Artistic Director Michael Stevenson & Managing Director Keith Riedell Present Sacramento Premiere 2023 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Drama ENGLISH
by Sanaz Toossi
Directed by Torange Yeghiazarian
January 29-March 2, 2025 PERFORMANCE LENGTH:  1 Hour, 40 Minutes, No Intermission
FEATURING:
Sofia Ahmad*      Fatemeh Mehraban      Zaya Kolia* Leda Rasooli      Dena Martinez*
Scenic Designer Caleb Jones		Lighting Designer  Shae Mercer
Sound Designer Ed Lee		Costume Designer Rebecca Redmond
Properties Designer Riley Cisneros-Gruenthal		Dialect Coach Ana Bayat
	Stage Manager Erika L. Placencia*
Assistant Stage Manager Olivia Amore
SEASON WINE SPONSOR:
“English” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com World Premiere Presented By Atlantic Theater Company and Roundabout theatre Company New York City, 2022 In 2020, ENGLISH received the L. Arnold Weissberger Award for Playwrighting, jointly administered by the Anna L. Weissberger Foundations and Williamstown Theatre Festival
*Member Actors' Equity Association

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OUR MISSION

Capital Stage’s mission is to entertain, engage and challenge our audience with bold, thought provoking theatre.

THINGS TO KNOW

HEALTH & SAFETY:

Visit our COVID-19 Safety Protocols & Procedures Page to stay up to date on our Health & Safety requirements and recommendations. 

VIDEO/PHOTOS:

Recording and photography during the performance are prohibited at Capital Stage by copyright law and union regulations.

CELL PHONES:

Patrons are asked to turn any noise making devices off upon entering the theatre.

LATE SEATING & RE-SEATING:

Due to the design of our theatre, we cannot guarantee seating for late arrivals or for patrons who leave the theatre during the performance. As a courtesy to our artists and our audiences, late arrivals will be seated in a suitable location by our staff if possible and at the appropriate intervals.

REFRESHMENTS:

Only concession items purchased in the Wine & Dessert Bar are allowed in the theatre, patio and lobby areas. Yes, you can bring your drinks and snacks into the theatre!

CHILDREN:

Capital Stage is noted for bringing intimate bold productions to our region and we encourage young adults to experience a live performance. Children age sixteen and up are welcome at Capital Stage unless specifically noted in the production’s description.

WHEELCHAIR SEATING:

Seating locations at Capital Stage for patrons using wheelchairs or with limited mobility are located in the first row. Tickets for these seats may be purchased in person or by calling the Box Office at 916-995-5464. Please call ahead to notify the staff if you required these seats.

RESTROOMS:

Restroom facilities are located in the lounge behind the Wine & Dessert Bar.

INFORMATION:

Brochures and information about upcoming Capital Stage productions and events are available in the box office or by visiting capstage.org.

Capital Stage is a member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Capital Stage is a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre.

Capital Stage is a member of the National New Play Network, the country’s alliance of leading nonprofit theaters that champion the development, production and continued life of new plays.

Capital Stage is a member of Blue Star Theatres, offering discounts to Military personnel, Military family members, and Veterans.

SDC is the theatrical union that unites, empowers, and protects professional Stage Directors and Choreographers throughout the United States.

Sponsors

Cast

Creative Team

Special Thanks

Joe Bertolucci, Affordable Heating & Air, Inc.

Donna Chipps

Di Arie Vineyard & Winery

Bob Mandelson

Oak Park Brewing Company

Owen Smith

Two Point Four Dance Theatre

Production Staff

Artistic Director - MICHAEL STEVENSON

Director - TORANGE YEGHIAZARIAN

Production & Company Manager - TONY GABRIELSON

Scenic Designer & Technical Director - CALEB JONES

Lead Carpenter - CONOR WOODS

Carpenter, Painter - SUNNY MACKEY

Lighting Designer & Lead Electrician - SHAE MERCER

Scenic Charge Artist - SAMANTHA McLEAN HAAS

Sound Designer & Engineer - ED LEE

Assistant Sound Designer - RACHEL LAU-KEE BROWNE^

Lighting Supervisor - ISAIAH LEEPER

Electricians - ISAIAH LEEPER, SHAE MERCER

Stage Manager - ERIKA PLACENCIA*

Assistant Stage Manager - OLIVIA AMORE

Dialect Coach - ANA BAYAT

Properties Designer - RILEY CISNEROS-GRUENTHAL

Costume Designer - REBECCA REDMOND

Build Crew - SUNNY MACKEY, CONOR WOODS, CALEB JONES

Painters - SAMANTHA McLEAN HAAS, CALEB JONES, SUNNY MACKEY, CONOR WOODS

Wardrobe/Run Crew - RACHEL LAU-KEE BROWNE^, KATIE HALSTEAD^, ZAARA LITTLE^, JAROD WIGGINS^ 

BIAPOC Liaison - VERNON LEWIS

Dramaturg - NICOLE C. LIMÓN

Resident Dramaturg - K. KEVYNE BAAR 

Infection Control Manager - ELIJAH PETERS

Graphic Designer, Marketing Manager, Webmaster - MISTY MCDOWELL

Photographer - CHARR CRAIL

^ Capital Stage Apprentice  |  * Member Actors' Equity Association

About The Play

by K. Kevyne Baar, PhD

“A quietly powerful play about four Iranian adults preparing for an English language exam in a storefront school near Tehran, where family separations and travel restrictions drive them to learn a new language that may alter their identities and also represent a new life.” – The Pulitzer Prize Committee

In an aritcle in the December 23, 2024 issue of The New Yorker magazine, Manvir Singh asks, “How much does our language shape our thinking?” He opines, “English continues to expand into diverse regions around the world. The question is whether humanity will be homogenized as a result.”

Enter Sanaz Toossi and her Pulitzer Prize-winning play, English, a “meditation on language and loss [that] explores the ways in which language and identity intertwine.” The play is set in an English-language classroom in Karaj, Iran (a large suburb 20 miles west of Tehran), in 2008. Exploring themes of language, identity, and cultural assimilation, the play is centered around four Iranian adults preparing for the TOEFL, the Test of English as a Foreign Language. A standardized academic English test, the TOEFL is primarily taken to assess the English language proficiency of non-native English speakers including students applying to universities in English speaking countries as well as people who need to demonstrate their mastery of the English language for immigration purposes and is crucial for their ambitions to study or live abroad.

It is here that Iranian citizens of different ages and different goals are learning English, a language upon which so many opportunities depend. "[It] isn’t merely an elective chosen to broaden their knowledge of the world or enhance an upcoming trip. It is the key to their future.” As critic Charles McNulty wrote of an earlier production, “The play examines what is lost and what is gained in the acquisition of a foreign language upon which so much opportunity depends.” 

During an interview with Diep Tran for American Theatre, we are reminded that learning a new language is “a concept rife for laughs, linguistic misunderstanding being well-worn fodder for comedy. Audiences do laugh initially: at students playing word games or having basic conversations in accented English about their favorite color. This lulls us into a state of comfort, though, for simple but powerful truths that knock us off our axis.”

There is that moment when “English becomes not just a comedy about language lessons but a meditation about language itself, both as a tool of communication but also as an aspect of identity. About how, in learning another language, you can gain a new skill but you also lose a part of yourself. And how, if you do not have the vocabulary in a language to express yourself, you will always be a little bit incomplete, never truly knowable by others.”

Toossi never ceases to remind us that, “It’s a huge thing to learn a different language, a huge thing to give up that ability to fully express yourself, even if you have a full command over language.”

About The Playwright

by K. Kevyne Baar, PhD

“Writing a play is an embarrassing thing. The only way you get to the finish line is if you genuinely love what you are writing about. I guess I love writing about Iranian women.” – Sanaz Toossi

Sanaz Toossi a first generation Iranian-American who grew up in Orange County California, admits that she loves "The Real Housewives of Potomac," and really never saw herself as a playwright. “I had no idea that this is what my life would be.” Her mom was a chemist, her dad an engineer. Southern California has the largest population of Iranians outside of Iran, so Toossi grew up around a community that spoke Farsi and hosted mehnooni (parties) every weekend. However, she admits that, “my Farsi gets worse every year. It’s painful for me. I wonder if my kids will know Farsi.”

As the only child of these Iranian immigrants, she fulfilled a pre-law major at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and was accepted to several law schools. As she tells it, she somehow couldn’t make herself go. “I was about to graduate. I wanted to be a writer, and it also probably came out of my own insecurities that I would never actually have the words to say what I wanted.”

She began writing plays, which she hid from her parents. (Her mother, had been sensing that Toossi had a secret, but assumed she was pregnant.) “Those first plays were terrible.” Toossi admits. It was when she began writing about the people she knew — Iranians and Iranian Americans — that the plays got better, and in 2018 she completed an MFA in dramatic writing at NYU. Since graduation Toossi finds herself with commissions from the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Manhattan Theatre Club, South Coast Repertory, IAMA Theatre, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She is also one of the writers for the upcoming Amazon Prime television series A League of Their Own, based on the film of the same name.

In answer to an interviewer’s question in 2023, Toossi admitted that she “wrote English for me. I had to write it. I wrote it as my thesis. I was really angry that year. After the travel ban, I white-knuckled it for two years, and I wrote English because I was furious with the anti-immigrant rhetoric. I just wanted to scream into the void a little bit. It’s a huge thing to learn a different language, a huge thing to give up that ability to fully express yourself, even if you have a full command over language.”

“I think a lot of the reason why I write is that so much of this is hard to talk about. I think it’s the only thing that I’m actually able to write about.”

“I tell immigrant stories, but I don’t tell them in the United States. How can we tell immigrant stories from the site of migration? I think for Iranians, this question of staying or leaving is huge, and it has affected every family so deeply. I think I always just wanted—needed—people to know the Iran that I know. The Iran that’s never ever portrayed in media or seen in the news.” The Iran that Sanaz Toossi is now sharing with our Capital Stage audiences.

Meet the Company

Sofia Ahmad*

Marjan

Sofia Ahmad is thrilled to make her debut at Capital Stage with ENGLISH. She most recently appeared as Celia in California Shakespeare Theater’s AS YOU LIKE IT. She is a Resident Artist with Golden Thread; her 22-year long collaboration with the company includes ON THE PERIPHERY, MOST DANGEROUS HIGHWAY, & ISFAHAN BLUES (by Torange Yeghiazarian). Sofia has also appeared with Berkeley Repertory Theater, American Conservatory Theater, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, PlayGround, Word for Word, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Magic Theatre, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and Pacific Repertory Theater. Sofia is a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA. Big BIG love to John and Zayn!

Fatemeh Mehraban

Elham

Fatemeh is a proud '23/24 Capital Stage Apprentice class Alumna. She is a queer Iranian performing artist, and has received her associate’s degree in theatre arts from American River College. Fatemeh has had the privilege of participating in various theatrical productions ranging from classics, staged readings, devised works, improv and musicals. She was just seen as Kitty in GEORGIANA & KITTY here at Capital Stage! Her other recent works are Maria in TWELFTH NIGHT (California Stage), Sarah in THE NEWLYWED GAME (B Street Theatre), Sabine in THE MOST MASSIVE WOMAN WINS (Capital Stage), Eva in FOR THE LOVE OF DOG (The Stage at Burke Junction), and ensemble in SAWYER THOMPSON (The Geery Theatre). Fatemeh is so grateful to Sanaz, Torange, and Capital Stage for the opportunity to tell a story so close to her heart. She hopes you laugh and cry as much as we do onstage! Thank you to the cast and crew for their hard work, and to our patrons for supporting our stories and our artists. Instagram @fatemeow

Zaya Kolia*

Omid

Zaya Kolia is an Assyrian actor from the Bay Area. He received his Bachelor in Fine Arts in Acting from the Academy of Art University where his credits include Flan in SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION, Joshua and Martin in CLOUD NINE, Barnett in CRIMES OF THE HEART, Aldolpho in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE and Kevin Rosario in IN THE HEIGHTS. Other credits include Frank Jr. in SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER at Broadway by the Bay, THE WIZARD OF OZ at Berkeley Playhouse, Khadim in THE NORTH POOL at Bread & Butter, The Captain in ANYTHING GOES at Hillbarn Theatre, Ludovic and Augenti in PASSION, Harry and Martin in CLOUD NINE both at The Custom Made Theatre Company, Azad in ON THE PERIPHERY with Golden Thread and Crowded Fire Theatre company, TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS at Los Altos Stage Company and most recently GUYS AND DOLLS at Peninsula Ballet Theater as Sky Masterson. He now resides in LA where he just participated in the Hollywood Fringe Festival and a tour of ROMEO AND JULIET! He most recently originated the role of Danial in the world premiere of THE LANGUAGE OF WILD BERRIES and Seth in the West Coast premiere of BALD SISTERS. Zaya is so excited to be reunited with Torange to tell this beautiful story after being the Omid U/S Berkeley Rep. Instagram: @zayakolia

Dena Martinez*

Roya

Dena Martinez is an Actress, Director, and Board Member with Capital Stage. Her directing credits include, FADE, THE ROOMMATE, and THE HOMBRES. She was last seen in BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY, AUGUST OSAGE COUNTY, and MR BURNS:A POST ELECTRIC PLAY, at Capital Stage; Her regional credits include: THE RIVER BRIDE at Arizona Theater Co. and at PCPA, DIA DE LOS CUENTOS and CLOUD TECTONICS at B St Theater, AMERICAN NIGHT at Cal Shakes. THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS and AMERICAN NIGHT at Denver Center Theater; DISTRACTED and SUNSETS AND MARGARITAS at Theaterworks; RECKLESS and GIBRALTAR at San Jose Stage; FUDDY MEERS and A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE at Marin Theater Company. She has performed extensively with Campo Santo, The Magic Theater, The San Francisco Mime Troupe, Culture Clash, and El Teatro Campesino. See her at the Magic Theater this Fall in JERRY GARCIA IN THE LOWER MISSION, a play with music by Richard Montoya.

Leda Rasooli

Goli

Leda is an Afghan-American artist, based in California. She began her acting journey in 2023, and is incredibly grateful and excited to be making her theatre debut in ENGLISH.

Sanaz Toossi

Playwright

Sanaz Toossi is an Iranian American playwright from Orange County, California. Plays: ENGLISH (Atlantic, Roundabout; Pulitzer Prize, Obie Award, Weissberger New Play Award, Kilroys’ List), WISH YOU WERE HERE (Williamstown/Audible, Playwrights Horizons; Stavis Award). Commissions: Atlantic Theater, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Manhattan Theatre Club, South Coast Repertory, IAMA Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Other: member of Youngblood, member of Lark’s Middle Eastern American Writers Lab, alumna of Clubbed Thumb’s Early Career Writers’ Group, P73 Playwriting Fellow. Other honors: Steinberg Playwright Award, Horton Foote Prize, Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award. Television: Five Women, “A League of Their Own,” “Invitation to a Bonfire.” Education: M.F.A. from NYU Tisch.

Torange Yeghiazarian

Director

Torange Yeghiazarian is a playwright, director, and community-builder working towards enriching the US Theater canon with Middle Eastern voices and aesthetics. In 2024, her translation and stage adaptation of Nizami’s LEILI & MAJNUN premiered at Central Stage, and her commissioned play, THE TUTOR, premiered at the New Conservatory Theatre. A post-1979-revolution transplant from Iran, Torange believes that life is inherently political. Her plays frequently explore the cultural divide with tenderness and humor from an immigrant woman’s perspective. As a director, Torange’s focus has been on new plays, experimenting with Middle Eastern performance traditions, and adaptation of classics. Her theatre work is propelled by the need to build, inspire, and empower community. Torange founded Golden Thread Productions, the first American theatre company devoted to the Middle East and its global diaspora, and served as its Executive Artistic Director for twenty-five years. She is a founding board member of Middle Eastern North African Theater Makers Alliance, the first national organization advocating for MENA theater makers. Torange’s writing has been published in: New Iranian Plays, Performing Iran, Casting A Movement, Salaam. Peace Anthology, The Drama Review, American Theatre Magazine, AmerAsia Journal, Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures, and the Cambridge World Encyclopedia of Stage Actors. TorangeYeghiazarian.com

Michael Stevenson

Artistic Director

For Capital Stage, Michael has directed ARCHDUKE, HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING, GLORIA, THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT, ADMISSIONS, THE HUMANS, THE OTHER PLACE, SWEAT, THE THANKSGIVING PLAY, LUNA GALE, STUPID F##KING BIRD, HOW TO USE A KNIFE, DISGRACED, MR. BURNS, IDEATION, CLYBOURNE PARK, MAURITIUS, ERRATICA (World Premiere), and LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES. He has directed at regional theaters including: B Street Theater, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Orlando Shakespeare Company, Perseverance Theater Company, and Sacramento Theater Company. As an actor he has appeared at many regional theaters including: 42nd Street Moon, American Conservatory Theater, The Aurora Theater, Bailiwick Repertory Theater, Capital Stage, B Street Theater, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and Marriott’s Lincolnshire Theater. He holds an M.F.A. from the American Conservatory Theater.

Keith Riedell

Managing Director

Keith Riedell is celebrating his 19th year at Capital Stage and brings to the company his varied experiences in the theatre, management, team building, counseling, training and corporate improvement. While at Capital Stage he has grown box office operations and installed online ticketing and donor systems, developed sound accounting and financial policies and systems, led efforts to provide living wages and benefits to the staff and artists, and has been an outspoken voice for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging efforts. Working with the board of directors Mr. Riedell is leading a five-year strategic planning process with Michael Kaiser and the DeVos Institute of Arts Management. The plan, completed in the Summer of 2023 is now in the implementation phase. Along with Artistic Director Michael Stevenson, Keith has worked on capacity building projects with Third Plateau and the University of the Pacific.

Tony Gabrielson

Production & Company Manager

Tony has worked with many theaters and dance companies locally and around the country over the last 15 years as a stage manager, carpenter, painter, and technician. Favorite productions include: DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST with Barter Theater in Abingdon, VA, ON BORROWED TIME at Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ, and developmental workshops of BOTTLESHOCK! THE MUSICAL. He is blessed and beyond grateful to continue working as an artist in our community. Love and thanks to Jessa and Piper - his favorite people.

Caleb Jones

Scenic Designer & Technical Director

Caleb is proud to be Capital Stage's Technical Director since the 23/24 Season. He is new to Sacramento but has worked at the San Diego REPertory theater and with several theaters within Fresno County. This year serves as his 11th year in the field, and he hopes you enjoy our shows. Lots of love to Clarissa and all of his loved ones.

Erika L. Placencia*

Stage Manager

Erika L. Placencia is excited to be the Production Stage Manager for this show. She has also been with Capital Stage as the production stage manager for THE HEART SELLERS, NOW CIRCA THEN and CRY IT OUT. She has been an assistant stage manager at Capital Stage for AMERICAN FAST, HOMBRES and HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING. She was also a stage management intern at Broadway at Music Circus. She was also assistant stage manager for B Street Theatre’s ‘TIS THE SEASON. She earned her first degree in Media and Communication studies from University of Maryland University College and received her second degree from William Jessup University with Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts. She is a proud Air Force Veteran and is happy being able to live her dreams through the support of her family.

Olivia Amore

Assistant Stage Manager

Olivia Amore is very excited to be back for Capital Stage's 20th Anniversary Season! Since wrapping THE HEART SELLERS in November, she feels blessed to be backstage assistance for Capital Stage once again. Olivia loves theatre from all angles; from being onstage to backstage. She has been a part of a cast ensemble for THE MUSIC MAN and THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL and has been the Production Stage Manager for many musicals such as PETER PAN, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and Rodgers and Hammerstein's CINDERELLA. Olivia is very excited to be back in 2025 for another Capital Stage performance!

Shae Mercer

Lighting Designer & Lead Electrician

Shae Mercer is thrilled to be working on English as her second professional design, here at Capital Stage. She received her BFA in Theatre Arts from Southern Oregon University in 2022, and has since been paving her way into the Sacramento theatre scene as Capital Stage’s Lead Electrician. Her previous work includes CRY IT OUT at Capital Stage, HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL at Sacramento Theatre Company, and HEARTS LIKE FISTS at Southern Oregon University.

Rebecca Redmond

Costume Designer

Rebecca Redmond is happy to be back at Capital Stage where she has designed many productions including CLYDE’S, SMART PEOPLE, BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY, THE TOTALITARIANS, ANNA KARENINA, MAPLE & VINE. Rebecca earned her MFA in theater from UC Davis and is professor at Folsom Lake and Sierra Colleges. Her other recent designs have been seen at San Francisco’s Theater Rhinoceros (PILLOW TALK, THE REVIEW), Sacramento Theater Co. (WAIT UNTIL DARK, GLORIA: A LIFE), Sierra College (THE CRUCIBLE, MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS), Folsom Lake College (MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, MARAT/SADE, HAIR), and Sacramento City College (THE BEAUX’ STRATAGEM, THE GREAT GATSBY). Follow her on social media @ModernDalliance.

Ed Lee

Sound Designer

Ed is delighted to be part of another season at Capital Stage. He has been involved in almost every production since the company’s aquatic days at the Delta King, from artwork for SPEECH AND DEBATE to appearing in FIRST PERSON SHOOTER. Favorite sound design credits include: MASTER CLASS; SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME; 4000 MILES; MISTAKES WERE MADE; RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN; and UNCANNY VALLEY.

Samantha McLean Haas

Scenic Charge Artist

Samantha has been painting sets for over a decade in the greater Sacramento area. She’s thrilled to be painting for her fifth season with Capital Stage. In addition to Capital Stage, she’s worked at Sacramento City College, Sierra College, University of California Davis, Sacramento Theatre Company, B Street, and Broadway at Music Circus.

Riley Cisneros-Gruenthal

Properties Designer

Riley Cisneros-Gruenthal is thrilled to be part of the team for ENGLISH, her seventh show with Capital Stage (their work was previously seen in GEORGIANA & KITTY: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY, THE HEART SELLERS, FAIRVIEW, CLYDES, ARCHDUKE, & CRY IT OUT). Riley graduated Magna Cum Laude from Southern Oregon University in 2020 with a degree in Theatre Arts. Previous credits include props designer for CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHTTIME, WAIT UNTIL DARK, and MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS at Sacramento Theatre Company.

Nicole C. Limón

Dramaturg

Nicole C. Limón is a multidisciplinary theatre artist: an actor/director/dramaturg, and theatre faculty at California State University, Sacramento. She most recently directed: BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK (Celebration Arts, ) JUST A PINCH: A UTERUS PLAY (Matriarchy,) EVERYBODY; and DANCE NATION (CSUS,) and WATER BY THE SPOONFUL (Teatro Espejo.) She is also a Theatrical Intimacy Director committed to creating consent-forward spaces for artists, and locally she has consulted and staged intimacy for Capital Stage, B Street Theatre, CSUS, Teatro Espejo, Celebration Arts and Sacramento Theatre Company. She is founder of Matriarchy Theatre and local collective Sacramento Theatres of Color, an associate member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and holds an MFA in Acting from UC Davis. Follow Nicole’s work @matriarchytheatre

Ana Bayat

Dialect Coach

Ana Bayat (Dialect Coach) is a multilingual/multicultural actress, acting/voiceover/language and dialect coach, playwright, cultural dramaturg/consultant, translator, linguist, and professor of languages and cultures, storytelling and film. Fluent in Spanish, French, Persian, UK and US English, and proficient in German, Italian and Catalan, she supports actors in finding and creating authentic voices and dialects when approaching linguistically diverse roles. Her critically-acclaimed multilingual play Mimi’s Suitcase—an autobiographical coming-of-age journey exploring themes of immigration, women’s rights, and human resilience—received the highly competitive Neda Nobari Foundation Matching Grant in Innovative Arts, was shortlisted for a Freedom of Expression Amnesty International Award, and named “a hidden gem” at the 70th Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Bayat’s most recent projects as dialect coach include English at Melbourne Theatre Co., Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Barrington Stage, Studio Theatre (also as cultural and casting consultant), The Old Globe and South Coast Repertory. Her film and TV coaching and collaboration credits include “Tehran” (AppleTV+), “The Agency” (Paramount Plus) and Rule Breakers, which is slated to premiere in 2025. anabayat.com

ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION (AEA)

Founded in 1913, this union represents more than 45,000 actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The Equity emblem is our mark of excellence.

Capital Stage Staff

MICHAEL STEVENSON - Artistic Director

KEITH RIEDELL - Managing Director

KIRK BLACKINTON - Development Manager

TONY GABRIELSON - Production & Company Manager

MISTY MCDOWELL - Marketing Manager

LOGAN JACOB GERMANO-HELLER – Education & Box Office Manager

AVERY HERSEK - Audience Services Manager

THEODORE ALEXANDER - House Manager

CALEB JONES - Scenic Designer & Technical Director

CONOR WOODS - Lead Carpenter

SUNNY MACKEY - Carpenter, Painter

ED LEE - Resident Sound Designer & Engineer

ISAIAH LEEPER - Lighting Supervisor

SHAE MERCER - Lighting Designer & Lead Electrician

CECILIA CASTILLO JUAREZ - Concessions & Box Office Associate 

YASMINE SALMERON - Production Associate

K. KEVYNE BAAR - Resident Dramaturg

JAMIE JONES, PETER MOHRMANN, GAIL RUSSELL, JANIS STEVENS – Associate Artists

ELIJAH PETERS - Infection Control Manager, Payroll & Administrative Assistant

2024/25 SEASON APPRENTICE COMPANY - Jarod Wiggins, Rachel Lau-Kee Browne, Zaara Little, Katie Halstead

Capital Stage Board Members

Chastity E. Benson
California State Association of Counties

Dan Brunner, Treasurer
Arts Patron

Kathryn E. Doi, Board President
Feldesman Leifer LLP

Sherry Hartel Haus
Downey Brand

Beth Hassett
CEO, WEAVE

Stephen C. Jones
Professor and Vice Chair of the CSUS Dept of Theatre and Dance

Leili Khalessi, Boad Vice President
California Dept. of Human Resources

Steve Koonce
Arts Patron

Elena Lopez-Gusman
Executive Director, California Chapter, American College of Emergency Physicians

Dena Martinez
Talen Agent, Director, Actor

Kristi Quesada Mathisen, Board Secretary
Sacramento Country Day School

Clif McFarland
Attorney

Lori Abbott Moreland
Arts Patron

Stephanie Rowe
Professor, Sacramento City College

Vince Sales
Everyday Impact Consulting

Peggy Wheeler
California Hospital Association

Board Emeritus:

Stephanie Gularte, Founding Artistic Director
Capital Stage

Peter Mohrmann, Co-founder
Capital Stage

Jonathan Williams, Co-Founder
Capital Stage

Arlen Orchard
SMUD

Julie Stark
Arts Patron

Donors

Special Thanks to our Donors

Donation Totals from 1/28/24 to 1/28/25

Please alert us to any errors or omissions by contacting Development Manager, Kirk Blackinton at kblackinton@capstage.org.

Founder's Circle: $20,000+

John Abbott & Lori Abbott Moreland
Dan Brunner
Donna Chipps
Drs. John & Lois Crowe
Kathryn Doi
Golden 1 Credit Union
Lesley & Steve Koonce
Sacramento City Office of Arts and Culture
The Shubert Foundation

Executive Producer: $10,000+

Rebecca Boyd
Gloriette C. Fong
Sacramento Region Community Foundation
Art & Sue Scotland
Anita Scuri & James Simon

Producer: $6,000+

Marcy Barnett
Chastity Benson
Ted Cobb
Susan Edling
Deborah Franklin & Douglas Mitten
Scott & Linda Lasher
Leonard Vincent Sales

Director: $3,000+

Susie & Jim Burton
Kathleen Collins
Melissa Conner & Theodore Harris
Theresa Corrigan
Kathy Davenport & Ken Weiss
Steven Debry
Jeffrey Farley & Mike Tentis
Gail Finney
Laura Jackson
Dean & Sandi Karagianes
Robert Klass & Katy Globus
Michael Koltnow
Bob Mandelson
Linda McAtee & Steve Sphar
James McElroy & Ann Gerhardt
Clif McFarland
Gretchen Peralta
Christopher Price
Ken Rothaus
Diane Schertz
Howard Slyter & Marge Ginsburg
Tom & Hedda Smithson
Barbara Sommer
Marty & Janet Steiner
Ed Telfeyan & Jeri Paik
Shirlee Tully
Susan Wheeler
Gloria & Don Yost

Lead Actor: $1,200+

Jacob Appelsmith
Peggy Beasley
David Bell & Katherine Newman
Dr. William Bronston & Lisa Levering
Lyndsay Burch
Margaret L Buss
Ellen Covairt & Bernard Kalscheuer
Cindy Dunning
Patty French
Carole Fritz
Curtis Fritz
Helen & Glenn Hakanson
James R Hargrove
Sherry Haus
Jane Hing
Josh Horowitz & Patti Baggett
Lisa Horst
Stephanie & David Hunt
Barbara Jeffus
Janet Jensen
Dawn & Dave King
Brian & Dorothy Landsberg
Marion Leff
Doron Levitan
Janet Lial
Kris Martin
Ed Mills
Peter Mohrmann & David Harris
Gail Pereira
Laurie Nelson Randlett & Jim Randlett
Nathan Rangel
Brian Rickel
Amy & Jason Rogers
Lori Saper
Chuck & Nancy Shulock
Owen Smith
Roger & Barbara Smith
Rae-Nani Stokes & Griff Field
Robert & Michele Van Eyken
Denise Verbeck
Buzz Wiesenfeld

Designer: $600+

Chris Abare
David Alois & Jacquie Embs
Stephen & Melva Arditti
Carol Wolff Barnes
Walter Barnes
David & Marsha Baskins
Donna Campbell
Les & Peggy Chisholm
Annabel Cooper
Jim & Kathleen Deeringer
Matt Donaldson & Steve Kyriakis
Carol Enns
Nancy Erman
Richard & Barbara Falcon
Wiley Fowler
David Fulk & Keith Riedell
Brian Galacio
Carol & Steven Goldberg
Adrienne Graham
Stephanie Gularte
Ed Hall & Warren Lindeleaf
Team Hanseth
Eileen Heaser
Kim Hunter
Laura Kee & Daryl Browne
Leili Khalessi
Charles & Elizabeth Kuehner
Dr. John & Rosemary Lamb
Nancy Lee
Shannon Mahoney & Kirk Blackinton
Dennis Mangers & Michael Sestak
Dena Martinez & Paul Verke
Kristi Quesada Mathisen & Josh Mathisen
Steven Meinrath & Helen Nusbaum
Mr. Colin A. Miller
Keetha Mills & Phil Nanni
Roger & Kristina Montero
Julie Morandi
Suzanne Ness
Sara Nichols
Steve Patwell
Marshall & Maureen Rice
Glenn Rondeau
Michael Scheible
Ann Siprelle
Robert Thompson
Harold & Ilah Turner
Kim Varner
Megan Van Voorhis
Chris Wagner
Peggy Wheeler
Karen Willstatter
John Wilson & Susie Monary-Wilson
Claudia Wrazel & Frank Horowitz

Ensemble: $300+

Elaine Alexander
Jean Alford
Kathleen Anderson
John Angell
Kristine Backus
Robert & Laura Jane Young
Eloise & James Barter
Barbara Black
Sue Blosl
Robert & Jean Bonar
Peter Botto
Karen Broido
Margaret & Stephen Brush
Carin & Bob Bryans
Carol Buck & Dennis Beaty
Celia Buckley
Sharon Cammisa & Joseph Orr
Henry Chambers
Idelle & Dan Claypool
Edward Condon
Gayle Dax-Conroy
Fred Deneke & Jim Eastman
Laura Dirrim
Katherine Downey
Stuart Eldridge
Tracie & Richard Fike
Lisa Foster
Muffy & Terry Francke
Patty Garcia & Jim Mattesich
Cynthia Gerber
Mary Graziose
Linda Gregory
Patricia & James Grieshop
Dennis Gunvalson & Richard Bay
Suzanne Hanrahan
Polly Hasemann
Zheyla Henriksen
Mike & Doris Horton
Patrick Hunt
Linda Iseri
Samuel Jenkins
Don Johnson & Elizabeth Miller
Shenandoah & Andrew Kehoe
JR Keith
Jolanta Kieturakis
Jane Kirkland
Derry Knight
Sally Knost
Nancy LaCasse
Beverly & Ronald Lamb
Susie LaPointe
John Leonard
David & Ruth Lindgren
John Marinko
Ken Nather
Shirley Nelson
Danielle & Dean Newberry
Michele Noufer
Mary O'Byrne
Erin Oneil
Frank Pajerski
Richard Pearson & Jean Hart
John Peirce
Catherinie Pierini
Lowell Richardson & Paula Sugarman
Ron Robie
Myrna Rodriguez
Bob & Shirley Rosenberg
Fred & Polly Schack
Janet S Shibamoto-Smith
Elaine Silver
Susanne Sommer & George Ramsey
Robert Suskind & Leslie Lewinter-Suskind
Susan & Ken Taylor
Nina Thomson
Stephanie Tucker
Irene Velasquez
Elaine Verbarg
Peter & Karen Von Elten
Patricia Wall & David Stavarek
Bryan Weare
LeRose Weikert
Martha West
Joan Williams
Richard & Kathryn Williams
Claudia & Olin Woods
Wendy & Mark Zlotlow

Patron: $150+

Meredith Abby
Candace & Doug Adams
John & Kathleen Agnew
Wendell Alderson
Susan Andrews
Ann Arneill
Maria Balakshin
Brenda Betts
Karen Bleuel
Lydia Bourne
Bruce Bowers
Todd Boyd
Daniel Braunstein
Eve Bressler
Donna Bridges
Marc Brown & Althea Cervantes
Steve Buri
Susan & Richard Carlsen
Marilyn Champa
Steven & Karin Chase
Bernice Chin
Allison Claire
Jay Cohen
Dennis & Susan Cook
Marilyn Cooper
Lyn & Jim Crouch
Anthony & Margie Deriggi
Lily Douglas
Daniel & Diane Durawa
Valerie Durbin
Linda Esten
Rachel Falsetti
Clint Fleener
Jan Fleener
Daphna Fram
Leah E Frey
Anne Geraghty
Sam Goby
Lisa Goodwill
Marina Gunst
Linda Hansen
Beth Hassett
Mary Hellwig
Sharon Helmar
Robert Herne
Beatrice Hildebrand
Patsy Hopkins
Suzanne Houlton
Marlys Huez
Patricia Hull
Sumiko Ichikawa & Teruo Mizutani
Chris & Sarah Janus
John Johnson
Jamie Jones
Jonel Jorgensen & Dennis Lloyd
David & Kathy Kahn
Margaret Kane & Richard Frey
Cat Karell
Jacquelyn M. Kelly
Mimi Khan
Kay Michelle Khayat
Kellie Kilgore
Pamela Kisor
Joann Kleemann
Anne Knuut
Paul & Jane Lammerding
Renee Larsen
Sandy Lee
Lisa Luthra
Brian Lutz
George Ed McCune
Delta Mello
Briel & Alexandra Melvin
Lynne Meredith
George Meyer
Michele D Mickela
Livia Moe
Everett & Julia Moore
Hallie Morrow
Catherine Mulhall & Steve Danielson
Julia Mullen & Charlene Jones
Karen Neuwald
Becky & Bob Norris
Erin O'Neil
Tracey O'Reilly
Michael Paparian
Kellie Paredes
J Paul & Judy Guyer
Barbara Payne
Rani H Pettis
Ann Porten
Enid Pritikin
David L. Reed
Tina Reynolds
Margaret Roberts
Nancy Roberts
Patti Roberts
Randy Roberts
Ramona Robinson
Christine Rodrigues
Carol Rogers & Jon Courtway
Sally Rogers
Patrick Romano
Sunny Romer
Kurt Rosen
Ruth Rosenberg
Laura Rosenthal
Linda Roth
Peter Saucerman
Deborah Seiler
Adrienne Shapiro
Adrienne Sher
Jean & David Shiomoto
Nancy Silva
Kim Silvers & Sheila Cardno
Harsev Singh
Susan & Ross Siragusa
Chris & Julia Smith
Karen Smith
Lauren Weil Solomon
Michael Stevenson
Harry & Linda Struthers
Patricia Sturdevant
Penelope Taylor
Carrie Thomsen
Rachel Tooker
Patty Torbert & Ken Graber
Mildred Torrance
SHIRLEY TOY
Michael & Barbara Ullman
Christi van Eyken
Roger Paul Villaluz
Ian Wallace
Robin Wallace
Arnold Wolf & Fern Tablin
Mary Worthington
Lydia Zeidner

"The Crew" - Recurring Donors

Chris Abare
John Abbott & Lori Abbott Moreland
Candace & Doug Adams
John Angell
Merle Axelrad
Jose Barbosa
Peggy Beasley
Bill Bronston & Lisa Levering
Margaret & Stephen Brush
Celia Buckley
Margaret L Buss
Ann Byfield
Kathryn & Jim Carlson
Bernice Chin
Les & Peggy Chisholm
Kathleen Collins
Kaoru Cruz
Jennifer Cummings
Daniel DeFoe
Gail & Tom Devitt
Martha & Jim Dickson
Lily Douglas
Katherine Downey
Stuart Eldridge
Ellen Ferguson
Mary Helen Fischer
Sara Floor
Muffy & Terry Francke
Deborah Franklin & Douglas Mitten
David Fulk & Keith Riedell
Mary Graziose
Kathryn Grey
Stephanie Gularte
Suzanne Hanrahan
Courtney & Nate Hans
Dalinda Harman
Josh Horowitz & Patti Baggett
Suzanne Houlton
Stephanie & David Hunt
Kim Hunter & Sherry Reser
Linda Iseri
Eillen Jacobowitz
Anne Jennings
Iris Johnson
Maria Jurado
Dean & Sandi Karagianes
Pamela Kisor
Dr. John & Rosemary Lamb
Sandy Lee
Doron Levitan
Shannon Mahoney & Kirk Blackinton
John Marinko
Kristi & Josh Mathisen
Linda McAtee & Steve Sphar
Carol McCormick
Shelley & James McFarland
Peter Mohrmann & David Harris
Diane & Lisa Moore
Suzanne Ness
Ann OConnell
David Pitman & Rani Pettis
Laurie Nelson Randlett & Jim Randlett
Carol Rogers & Jon Courtway
Sunny Romer
Linda Roth
Donald Rubin
Leonard Vincent Sales
Peter Saucerman
Diane Schertz
Susan Scott
Chris & Julia Smith
Jennifer Sommer
Peggy Stare
Michael Stevenson
Michael Storey
Linda & Scott Taylor
Martha West
John Wilson & Susie Monary-Wilson
Claudia Wrazel & Frank Horowitz

Learn more about "The Crew": capstage.org/play-a-part/donate/