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Doctor Faustus
By Christopher Marlowe
Directed by Alex Johnson
Generously sponsored by
Park Avenue Thrift
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There will be one 15 minute intermission
Photography, video, and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited
Please silence all devices and refrain from the use of backlit screens during the performance.
A Word From the Director
“Such is the force of Magic, and my spells..”
Christopher Marlowe was born the same year as Shakespeare, in February of 1564. We know practically nothing about his childhood, his home life, or his personality. But we do know he must have been brilliant. He received a full scholarship to study at Cambridge University, earning a Bachelor's degree in 1584, and a Master’s in 1587. Sometime during his college years, he was recruited as a spy for the English government. We have traces of him across the continent, in France and the Netherlands, possibly Rome or other parts of Italy.
But what would ultimately immortalize Marlowe was the series of remarkable plays that he wrote. With them, he fundamentally changed English theatre and poetry forever. Prior to Marlowe, no one had used the English language with such zest and relish, and certainly not in a stage play. His high, daunting, hyperbolic verse helped to define the Elizabethan, and later Jacobean theatre. His greatest and most impactful fan was William Shakespeare.
Marlowe’s influence appears all over Shakespeare’s work, most especially early on in plays like Richard III and Titus Andronicus. Even towards the end of his career, the trace of Marlowe is unmistakable. In The Tempest, Shakespeare creates something of a response to tonight’s play, Doctor Faustus. Prospero is a lighter reflection of Faustus. Both their names mean “the fortunate” or “The favored one,” both have spiritual familiars that carry out their bidding, Faust threatens to burn his books, while Prospero promises to drown his.
Why does Magic damn Faustus, and not Prospero? I suspect the answer lies in how the respective characters treat their art. For Faust, all the glory belongs to him. Despite the fact that it’s Mephistophilis who will execute all the grand magical designs, just as Ariel makes Prospero’s dreams a reality. Faust cannot conceive of giving credit to anyone besides himself, not even God. Not only is that bad theology, it’s also bad theatre.
On the stage, we work a special kind of magic. The script is a collection of spells and incantations, and it is the responsibility of the company to enact those spells. It cannot be the work of one man; it requires the efforts of many people involved to truly bring forth this insubstantial pageant. At its core, theatre is a team sport. Faust ignores this and egotistically plunges ahead to his doom. Prospero by contrast, releases his spirits and retires his power. With touching humility, all he asks is simple applause from his audience.
Marlowe himself could be said to have lived a life not at all dissimilar to that of his protagonist. He had no interest in practicing any traditional fields of study. Marlowe wanted to make magic, so he wrote plays. To live this lifestyle he worked as a spy, selling his soul to the state so that he could bring his wonderous creations to the stage. He died, age 29 in the spring of 1593. The circumstances of his death are highly suspicious. His murderers were all associates of the same circle of spymasters and agents, and none of them were ever prosecuted. Perhaps the devil came for Marlowe in the end, or perhaps he was simply unlucky. We will never know for certain. What we do know is that his spells of the stage enchanted a fellow playwright from Stratford, who never forgot the thrill of making something from nothing. Who learned and refined the art of creating “such stuff as dreams are made on.” From all of us in the Doctor Faustus production, we hope that you enjoy tonight’s performance. Unlike Lucifer, we require no contracts or blood binding. All we ask, with sincere humility, is your applause.
Sponsors
Sponsors
Cast
Creative Team
Alex Johnson
Charlet Ringwald
McCartney Lyon
Justin Blasier
Catina Sundvall
Heather Palmer
Meet the Company
Chad Swanson
Chad Swanson is a native of Woodward, OK and a graduate of OSU. Formerly of OnStage Woodward, Chad has featured in Gaslight Theatre since 2018. He last appeared as Edgar in this season's opener, King Lear. Chad would like to thank his bro, Alex, for his creative vision, tenacity, and fraternity in putting together an excellent production and cast, all of whom have been a joy to work alongside. Chad also sincerely thanks his sis, Bailey, for her skill, insight, and trust as a scene partner. Finally, Chad thanks his brilliant wife, Charlet, for her never-ending love, mentorship, and support.
Bailey Wilson
Bailey Wilson began her theatre journey as a Gaslight Teen in 2010 with a performance of “The Actor's Nightmare”, since then, she has been involved in numerous productions and projects. You may have recently seen her as Regan in King Lear, Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, or Kate in Taming of the Shrew. Some of her directing credits include Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Arsenic and Old Lace. "Thank you for being a supporter of the Arts in Enid; we could not do this without patrons like you."
Michael Juliano
This is Michael's first show at the Gaslight, and he is very grateful for the opportunity to be on stage with such a wonderful cast. Most of his stage work since high school has been VBS skits (a very strong resume). When not acting he enjoys helping to lead worship at Crosspoint Church. He is very thankful to Alex and Charlet for their amazing leadership!
Jean-Rene White
Angela Dawn Gallagher
Angela Dawn Gallagher has been a regular player at Gaslight Theatre since 2014. Some of her favorite and most notable roles include Germaine in Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Shelby in Steel Magnolias, Angie Graziano in Breaking Legs, Miss Scarlet in Clue, and Goneril in King Lear.
Her directorial work as assistant director and choreographer includes Green Day’s American Idiot, Mary Poppins, Once, Spamalot, and the upcoming Sweeney Todd, coming to Gaslight in July 2026. She is also the Executive Director of Gaslight Kids Drama Camp, where she is privileged to share her love of the performing arts with the next generation of young thespians.
Angela is no stranger to the Turpin stage as she produced, co-directed, choreographed, and starred in [title of show], which won Best Turpin Show and the prestigious Toddy Award in 2017.
Angela would like to thank Alex for trusting her and pushing her outside of her comfort zone, Charlet for laughing every night, Sean for being her biggest cheerleader and best friend, and Harrison and McCartney for giving her the best role of her life, “Mom.”
Stephanie Ezzell
Was last seen in The Great Gatsby and had the honor of directing Night of the Living Dead. She is excited to bring Robin and the Scholar to life! This has been an excellent experience and thank you so much to Alex and Charlet for trusting me with these characters. As always, thank you to my daughters for their support and love!
Kegan Tuohy
Kegan Tuohy was last seen at Gaslight playing trumpet for King Lear; however, this is his first time to act on state since performing in Arsenic & Old Lace in 2023. Kegan works at Cowboy Bank as an Asst. Vice President/Commercial Loan Officer. He is especially nostalgic to perform again as he is now engaged to Gaslight board member Natalie Rapp, whom he met in 2008 while performing in a gaslight teen production.
Katherine Jones
Katherine has been active in Gaslight most of her life. She recently played the role of Miss Hannigan in Annie. Katherine would like the thank Alex and Charlet for their creative vision.
Anitajane Garnand
Anitajane Garnand is excited to play Envy alongside her fellow thespians. She is grateful to have been given this opportunity by her directors and has learned so much through this experience. This is her 6th show at the Gaslight. She is thankful for her family’s support of herself and the Gaslight Theatre, and her daughters for keeping down the fort so that mom can play the Duchess alongside dad as the Duke.
Scott Garnand
Scott is greedy enough to want to be in this performance, but would like to thank this amazing cast and directors. A special thanks to his two daughters and wife for supporting him in this project. Especially his wife who is the duchess to his duke.
Venson Fields
Venson Fields was born and raised in Enid, Oklahoma. He has appeared in many Gaslight Theatre plays and musicals, most notably, "Rent", "Unnecessary Farce", "Othello" and most recently, "Annie". "I am a fan of The Arts in all forms. Theatre not only gives me something to do in my later years that I enjoy immensely, but I also have the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people."
Annabelle Hamilton
Annabelle is a Senior at Enid High School. She was last seen in this season's production of King Lear. Annabelle is active in the Enid High choir programs, works at Leonardo’s, and enjoys cats and axolotls. She would like to thank Alex for the opportunity to be a part of this amazing show. She’d also like to thank Charlet for her work on the show and being the best boss ever at Leonardo’s!!
Alex Johnson
Alex Johnson has become something of a mainstay at Gaslight since moving to Enid from Virginia in 2018. Prior to his move, he acted professionally in the Richmond theatre community, most frequently with Richmond Shakespeare. He studied Performance Art at Longwood University. Since coming to Gaslight, he has been featured in multiple roles, most recently as Edmund in King Lear and Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. Directing credits include Julius Caesar and The Tempest, both in 2021. He would like to extend his sincere gratitude to the entire cast for their creativity, commitment, and genuine kindness. He would also like to thank his fantastic Assistant Director Charlet Ringwald, for all of her hard work and dedication, as well as his darling wife Bailey for her ingenuity, patience, and love.
Charlet Ringwald
Charlet Ringwald has been part of the Gaslight since 2002. Some of her directorial credits include Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Awesome 80s Prom, and Clue: On Stage. She holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Oklahoma State University and is a recent graduate of Oklahoma Leadership Arts, Class XIII.
Charlet is thrilled to partner with Alex once again to help bring his artistic vision to life and is incredibly proud of her husband, Chad, for his dedication and hard work on Faustus. She extends her sincere thanks to the entire cast, who have been an absolute joy to collaborate with throughout this production.
McCartney Lyon
McCartney is a 7th grader at Waller Middle School. She loves all things music and theatre; her most notable roles include Ivanka in Once, Gretl in Enid High School’s production of Sound of Music, Scarecrow in Wizard of Oz, and Penguin in Mary Poppins. She would like to thank Alex and Charlet for this opportunity!
Justin Blasier
Studying at Full Sail University and drumming professionally for almost 25 years... Justin has the skill, ear, and abilities to record, mix, master, and produce your music on top of being a world class live and studio drummer. Drumming, Mixing, Engineering, and Assisting on many projects including: Robert Allen, Lisbon, The Peachtrees, Backstage Pass, and more! Justin owns and operates Blasier.Pro LLC along with his wife Taylor. They create a variety of media content for many brands and organizations in Oklahoma.
Catina Sundvall
Catina has been a part of Gaslight for nearly 30 years and became box office manager almost 2 years ago. She has been involved of most aspects of theatre for most of her life. Catina is an Air Force veteran and a retired trauma counselor. She enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and playing with her pup, Sadie.
Heather Palmer
Heather did her very first musical at Gaslight Theatre way back in 1998, when she ran follow spot for George M. A long-time Gaslight volunteer and supporter, Heather has worked just about every job backstage and even made it on stage a few times. Her most recent theatrical work includes heading up the Gaslight's Sales and Marketing Committee, directing 2018's Our Town, stage managing this summer's production of The Drowsy Chaperone, and making more props than you can shake a fake fish at.
Sponsors
Donors
Thank you to our sponsor
Park Avenue Thrift
Additional thanks to
Leonardo's Children's Museum
Stride Bank Center
Dawn Muncy, Muncy Photography
Tim Szewczak
Justin and Taylor Blasier
Gaslight Board of Directors
Oklahoma State Legislature for supporting the arts
This project was funded in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Oklahoma and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Sponsors
