pasquesi, during
its inaugural year. She is a graduate of the
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign,
where she received a BFA in Acting.
Robert W. Behr* (Park Operations) A
proud Actors’ Equity member since 1980,
he has performed and stage managed for
many Chicago area theatres as well as in
Toledo, Ohio; Muskegon and Saugatuck,
Michigan; and with the opera company of
the Eastman School of Music. He was last
seen on stage in OPFT’s Robyn Hood and
has stage managed over 20 productions
for OPFT since he joined the theatre
in 2003. He specializes in finance and
bookkeeping for Oak Park Festival Theatre
and was the Treasurer from 2007-2010. He
is also a free-lance director.
Joe Court (Sound Designer) is excited to
work with OPFT for the first time! A sound
designer who has been based out of
Chicago since 2006, Joe has designed more
than 100 shows since moving to Chicago
with many different theater companies
including Mary-Arrchie, A Red Orchid, The
Inconvenience, Theater Wit, TUTA, Haven,
Emerald City, Raven, Seanachai, Theatre
Seven, Backstage, Boho, Lifeline, Pine Box,
The Gift, University of Chicago 59E59 (OffBroadway, NYC), Clarence Brown Theatre
(Knoxville, TN.), Virginia Stage Company
(Norfolk, VA), Actors Theatre of Indiana,
14
Oak Park Festival Theatre
and the Idaho, Lake Tahoe, and Illinois
Shakespeare Festivals.
Carson Crow (Assistant Director)
Carson Crow is very excited to be apart
of OPFT for his first time. He is currently
studying Directing at Ball State University
and will be going into his junior year in
the fall. This past year he had the pleasure
of Assistant Directing Recent Tragic Events
and Hairspray at Ball State. Carson will be
starting this next year directing John & Jen
and assisting Sutton Foster’s direction of
the Ball State Cabaret in New York City.
Daniel D. Drake (Stage Manager) is excited
to be working with Oak Park Festival
Theatre for the first time with this fantastic
group! Daniel is a freelance Chicagoland
stage manager and the Executive Director
for the Bitter Jester Foundation for the
Arts, an organization founded to produce
and support all artists of all ages. Selected
previous productions include: Last Train
to Nibroc (Haven Theatre); The 39 Steps
and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way
to the Forum (Roosevelt University); The
Life and Death of Madam Barker (Red
Tape Theatre); Metamorphoses, Bengal
Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, and Still Alice
(Lookingglass Theatre); The Iceman Cometh,
RED, and A Christmas Carol (Goodman
Theatre). Daniel also spent four seasons
with the Illinois Shakespeare Festival as the
company manager and member of stage
management.
Amanda Forman (Intern Coordinator) is
an actor and playwright originally from
Iowa City, Iowa. She received her Bachelor
of Fine Arts in Acting from Minnesota
State University, Mankato. Since moving
to Chicago in August 2015 Amanda has
worked as an actor with several companies
including The Side Project Theatre,
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, Fury
Theatre and is an artistic associate with
20% Theatre Company: Chicago. While
S TA F F P R O F I L E S
c o n t.
attending school in Minnesota Amanda
had the opportunity to work on a number
of productions. A few of her favorites
included: As You Like It, Betrayal, BoeingBoeing, The Shape of Things and A Plague of
Angels. Amanda is thrilled to be returning
to Oak Park Festival Theatre after working
as an intern for their 2015 season.
Company. Kathy holds a B.S. in Acting from
Illinois State University, and is a company
member with Rivendell Theatre Ensemble.
Kathy Logelin (Dialect Coach) is thrilled
to be returning to OPFT, having acted in
Betrayal, and Arms and the Man. Recent
dialect credits include Jesus Hopped the
A Train with Eclipse Theatre Company,
Spinning and A Little World of Our Own
with Irish Theatre Chicago, The Last Train to
Nibroc with Haven Theatre, Persuasion with
Chamber Opera Chicago at the Edinburgh
Festival Fringe, and Treasure Island and
Moby Dick with Lookingglass Theatre
Jhenai Mootz (Managing Director) is
honored to have been working with OPFT
since 2006 as an actor; in 2016 she joined
the staff as OPFT’s Managing Director.
Later this season she will be seen on
OPFT’s stage as Katherine in The Taming of
the Shrew. Also performed at OPFT: Osric
in Hamlet, Olivia in Twelfth Night, Lady
Anne in Richard III, Raina in Arms and the
Man, Chrissie in Dancing at Lughnasa,
Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing,
Ian Olsen (Technical Director) is a TD and
improvisor here by way of Maine, the
O’Neill, and Hartwick College. It’s a thrill
to be working on Pygmalion! Select work
around Chicago include World Builders
Jason Gerace (Director) is a freelance
(First Floor Theater), The Secretaries (About
director in Chicago, and has been Artistic
Face Theater), The Awake (First Floor
Associate of American Theater Company
Theater), Animals Commit Suicide (FFT), the
since 2008. He was the recipient of the
project(s) (ATC), The Walk Across American
2014 Non-Equity Jeff Award in Outstanding For Mother Earth (Red Tape Theatre), Hot
Direction for his work on Great Expectations Georgia Sunday (Haven Theatre), Great
with Strawdog Theatre Company. Regional Expectations (Strawdog Theatre), Let Me
directing credits include Last Train to Nibroc Down Easy and Mercy Strain (America
(Haven Theatre, Chicago), Wrecks (with
Theatre Company) and Exit Strategy
John Judd- Profiles Theatre, Chicago), Opus (Jackalope Theatre).
and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (RedTwist
Theatre, Chicago), Hamlet and (Oklahoma
Sean Mcintosh (Set Designer) is a
Shakespeare Chautauqua). Jason originally freelance designer and technical director.
hails from Anchorage, Alaska and holds
Sean has worked at Citadel Theater,
an MFA in Directing from The University of Moraine Valley Community College and
Oklahoma. He is a resident of Oak Park, and Triton College. Other notable projects
an associate member of SDC.
include designing sets and lights for the
off-Broadway premiere of The Magdalene,
Ciara Hickey (Assistant Stage Manager)
the musical and sets for Gypsy. Sean was
Ciara Hickey is so excited to be assistant
previously Scenic and Lighting Designer
and Director of the Technical Theatre
stage managing her first production at
Program at Casper College where he
OPFT. Theater credits include Hello, Dolly!,
designed Sunday in the Park with George,
Godspell, Oklahoma!, and Into the Woods.
Sweeney Todd, and the world premiere of
Next year she will begin her sophomore
St. Francis in Egypt by Arthur Giron. Sean
year as a BFA Musical Theater student at
received his MFA in scenic design from
Chicago College of Performing Arts at
Boston University.
Roosevelt University.
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S TA F F P R O F I L E S
c o n t.
Christine in Murder by the Book and Madge
in Picnic. Other credits around town: Saint
Joan, Man and Superman, Pygmalion, The
Widowers’ Houses, The Millionairess, Mrs.
Warren’s Profession, Arms and the Man
(ShawChicago), Sparky!, Jane Eyre, The
Moonstone (Lifeline Theatre), The Mystery
of Edgar Allan Poe (First Folio Shakespeare
Company, IL), The Women, The Philadelphia
Story (Circle Theatre). Jhenai holds a B.F.A.
from the University of Utah’s Actor Training
Program. Jhenai’s theatre inspired artwork
can currently be found in the lobby of the
Lifeline Theater & Andersonville Galleria,
O’hare Airport and on her website at
JhenaiMootz.com.
Trap Door, La Bete ( Non-Equity Jeff Award
for Best Costume Design), Haven, 20%
Theatre, 16th Street Theater, Griffin (Jeff
Nomination for Best Costume Design for
Titantic and London Wall), CityLit, Chopin,
Promethean (Broadway World Nomination
for Best Costume Design, Tiger at the
Gates), Strawdog, Vitalist, Rasaka, the
Factory. She also has designed at Wheaton
College, St. Patrick’s High School, Indiana
University Northwest, and the Chicago
Academy for the Arts. Rachel is a company
member with The Factory, an Artistic
Associate with 16th Street Theatre and Trap
Door’s resident designer. More info at
www.rachelsyp.com.
Kaili Story (Lighting Designer) is thrilled
to be making her OPFT debut this season.
Kaili has a BA in Dance Production from
UNLV and has toured shows to Adelaide,
Australia, Turks and Caicos Islands,
and Seoul, Korea before coming to
Northwestern to pursue an MFA in Stage
Design. Past works include: The Tempest
(Barber Theater, 2016) A Funny Thing
Happened On The Way To Forum (Barber
Theater, 2016), In The Next Room: The
Vibrator Play (Louis Theater, 2015), and 15
Breaths (About Face Youth Theater, 2015).
Upcoming work: The Taming of the Shrew
(OPFT, 2016) and Ad Hoc (AFYT, 2016). For
more information, or to view her portfolio,
please visit kailistory.com.
Clara Wendland (Props Designer) received
her BA in Theatre Studies from St. Norbert
College in De Pere, Wisconsin. This is her
first production with Oak Park Festival
Theatre. She recently designed props for
The Actors Gymnasium’s spring Youth
Circus show, Another Castle, as well as
assistant stage-managed Under the Rug
Theatre’s inaugural show, Ride. She has
worked professionally in Wisconsin theatre
since she was eighteen years old, with
Third Avenue Playhouse, Northern Sky
Theatre, and Peninsula Players Theatre. She
is a brand new Chicagoan. Enjoy the show!
Rachel Sypniewski (Costume Designer)
returns to OPFT this season, having
previously designed Hamlet and The
Importance of Being Earnest. Other
companies she has worked with include
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Oak Park Festival Theatre
Actors’ Equity Association (AEA or
Equity), founded in 1913, is the labor
union that represents more than 48,000
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.
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Oak Park Festival Theatre
SPECIAL THANKS
Porchlight Music Theatre
The Saints for ushering services
Roosevelt University
Chris Lindgren and the Park District of Oak Park
The Leadership and Staff of Visit Oak Park
The Leadership and Staff of Downtown Oak Park
F I N D U S O N FAC E B O O K A N D T W I T T E R
Search for Festival Theatre and “LIKE” us on Facebook to discover
breaking news, sneak previews and special deals. We “LIKE” our
Facebook friends!
Follow us on Twitter @oakparkfestival
P R O G R A M A DV E R T I S I N G A P P R E C I AT E D A N D W E L C O M E D !
Oak Park Festival Theatre values highly its partnering relationships with those firms,
restaurants and companies that support Festival Theatre through the purchase of
program advertising. Thank you all very much! We fervently urge our audiences to
patronize these advertisers and, when you do, thank them for supporting live theatre in
Oak Park. To those Oak Park area companies and organizations who would like to consider
advertising in the future, we would love to have you! Contact our Advertising Sales
Representative Lanny Lutz at (708) 848-8984 or email him at [email protected].
AU S T I N G A R D E N S B E N E F I T S F R O M YO U R S U P P O R T !
Festival Theatre summer performances happen in beautiful Austin Gardens. Originally
owned by the Austin family, Austin Gardens was a bequest to the Park District of Oak Park
in 1944 with an irrevocable trust fund for extraordinary maintenance and improvements.
This fund is managed locally to grow and support the work of the Park District and,
specifically, Festival Theatre. If you are interested in donating to the Austin Trust, please
contact Diane Stanke at the Park District of Oak Park at (708) 725-2022.
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Oak Park Festival Theatre
Dear Festival Theatre patrons,
Welcome to the Park District of Oak Park’s beautiful Austin Gardens.
With its woodland plant life and mature tree canopy sheltering this park
from the urban life that surrounds it, patrons have been known to refer
to Austin Gardens as “the secret garden.”
The Park District of Oak Park is proud to be the host of Festival Theatre
in Austin Gardens for the past 41 years. We congratulate their success as
the oldest theater in Illinois devoted to the classics, especially the works
of William Shakespeare. This summer-long event brings our community
together and allows us to celebrate the arts while bringing us in touch
with nature.
As you visit Austin Gardens you will see the new Environmental
Education Center which officially opened June 11, 2016. Designed as a
LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Platinum certified
facility, the Environmental Education Center features a geo-thermal
system, solar energy, a green roof, rainwater harvesting and energy
efficient mechanical systems. Look for interpretive signage in the north
Woodland Wildflower Area describing the many living things that
inhabit the area. Signage is also posted near the new Center providing
more details about its sustainability features.
With two indoor classrooms along with an adjacent outdoor learning
garden classroom, this facility will host immersive, hands-on and
interactive programming focused on protecting and preserving our
environment. Look for workshop and program information at www.
pdop.org.
The Park District hopes you will enjoy this new facility during the 2016
Festival Theatre season and for many years to come.
Sincerely,
Board of Park Commissioners
Park District of Oak Park
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OA K PA R K F E S T I VA L T H E AT R E S TA F F
Artistic Director.......................................................................................................................... Jack Hickey*
Managing Director.................................................................................................................. Jhenai Mootz
Park Operations & Finance Manager............................................................................Robert W. Behr*
Box Office Manager.................................................................................................................. Mary Liming
Casting Director................................................................................................................................Lucy Carr
Photographer......................................................................................................................... Johnny Knight
Advertising Sales Representative............................................................................................Lanny Lutz
OA K PA R K F E S T I VA L A R T I S T I C A S S O C I AT E S
Belinda Bremner
John Crosthwaite
Tony Dobrowolski*
Lavina Jadhwani
Mary Michell*
Mark Richard*
Kevin Theis
SUMMER INTERNS
Anwar Ali ..................................................................................................... Aurora University (Graduate)
Joey Bird ...............................................................................CCPA/Roosevelt University (Sophomore)
Dana Clouser .................................................................................Illinois Wesleyan University (Junior)
Carson Crow................................................................................................. Ball State University (Junior)
Taylor Fono ...........................................................................................University of Oklahoma (Junior)
Shalyn Grow .............................................................................. Western Kentucky University (Senior)
Ciara Hickey .........................................................................CCPA/Roosevelt University (Sophomore)
Madison Hill .........................................................................................University of Oklahoma (Junior)
Ryan Luzzo ......................................................University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Junior)
Sara McCanna................................................................................................... Loyola University (Junior)
Jennifer Mitchel .................................................................CCPA/Roosevelt University (Sophomore)
Sofie Puchel .........................................The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (Sophomore)
Mario Ragazzone................................................................................. New Mexico University
(Senior)
Gillian Randall ....................................................................................... Simpson College, IA
(Graduate)
Fin Ross......................................................................................................
Dominican University (Junior)
Jackson Simpson ...................................................................Northwestern University (Sophomore)
Brooke Teweles..............................................................................Illinois Wesleyan University (Junior)
OA K PA R K F E S T I VA L T H E AT R E B OA R D O F D I R E C TO R S
President ................................................................................................................................Paul Engelhardt
Vice President .........................................................................................................................Len Grossman
Secretary ..................................................................................................................................Molly Surowitz
Park District Liason....................................................................................................................Sandy Lentz
Members ...........................................Brad A. Bartels, Robert W. Behr*, Dan Marco, Kevin Theis*†
AN AGENCY OF
T H E S TAT E O F I L L I N O I S
Oak Park Festival Theatre is partially funded by the Oak Park Area Arts Council, in partnership with
the Villages of Oak Park, Forest Park and River Forest, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
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Oak Park Festival Theatre
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C O R P O R AT E , F O U N DAT I O N A N D G OV E R N M E N T S U P P O R T
More than $10,000
Lois Ebinger Charitable Fund
More than $5,000
Richard H. Driehaus Foundation
Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley
Foundation
Austin Trust
$1,001-$5,000
Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest
Downtown Oak Park
Forest Park National Bank
Friends of Senator Don Harmon
Illinois Arts Council Agency
Oak Park Area Arts Council
Oak Park River Forest Community
Foundation
Visit Oak Park
The Wednesday Journal
West Suburban Medical Center
$501-$1,000
The Book Table
Careful Peach
The Carleton Hotel
Gloor Realty
Kinderhook Tap
Rotary Club of Oak Park River Forest
The UPS Store
Winberie’s
$251-$500
Hemingway’s Bistro
Marion Street Cheese Market
Oak Park Tennis and Fitness Center
$101-$250
Connolly’s Public House
DiscoverCard
iGive.com
Magic Tree Book Store
Old School Tavern and Grill
Up to $100
Amazon Smile Foundation
GoodSearch
2 016 P R E S E N T I N G S P O N S O R S
Visit Oak Park
Downtown Oak Park
IN 3D
SEE
SEELIVE
LIVE
THEATER
THEATER
Enjoy the original 3D experience.
*No glasses required
Visit
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FOOTLIGHTS.COM
Oak Park Festival Theatre
for all of your theater needs.
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FA M I LY F O U N DAT I O N S & T R U S T S
Lois Ebinger Charitable Fund
Thomas G. Brown Family Charitable Foundation
Harry Julius Busck Trust – Chatka Ruggiero
Hunt Family Trust – Clifford and Sarah Hunt
Fidelity Charitable Fund – Dr. and Mrs Dietz
Fidelity Charitable Fund – Cynthia Barnard and Len Grossman
Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving – Nancy Clark
2 015 -16 I N D I V I D UA L D O N O R S
$1000 – $2000
Fidelity Charitable Fund –
Cynthia Barnard & Len
Grossman
$500 – $999
Thomas G. Brown Family
Charitable Foundation
Edmund R. and Paula
Goeddert
Nancy Clark
Belinda Bremner & Jake
Dickens
$250 – $499
Keith and Cristy Harris
Mark and Sandra Heitzman
Elizabeth Howland and
Dennis Zavac
Sandra and David Lentz
Allen and Georga Parchem
Sandra and David Sokol
Grace Yamamoto
$100 – $249
Karen Heller and Robert
Becker
Gordon Helwig
William and Kathryn
Ksander
Linda Larson
Arthur and Sharon Watts
Spooner
Ralph and Donna Schuler
Susan Roberts
John Seaton
Martha Yount
Nancy Waichler
Douglas Watt and Elan
Long
Oak Park Festival Theatre is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit arts organization. All donations are tax
deductible to the extent permitted by law. OPFT gratefully accepts donations of all sizes and kinds.
If your employer has a matching gift program, please send the necessary paperwork with your gift.
Donations may be sent to P.O. Box 4114, Oak Park, IL 60303 or go online at OakParkFestival.com and
click the donation icon on the home page.
In order to continue to provide you with quality performances in this beautiful
outdoor setting, we ask that you help us keep our commitment to the Park
District and clean up all food, beverage and other trash before you leave this
evening. Carry In/Carry Out. Thank you.
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Oak Park Festival Theatre
Edward Cross & Son, Inc.
Edward Cross & Son Inc. wants to give you back the chimney of your dreams. Whether
you have a chimney that needs a small repair or you have a bigger need, we have the
experience and knowledge to get the job done properly and completely to code.
• Brick Work
• Chimney Caps
• Cleaning
• Dampers
• Installation
• Maintenance
• Eco-Friendly Pressure Washing
• Remodeling
• Repair
• Tuck Pointing
Lori Hannigan, Owner
(708) 848-8631
We use the finest brick, stone and concrete with
time-tested techniques to make sure your chimney looks its best when we are finished.
edwardcrossandson.com
Chimneys Rebuilt and Repaired.
Serving Oak Park Since 1937.
800 South Oak Park Avenue
(708) 434-0373
10% off
Show us this ad for your bill
same night of show
(Excludes Tax and Gratuity)
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Oak Park Festival Theatre
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Oak Park Festival Theatre
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HONORING LOIS WEISBERG
Oak Park Festival Theatre is proud to honor the life and legacy of Lois
Weinberg who died this January at the age of 90. She was, among so
many other accomplishments, Chicago’s first Commissioner of
Cultural Affairs from 1989 until 2011and a fierce champion of the arts
in Chicago.
Just as it is impossible to imagine a world without Shakespeare and
Shaw, it is impossible to imagine a Chicago without the diminutive
but indomitable Lois Weisberg. Her bold dreams and boundary-defying ideas continue
to touch the lives of all those who benefit from our city’s many cultural institutions. It
was she who, working with another indomitable lady Maggie Daley, instituted Gallery
37 and After School matters. It was she who helped establish Blues Fest, the Chicago
Gospel Music Fest, “Cows on Parade”, and so many of of the elements which reinvigorated
Chicago’s Downtown and neighborhoods. Chris Jones of the Chicago tribune wrote that
she was “Perhaps the most significant architect (and savior) of cultural Chicago the city
has ever known.”
Those closest to her explain her best. “She just had a flair, a flair for life,” said her sister,
June Rosner. “She always had these wonderful ideas.” Her son, Jacob Weisberg added,
“She didn’t understand the obstacles and difficulties. She had a one-of-a-kind talent for
making things happen. She thought a good idea was a powerful force in the world.”
It is little wonder then that Austin-born Lois Weisberg’s favorite author was that master of
ideas, George Bernard Shaw. It was Lois who was inspired to create a citywide celebration
of Shaw’s 1956 centenary and who created the Chicago Shaw Society. It was Lois who,
while keeping dozens of other plates merrily spinning, was the force behind the creation
of a permanent Shaw theatre for Chicago. And so, with our production of Pygmalion, Oak
Park Festival Theatre salutes a woman who shared her dreams and ideas with her city and
in doing so transformed and empowered it.
“Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask
why not.” - George Bernard Shaw
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Oak Park Festival Theatre