

Poudre High School Performing Arts
Presents...
Anatomy of Gray
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Written by Jim Leonard Jr. |
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Directed by Joel Smith |
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Original music composed by Jackson Dean
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Costume Director Kari Armstrong
Assistant Director Carter Larson* |
Producer & Production Coach Avery Rudman
Student Technical Director Gibson Wessel* |
Technical Director Laura Lenczycki
Stage Manager Lucia Cruz-Rodenbeck* |
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* denotes an inducted Thespian, International Thespian Society, Troupe #2808 |
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"Anatomy of gray" is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com |
Cast
Creative Team
Carter Larsen*
Lucia Cruz-Rodenbeck*
Izzy Johnson*
Gibson Wessel*
Emily Hertzog
Michael Abramowitz*
MJ Scott-Donegan*
Sara Ogden*
Gwyneth Parker*
Gabe Gonzales
Laurie Lindsey*
Lily VanZant*
Maisie Rhoda
Merrick MacKinney*
Piper Gurvish
Robin Ford
Birdie Fry*
Sebastian Fuentes
Quinlynn Hunt
Avery Hicks
Brooklyn Wilkes*
Charli Lawler
David Harris
Ethan Boggs
Kenya Caruth
Kiernan Doty
Langston Ziegler
Mennah Elhmeri
Natalie Thinnes
Orissa Cruz*
Riley Juniper
Skylar Lamoreaux*
Victoria Levick
Z Poor
Masen Odell*
Director's Note
About a year and a half ago, Harper came to me and asked, “How come we keep doing comedies? Why don’t we ever do any dramas?” Be careful what you wish for, kid: you might just get it. But she was on to something: I’ve been playing it safe. And once that door was pushed open a crack, it was really hard to go back through. Point is, it was important to do this play, and it is important to do it now. This play taps into the core of what theatre does best—it reflects our shared experience, our dreams and our fears and the magic of our everyday lives, and especially in times of fear and loss and uncertainty. This production, though set in a different era, speaks to the challenges faced by us, our community and our world.
I was still in high school when we first started talking about HIV and AIDS, and I didn’t really understand at the time the profound impact on the theatre community I admired. The AIDS epidemic wasn’t just about loss; it was about artists coming together, finding strength in one another, and using their voices to make change. Theatre became a way to process the grief and fight back against the silence. It still is. Theatre reminds us that it’s our responsibility to speak out, to create, and to connect. Those lessons resonate now, in our fear and our hope and our fight for a future where our children can find belonging, respect, and love.
This production is truly a reflection of that kind of fierce love, and of the hard work and collaboration of our entire company. Credit where credit is due. Kari, your genius, creativity, and passion make me want to be a better director. Your kindness, patience, and cheer make me want to be a better person. Thank you for all the things, including the occasional shocks. Avery, thank you for your fresh eyes, creative ideas, gentle coaching. Thank you for being my “good cop”. Laura, you are one of the finest teachers I have ever been privileged to work with. “I’m not saying good-bye to you.” Thank you also to Bennett for sharing his music and his artistry. You probably didn’t plan to provide the soul for the show, but you have.
Jackson Dean is a senior at Poudre and composed, arranged, and played the original music for this production. A “thank you” is not nearly enough: words cannot express my pride and gratitude. He's the best of what we do here.
Students—this production is really about you. You’ve taken on a script that’s demanding and layered, and you’ve done it with such grace and commitment. This is not an easy show, but you’ve embraced its challenges and trusted in your own abilities and each other. You’ve poured your heart and energy into this, and the results are a testament to your passion and dedication. I’m so proud of you all.
I’m especially proud of you seniors, who have shown such growth and leadership throughout this adventure. You’ve been through so much, and your hard work, resilience, and trust in this company have been truly inspiring. Class of 2025, as we move toward the end of our journey together, I hope you keep in mind the message behind Larry Kramer’s work—silence is not an option. I hope you use your voices, your creativity, and your art to make a difference, to connect with others, and to speak up in times of challenge. Theatre is about telling stories, and this one is more than just a performance—it’s a reflection of our shared humanity. I hope you remember June's words: “We all come from loss, and from love.” I hope you allow yourselves to grieve, and to comfort, and to love. I hope you build communities by sharing your grief and comfort and love with others. I hope you use your beautiful voices to bring change.
We cannot be silent in the face of injustice, suffering, or pain. We must speak out, create, and push boundaries. Silence = Death, but through art, we choose life—bold, messy, joyful life.
In my heart forever,
JS
February 2025
Broadway Cares
We are incredibly proud to be partnering with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS for this production of Anatomy of Gray.
While Anatomy of Gray is not about HIV, it is a parable about the AIDS crisis in the 1980’s and 90’s. The playwright, Jim Leonard, Jr. wrote this play in response to a dear friend, John Geter, who died from AIDS. As he was exploring his own relationship with grief, Leonard witnessed the reactions to the death of his friend, the whispers that surrounded this illness, and the shock amidst John’s small-town, childhood community.When approached to commision a play celebrating the centennial of Washington University’s medical school, Leonard’s anger, his depression, his grief, led him in one particular direction…Anatomy of Gray.
This play covers far more than illness, it explores one’s relationship to religion, grief, trust and mistrust, bargaining in the face of the unimaginable. But ultimately, it is a play about hope; as the playwright states, it's about “discovering love out of loss.”
We chose to partner with Broadway Cares to assist those facing this unimaginable challenge.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is a philanthropic organization that connects theatre artists with theatre lovers in an effort to provide support to those affected by HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses. Broadway Cares helps provide life saving medication, healthy meals, medication, and emergency resources. In collaboration with the American theatre community, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has raised over 300 million dollars since 1988, Providing essential services in all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.
At this performance we will be accepting donations, in order to help Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS reach their yearly goal, and grant resources for those affected by critical illness. At the end of this production, you will see crew members holding the iconic red buckets, where you can leave cash or coin donations, as well as cast members holding QR codes for card donations.
Any donation is greatly appreciated, but how does your donation make a difference?
- $5 provides two healthy meals
- $10 Covers the cost of an HIV test to empower an individual to know their status
- $15 Provides a telehealth visit for someone who is ill
- $25 provides 10 Fresh meals
- $100 Helps provide a home care visit for someone struggling with a life-threatening illness
For resources and more information regarding Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, please visit: Broadwaycares.org
To directly Reach Poudre High School Theatre’s donation page, please visit: https://donate.broadwaycares.org/team/634605
Home: Broadway Cares. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS – What we do together, makes a difference. (n.d.).
https://broadwaycares.org/
Leonard, J. (2006). Anatomy of gray. Samuel French, Inc.
Meet the Company
Lennon Shipton*

Harper Skjerseth*

Marlie Clark*

Riley Jané*

Suzie Matlock*

Calen Clapp*

Lexi Hapner

Sky Smith

Brooks Fohrman

Carter Larsen*
Lucia Cruz-Rodenbeck*
Izzy Johnson*
Gibson Wessel*
Emily Hertzog
Michael Abramowitz*
MJ Scott-Donegan*
Sara Ogden*
Gwyneth Parker*
Gabe Gonzales
Laurie Lindsey*
Lily VanZant*
Maisie Rhoda
Merrick MacKinney*
Piper Gurvish
Robin Ford
Birdie Fry*
Sebastian Fuentes
Quinlynn Hunt
Avery Hicks
Brooklyn Wilkes*
Charli Lawler
David Harris
Ethan Boggs
Kenya Caruth
Kiernan Doty
Langston Ziegler
Mennah Elhmeri
Natalie Thinnes
Orissa Cruz*
Riley Juniper
Skylar Lamoreaux*
Victoria Levick
Z Poor
Masen Odell*
Broadway Cares Provides $500,000 in Emergency Grants to Support California Wildfire Recovery
Broadway Cares has awarded $500,000 in emergency grants, powered by the theater community’s generosity, to help Los Angeles-area residents and first responders as they continue to battle the barrage of wildfires devastating the region.
Responding to one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in California’s history, Broadway Cares has sent $250,000 to the Entertainment Community Fund; $100,000 to the California Fire Foundation Wildfire & Disaster Relief Fund; $100,000 to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank; and $50,000 to longtime Broadway Cares grantee Project Angel Food.
All of these organizations are providing much-needed, on-the-ground support for residents and first responders. These grants were unanimously approved by the Broadway Cares Board of Trustees executive committee.
“In times of crisis, the theater community, with Broadway Cares as its philanthropic heart, has always been a beacon of resilience and collective strength,” said Robert E. Wankel, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Board of Trustees president and chairman and CEO of The Shubert Organization. “These wildfires have left deep scars, but they’ve also ignited a powerful wave of support from Broadway to the West Coast.”
Broadway Cares Executive Director Danny Whitman said: “Our compassionate community knows the power of coming together in times of need. Because of the generosity of the theater community - those onstage, backstage and in the audience - these emergency grants will immediately provide meals, shelter, medical care, clothing and emergency financial assistance, all first steps on the long road toward recovering, rebuilding and healing.”
What started as a catastrophic fire on January 7, 2025, affecting the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades rapidly transformed into multiple fires enveloping the city, forcing tens of thousands of individuals and families to flee their homes, often with just minutes to spare. Homes, businesses, forests, landmarks and vital infrastructure have been reduced to ashes, leaving thousands of residents displaced. The wildfires have burned more than 40,000 acres - nearly three times the size of Manhattan. The ongoing devastation will create long-term challenges for rebuilding efforts, while highlighting the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires due to climate change.
The emergency grants are being awarded to:
· The Entertainment Community Fund, which, through its west coast office, is helping those in the industry affected by the wildfires and unable to pay their immediate basic living expenses get emergency financial assistance to cover housing, transportation, food, clothing, medical supplies and prescriptions. ($250,000)
· California Fire Foundation, which is the philanthropic arm of the state firefighters' union. The foundation’s Wildfire & Disaster Relief Fund is directly supporting firefighters and survivors of the horrendous wildfires with immediate, short-term relief through its Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency (SAVE) program. ($100,000)
· The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, which is working with its network of more than 600 partner organizations - nonprofits, government agencies and faith-based partners - to provide vital support to those that continue to operate so that anyone facing food or nutrition insecurity receives help. ($100,000)
· Project Angel Food in Los Angeles, which has been a grantee of Broadway Cares since 1993. This emergency grant to Project Angel Food's Fire Relief Fund ensures that staff and volunteer drivers will continue to tirelessly navigate road closures and hazardous air across Los Angeles to make sure no one misses a single delivery of nutrition and hope. ($50,000).
A WONDERFUL WORLD & Broadway Cares to Support New Orleans
The company of the Broadway musical A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical will lead a special ongoing effort to support those affected by the horrific incident that took place in New Orleans, LA in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
A Wonderful World, which celebrates the life of Louis Armstrong, begins in New Orleans, where the jazz legend was born in 1901.
The company of A Wonderful World has honored the victims and their families with a heartfelt moment of silence, followed by a call to action for the Greater New Orleans Foundation, which provides crucial support to communities in need. Donations can be made directly at www.gnof.org.
In addition, Broadway Cares will stand united with the company of A Wonderful World and has pledged to add an additional $10,000 as a special grant to whatever funds are raised during this effort.
The fundraising effort was initiated by A Wonderful World cast member Darlesia Cearcy, who plays Armstrong’ wife, Lucille Wilson. Cearcy states, “A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical sets up one foundational question: why and how did Louis Armstrong invite us into a song so full of hope, love and light about life? We as a company traverse through his life starting with his birthplace, New Orleans, and his humble, exciting and yet troubled beginnings. This birthplace was and is the place where he initially discovered his love for jazz and, thus, created an empire and status as the King of Jazz.
We honor that status each day at the top of our show inside the French quarter with a song titled ‘Bourbon Street Parade.’ Here we dance and sing to reignite the days of celebration of New Orleans and his contributions to it as an art form. We transport our audiences from there to his first home base called ‘ Jane Alley’ and sometimes ‘James Alley’ before we head to Storyville and onward.
It is our hope, joy and responsibility to help, honor and support our fellow citizens that remind us of our surrogate home base and national neighbor through our leader Louis Armstrong. As one of the women who plays his wife (Lucille) I understand the importance of giving ourselves over to something greater than ourselves as Lucille would have done. We as a company know this truth. In order for us to share our story of A Wonderful World and sing that honestly, we must do our part. Louis found it for us and established the way forward. Our ‘compass’ including the moral one is being made clear.
No one needs to suffer the way those innocent victims and their families have suffered, so we stand together in solidarity and love to support them. It’s what Louis Armstrong or ‘Pops’ (as they call him in New Orleans) would have wanted. We aim to serve the greater good. A musical can be fruitful inside of communities. I hope we have and will continue to demonstrate healthy, positive efforts for communities such as New Orleans.”
“We are so proud to be a part of this compassionate Broadway community, coming together to help those in need," said Danny Whitman, Executive Director of Broadway Cares. “This is a moment to show solidarity and provide real support to the people of New Orleans.”
In addition to this special grant, among the 450+ direct service organizations funded by Broadway Cares across the country, Washington DC and Puerto Rico, there are seven throughout Louisiana, including the New Orleans Musicians Assistance Foundation and Project Lazarus in New Orleans.
Broadway Cares Provides Emergency Grants To Victims Of Hurricanes Helene And Milton
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS announced that it has awarded, fueled by the theater community's generosity, $300,000 in emergency grants to nine food banks and community service organizations actively helping residents from Florida to North Carolina recover and rebuild from the catastrophic damage caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Eight local organizations, which already are part of Broadway Cares' National Grants Program, are each receiving $25,000 grants. Broadway Cares also is sharing a $100,000 grant with the Hispanic Federation, which is helping efforts to connect on-the-ground support with underserved families and communities affected by the hurricanes.
“We're proud to be able to share the Broadway community's support and generosity in times of crisis and hardship for so many,” Tom Viola, executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, said. “These grants are helping build the road to recovery by providing accessible meals, clean water and health, hygiene and cleaning supplies. The vital, on-the-ground local efforts of these eight grantees across six states are helping so many reclaim their lives after these heartbreaking disasters.”
The eight organizations receiving $25,000 emergency grants are AID Upstate in Greenville, SC; Feeding Tampa Bay in Tampa Bay, FL; Feeding Southwest Virginia in Salem, VA; Harvest Hope Food Bank in Columbia, SC; Loving Food Resources in Asheville, NC; Second Harvest of East Tennessee in Maryville, TN; Second Harvest of South Georgia in Valdosta, GA; and Second Harvest of the Big Bend in Tallahassee, FL.
“Our food bank was destroyed,” said Brent Wyatt, executive director of Loving Food Resources, which helps people living with HIV/AIDS and others facing in-home hospice care. “In 2019, we purchased a natural, gas-fed generator with a Broadway Cares grant, and because of that generator I am pleased to say we lost no refrigerator or freezer items from the hurricane. This $25,000 grant will allow us to continue our food distribution as we have been cut off from our food bank after the devastating floods."
At Feeding Tampa Bay, Director of Development Jennifer Kilburg said that more than 888,000 individuals in the area were experiencing food insecurity. “Those who were already struggling before the storm now face heightened risks,” Kilburg said. “This emergency grant will enable us to distribute 125,000 meals to individuals affected by the hurricanes.”
The $100,000 grant to the Hispanic Federation will support even more families and community-based organizations across North Carolina and Florida providing lifesaving emergency relief. Focusing on the needs of underserved populations, the grant will expand upon the Hispanic Federation's support already shared with 18 nonprofit partners.
“We could not be more grateful to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS for the way they continue to be first in line to respond to our call for help, especially during the most difficult of moments for our community,” said Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of Hispanic Federation. “Thanks to Broadway Cares' generosity and leadership, we are able to focus on providing care to the most vulnerable – those who are not seen or heard on the news, and often go unserved: mixed status families, guest farmworkers, meat and poultry workers, and Spanish and indigenous language speakers.”
Hurricane Helene, a powerful Category 4 storm, made landfall in Florida on September 26. With winds reaching 140 mph, it caused widespread devastation, including severe flooding and storm surge along the Gulf Coast, and inland damage as far as Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas. The storm's combination of heavy rainfall and strong winds killed nearly 250 people across the Southeast.
Hurricane Milton reached peak sustained winds of 180 mph, becoming one of the most intense Atlantic hurricanes in recent history. The storm, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on October 9, caused widespread devastation across Florida. Milton produced dangerous storm surges, heavy rain and at least 41 tornadoes, with severe damage particularly in the Sarasota and Tampa Bay areas.
For more information on the organizations receiving emergency grants, visit aidupstate.org, feedingtampabay.org, feedingswva.org, harvesthope.org, lovingfood.org, secondharvestetn.org, feedingsga.org, fightinghunger.org and hispanicfederation.org
Special Thanks
Thank You...
to the following individuals and businesses whose support
and generosity make our productions possible.
PHS Administrators & Deans Bennett Stucky & Chris Leonard Kim Witman & Justina Malm PHS Student Counsel CSU Department of Theatre Kim Nelson, Kimball Nelson Photography Lindsay Shipton Northern Colorado Health Network
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Stephanie Mosnik & PHS TV Production students Sadie Nelson Gregg Osterhout Antonio and the PHS Custodial Team Ginny Carroll & Amy Berkner Don Cox Melanie, Jackson & Taryn Parent Meal & Intermission Volunteers |
and all the families and friends whose patience, flexibility and support make it all possible!