Center Repertory Company presents
SWEAT
By Lynn Nottage
Directed by Elizabeth Carter
Lesher Center for the Arts
1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Margaret Lesher Theatre
March 31 - April 16, 2023
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Cast
Creative Team
Meet the Company
Michael J. Asberry returns to Center REP, where he previously appeared as 'Coach' in Red Speedo. He just completed the Aurora Theatre Company's production of 'Paradise Blue'. Regional and National Theatre credits include Marin Theatre Company; Cal Shakes; Orlando Shakes (Orlando, FL); Sacramento Theatre Company; San Francisco Shakespeare Festival; San Francisco Mime Troupe; American Conservatory Theatre; Capital Stage; Artists Repertory Theatre (Portland, OR); Lorraine Hansberry Theatre; TheatreWorks; and the 6th Street Playhouse. Film appearances include A Christmas Mystery; San Andreas; FreeByrd; and Mr. Incredible and Pals. Television credits: Chance; Trauma, and Nash Bridges. Michael has voiceover credits with Pixar Animation, Pine Sol and Clorox, and appears as characters in the video games Watchdogs 2 and Battlefield Vietnam. He was recently featured in a television commercial for Toyota. Social media handles are: michaeljasberry (Instagram) and Michael J. Asberry (Facebook). (he/him)
Eddie Ewell hails from Detroit, Michigan and is excited to be working at Center REP for the first time! He began acting in the Bay Area and recently completed his MFA at American Conservatory Theater. He has been blessed to work on some wonderful projects, including Ti Jean and His Brothers (Mi Jean), Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oberon/ Demetrius), and Wintertime (Francois) at A.C.T.; We Are Proud to Present... (Actor 2) at San Jose Stage; Kill Move Paradise (Isa) at Shotgun Players; The Welkin (Frederick Poppy) and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Matthias of Galilee) with ARC/ Remote Theater; To Saints and Stars (Ken) with Playwrights Foundation; VS. (Tye) with TheatreFirst; Jitney (Youngblood) at African-American Shakespeare Co.; Pass Over (Moses) at Marin Theater Company; Gem of the Ocean (Citizen Barlow) at TheatreWorks; and most recently Two Trains Running (Sterling) at Marin Theater Company. To God be the glory.
Roman Gonzalez is an Indigenous American, Bay Area native with a burning desire to reach the pantheon of greatness. The quintessential comedian, he is always thinking about the joke in most conversations. Roman trained at the award-winning Ohlone College Theater, and has also been instructed by legends such as Chazz Palminteri at the Manhattan Film Institute. Roman provides improv training to incarcerated individuals via the Red Ladder Theatre Company, which he describes as one of the most self-fulfilling roles he has ever had. Recently, he just filmed his first feature film called Fairyland directed by Andrew Durham starring Emilia Jones and Scoot McNairy.
Adam KuveNiemann (he/him) is thrilled to be making his Center Rep debut with Sweat. Other credits include A Christmas Carol (American Conservatory Theater), The Red Shades: A Trans Superhero Rock Opera (Z Space), Exit Strategy (Aurora Theatre Company), The Gentleman Caller (New Conservatory Theatre Center), and understudying Angels in America (Berkeley Repertory Theatre). KuveNiemann also co-hosts the podcast Green Eggs… and Man? a wild, improvisatory ride through Dr. Seuss’ breakfast-themed classic—close-reading one page per episode. Learn more at coolwebsite.pizza (a real website that he actually pays for). Love to Panayiota and Katerina. AdamKuveNiemann.com
David Everett Moore is excited to return to the Center Rep stage, where he was most recently seen as Mr. Green in Clue. David is a longtime Bay Area artist who has worked with local theaters including Crowded Fire, Aurora Theatre Company, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Magic Theatre, Marin Shakespeare Company, African-American Shakespeare Company, SPARC, Word for Word, and Marin Theatre Company, where he originated the role of Mr. Darcy in Lauren Gunderson's The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley. Regional credits include work with Capital Stage Company, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, and Colorado Shakespeare Festival. Other favorite roles include Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet for SF Shakes, Addison in Safe House for Aurora Theatre Company, BJJ in An Octoroon for Capital Stage, and Black Man in We Are Proud To Present for Just Theater. David is a Resident Artist of the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival and a proud graduate of UC Berkeley, where he earned his BA in Theater and Performance Studies.
Bay Area credits include work at American Conservatory Theatre (Rock ‘N Roll, The Little Foxes, The Black Rider, Buried Child), Magic Theatre (A Lie of the Mind, Pleasure and Pain, The Lonesome West, The American in Me), Aurora Theatre Company, (A Bright New Boise, Private Jokes/Public Places), Shotgun Players (Blasted, The Three Sisters), SF Playhouse (The Effect, Colossal, Slasher, Six Degrees of Separation ) Marin Theatre Company (Pal Joey, Visions of Kerouac, Communicating Doors, Circle, Mirror, Transformation and Anne Boleyn), as well as appearances at Berkeley Rep, TheatreWorks, Word for Word, Cutting Ball and San Jose Stage Company. Regional and International credits include work at Ahmanson Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Alley Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, San Miguel Playhouse, Teatro Santa Ana and The Sydney Festival (Australia). Film Credits include: Freaky Tales, Fairyland, Freeland, Interview with Traveler #582 and Prufrock. Robert is a founding member of Symmetry Theatre Company and Actors’ Reading Collective.
Lisa Anne Porter has performed with numerous theatres throughout the country. Most recently, she has been seen in "Dunsinane" at MTC, "Fefu and Her Friends" at ACT, "Eureka Day" at the Aurora Theatre Company, "The Eva Trilogy" and "A Bright Half Life" at the Magic Theatre and "Twelfth Night" at California Shakespeare Theatre. She was the Resident Director and the Co-Head of Voice and Dialects for the SF production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. As a teacher, she most recently served as Head of Acting and Dialects in the MFA program at ACT. She has an M.F.A. in Acting from A.C.T., a B.A. from Wesleyan University, and is a Designated Linklater Voice Teacher.
Cathleen Riddley is thrilled to be appearing in this powerful play. After beginning her career at the Community Playhouse in Des Moines, Iowa (playing Jiminy Cricket in Pinnochio at the ripe old age of 8) she knew that a life in the theatre was what her heart wanted. Since then, she has become a multiple award-winning San Francisco Bay Area (and beyond) actor, having been seen at most local theaters at one time or another. Her favorite roles include Nina in The Incrementalist at The Aurora Theatre, Mrs. Price in Tree at SF Playhouse, Paulina in The Winter’s Tale and Kent in Marcus Gardley’s Lear at Cal Shakes, Rose in Fences at Sacramento Theatre Company, Lena in brownsville song (b side for tray) and every role in Hamlet (seriously) at Shotgun Players. As a director, she has directed the staged reading of Siren at Shotgun Players, a reading of Crumbs from the Table of Joy at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, and the Affinity online series for TheatreFirst. She is a certified ASL Interpreter, has an MA from UPenn, and is a member of the first cohort of Making Good Trouble, whose goal is to empower San Francisco Bay Area artists and staff to become anti-racism trainers. Black Lives Matter. (she/her).
Maryssa Wanlass (she/they) is an actor, director, and educator, with an emphasis on social justice and classical theatre. She last appeared with Center REP in Enchanted April and Witness for the Prosecution. Other Bay Area stage appearances include SF Shakes (Much Ado, As You Like It, Hamlet, and Winter's Tale), CalShakes (As You Like It), San Jose Stage (Persuasion), Livermore Shakespeare Festival (As You Like It, Hamlet, Merry Wives of Windsor), Woman’s Will (Much Ado About Nothing, Good Person of Szechuan). They have directed locally for Utopia Theatre Project, PlayGroundSF, Shotz, and regionally for Advice to the Players. Wanlass' social justice work includes developing a storytelling workshop series with neighbors experiencing homelessness with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival and working with Red Ladder Theatre to deliver improv workshops in California's correctional system.
Odysseus in The Oddysey, Puck in Midsummer, Cyrano in Cyrano De Bergerac, Brutus in Julius Ceasar and Petruchio in Shrew for CSF. For Berkeley Rep: Lennox in Macbeth directed by Daniel Sullivan and Featuring Frances McDormand and It Can’t Happen Here 2016. Regional favorites include: The title roles in Hamlet, MacBeth, Cymbeline, King John, Edward III and Cyrano De Bergerac, Iago in Othello, Edmund in King Lear, Angelo in Measure for Measure, Charlie in The Scene, Kippy in Take Me Out, Shylock in The Merchant Of Venice, Jacques in As You Like It, Trigorin in The Seagull, Petruchio in The Taming Of The Shrew, Brutus in Julius Caesar, Harry Brock in Born Yesterday, Brennan in Frost/Nixon, Edward in Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, Johan in Groundswell and Apis in Archduke. Regional Theatres include: Arkansas Rep., Artists Rep., Capital Rep., San Jose Rep., Center Rep., Berkeley Rep., Capital Stage, The Utah, Colorado, Orlando and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festivals, Arizona Theatre Co., Sacramento Theater Co., Marin Theatre Co., Portland Center Stage., Theatreworks SV., The Seattle Shakespeare Company, Profile Theatre Project, Shotgun Players, San Francisco Playhouse, and Jewel Theatre Co., as well as work with the Toronto, Windsor, and Oregon Symphony Orchestras.
Kim Donovan (she/her) is an Emmy nominated casting director and voice over artist. She has worked for Pixar, Netflix, Kuku Studios, Leviathan Audio Productions, and others. On stage, Kim is a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre in NYC and has worked all over the Bay Area earning a TBA nomination and a Broadway World award. Kim produced the award winning RomHorCom “Bitten” and a feature length documentary about aging and skiing called “Snow Day”, currently on Amazon Prime. She is the in-house casting director for New Conservatory Theatre Center and a member of TheatreFirst in Berkeley. None of the words above would be possible without Larsen and Larsen The Wee.
Elizabeth Jones (US/Cynthia) is ecstatic to be returning to Center REP where she was previously seen as Nancy/Boz in A Christmas Carol. Elizabeth grew up in the Bay Area and is a graduate of Howard University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Arts. Elizabeth was recently seen in the world premiere of A.C.T.’s YA production of The Code by The Kilbanes, Claudette in Theatre Rhino’s How Black Mothers Say I Love You, Radio in Caroline or Change (Ray of Light) and Motormouth Maybelle in Bay Area Musical’s production of Hairspray. Some other theatre credits include, Lady O in The Right Note (Spare Stage), Darlene in Dance of The Holy Ghosts (Ubuntu Theater Project), Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act! (Berkeley Playhouse) Ronnette in Little Shop of Horrors (Contra Costa Musical Theatre). Elizabeth sends love to her daughter Caira and thanks God, family and friends for their support. Follow Elizabeth on instagram @elizasenoj.
Terrance Smith is thrilled to be back for another show at Center REP. You might have seen him bring in the holiday cheer as The Ghost of Christmas Present in “A Christmas Carol.” He’s had the honor of working at Town Hall Theatre, where he won a Shellie Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Sam in “Brooklyn Bridge.” Terrance also received a Best Actor nomination for his performance as Helena in B8 Theatre’s gender swapped take on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In 2022, he performed as a part of the End of Isolation Tour, which sought to spread awareness across ten states about the need for prison reform and ending solitary confinement. He’s even performed at the Eugene O’ Neill Festival in New Ross, Ireland. And if you are a fan of the hit Netflix cartoon series “Go Go Cory Carson” Terrance provides the voice for the coolest locomotive alive, DJ Train Trax. Follow his Instagram: @yountsmith23
Kyle Stoner (he/him/his) returns to Center REP after his recent debut with the cast of Clue as Mr. Boddy et al. Kyle lives in Napa, where he uses his extensive knowledge of herding cats to conduct wine tours. Other credits: David Copperfield, David Copperfield [world premiere] (Jewel Theater Co.); D'ysquiths, Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder; Puck, Midsummer Night's Dream; Romeo, Romeo & Juliet, 12th Night, Edwin Drood, Three Musketeers (Davis Shakespeare Festival); Scotty, Ripcord, Venticello, Amadeus, Jean-Michelle, La Cage aux Folles (Cinnabar Theater); Les Miserables, Macbeth (Sierra Repertory Theater); Zorba, Carnival!, Snoopy!!! (42nd Street Moon); Gutenberg! the Musical! (Bike City Theater Co.); Princeton/Rod, Avenue Q (NCTC); Fabrizio, Light in the Piazza (Altarena Playhouse); Finch, How to $ucceed (BAM!); F-Word aka Frodo aka Francis, The Fellowship (AlterTheater); Jaques/Silvius/Oliver, As You Like It (SF Shakespeare Festival); Jesus, Jesus Christ Superstar (Bay Area Stage); Self, Ultimate Xmas Show (abridged), Complete Works (Reduced Shakespeare Company).
Elizabeth Carter is thrilled to be working with Center REP for the first time. Her regional directing credits include, most recently "Confederates" (St. Louis Rep), the upcoming "Steel Magnolias" (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley), and past productions "Every 28 Hours Plays" and "A Place To Belong" (A.C.T Conservatory), "Stoop Stories" (Aurora Theatre Co.) and associate director on "the ripple, the wave that carried me home" (Berkeley Rep/Goodman Theatre) and assistant director "How I Learned What I Learned" (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). She directed the groundbreaking 2020 virtual "King Lear" (SF Shakespeare Festival) and "Feel the Spirit" (Shotgun Players/Colt Couer NYC). Her directorial film debut, "Bottled Spirits," will be released this Spring. She is a recipient of the Bridging the Gap Grant and is a 2019 alum of Director’s Lab West. Elizabeth is the inaugural SDCF Lloyd Richards New Futures Resident Director at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Kelly James Tighe+ (Scenic Designer)
Off-Broadway and national tour credits include "Martin Luther on Trial," "Shadowlands," "The Most Reluctant Convert," "The Great Divorce," "The Fantasticks," "Almost Heaven," "Movin’ Out," "Shear Madness" and "Cats." Other credits: Disney theatrical, Paper Mill Playhouse, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Laguna Playhouse, Center REPertory Company, SlowBurn Theater, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Sacramento Theatre Company, Gateway Playhouse, Broadway By the Bay, Contra Costa Musical Theatre, Diablo Theatre Company and Ray of Light Theatre. Kelly’s theatrical work is published in the textbook Scene Design and Stage Lighting and his work as an illustrator has been published in "Mooseltoe, A Moose and a Dream." Awards and recognitions include the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, DramaLogue and the Shellie Awards. kjtdesign.com
Off-Broadway and national tour credits include "Martin Luther on Trial," "Shadowlands," "The Most Reluctant Convert," "The Great Divorce," "The Fantasticks," "Almost Heaven," "Movin’ Out," "Shear Madness" and "Cats." Other credits: Disney theatrical, Paper Mill Playhouse, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Laguna Playhouse, Center REPertory Company, SlowBurn Theater, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Sacramento Theatre Company, Gateway Playhouse, Broadway By the Bay, Contra Costa Musical Theatre, Diablo Theatre Company and Ray of Light Theatre. Kelly’s theatrical work is published in the textbook Scene Design and Stage Lighting and his work as an illustrator has been published in "Mooseltoe, A Moose and a Dream." Awards and recognitions include the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, DramaLogue and the Shellie Awards. kjtdesign.com
Becky Bodurtha+ (Costume Designer)
Becky Bodurtha is a costume designer with regional, international and New York City credits. Recent credits include Paper Dreams of Harry Chin (SF Playhouse) Drowning in Cairo (Potrero Stage), Felix Starro (Theatre Ma-Yi), Open (The Tank), 1000 Nights and One Day (Prospect Theatre Company), and Mr. Burns (NYU Gallatin). Other credits: Constellations (Wilma), The Strangest (East 4th Street), Among the Dead (Theatre Ma-Yi) Passover (Cherry Lane), The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra, Go! (Theatre Ma-Yi), Livin’ La Vida Imelda (Theatre Ma-Yi), and This Lingering Life (HERE Arts). International credits include Anna in the Tropics (Repertory Philippines), Movement for Humanity and Africa’s Hope for the Ubumuntu Festival in Kigali, Rwanda. She currently is Senior Lecturer of Design at Stanford University. MFA University of Iowa. Please visit her website at: www.beckybodurtha.com
Becky Bodurtha is a costume designer with regional, international and New York City credits. Recent credits include Paper Dreams of Harry Chin (SF Playhouse) Drowning in Cairo (Potrero Stage), Felix Starro (Theatre Ma-Yi), Open (The Tank), 1000 Nights and One Day (Prospect Theatre Company), and Mr. Burns (NYU Gallatin). Other credits: Constellations (Wilma), The Strangest (East 4th Street), Among the Dead (Theatre Ma-Yi) Passover (Cherry Lane), The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra, Go! (Theatre Ma-Yi), Livin’ La Vida Imelda (Theatre Ma-Yi), and This Lingering Life (HERE Arts). International credits include Anna in the Tropics (Repertory Philippines), Movement for Humanity and Africa’s Hope for the Ubumuntu Festival in Kigali, Rwanda. She currently is Senior Lecturer of Design at Stanford University. MFA University of Iowa. Please visit her website at: www.beckybodurtha.com
Kevin E. Myrick (Lighting Designer)
Kevin Myrick is an Artist and Technologist. Kevin was one of the first to combine video projection and personal computers, stream video online, and was a pioneer in community television. Kevin was Technical Director and resident designer for over 20 years at the Buriel Clay Theatre in the African American Arts & Culture Complex, working with resident companies (AfroSolo, Cultural Odyssey, The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, The San Francisco African-American Shakespeare Company, Push Dance). Myrick has designed Lighting, Sound and/or Projections, most recently for The African-American Shakespeare Company (Othello, The Trial, Richard II, Echoes of Us), TheatreFirst (The Last Sermon of Sister Imani, A Marriage), Ray of Light Theatre (Caroline or Change), Youth Musical Theatre Company (Batboy, Rent), Throckmorton Theatre (Ragtime, Footloose, The Sound of Music), Lorraine Hansberry Theatre Company (Urban Retreat, Single Black Female, Intimate Apparel), San Francisco Playhouse (Hieroglyph, Twelfth Night the Musical), and Altarena Theatre (Slow Food).
Kevin Myrick is an Artist and Technologist. Kevin was one of the first to combine video projection and personal computers, stream video online, and was a pioneer in community television. Kevin was Technical Director and resident designer for over 20 years at the Buriel Clay Theatre in the African American Arts & Culture Complex, working with resident companies (AfroSolo, Cultural Odyssey, The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, The San Francisco African-American Shakespeare Company, Push Dance). Myrick has designed Lighting, Sound and/or Projections, most recently for The African-American Shakespeare Company (Othello, The Trial, Richard II, Echoes of Us), TheatreFirst (The Last Sermon of Sister Imani, A Marriage), Ray of Light Theatre (Caroline or Change), Youth Musical Theatre Company (Batboy, Rent), Throckmorton Theatre (Ragtime, Footloose, The Sound of Music), Lorraine Hansberry Theatre Company (Urban Retreat, Single Black Female, Intimate Apparel), San Francisco Playhouse (Hieroglyph, Twelfth Night the Musical), and Altarena Theatre (Slow Food).
Cliff Caruthers+ (Sound Designer)
Cliff is a San Francisco based sound designer and composer with over 300 production credits, including Red Speedo, Sisters Matsumoto, and Dracula for Center Repertory Theatre, TRAGEDY: a tragedy for Berkeley Repertory Theatre, American Night for California Shakespeare Theater, Caucasian Chalk Circle for American Conservatory Theater; A Clean House for TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Bug for San Francisco Playhouse, Troilus and Cressida for Oregon Shakespeare Festival, 1984 and Born With Teeth for Alley Theatre, Gross Indecency for Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Julius Caesar for The Acting Company, and Frankenstein: Playing With Fire for Guthrie Theater. Mr. Caruthers is co-curator of the San Francisco Tape Music Festival, a proud member of United Scenic Artists and Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association, and teaches sound design at Stanford University and San Francisco State University.
Cliff is a San Francisco based sound designer and composer with over 300 production credits, including Red Speedo, Sisters Matsumoto, and Dracula for Center Repertory Theatre, TRAGEDY: a tragedy for Berkeley Repertory Theatre, American Night for California Shakespeare Theater, Caucasian Chalk Circle for American Conservatory Theater; A Clean House for TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Bug for San Francisco Playhouse, Troilus and Cressida for Oregon Shakespeare Festival, 1984 and Born With Teeth for Alley Theatre, Gross Indecency for Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Julius Caesar for The Acting Company, and Frankenstein: Playing With Fire for Guthrie Theater. Mr. Caruthers is co-curator of the San Francisco Tape Music Festival, a proud member of United Scenic Artists and Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association, and teaches sound design at Stanford University and San Francisco State University.
Penny Pendleton* (Stage Manager)
Penny Pendleton (Stage Manager) Thank you to everyone involved and coming to see our production! Penny trained in Stage Management at the Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts. Recent Stage Management credits include: In Every Generation, Sense and Sensibility (TheatreWorks), Panto in the Presidio Sleeping Beauty (Presidio Theatre), Oklahoma! - North American Tour, Neil deGrasse Tyson's Astronomy Bizarre (Orpheum Theatre), Nigella Lawson's Cook, Eat, Repeat (Sydney Goldstein Theatre), A Christmas Carol (Golden Gate Theatre). XOXO, P²
Penny Pendleton (Stage Manager) Thank you to everyone involved and coming to see our production! Penny trained in Stage Management at the Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts. Recent Stage Management credits include: In Every Generation, Sense and Sensibility (TheatreWorks), Panto in the Presidio Sleeping Beauty (Presidio Theatre), Oklahoma! - North American Tour, Neil deGrasse Tyson's Astronomy Bizarre (Orpheum Theatre), Nigella Lawson's Cook, Eat, Repeat (Sydney Goldstein Theatre), A Christmas Carol (Golden Gate Theatre). XOXO, P²
Dave Maier (Fight Director)
Dave Maier (Fight Director) – Dave is a prolific fight director with over 300 credits. He has choreographed violence for seven previous Center Rep productions including Red Speedo, Born Yesterday, and Death Trap. He is the resident fight director at SF Opera and Oakland Theatre Project. His work has been seen at ACT, Berkeley Rep, Cal Shakes, Opera San Jose, Livermore Valley Opera, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Co., Santa Cruz Shakespeare, African American Theatre Co. and Shotgun Players, among others. His work has been honored with five TBA awards and six SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle awards. He is recognized as a Master Fight Director and Instructor with Dueling Arts International. Current and upcoming projects includeTea Party (One of Our Own Productions), Poor Yella Rednecks-Vietgone 2 (ACT), Cyrano (Aurora Theatre), Private Lives (Arizona Theatre Co.) Dave teaches combat related courses at UC Santa Cruz, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Studio ACT, Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, and Dueling Arts San Francisco.
Dave Maier (Fight Director) – Dave is a prolific fight director with over 300 credits. He has choreographed violence for seven previous Center Rep productions including Red Speedo, Born Yesterday, and Death Trap. He is the resident fight director at SF Opera and Oakland Theatre Project. His work has been seen at ACT, Berkeley Rep, Cal Shakes, Opera San Jose, Livermore Valley Opera, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Co., Santa Cruz Shakespeare, African American Theatre Co. and Shotgun Players, among others. His work has been honored with five TBA awards and six SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle awards. He is recognized as a Master Fight Director and Instructor with Dueling Arts International. Current and upcoming projects includeTea Party (One of Our Own Productions), Poor Yella Rednecks-Vietgone 2 (ACT), Cyrano (Aurora Theatre), Private Lives (Arizona Theatre Co.) Dave teaches combat related courses at UC Santa Cruz, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Studio ACT, Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, and Dueling Arts San Francisco.
Jeunée Simon (Intimacy Director)
Jeunée (she/her) is an actor, director, and intimacy director in the Bay Area. She is dedicated to creating braver spaces where artists can be vulnerable and play. Recent intimacy direction credits include: Lear (California Shakespeare Theater), The Code (A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory), Coming Soon (Z Space), Boys Go to Jupiter (Word for Word), Circle Mirror Transformation (Custom Made Theatre Co.), Little Shop of Horrors (Berkeley Playhouse), and more. Simon is a proud recipient of the 2017 RHE Artistic Fellowship for acting and is a 2019 Directing Apprentice with PlayGround.
Jeunée (she/her) is an actor, director, and intimacy director in the Bay Area. She is dedicated to creating braver spaces where artists can be vulnerable and play. Recent intimacy direction credits include: Lear (California Shakespeare Theater), The Code (A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory), Coming Soon (Z Space), Boys Go to Jupiter (Word for Word), Circle Mirror Transformation (Custom Made Theatre Co.), Little Shop of Horrors (Berkeley Playhouse), and more. Simon is a proud recipient of the 2017 RHE Artistic Fellowship for acting and is a 2019 Directing Apprentice with PlayGround.
Alyssa Tryon (Properties Designer)
Alyssa Tryon (she/her) has been the Resident Properties Designer for Center REPertory Company since 2019. Originally from New Jersey, she worked in NYC for six years prior to moving to the Bay Area. Her work has been featured in NYC, Santa Fe, Sacramento, and all over the Bay Area. She has a BA in Theatre Performance & Theatrical Design from Marymount Manhattan College. She would like to thank her family, friends, and fellow creatives for all their support! www.alyssatryon.com
Alyssa Tryon (she/her) has been the Resident Properties Designer for Center REPertory Company since 2019. Originally from New Jersey, she worked in NYC for six years prior to moving to the Bay Area. Her work has been featured in NYC, Santa Fe, Sacramento, and all over the Bay Area. She has a BA in Theatre Performance & Theatrical Design from Marymount Manhattan College. She would like to thank her family, friends, and fellow creatives for all their support! www.alyssatryon.com
Lynn Nottage (Playwright)
Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play RUINED has received an Obie, the Lucille Lortel Award, New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Play (Manhattan Theatre Club, Goodman Theatre). Other plays include INTIMATE APPAREL (New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play; Roundabout Theatre, CENTERSTAGE, South Coast Repertory); FABULATION, OR THE RE-EDUCATION OF UNDINE (Obie Award; Playwrights Horizons, London’s Tricycle Theatre); CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY; LAS MENINAS; MUD, RIVER, STONE; POR’KNOCKERS, and POOF! Nottage is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2007 MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant,” the National Black Theatre Festival’s August Wilson Playwriting Award, the 2004 PEN/Laura Pels Award for Drama, and the 2005 Guggenheim Grant for Playwriting, as well as fellowships from the Lucille Lortel Foundation, Manhattan Theatre Club, New Dramatists, and New York Foundation for the Arts. She is a member of The Dramatists Guild, an alumna of New Dramatists and a graduate of Brown University and the Yale School of Drama, where she is a visiting lecturer. www.lynnnottage.net
Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play RUINED has received an Obie, the Lucille Lortel Award, New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Play (Manhattan Theatre Club, Goodman Theatre). Other plays include INTIMATE APPAREL (New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play; Roundabout Theatre, CENTERSTAGE, South Coast Repertory); FABULATION, OR THE RE-EDUCATION OF UNDINE (Obie Award; Playwrights Horizons, London’s Tricycle Theatre); CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY; LAS MENINAS; MUD, RIVER, STONE; POR’KNOCKERS, and POOF! Nottage is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2007 MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant,” the National Black Theatre Festival’s August Wilson Playwriting Award, the 2004 PEN/Laura Pels Award for Drama, and the 2005 Guggenheim Grant for Playwriting, as well as fellowships from the Lucille Lortel Foundation, Manhattan Theatre Club, New Dramatists, and New York Foundation for the Arts. She is a member of The Dramatists Guild, an alumna of New Dramatists and a graduate of Brown University and the Yale School of Drama, where she is a visiting lecturer. www.lynnnottage.net
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
+ Member, United Scenic Artists Union
^ Member, Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers
PRODUCTION STAFF |
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| Joe Coe Assistant Stage Manager & Deck Manager |
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| Kira Daugherty, Sylvia Lubman, Grant Strain Deck Crew |
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| Izzi Fleury, Emily Haynes, Vanessa Root-Fitzgerald, Dressers |
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| Linda Scotting, Stephanie Weldon Stitchers |
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| Emily Haynes, Vanessa Root-Fitzgerald Wigs and Make-Up |
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Special thank you to Alicia Lerner
SCENIC CONSTRUCTION by Rooster Productions
Rooster Productions is a small, employee-owned scene shop located in Richmond, California. Rooster provides each of its clients with hands-on experience, dedicated service, creative & effective technical solutions to ensure complete realization of design, production and staffing needs. Rooster's team consists of experienced, multi-disciplinary project managers, scenic carpenters, welders, sculptors, scenic artists and theatre technicians. Rooster's approach to scenic construction provides innovative solutions that are budget-sensitive, spectacular, and can be delivered as envisioned. Over the years, Rooster's theatrical client roster has rapidly grown to include many companies ranging such as Des Moines Metro Opera, Center REPertory Company, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Festival Opera, Livermore Valley, and the hit productions of Opera San Jose’s Cinderella, that was just revived in 2022.
| CENTER REPERTORY COMPANY | |
| Carolyn Jackson Managing Director |
Markus Potter Acting Artistic Director |
| Jeff Collister Production Manager |
Joe Coe Assistant Stage Manager |
| Del Medoff Master Electrician |
Sylvia Lubman Associate Producer |
| Liz Martin Costume Shop Manager |
Liesl Buchbinder Assistant Costume Shop Manager |
| Izzi Fleury Wardrobe Supervisor |
Jeff Draper, Kerri Shawn Education Directors |
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Alyssa Tryon |
Jennifer Perry Casting Director Supported by Casting Collective: Dori L. Jacob, CSA |
| LESHER CENTER FOR THE ARTS |
| Carolyn Jackson General Manager |
| Toni Kilcoyne Production Services Supervisor |
| Daniel Aldrich, Alex Bull, Terry D'Emidio, Alex Howard, Chris Joe, Theo Neeno, Steve Pino, Matthew Roberts, Garrick Schuster, Josh Stouffer, Josh Yarnell, Steve Young Technical Staff |
| Courtney Egg Audience Services Supervisor |
| Ohemaa Asare, Maddy d'Angelo, Hali Loyd, Alyssa Montany, Marie Montany-Campbell, Robert Nolan, Jeremiah Vierling, Aurora Wassmuth Ticket Office Staff |
| Pat Rusich Usher Coordinator |
| Linda Nomura, Sarah Wilcox Office Specialists |
| Katrienne Lemye, Elizabeth Orcutt Marketing Staff |
| CITY OF WALNUT CREEK | |
| Cindy Silva Mayor |
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| Cindy Darling, Matt Francois, Loella Haskew, Kevin Wilk City Council Members |
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| Sarah Baltazar, Jill Dresser, Jane Emanuel, Iasmine Klauber, Anne Merideth Arts Commission |
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| Dan Buckshi City Manager |
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| Kevin Safine Arts+Rec Director |