Artistic Director Michael Stevenson & Managing Director Keith Riedell Present MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY
by Lauren Gunderson & Margot Melcon
Directed by Peter Mohrmann
Live Theatre & Virtually On Demand December 1 - 24, 2021 Performance Length:  2 hours, 1 intermission
Featuring Brittni Barger*      David Toshiro Crane*      Anthony Person Rob Salas      Nicole Anne Salle      Elyse Sharp Brooklynn T. Solomon      Devin Valdez
Scenic Designer Eric Broadwater	Costume Designer Gail Russell
Lighting Designer Michael Palumbo
Sound Designer Ed Lee	Properties Coordinator Rich Kirlin
Hair & Makeup Designer Corey D. Winfield
Stage Manager Melissa Jernigan*
MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY was originally produced by Northlight Theatre, Chicago, Illinois (BJ Jones, Artistic Director, Timothy Evans, Executive Director). MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.
*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

COVID-19 SAFETY:

To attend a performance everyone in your party must present proof of vaccination for COVID-19 (with a second dose at least 14 days prior to the date of the performance) with a valid photo ID. Masks also must be worn in the theatre and interior lobby areas at all times. NO FOOD OR BEVERAGES ARE ALLOWED INSIDE THE THEATRE.

VIDEO/PHOTOS:

Recording and photography of any kind are prohibited at Capital Stage.

CELL PHONES:

Patrons are asked to turn communication 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. Concessions will be limited and can only be consumed while on our Patio. NO FOOD OR BEVERAGES ARE ALLOWED IN 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 a disability 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.

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.

Setting

THE SETTING

December, 1815. A large drawing room and attached library of Pemberley, the grand estate of Mr. and Mrs. Darcy. In the past quite formal, but Lizzy has warmed it up with a sense of home.

About The Play

By Cathy Hardin, MLIS

“You know what people love? Jane Austen. You know what people really love? Christmas and Jane Austen.” - Lauren Gunderson

Miss Bennet’s inception was a drive for its two authors, and friends, from San Francisco to Ashland, Oregon. Six hours and several scribbled-on napkins later, they had started the writing process that would end in a rolling world premiere in 2016 and a sequel that had its world premiere at Marin Theatre Company in 2019, and is currently offering the third Pemberley installment Giorgiana & Kitty.

Gunderson’s and Melcon’s script, which reviewers have heralded as a “seasonal confection,” picks up two years after the end of Jane Austen’s famous novel, Pride and Prejudice.

Austen’s story revolves around the Bennet family and its five sisters: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia. Mrs. Bennet’s dearest wish is to see them all safely and prosperously married, and is thrilled when an eligible young bachelor, Charles Bingley, rents an estate nearby the Bennet family home of Longbourn. Charles Bingley brings with him one of literature’s most famous romantic heros, Mr. Darcy. Jane and Bingley are smitten with each other at first sight, but Elizabeth immediately takes a disliking to Mr. Darcy because of his cold, proud demeanor.

This dislike is intensely strengthened when Darcy appears to have persuaded Bingley out of an interest in Jane Bennet because she is not a wealthy or prominent enough match. Her feelings against Darcy are further stoked when another newcomer to the area, a handsome, young militia officer named George Wickham, tells Elizabeth of his unjust treatment at Darcy’s hand - cheating Wickham out of a living promised to him by Darcy’s father.

The plot is thickened when Darcy proposes to Elizabeth completely unaware of her dislike (of which he quickly learns as she rebuffs him). In the form of a letter, one of Austen’s favorite literary devices, Darcy explains his actions in the Bingley-Jane romance as due to a belief that Jane herself was not truly interested in Bingley, and explains that Wickham is a disreputable fortune hunter who attempted to seduce Darcy’s young sister to gain access to the family fortune. Having to face her own pride (and prejudices), Elizabeth comes to realize that Darcy is not the blackguard she made him out to be, and Darcy in turn begins to acknowledge the damage that his unrelenting judgment of himself and others can bring about.

Through a series of fantastic coincidences Elizabeth and Darcy are brought back into each other’s lives, and Darcy demonstrates his love for her in the most profound way by secretly rescuing the Bennet family from social ruin when young Lydia Bennet runs off with none other than Wickham. Darcy finds the runaway couple, pays Wickham’s significant debts, and forces Wickham to do the honorable thing and marry Lydia.

He further makes amends by bringing Bingley back to Jane at Longbourn, where the two quickly sort out their feelings for each other and are engaged. When Darcy’s secret help is revealed to Elizabeth, she realizes that her newfound feelings toward Darcy still have a chance of being reciprocated, and the novel ends with the marriage of both happy couples.

Miss Bennet is full of charming winks to Austen’s novel, and bring two of the less appreciated Bennet sisters into the limelight. Mary Bennet, the shy and nerdy middle sister, is the eponymous Miss Bennet in the show, but both she and Lydia have a chance to become more fully realized characters with all the emotional depth and challenges that they aren’t given in Pride and Prejudice.

Wrapped up in this Christmas confection are lovingly explored ideas of what it means to be an introverted person with big dreams, how families can bring out the best and worst in each other, and how difficult it is to feel out of place in the life you once thought you wanted.

Sponsors

Cast

Creative Team

Special Thanks

Broadway Sacramento

Dan Brunner

Donna Chipps

Ted Cobb

Jim Hensley, President Abbey Flooring, Inc.

Sacramento Ballet

Sacramento City College Dept. of Theatre Arts & Film

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley

Production Staff

Production Manager  - KATIE CANNON

Technical Director  - CARLOS LLONTOP

Lead Carpenter & Props Coordinator  - RICH KIRLIN

Scenic Charge Artist  - SAMANTHA McLEAN HAAS

Sound Designer & Engineer  - ED LEE

Lead Electrician  - MARI OYAIZU CARSON

Literary Manager/Dramaturg  - STEPHANIE TUCKER, PhD.

Dialect Coach  - DAVID HARRIS

BIPOC Liason  - Dena Martinez

Stage Manager  - MELISSA JERNIGAN*

Assistant Stage Manager  - KATHERINE CANNON*

Stage Management Production Assistant  - RAND DOERNING^

Paint Assistant  - ANDREW FRIDAE^

Sound Assistant  - CECILIA CASTILLO JUAREZ^

Lighting Assistant  - ANA MUNTEAN^

Costume Assistant  - NICHOLAS RABORN^

Wardrobe & Hair Assistant  - KAITLIN WEINSTEIN^

Build Crew  - RAND DOERNING^, ANDREW FRIDAE^, CECILIA CASTILLO JUAREZ^, RICH KIRLIN, ANA MUNTEAN^, NICHOLAS RABORN^, KAITLIN WEINSTEIN^

COVID-19 Safety Managers  - KEITH RIEDELL, RUBY SKETCHLEY

Graphic Designers  - DAN LYDERSEN, MISTY MCDOWELL

Photographer  - CHARR CRAIL

VIDEOGRAPHER & EDITOR - Wesley Apfel

Webmaster - MISTY MCDOWELL

^ Capital Stage Apprentice  |  * Member Actors' Equity Association

About The Playwrights

By Cathy Hardin, MLIS

Lauren Gunderson is the theatrical champion of clever, complex women. And the American theater-going public can’t get enough of it. In each of the past three years, Gunderson has been either the first or second most-produced living playwright in America, and with an impressive 20 published plays to her 36-year-old name she shows no signs of slowing down. Her fascination with science and history is the focus of many of her plays that delve into the lives of influential women in the history of science and math that some may not have heard of (Ada Lovelace, Henrietta Leavitt, and Émilie du Châtelet, to name a few). Gunderson has said in interviews that she always wanted to be a physicist, but found herself unwilling to get through the “normal” bits in order to get to the really interesting ones. Instead, she has married this love of science with her love, and significant skill, for writing to great result. Gunderson, also noted for her sometimes-maudlin optimism, is unapologetic about her love of our shared humanity: “There’s this space for genuine human feeling and heart and soul...It’s easy to not write that, out of fear of being cheesy or whatever, but I think that’s the bravest thing you can do onstage—to be fully alive and emotional and vulnerable. That swell of heart is what I go to the theater for.”

Margot Melcon’s Northern California credentials are undeniable; a graduate of CSU Chico and a Bay Area resident who has worked with Marin Theatre Company, American Conservatory Theatre, Berkeley Rep, and Shotgun Players. She has worn many artistic hats so far in her career, as a Director of New Play Development, dramaturg, freelance writer for American Theatre magazine, and the Program Executive for Promoting Culture at the Zellerbach Family Foundation. Although she had never had a particular interest in turning her hand to playwriting, Melcon found that working on Miss Bennet was “a nice soft entry into the world of playwriting because I was working with one of the most prolific playwrights in America today.” When talking about Miss Bennet in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Melcon has said that she wanted to write a Christmas play that captured her own experience of the holiday: “the most salient quality of the holidays is being with family, specifically the way ‘you’re all on top of each other, and everybody brings their current self, and yet you also can’t help but turn into this person your family thinks you are.’”

The Pemberley Trilogy

by Stephanie Tucker, PhD., Dramaturg Emeritus

In November of this year, the Marin Theatre Company debuted the final play in Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s Christmas at Pemberley trilogy, Georgiana and Kitty.

Like its predecessors, its focus is upon two minor characters in Pride and Prejudice. Mary, the studious, middle sister is central to Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, as Lydia Bennet and her scoundrel of a husband, George Wickham, are to The Wickhams. In this final play, Georgiana and Kitty, Darcy’s younger sister, and the Bennet’s 4th daughter—both unmarried—hold center stage. 

Like the first two plays, the third takes place on Christmas, 1815, two years after Pride and Prejudice ends—in part. However, according to Gunderson, “This final installment actually does a bit of a loop de loop—the first part does take place in the same house, but the second act sends you 20 years into the future.”

In a recent interview, Melcon and Gunderson discuss the plays: “The wonderful thing about working with existing characters that aren’t main features of Pride and Prejudice is that they’re actually way easier to write.  We don’t know a lot about Georgiana or Kitty, and what we do know gives us a great jumping-off point to imagine [them].”

As in the first two plays, Gunderson and Melcon introduce an important character who doesn’t appear in the novel. Here it’s “Henry Grey, Georgiana’s shy, secret correspondent.” According to the playwrights, however, “in this installment we focus on female friendship, which is nice.  There’s certainly a love story, but the heart of the piece is really that friendship between two women.”      

Speaking of the trilogy as a whole, Melcon says “. . . one of the things we really wanted to do was write plays for the holidays . . .  and when we were coming up with this idea it became critical to build around family. . . . It’s a challenge, to be in a family unit—you have to make space for each other. . . .to be part of a family and still able to show up as your authentic self is the process. How do you remain true to yourself within this larger group? So, the Christmas aspect of these plays is there, but the more important part of it is the gathering of family. And everybody being in that messy time where you’re all up in each other’s business and navigating together when things go sideways.”

Happily, Jane Austen gives Gunderson and Melcon an invitation to gather the Darcy/Bingley/Bennet clan together at Christmas time. Towards the end of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth writes to her aunt, Mrs. Gardner:

I am the happiest creature in the world. Perhaps other people have said so before, but not one with such justice. I am happier even that Jane; she only smiles, I laugh. Mr. Darcy sends you all the love in the world, that he can spare from me. You are all to come to Pemberley at Christmas. Your’s, &c.

Maybe the Gardners don’t spend Christmas at Pemberley in this trilogy, but the Bennet sisters all do. And for those of us lucky to be in the audience, we get to go too.

Meet the Company

Brittni Barger*

Elizabeth Darcy

Brittni (she/her) is truly honored to reprise the role of Lizzy Darcy at CapStage. Past credits here include Lizzy in MISS BENNET and THE WICKHAMS, Sylvia in TRIBES, Nora in A DOLL’S HOUSE, and Nina in STUPID F##KING BIRD. She studied theatre at CSU Sacramento and NYU’s Collaborative Arts Project. Currently living in San Diego, she’s had the opportunity to film commercials and mixed media with a wide variety of fun clients and products like Manscaped, Bloomsybox, Crossrope, Manna Vitamins, Glamnetic, and more. She is also a host on the Amazon Prime show BEYOND GEEK. Visit her on the Gram @brittnibarger.

David Toshiro Crane*

Arthur de Bourgh

David Toshiro Crane is thrilled to return to Cap Stage after last appearing in VIETGONE. Other Sacramento Credits: Tom in THE GLASS MENAGERIE and I LOVE YOU...NOW CHANGE (STC), and GANDHI (B Street) Other select credits: THE PRINCE OF EGYPT and TUCK EVERLASTING (Theatreworks Silicon Valley), Dave Malloy's DON’T STOP ME (YMTC Berkeley). You can also catch him online with Buzzfeed Motion Pictures. When live theatre shut down in March 2020, he had the privilege of teaching and directing at Oakland School for the Arts--over Zoom! A proud graduate of the UCLA school of Theatre, Film and Television. www.davidtcrane.com

Anthony Person

Charles Bingley

Anthony has been an actor in the Sacramento area for the last 15 years, portraying roles in shows such as SCAPINO (City Theatre), TOMMY J & SALLY (Celebration Arts), Sacramento Shakespeare Festival’s TWELFTH NIGHT, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (STC), and SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION (Falcon’s Eye Theatre). Various other works include parts in plays such as A FEW GOOD MEN, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, and WOODY GUTHRIE’S AMERICAN SONG (City Theatre), and a brief exciting spell as Tinka the Trader at Universal Studios Hollywood’s WATERWORLD live show.

Rob Salas

Fitzwilliam Darcy

Rob Salas is a Mexican-American theatre artist based in Sacramento. He is thrilled to return to Pemberley and Mr. Darcy, having previously played the role during Capital Stage’s THE WICKHAMS in 2019 and its radio play version last year. Previous acting credits include Davis Shakespeare Festival, New Village Arts (San Diego), Dramatic Adventure Theatre (NYC), UC Irvine, and Harvard College. Rob is a theatre arts lecturer at Sierra College and a founding Artistic Director of Davis Shakespeare Festival. He holds an MFA in Directing from UC Irvine and a BA in English and Dramatic Art from Harvard.

Nicole Anne Salle

Jane Bingley

Nicole Anne Salle earned her BA in Theatre from Sacramento State University and is a former Capital Stage apprentice. She made her professional debut in GLORIA: A LIFE at Sacramento Theatre Company and was most recently seen on screen in PERSONAL JURY for Sacramento's 48-hour film festival of 2020. Favorite credits include Bethany in Capital Stage’s virtual production of RIPE FRENZY, and Patria in IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES at Sacramento State.

Elyse Sharp

Mary Bennet

Elyse Sharp (she/her) is thrilled to return to Pemberley and Capital Stage. She was also seen in Capital Stage’s THE REAL THING and MACBETH and is a former Capital Stage Apprentice. Elsewhere: B Street Theatre (FANTASY FESTIVAL 32 & 33, MIND-BOGGLING MYSTERIES OF THE WORLD), Pacific Repertory Theatre (TOM JONES, CORIOLANUS) and Shakespeare on the Vine (MACBETH, HAMLET, THE TEMPEST). She has also performed in virtual productions for Capital Stage, B Street Theatre, and Bike City Theatre Company. For more visit www.elysesharp.com or follow @elysesharp on Instagram.

Brooklynn T. Solomon

Anne de Bourgh

Brooklynn T. Solomon has been acting for over 20 years. Recent virtual credits include Celebrations Arts’ BLOOD AT THE ROOT and SPELL #7. Live credits include Big Idea Theatre’s BOOTY CANDY and SKELETON CREW, the latter role earning her second Elly nomination; Celebration Arts' A RAISIN IN THE SUN, SUNSET BABY, STICK FLY, THE BLUEST EYE, BOURBON AT THE BORDER and FLYIN’ WEST. Most recently, she appeared in Sacramento Theatre Company’s GLORIA: A LIFE and WHEN WE WERE COLORED: A MOTHER’S STORY. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Sacramento State University.

Devin Valdez

Lydia Wickham

Devin Valdez is over-the-moon excited to be portraying Lydia Wickham in this production of MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY. Most recently, she was seen in GLORIA at Sacramento Theatre Company. Other favorite credits: THE WOLVES (#45) at Capital Stage, HAMLET and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at Sacramento Theatre Company, JASPER at Big Idea Theatre as well as IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES and WELCOME TO ARROYO'S.

Peter Mohrmann

Director

In addition to the previous productions of MISS BENNET, Peter directed Capital Stage productions of THE WICKHAMS, THE TOTALITARIANS, MAPLE & VINE, THE NORTHPLAN, IN THE NEXT ROOM OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY, OR, FICTION, DINNER WITH FRIENDS, THREE DAYS OF RAIN, RELATIVELY SPEAKING and JACK AND JILL. His other directing credits include 10 WAYS TO SURVIVE LIFE IN A QUARANTINE, THE BEAUX’ STRATAGEM, SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR, SCAPINO!, THE FALL OF X, and BULLY BUSINESS for City Theatre, where he will be directing THE LARAMIE PROJECT in February, and THE CRUCIBLE for Falcon’s Eye Theatre. As an actor, he has appeared in many Cap Stage productions, as well as performing with Sacramento Theatre Company, Foothill Theatre Company, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Sacramento Shakespeare Festival, City Theatre and River Stage. As a co-founder of Capital Stage, Peter has worked in the capacity of managing director and marketing director. Currently, he is a professor of Theatre Arts and Film at Folsom Lake, Sacramento City and Woodland Community Colleges. Peter received his MFA from The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Michael Stevenson

Artistic Director

For Capital Stage, Michael has directed 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 DANGERUSES. He has directed at regional theatres including: B Street Theatre, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Orlando Shakespeare Company, Perseverance Theatre Company, and Sacramento Theatre Company. As an actor he has appeared at many regional theatres including: 42nd Street Moon, American Conservatory Theatre, The Aurora Theatre, Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, Capital Stage, B Street Theatre, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and Marriott’s Lincolnshire Theatre. He holds an M.F.A. from the American Conservatory Theatre.

Keith Riedell

Managing Director

Keith Riedell brings to Capital Stage his varied experiences in the theatre, management, team building, counseling, training and corporate improvement. During his 13-year tenure with the Conejo Players in Thousand Oaks, California, he assumed many roles. Artistically, he won critical acclaim for his direction of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd; Evita; The House of Blue Leaves; Anything Goes!; P.S. Your Cat Is Dead!; and The Elephant Man. He was instrumental in efforts resulting in the introduction of live music, expanded programming, newsletter development, and broadening theatre participation. He developed the first comprehensive guidebook for producers of plays and musicals at the Conejo Players, documenting the processes used to mount mainstage and afternoon theatre productions. In Tucson, Arizona, he worked with the One-In-Ten Theatre Company co-directing 17 DAYS. Onstage, he has been seen in dozens of roles ranging from Touchstone to Bert Healy, the blanket-carrying Linus to the revolutionary Perchick. Keith was an early member of the Moorpark Melodrama and Vaudeville Company. Prior to coming to Capital Stage Keith served as Managing Director of River Stage. Keith received his Master’s Degree in counseling in 1998 and is a nationally certified mental health counselor. In 2004, Keith was certified as a Six Sigma process improvement black-belt, focusing on the application of process improvement techniques on business processes. As an organizational development expert, Keith has successfully led major efforts to build organizational capacity and designed workshops for groups in team building, appreciative inquiry, workplace diversity/inclusion, and LGBT workplace issues. Keith has led organizations and community leaders through corporate change efforts including providing accommodations for people with disabilities to establishing the future direction of HIV/AIDS care and services in Southern Arizona. He is always thrilled to find opportunities to combine his talents for helping organizations grow with his lifelong passion for the theatre.

Katie Cannon

Production & Company Manager

Katie is in her 4th season as Production & Company Manager for Capital Stage, after several years with them as an AEA Stage Manager. Favorite shows stage managed for Capital Stage include AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, BETRAYAL, DISGRACED and ANNA KARENINA. She has also stage managed for Broadway at Music Circus for 17 seasons, most recently for SHREK, as well as being their Production Stage Manager at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret. Additional stage management credits include productions for the Sacramento Opera, Sacramento Theatre Company, and Musical Theatre West & Main Street Theatre in the greater Los Angeles Area.

Carlos Llontop

Technical Director

Having been a Technical Director for Folsom Lake College for many years as well as a Lead Technician at the Harris Center of the Arts, Carlos is excited to make his debut with Capital Stage during their reopening season. Some of his favorite productions include Spring Awakening, The Who’s Tommy, Hair, and Marat/ Sade. He wants to take a moment to thank his previous professors and mentors Ian Wallace, Rebecca Redmond, David Harris and Sam Coquerille. He would also like to thank his amazing team of apprentices for all their hard work and dedication. He is looking forward to making some magic and creating art with his fellow artists for time to come.

Melissa Jernigan

Stage Manager*

Melissa has most recently worked at Capital Stage on HOLD THESE TRUTHS, and has been lucky enough to have been stage managing at Capital Stage since 2016: Some favorites include VIETGONE, MISS BENNET 2017/2018, THE NEITHER, AN OCTOROON, AND STUPID F##KING BIRD. Other theatrical credits include Production Assisting on Broadway’s LENNON, Off-Broadway: FELA! the Lagos Tour, David Cromer’s OUR TOWN, John Leguizamo: A WORK IN PROGRESS, BEAUTY OF THE FATHER at Manhattan Theatre Club, BREATH & IMAGINATION at Hartford Stage, OUR TOWN starring Helen Hunt at The Broad Theatre in Santa Monica and THE LASSO OF TRUTH at Marin Theatre Company.

Kaitlin Weinstein

Assistant to the Director

Kaitlin is a recent graduate of UC Berkeley, holding a B.A. in Theater and English. In May 2021, she was awarded the Roslyn Schneider Eisner Prize for Continuing Creative Achievement in Stage Management and Costume Design by UC Berkeley’s Theater Department. Kaitlin has worked with Bay Area theater companies such as Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Playhouse, California Shakespeare Theater, and Theatre Lunatico. As an apprentice at Capital Stage, she was the wardrobe assistant on HOLD THESE TRUTHS and the properties and production management assistant on ADMISSIONS earlier this season.

Eric Broadwater

Scenic Designer

Eric Broadwater is currently the Professor of Scene Design and Chair of the Theater Department at California State University Stanislaus where he has designed and supervised over 30 productions. His professional work includes scenic designs and set painting in regional and local theaters all over the country. Recent credits include BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY, THE ROOMMATE, AN OCTOROON and MISS BENNETT: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY at Capital Stage, THE MAN OF LA MANCHA at Sacramento Theatre Company and several designs for the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre. He also works as a freelance 3D digital artist with a focus on Interactive Environments. www.BroadwaterScenic.com

Michael Palumbo

Lighting Designer

Michael returns to Capital Stage after designing HOLD THESE TRUTHS, ALABASTER, and THE HUMANS. He has designed for TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, 42nd Street Moon, Opera San Jose, San Jose Stage Company, LaGuardia High School (NYC), Magic Theatre, Sacramento Opera, Aurora Theatre Company, American Conservatory Theatre, Shotgun Players, San Francisco Playhouse, Berkeley Playhouse, and City Lights Theater Company. His producing company, Next Stage Productions (formerly Carollo & Palumbo LLC), has credits including BARE: THE MUSICAL Off-Broadway and the Broadway production of A TIME TO KILL. MFA: New York University, Tisch School of the Arts. michaelpalumbodesign.com, nextstageproductions.com

Gail Russell

Costume Designer

Collaborating with Capital Stage for over a decade, favorite shows include: MARJORIE PRIME, AN OCTOROON, BETRAYAL, THE HOMECOMING, A DOLL’S HOUSE, IN THE NEXT ROOM, OR, DANGEROUS LIASONS. Other local credits include STC’s KATE, THE WHIPPING MAN, GEM OF THE OCEAN; Fair Oaks Theatre Festival’s SUESSICAL, WILLY WONKA, SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER; BECOMING JULIA MORGAN, and LOVE ISADORA California Stage; HAIRSPRAY, THE SEAGULL, JEKYLL AND HYDE, BEAUX STRATAGEM, STOP KISS, and JULIUS CAESAR at American River College where she also teaches in the Theatre Arts and Fashion departments. Gail is the recipient of several SARTA Elly Awards for Costume Design.

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.

Corey D. Winfield

Hair & Makeup Designer

Corey is a performer and theatrical technician who has worked in the entertainment industry for 30+ years. Having worked in stage, film, and television, he has had the privilege to put his work before local, US, and international audiences. Proud to be working at the Pemberley estate again. Locally you may have noticed his technical work in shows like HAIRSPRAY as Hair/Wig Designer, WEST SIDE STORY as Co-Director/Choreographer, and THE ADDAMS FAMILY as Costumes/Make-up/Hair. You may also have seen him perform in ANGELS IN AMERICA as Belize, ANNIE as Oliver Warbucks, SEUSSICAL as Sour Kangaroo, THE PRODUCERS as Roger DuBris, Bob Irvin’s SHREW! as Vincentio, and THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW as Dr. FrankNFurter.

Rich Kirlin

Properties Coordinator

Rich is a new addition to the Capital Stage team as Properties Coordinator and Lead Carpenter. He has worked previously as a props master and carpenter at B Street Theater, as a light and sound technician at Northern California Dance Conservatory and as an electrician, sound tech, and stagehand at the Harris Center. Rich has also contributed with set construction at Imagination Theater, FreeFall Stage and Sutter Street Theatre as well as at Folsom Lake College where he received much of his training. Rich is originally from Santa Cruz and has a degree from Cabrillo College.

Rand Doerning

Stage Management Production Assistant

Rand has been performing on stage since 2016, including Stand-Up Comedy, Film, Voiceover, Audiobooks, and recently performing in Sacramento theatre productions including A SOLDIER’S PLAY, LOBSTER ALICE, CURSE OF THE EGYPTION TOMB, and GUMBO. Rand grew up in Nor-Cal before joining the Marines after high school, and then returned to California to get a degree in forensic biology. Rand lives with his wife and spends most of his free time on one nerdy pursuit or another.

Samantha McLean Haas

Scenic Charge Artist

Samantha McLean Haas has been painting sets for 11 years. She's worked at Sacramento City College, University of California Davis, Sacramento Theatre Company, and Music Circus. This is her ninth show with Capital Stage.

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

PETER MOHRMANN - Co-Founder, Associate Artist

KEITH RIEDELL - Managing Director

KATIE CANNON - Production & Company Manager

MISTY MCDOWELL - Marketing Manager

AALIYAH PETERS - Audience Services Manager

CARLOS LLONTOP - Technical Director

ED LEE - Resident Sound Designer & Engineer

RICH KIRLIN - Lead Carpenter

LOGAN HELLER – Box Office Assistant

RUBY SKETCHLEY – Front of House Assistant

JAMIE JONES, GAIL RUSSELL, JANIS STEVENS – Associate Artists

KATHY DAVENPORT – Bookkeeping Assistant

DEEDEE WALKER – Volunteer Coordinator

RAND DOERNING, ANDREW FRIDAE, ANA MUNTEAN, KAITLIN WIENSTEIN, CECILIA CASTILLO JUAREZ, NICK RABORN - Apprentices

ELIJAH PETERS, RUBY SKETCHLEY - COVID Safety Officers

Capital Stage Board Members

Chastity E. Benson
California State Association of Counties

Donnell Brown
National Grape Research Alliance

Dan Brunner, Treasurer
Arts Patron

Melissa Conner
Seed Communications Design

Kathryn E. Doi
Hanson Bridgett LLP

Sherry Hartel Haus
Downey Brand

Steve Koonce
Arts Patron

Kris Martin
Arts Patron

Kristi Quesada Mathisen
Sacramento Country Day School

Peter Mohrmann, Co-founder
Capital Stage

Lori Abbott Moreland
Arts Patron

Damaris L. Perez
Crowe LLP

Mike Tentis, Board President
UC Davis Strategic Communications

Peggy Wheeler
California Hospital Association

Board Emeritus:

Stephanie Gularte, Founding Artistic Director
Capital Stage

Clif McFarland
Mitchell Chadwick

Arlen Orchard
SMUD

Jonathan Williams, Co-Founder
Capital Stage

Julie Stark
Arts Patron