The Gift Program

MAGAZINE

From the artistic Director

I am pleased to welcome you to the amerIcan premIere of The Gift by Joanna murray-smith and directed by maria aitken. after their collaboration on last year’s world premiere in melbourne, we are thrilled to reunite this internationally-acclaimed duo and provide them the opportunity to continue to examine and refine their stellar work.

having the opportunity in 2010 to produce Joanna’s play The Female of the Species, a side-splitting comedy with a dark streak coursing through it, we were eager to find the next project on which we might collaborate. The Gift provides that opportunity — an intelligent and provocative new work that poses challenging questions. while wildly different, both The Female of the Species and The Gift highlight the hallmarks of Joanna’s style — her plays come alive with a sense of humor while maintaining a breezy sophistication that takes the audience on an unexpected journey. her writing is rich with social satire, hilarity and an unnerving edge that puts an audience off balance enough to see circumstances through an enlighteningly different prism.

I’m happy also to welcome the world-class director maria aitken to the Geffen. a preeminent actor and scholar of noël coward — in addition to other impressive credits — she is a force and perfectly paired with her australian counterpart. together they have assembled amazing designers who transport us to a tropical island, a los angeles home and into the ocean itself. In addition, maria has helmed an ensemble of actors as fine as they come, and the result of all of these pieces coming together is something we hope you will enjoy.

as we look forward to a new year with new hope, we also continue our commitment to new work. writers such as Joanna make this search a joy with a fresh perspective that is smart, challenging, scintillating and that gives fodder for discussion on the ride home.

enjoy The Gift.

Randall Arney Artistic Director

PErFOrMANCEs MAGAZINE P1

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welcome to the geffen playhouse

It Is, as always, my pleasure to welcome you to the thIrd show of the season in the Gil cates theater. The Gift marks a return to the Geffen playhouse for playwright Joanna murray-smith whose show, The Female of the Species, was a smashing success a few seasons ago.

It is also that time of year when we begin to look forward to our favorite event of the season: Backstage at the Geffen. this star-studded evening of behind-the-scenes stories, laughter and surprises will be held in may, 2013. the date will be announced shortly. Backstage benefits our education and outreach programs which serve more than 22,500 low income youth, seniors, veterans and community members each year. these programs are an aspect of the Geffen of which we are enormously proud.

I would like to take this opportunity to acquaint you with one of these programs: the Geffen playhouse writing project.

In response to a request from two principals at mendez learning center in the Boyle heights area of east los angeles, the Geffen is using theater as a tool to assist high school youth with their writing skills. not only does this program expose these young people to theater, but it uses their experiences here to develop their critical thinking and their ability to express their thoughts in writing, particularly as they prepare to pass the essay requirement of the california high school exit exam.

working closely with six classrooms of 10th grade students in this immersive writing program centered around our season of plays, Geffen teaching artists use the plays as thought-provoking and, quite simply, fun springboards for discussion. this dialogue and self-expression boosts the students’ confidence in writing while developing an appreciation of the arts.

we look forward to presenting the results of this program to you this summer. In the meantime, know that your donations are what make this rigorous and innovative program possible.

on behalf of all of us at the Geffen playhouse, I wish you a happy new year. enjoy The Gift!

Frank G. Mancuso Chairman, Geffen Playhouse

BoaRD of DIRectoRsFRAnk G. MAncusoChAirmAnpatrIcIa KIernan appleGate randall arneyBehnaz ataee dr. Gene d. BlocKharold a. BrownGIl cates Jr.mary ann cloyddennIs dotyJohn eBeymarK fleIscherherBert m. GelfandChAirmAn EmEriTuS

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founDIng tRusteessuzanne deal BoothKIrsten comBsroBert a. dalydavId GeffenQuIncy JonesJeffrey KatzenBerGron meyerleslIe moonvesJerry mossJerry perenchIoBruce m. ramerFounDinG ChAirmAn

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In memoRIam GIlBert catesFounDEr

marcIa Israel-curleyaudrey sKIrBall KenIscharles KenIsKarl maldenedIe wassermanlew wasserman

peter rosenLEGAL CounSEL, LAThAm & wATkinS LLP

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t h a n K y o u t o o u r t I t l e s p o n s o r


Amy Levinson: As an Australian writer, do you feel your plays need adjustment when bringing them to an American audience? And if so, what does that adjustment entail?

Joanna Murray-Smith: I didn’t realize for a long time that my plays had any geographical markers. It was never a self-conscious decision. I think that at the very beginning of my playwriting life I felt as if the job was to reduce the story to the barest and most primal human elements: love, suffering, rage, competition, envy, spiritual longing, grief over mortality, sexuality and so on. one way of being “elemental” was to deny the story the kind of specifics which would allow an audience to give the story away, as in “that’s not my life, it’s an australian life.” from the very beginning, I saw the plays as

belonging to any audience so I wanted to allow my audiences to place the plays in their own landscapes.

AL: without giving anything away, can you talk about your impetus for writing this play.

JMS: It’s always very hard to pinpoint the origins of a play, since they can begin with only a whisper of a passing thought. But a lot of different ideas collided here, in part the notion of how we deal with several competing parts of ourselves and more specifically the notion of duty to creativity. Is there such a thing? do artists have a moral responsibility to create? what happens when that collides with their other more ordinary human responsibilities? I think I was interested in this in a metaphorical way, and suddenly it seemed

how aN aUssie’s worK FoUND a home iN america: aN iNterview with joaNNa mUrray-smithby amy leviNsoN

playwRIght joanna muRRay-smIth

interesting to me to play out this idea in a literal story, to push the boundaries of what seems feasible and see if I could take the audience along for the ride. I hope that whether or not you “buy” the set-up of this play, you will find the tussle of ideas engaging and provocative enough to suspend disbelief for ninety minutes. In addition to this, I am always drawn to stories where a single accidental moment transforms all that follows. two couples meet at a resort and their destinies are forever altered. there’s a hitchcockian element to that idea that thrills me. most of my plays are about moral boundaries and the human compulsion to transgress.

AL: Does your process always begin in the same way? how do ideas come to you? how do you flesh them out?

JMS: my working style is usually to write a first draft in a mad flourish over a couple of weeks, and then to take a long time, sometimes a year, fixing, editing and revising. I’m always surprised how much the finished play retains of that early draft: everything that’s good about a play happens when the thinking is not moderated or censored. and yet you need the nitty gritty revisions for structure, clarity and sometimes for taste or good judgement.

AL: Can you talk a bit about how you got started in theater and what keeps you attracted to it.

JMS: I never chose to be a playwright, I fell into it. I always (immodestly) believed myself to be a writer — from the age of seven or eight. and I loved the theater and went to it a lot as a child. my uncle was a well-known actor in london, and I loved and admired him. But ultimately I think I started because from a very young age, I always “heard” ideas in the form of arguing voices. my parents and their friends were all left wing writers and artists and intellectuals and they stayed up all night in summer arguing about the world. we spent every summer in a cabin on an uninhabited island between the mainland of australia and tasmania, in the middle of a wild stretch of sea. each night, I listened in on those adult voices, and even though I didn’t understand the content, I did understand how power shifted between voices, how no one was always all right, how sometimes eloquence triumphs over morality, and the sheer exhilarating power of the spoken word.

AL: Can you talk a bit about your process from idea to fruition and how involved you like to be during the rehearsal process.

JMS: I like to be as much a part of rehearsals as the director wishes me to be. there is nothing worse than a writer planting themselves in the rehearsal room for the duration; no one wants you there, and if they do, they shouldn’t. the first week, when the script is closely examined, is nightmarish — but at least the writer can be useful. this is the point when actors ask lots of questions, most of which you cannot answer, when they ask for changes you don’t want to make

but can’t explain why not. But with a first production, or an early production, that first week tests the strength of the foundations of the play and the writer must face that music or there will be hell to pay later. later in rehearsals, it’s useful for the writer to come back as a “clean” pair of eyes — someone who knows the work intimately but has not been lost in the forest of incremental development. In previews, the writer believes she or he is very useful and totally right, but often directors are dealing with bigger problems than the fact that the leading lady is emphasizing the wrong syllable in the eighth word of the third line of the play or that the other character would never wear yellow socks.

AL: Do you find the audiences in Australia to be very different than in Los Angeles? Does it change how your plays are received?

JMS: I’ve found audiences to my plays have been remarkably similar from sydney to la to new york to london to rome to tokyo. the plays are about being human (and often about being middle-class and educated). I’ve found the resonances, the triumphs and the criticisms are usually universal. what makes audiences different are different productions of the same work, rather than the play itself or inherent cultural antagonisms or preferences. a bad production will fail to engage audiences anywhere. a good production will find the magic more nights than it doesn’t — and this is true anywhere.

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joanna muRRay-smIth InteRvIew


annette Bening and merritt wever in the american premiere of Joanna murray-smith’s The Female of the Species directed by randall arney at the Geffen playhouse

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P6 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe P6 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe

THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE presents

Written by Joanna Murray-Smith

Directed by Maria Aitken

Production Stage Manager Mary Michele Miner

Assistant Stage Manager Gary J. Breitbach

Dramaturg Amy Levinson

Casting by Phyllis Schuringa

Opening night: Wednesday, november 28 , 2012

O p e n I n G n I G H t s p O n s O r s

Opening night: Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The first performance of The Gift was presented by Melbourne Theatre Company on May 28, 2011

The Gift is produced by special arrangement with David Richenthal who we thank for his generous support of this production.

Costume DesignerLaura Bauer

Scenic DesignerDerek McLane

Lighting DesignerPeter Kaczorowski

Original Music and Sound DesignJohn Gromada

Media DesignerHoward Werner

the Geffen playhouse gratefully acknowledges the following media sponsors for their generous support of The Gift.


the Geffen playhouse is supported, in part, by the los angeles county Board of supervisors through the los angeles county arts commission.

this project was also funded in part by the department of cultural affairs, city of los angeles.

the Geffen playhouse, a non-profit theater company, is proudly affiliated with the university of california at los angeles.

cAst oF cHARActeRs(In order of appearance)

sadie ............................................................................................................................................... kathy Baker

ed ................................................................................................................................................... chris Mulkey

chloe ...............................................................................................................................Jaime Ray newman

martin ........................................................................................................................... James Van Der Beek

unDeRstuDies(In alphabetical order)

ed / martin ............................................................................................................................ chris Fairbanks

sadie / chloe .............................................................................................................................nina sallinen

tiMe/settinG a luxury tropical resort

a year later, the los angeles home of ed and sadie

RunninG tiMe 90 minutes

There will be no intermission

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kAtHy BAkeR (sadie)Kathy Baker is a multi-award winning actress. she has received seven emmy award nominations and won three, along with a Golden Globe award and a saG award, for her work on the hit television series Picket Fences. Kathy’s extensive film work includes Take Shelter, The Jane Austen Book Club, All the king’s men, nine Lives, Cold mountain, The Cider house rules, Edward Scissorhands, The Party is over, Jackknife, Clean and Sober, Street Smart and The right Stuff. on the stage, Baker originated the role of may in sam shepard’s Fool for Love, and took the part to new york along with co-star ed harris, where she won an obie award. the following year, Kathy played abbie in Desire under the Elms and lemon in Aunt Dan and Lemon. recent television includes: Door to Door, Jesse Stone, Too Big to Fail and Against the wall. recent theater includes: man from nebraska by tracy letts and memory house by Kathleen tolan.

cHRis MuLkey (ed)most recent film credits include: Any Day now with alan cumming; Captain Phillips with tom hanks; The Purge with ethan hawke and Last weekend with patricia clarkson. other film credits include: First Blood, radio, Bullworth, The Fan, 48 hours, north Country and Cloverfield. chris was nominated for two spirit awards for his

work in Patti rocks (best actor and best screenplay). television credits include: series regular on Any Day now, Bakersfield P.D., Twin Peaks; and recurring roles on Friday night Lights, Saving Grace, Boardwalk Empire, 24, Sleeper Cell and the miniseries Broken Trail with robert duvall. chris got his start in the theater as a member of the tony award winning minneapolis children’s theatre company. his most recent stage work includes: starring with his wife Karen landry in the premiere of Jane martin’s Flags (mixed Blood theater, minneapolis), Pure Confidence (mixed Blood and off-Broadway); Jesse Boy (ruskin theater, santa monica); and August: osage County (park square theater, st. paul). chris won a ladcc award for Blue window at south coast repertory theater. chris is also a musician and a songwriter.

JAiMe RAy neWMAn (chloe)Jaime ray newman is thrilled to return to the Geffen after her turn in Some Girl(s), written and directed by neil labute and Fat Pig, directed by Jo Bonney. she made her off-Broadway debut last year in the atlantic theater company’s The new York idea. on television, she can soon be seen as a series regular on aBc’s red widow. she starred on aBc’s short lived series Eastwick (based on The witches of Eastwick), and has reoccurred on a slew of shows, including Grimm, CSi:nY (playing Gary sinise’s wife), Eureka, and Drop Dead Diva. film credits include the upcoming indie red robin opposite Judd hirsch, and the remake of Tarzan, to be released in 2013. she is a graduate of northwestern university. this new year’s eve Jaime married her best friend and north star, Guy nattiv.

JAMes VAn DeR Beek (martin)James van der Beek is excited to be making his la stage debut, having made his ny bow 19 years earlier in edward albee’s Finding the Sun at the signature theater. other stage credits include my marriage to Ernest Borgnine at the vineyard theater, shenandoah at the Goodspeed opera house and lanford wilson’s rain Dance, also at the signature. for six years he played the title character on the hit tv show Dawson’s Creek. van der Beek has played various killers, lovers, doctors, psychopaths, cops and everything in between on the big screen, on television, in funny or die skits, and even a Ke$ha video. his many film credits include Varsity Blues (mtv movie award), The rules of Attraction and Formosa Betrayed (Best actor – san diego film festival). he will next be seen on the big screen in the upcoming Jason reitman film Labor Day, with Josh Brolin and Kate winslet for paramount pictures. he currently stars in the aBc comedy Don’t Trust the B---- in Apt 23, which is in its second season. van der Beek would like to thank his wife Kimberly, and their children, olivia and Joshua, for their love and support.

MARiA Aitken (director)directing credits include: Betrayal (huntington theatre, Boston); Private Lives (huntington theatre, Boston); man and Boy (Broadway); The Gift (melbourne theatre); Educating rita (huntington theatre, Boston); As You Like it (shakespeare theatre dc); Quartermaine’s Terms (williamstown festival); The 39 Steps (Broadway, tony nomination Best director, current olivier award-winning 5-year-old west end production). leading roles include: Blithe

Spirit, Bedroom Farce (royal national theatre); Travesties, waste (olivier award nomination Best actress); happiest Days of Your Life (royal shakespeare company); humble Boy, Sylvia; other People’s money; The Vortex; The women; Sister mary ignatius; Design for Living; Private Lives (olivier award nomination Best actress); A Little night music (all london’s west end) and a Bafta nominated role in A Fish Called wanda. In addition maria teaches master classes in high comedy and in noel coward at Juilliard, yale, nyu, actors center nyc, academy for classical acting (dc) and the royal national theatre studio (uK).

JoAnnA MuRRAy-sMitH (playwright)Joanna murray-smith has written 16 full-length plays which have been performed throughout the country and around the world, in many languages. they have all been commissioned and first produced in melbourne, australia. her plays include Songs for nobodies; Day one, A hotel, Evening; rockabye; ninety; Bombshells; rapture; redemption; Love-Child and Atlanta, among others. her play honour had its first public reading in new york with meryl streep in 1996 and was subsequently produced on Broadway, on the west end and at the royal national theatre in london, for which dame eileen atkins won an olivier award. her play The Female of the Species, produced at the Geffen playhouse in 2010 with annette Bening, was produced on the west end, where it was nominated for an olivier award for Best new comedy. she adapted Bergman’s Scenes From a marriage for sir trevor nunn and is about to premiere a new adaptation of Ibsen’s hedda Gabler. Joanna has also written three novels, all published by penguin, and two operas and has written for television. In 2013, she will have two new plays premiering, Fury at the sydney theatre company and True minds at the melbourne theatre company. In 2008 u.S. Variety described Joanna as “australia’s foremost female playwright.” her plays have won many awards.


pRoDuctIon BIogRaphIes

DeRek McLAne (scenic designer)Broadway: The heiress, nice work if You Can Get it, The Best man, Follies, Anything Goes (tony award, Best revival), how to Succeed in Business…, Bengal Tiger in the Baghdad Zoo…., million Dollar Quartet, ragtime, man and Boy, 33 Variations (tony award, Best scenic design), Grease, Lestat, Little women, The Pajama Game (tony award, Best revival); The Threepenny opera; i Am my own wife (tony award, Best play); The women; Present Laughter; London Assurance; holiday; The Three Sisters. off-Broadway: ruined, Lie of the mind, The Voysey inheritance, hurlyburly, Abigail’s Party, Aunt Dan and Lemon, The Creadeux Canvas. many opera and theatre designs in london, dublin, Glasgow, moscow, Krakow, caracas, sydney, and warsaw. he is currently designing the 85th academy awards, awards: winner of 1997 and 2004 oBIe awards, 2004, 2005, 2007 lucille lortel awards; 2009 tony award, 2011 drama desk award.

LAuRA BAueR (costume designer)Broadway credits include a Life in the Theatre, Speed the Plow, Glengarry Glen ross (2008), Talk radio, Top Girls, one Flew over the Cuckoo’s nest, november, and Frankie and Johnny and the Claire de Lune. she is a company member of the atlantic theater company in new york and has worked extensively with the steppenwolf theater company in chicago. at the Geffen she designed The Escort and Superior Donuts. this season she designed november at the mark taper forum where she had previously designed The Subject was roses. she also designed Palomino at the Kirk douglas here in los angeles. her film designs include woody allen’s Sweet and Lowdown, and stephen frears’ high Fidelity among many others. PeteR kAczoRoWski (lighting designer)previously at the Geffen: ruined, Time Stands Still. Broadway: more than 45 plays and musicals including Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Assembled Parties, nice work if You Can Get it, wit, The road to mecca, Venus in Fur, Anything

Goes, A View from the Bridge, waiting for Godot, Grey Gardens, Contact, The Producers, kiss me kate, Steel Pier. mr. Kaczorowski also has extensive off-Broadway and ny resident theatre credits with companies such as lincoln center, mtc, roundabout, ny shakespeare festival, playwright’s horizons, 2nd/stage, classic stage, signature, the vineyard, and encores as well as many credits with most leading regional theatres in the u.s. opera credits include productions at: the met, nyco, san francisco, houston Grand, santa fe, st. louis, lamco and seattle opera. abroad: royal opera, scottish opera, opera/north, maggio florence, l’arena di verona, la fenice, Bonn, lisbon. recipient of tony, drama desk, outer critics, dramalogue and hewes design awards.

JoHn GRoMADA (original music and sound design)John Gromada has composed music or designed sound for more than 30 Broadway productions including last season’s The Best man (drama desk award) , Clybourne Park, Seminar, man and Boy, The road to mecca and The Columnist, in addition to next Fall, A Bronx Tale, Prelude to a kiss, Proof, Sight unseen, well, rabbit hole, A Streetcar named Desire, Twelve Angry men and A Few Good men. his other new york credits include measure for measure in central park, The orphans’ home Cycle (drama desk and henry hewes awards), By the way, meet Vera Stark, The Screwtape Letters, Shipwrecked! (lucille lortel award), The Singing Forest, Julius Caesar, The Skriker (drama desk award), machinal (obie award) and many more. his regional theatre credits number more than 300, including the Geffen playhouse production of By the way, meet Vera Stark and next Fall as well as Seminar at the ahmanson, Divine rivalry at the old Globe, and A Dram of Drummhicit at the la Jolla playhouse. music and more info at www.johngromada.com

HoWARD WeRneR (media designer)since 1982 howard has created lighting and media designs for theater, architectural installations,

trade shows, special events and corporate shows throughout the world. on Broadway, he has been represented with Lysistata Jones, Bye, Bye Birdie, Dream, Lestat, The Pirate Queen and Say Goodnight Gracie as well as the current hit Spider man: Turn off the Dark and the us national tour of Dreamgirls. howard has been a member of the atlantic theater company in new york since 1995. at the atlantic he has designed many shows including American Buffalo directed by neil pepe with william h. macy, Distant Fires directed by clark Gregg with samuel l. Jackson and Dangerous Corner directed by company founder david mamet. a native of chicago, howard has designed at many of the theaters there including chicago shakespeare festival, the Goodman theatre and victory Gardens. for the steppenwolf theatre company, howard has designed a number of shows, including Death and the maiden, directed by randall arney. howard has been nominated for a Jeff award three times and is a principal of lightswitch, a design consortium specializing in lighting and media design.

MARy MicHeLe MineR (production stage manager)previous credits at the Geffen playhouse include By The way, meet Vera Stark, red hot Patriot, Superior Donuts, nightmare Alley, wrecks, By The waters of Babylon, Some Girl(s), heroes, wishful Drinking, God of hell and Boston marriage. other local credits include medea at ucla live, and Back to Bacharach & David at the music Box in hollywood; Stuff happens, The Goat, The Talking Cure, Like Jazz, Living out, Flower Drum Song, The Dinner Party and Putting it Together (among many others) at the mark taper; romeo and Juliet, The midsummer night’s Dream, measure For measure, The heiress and Candide at the ahmanson. regional theaters include la Jolla playhouse, magic theatre, Kennedy center, Guthrie, mccarter, steppenwolf, ny public, circle repertory and the montreal International theatre festival. she’s toured around the states and Japan. In new york she has psm’d both on and off Broadway. proud member

of actors’ equity. her husband, paul perri, and she have two children, Giacomo and Justine.

GARy J. BReitBAcH (assistant stage manager)after just finishing a successful run of The Pianist of willesden Lane in Boston, Gary is happy to be returning to the Geffen playhouse with this premiere of The Gift. local la stage managing credits include: The Pianist of willesden Lane and The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (asm) at the Geffen playhouse, as well as 1776 with musical theatre west and Jesus Christ Superstar, Bye Bye Birdie, The Full monty and Fiddler on The roof with the civic light opera of south Bay cities. other stage managing credits include; 3 Seasons at the hermosa Beach playhouse, miss Saigon with north carolina theatre and Diva on the Verge staring Julia migenes at the sydney opera house. national tours include; Same Time next Year, The Sunshine Boys, The Fantasticks, Pump Boys and Dinettes, A Christmas Carol, miracle on 34th Street, and Blast ii Shockwave.

PHyLLis scHuRinGA, csA (casting) phyllis is in her ninth season as casting director at the Geffen playhouse. recent plays include: The Escort, ruined (la casting), Equivocation, matthew modine Saves the Alpacas, Farragut north, The Seafarer, Time Stands Still, By the waters of Babylon, The Quality of Life and Third. prior to the Geffen, phyllis served as casting director for the steppenwolf theatre in chicago. her favorites include frank Galati’s adaptation of The Grapes of wrath (also la Jolla playhouse, national theatre in london, and Broadway, where it received the tony award for Best play), the original production of steve martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile (and subsequent productions including westwood playhouse and Briar street theater in chicago), austin pendleton’s orson’s Shadow and charles l. mee’s Time to Burn. Broadway transfers include one Flew over the Cuckoo’s nest (tony for Best revival) and The Song of Jacob Zulu. she teaches auditioning at steppenwolf west.


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AMy LeVinson (dramaturg)amy levinson is the artistic associate and literary director at the Geffen playhouse. as dramaturg, amy has overseen over 40 productions including the commissions and world premieres of donald margulies’ Time Stands Still and Jane anderson’s The Quality of Life. she has also had the privilege of working with numerous writers on premiere productions including neil simon, neil laBute, Bill cain, Joanna murray-smith and david weiner, among others. production dramaturgy credits include: The weir, Boy Gets Girl, Cat on a hot Tin roof, Extraordinary Chambers, The Escort and Equivocation. as artistic associate and literary director, she has helped to build programs for new play development including the commissioning and development of emerging and established playwrights. also a translator of yiddish drama, she holds an mfa in dramaturgy from the university of massachusetts, amherst.

RAnDALL ARney (artistic director)randall arney has been a theater professional for over 30 years, and has served as artistic director of the Geffen playhouse since 1999. In addition to his artistic programming and oversight at the Geffen, arney has helmed more than 10 productions for the theater, most recently Superior Donuts, The Female of the Species, The Seafarer, Speed-the-Plow and All my Sons. arney is an ensemble member and former artistic director of chicago’s steppenwolf theatre where his directing credits include: The Seafarer, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Death and the maiden, Curse of the Starving Class,

killers and The Geography of Luck, among others. arney also directed steppenwolf’s world premiere of steve martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile, as well as the subsequent national and international acclaimed productions. mr. arney’s acting credits with steppenwolf include Born Yesterday, Ghost in the machine, The homecoming, Frank’s wild Years, You Can’t Take it with You, Fool for Love, True west, Balm in Gilead and Coyote ugly. as the artistic director for steppenwolf from 1987 to 1995, he oversaw the, creation of a new state-of-the-art theater which is steppenwolf’s current home. Broadway transfers under his leadership include The rise and Fall of Little Voice, The Song of Jacob Zulu (six tony award nominations) and The Grapes of wrath (1990 tony award, Best play). mr. arney has an mfa degree in acting from Illinois state university and has taught master classes and workshops at ucla, steppenwolf, around the u.s. and in tokyo.

ken noVice (managing director)Ken novice’s career in the professional theatre spans 25 years and over 250 productions. prior to joining Geffen playhouse, he served as managing director and director of external affairs at pasadena playhouse where his credits include the revival of Fences starring laurence fishburne and angela Basset and the world premieres of Sister Act the musical, ray Charles Live, Stormy weather starring lesley uggams and many others. he was director of marketing and public relations for san diego’s tony award-winning old Globe theatre where his credits include Jack o’Brien’s acclaimed revival of Damn Yankees, the tony award-nominated musical

The Full monty, henry iV starring John Goodman and sheldon epp’s tony-nominated hit Play on! among many others. his credits also include marketing and public relations for the tony award-winning denver center theater company and new york’s circle repertory company. as director of programming for youthstream media networks he developed national marketing and public relations programs for most of hollywood’s major motion picture studios. novice also served as head of the theatre management mfa/mBa program at california state university, long Beach and has been a guest lecturer at san diego state university and the university of california, san diego. he holds a Ba from the pennsylvania state university and an mBa from san diego state university.

BeHnAz AtAee (General manager)Behnaz ataee is a financial professional with more than 25 years of experience in for-profit and nonprofit financial management and auditing. Behnaz joined the Geffen playhouse in 1999 and this marks her ninth season as the theater’s General manager. she began her career in the Bay area as a partner in a small family start-up before joining fBs management where she acted as director of accounting, overseeing the finances of more than 25 non-profit organizations. Behnaz continued her work with non-profits as an auditor for trump and van sloten cpa and then returned to the for-profit sector at ultratech, before ultimately landing at the Geffen playhouse. Behnaz has a master’s degree from pepperdine university.

ReGinA MiLLeR (chief development officer)regina has been a development professional for over 18 years, working with non-profit institutions, foundations and corporations on strategy, analysis and fundraising. she has worked for simon wiesenthal center, the clinton foundation, Ben affleck’s eastern congo Initiative, hank azaria’s determined to succeed, the millan foundation and whole child International, among others. prior to the Geffen, regina served as the director of partnerships for Big Brothers Big sisters of Greater los angeles and the Inland empire where she led strategic planning and development while executing policies that advanced the organization’s visibility and growth. regina also has a strong passion for teaching. after graduating from university of north carolina school of the arts, she taught in preschools and kindergartens in new york. from the age of 13, regina worked as a professional dancer on Broadway as well as with a number of prominent modern dance ensembles. fusing two of her interests, she created a highly successful program which incorporated dance therapy and creative movement into an early childhood curriculum as well as wrote and produced a television show based on this concept. In addition to being a published author and photographer with tallfellow press and prometheus Books, regina has taught and lectured at numerous schools in new york, los angeles and abroad.



pRoDuctIon staff foR the GIft

properties master Rich Gillessound master James Grabowskiwardrobe supervisor Leah A. Lewisproduction electrician yelena Babinskaya assistant costume designer steven Hawley assistant lighting designer (ny) Aaron Porterassistant lighting designer (la) John A. Garofaloassociate media designer Lianne Arnoldassistant to the director Lauren Pattenmovement director ned Mochel automation operator eric svalesonstage crew Brad Ashtenproduction assistant tim Dyess

The Gift was commissioned by melbourne theatre company and received its world premiere in the mtc theatre, australia, June 2011 Simon Phillips artIstIc dIrector • Ann Tonks General manaGer

acKnowleDgements

set provided by scenic Highlightslighting equipment provided by entertainment Lighting servicessound equipment provided by Jon sound inc.

specIal thanKs

ucLA school of theater, Film and television scene Prop, sound and costume shops; London cleaners; Peet’s coffee & tea; Jocelyn Harrison as eleanor; suzanne Harrison and Jessie sherman

ucla school of theateR, fIlm anD televIsIon

the Geffen playhouse is affiliated with the university of california at los angeles, specifically the ucla school of theater, film and television. the Geffen playhouse values its role as an important educational resource by providing students with master classes, workshops and internships. students are also able to work and learn from distinguished visiting Geffen artists such as alan ayckbourn, Jon robin Baitz, annette Bening, ed harris, david Ives, neil laBute, david mamet, donald margulies, terrence mcnally, John rando and Kathleen turner in areas of directing, playwriting, acting, design, dramaturgy, management and production. the Geffen playhouse also draws upon the distinguished experts in the university to enhance the theater’s programs and research.

the actors and stage managers employed in this production are members of actors’ equity association; the union of professional actors and stage managers in the united states.

the director is a member of the society of stage directors and choreographers, Inc., an independent national labor union.

acKnowleDgements geffen at a glanceaDDRess

Geffen playhouse10886 le conte avenue los angeles, ca 90024

Administrative Offices ......... 310.208.6500 weekdays ........................ 10:00 am — 6:00 pm

Box Office Phone Line .......... 310.208.5454 daily .....................................7:00 am — 6:00 pm

Subscriber Hotline ................. 310.208.2028 weekdays ........................ 10:00 am — 6:00 pm weekends ....................... 12:00 pm — 6:00 pm

please visit geffenplayhouse.com for hours, parking and more information

tIcKet seRvIces

Box office Windowwhen shows are not in performance, the box office window is open: weekdays ........................ 10:00 am — 6:00 pm weekends ....................... 12:00 pm — 6:00 pm during the run of a show, the window will be open until curtain. please note: the box office is unable to process exchanges and future sales one hour prior to curtain time on any performance day.

access

Accessible Accommodationthe Geffen playhouse is fully committed to ensuring a satisfying theater experience for our patrons with special needs or disabilities. please contact the box office or an usher to discuss your needs.

at the theateR

Late seatingshould you arrive late to the theater or vacate your seat during the performance, please expect to be held in the lobby until an appropriate pause in the action on-stage. to minimize disturbance to other patrons, you may be sat into the first available location by the house staff even if different from your assigned seat. Be advised that some productions or circumstances may not allow for late or return seating.

ASL



the cast of Good People at a talk Back tuesday event. photo by chelsey rosetter.

talK BacK tuesDays

meet the moDerators

geFFeN playhoUse post-show

coNversatioNs

amy literary Director / artistic associatewhile I am always nervous about having to stand in front of an audience, I do love talk backs. they provide audiences an opportunity for in-depth discussion about a piece of art that is completely fresh in their minds. It is much like the conversation you have on the car ride home, but here artists can directly answer any questions that may arise. I almost always learn something from the audience during discussions and that is invaluable for me both as a dramaturg and as part of the team that selects the plays we produce.

phyllis castiNg Director/artistic associatetalk Back tuesdays are a great opportunity for the actors to share inside information about how a play comes to life: what happened during rehearsals, how did the director work, what was the discussion around the table? hearing questions from the audience also allows the actors to know how their story lands. we talk about the themes of the play, the details of the characters and the work of the designers; talk backs are always illuminating.

KristiNa literary associatethe only thing I love more than reading plays is talking about them. one of the best aspects of my position is the opportunity to interact with theater enthusiasts and artists alike. as a talk back moderator, I get to do it all. here on a tuesday? stick around and find out the scoop!

raNDy artistic Directorthe number one reason that the Geffen playhouse exists is to bring the community together. It is inspiring for us to produce a play, then listen and see what kind of an experience people are taking home from it. the actor does something on stage that inspires a reaction in the audience and that in turn inspires the actor, and this continues until the curtain goes down. at that point, we can break down the fourth wall and discuss our shared experience. that’s the beauty of live theater, and with our talk Back tuesdays we can keep that conversation going.

coNversatioN poiNts For the riDe homePlaywright Joanna Murray-Smith’s work frequently prompts conversation. Here are a few points to get you started …

do artists have a moral responsibility to create?describe an experience that changed one of your strongly held beliefs.

Is parenting a selfless act?

talK BacK tuesdays are performances that feature post-show dIscussIons wIth artists and Geffen playhouse staff. these forums are dedicated to providing the audience with in-depth production information, an opportunity to discuss the play and an overall enhanced theatrical experience. It’s interactive, fun and thought-provoking; now let’s meet the moderators!

contInue the conveRsatIon

specIal thanKs to ouR talK BacK tuesDays sponsoR


scene at the geffen playhouse

Be a paRt of the scene at the geffen anD attenD ouR openIng nIght celeBRatIonsCall the Development Department at 310.208.6500 ext. 128

opening night of Coney island Christmaspresented by onewest Bank

sponsored by audi of america, Inc., Los Angeles magazine,

malibu family wines, napa valley Grille and richard ruskell pastries

1. the cast of Coney island Christmas with playwright donald margulies and director Bart delorenzo

2. Geffen playhouse donors fielding edlow and larry clarke with next Fall playwright Geoffrey nauffts and guest

3. Geffen Board member Gil cates Jr. with Coney island Christmas cast member Isabella acres

4. Geffen playhouse donor manny Kaplan and guest

5. charlie midnight with Geffen playhouse Board members mary ann cloyd and susanna midnight

6. Geffen artistic director randall arney and guest sheila ardalan, advisory Board member deborah walsh and managing director Ken novice

7. tony rubin, Geffen Board member linda rubin, playwright donald margulies and artistic director randall arney

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SUBSCRIBE TO AN UNPRECEDENTED GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE SEASON IN TWO THEATERS

APRIL 2 — MAY 12, 2013

AMeRicAn BuFFALowritten by DAViD MAMetdirected by RAnDALL ARney

pulItzeR pRIze wInnIng playwRIght

one of pulitzer prize winner david mamet’s defining works, American Buffalo was instantly hailed as a new american classic when it opened on Broadway in 1975. now, Geffen playhouse artistic director randall arney takes a fresh look at these misguided misfits who are a little out of luck and way out of their league as they plot the theft of a rare coin collection. as the time of the heist approaches, tension and anticipation build, revealing loyalties and testing friendships. negotiating explosive humor, frenetic energy and surprising tenderness, this play, which has not had a major los angeles production in more than a decade, promises a mesmerizing night whether seeing it for the first time or rediscovering this groundbreaking work.

complimentary parking, easy exchange privileges and more for season ticket holders. suBscrIBe now: geffenplayhouse.com/subscribe | 310.208.2028

gil cates theater at the geffen playhouse

SUBSCRIBE TO AN UNPRECEDENTED GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE SEASON IN TWO THEATERS

complimentary parking, easy exchange privileges and more for season ticket holders. suBscrIBe now: geffenplayhouse.com/subscribe | 310.208.2028

COMING UP IN THE AUDREY SkIRBALL kENIS THEATER AT THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

JUNE 4 — JULY 14, 2013

yes, PRiMe MinisteRwritten by Antony JAy & JonAtHAn Lynndirected by JonAtHAn Lynn

west enD smash comeDy

Join the prime minister and an always hilarious cast of characters, ranging from the scheming cabinet secretary, the morally confused principal private secretary and the beautiful but ruthless head of the pm’s policy unit as they lurch from crisis to crisis, trying to survive a disastrous weekend that teeters on the edge of catastrophe despite their best (and worst) intentions. will they manage to save the euro from collapsing, resolve the energy crisis, solve the debt crisis, hide an embarrassing illegal immigrant, control the media and avoid public humiliation? Brits and yanks alike can bank on the laughs in the american premiere of this uproarious satire fresh from an acclaimed west end run.gil cates theater at the geffen playhouse

APRIL 23 — JUNE 2, 2013Miss JuLiewritten by AuGust stRinDBeRG adapted by neiL LaBute directed by Jo Bonneya DaRIng woRlD pRemIeRe aDaptatIon

august strindberg’s classic play about sex, greed and manipulation is adapted by the modern master of such tantalizing topics: neil laBute. this scandalous work chronicles the flirtation and seduction between the wealthy lady of the house and one of her father’s footmen — capturing the timeless consequences of passion and power.

JUNE 18 — JULY 28, 2013Geffen playhouse by special arrangement with daryl roth and eva price presents

tHe JuDy sHoW — My LiFe As A sitcoMstarring JuDy GoLD written by JuDy GoLD & kAte MoiRA RyAn directed by AMAnDA cHARLton west coast pRemIeRe comeDy

the acclaimed comic broadcasts her hilarious life story through the sitcoms we all knew and loved growing up. Infused with pop-culture references and her signature irreverent humor, The Judy Show unabashedly recounts the mix of riotous, touching and otherwise embarrassing moments that taught Gold The Facts of Life.

chaIRman’s cIRcle


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2012 Geffen playhouse chairman’s circle dinner

thank you to those who joined the Geffen playhouse chairman’s circle

dinner sponsored by

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fInD out moRe aBout joInIng the chaIRman’s cIRcle Call the Development Department at 310.208.6500 ext.112

1. dinner held to honor the chairman’s circle generously underwritten by louis XIII and audi of america

2. Geffen playhouse Board member howard tenenbaum with Jodi tenenbaum and Geffen donors donna mcKenna and flynn chernos

3. marcia Glow with elizabeth lacey and Geffen Board members Gil cates Jr. and patty applegate

4. Geffen artistic director randall arney with neil patrick harris, donald margulies, Jane anderson and chairman of the Board, frank mancuso

5. Geffen Board member martha henderson with marilyn anderson

6. sponsors of the chairman’s circle dinner yves delaunay of louis XIII and alan cruciani of audi of america

7. Judy young with Geffen playhouse Board of trustees member chancellor young

8. chairman of the Board frank mancuso with fay mancuso and the stars of nothing to hide, derek delGaudio and helder Guimarães

9. the executive team at the Geffen playhouse: Ken novice, regina miller, frank mancuso, Gil cates Jr., Behnaz ataee and randall arney

10. Geffen playhouse Board member michael walsh with Geffen playhouse advisory Board member deborah walsh

11. Geffen donors yvonne and Jason lee

12. neil patrick harris with Geffen donors Joyce eisenberg-Keefer and mel Keefer

13. Barbara sherman, fay mancuso and Geffen playhouse Board member richard sherman

14. chairman of the Board frank mancuso with Beverly Gelfand and Board member herb Gelfand

15. dana delany with Geffen Board member harold Brown

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AMERICAN BUFFALO

Detailsyou need a pinterest account to enter. If you don’t have a pinterest account, please email [email protected] and we will send you an invite.

to submit your board, email a link to [email protected]

contest begins January 29, 2013 and deadline to submit is march 17, 2013 at midnight pst.

winner will be chosen at random.

winner will be contacted on march 25, 2013 via phone and/or email.

GIRLS NIGHT MEETS GUYS NIGHT OUT!

Win a friends four pack to Girls Night Out at the Geffen! Bring the man in your life plus two friends on April 18, 2013 for David Mamet’s American Buffalo. Prize package includes four

orchestra tickets, access to the exclusive after-party at Skylight Gardens plus a gift certificate valued at $160 to return to Skylight Gardens for dinner on a night of your choice!

— pin to win —

TO ENTER

Follow the Geffen Playhouse on Pinterest (Pinterest.com/GeffenPlayhouse)

Create a pinboard titled “Girls Night Meets Guys Night Out at the Geffen”

Re-pin American Buffalo show poster from the Geffen Playhouse

American Buffalo board

Pin a look from your favorite American designer

Pin a photo of your favorite American leading man

Pin a favorite “All American” recipe you’d love to steal

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Create-A-Showwhen the pirates take the stage, you’ll be amazed at

what happens next ... and so will they! that’s because the 45-minute show they’re performing has not been written!

the pirates will steal your kids’ ideas and incorporate them on the spot into an interactive show that validates the

imagination of every child in the audience. laugh as your sons and daughters invent monsters, dancing ninjas, superhero tomatoes – or any other idea they call out – and watch as story pirates bring their ideas to life. Create-A-Show is as

crazy, hilarious and unexpected as kids themselves.

Saturday, March 9 • 11:00 a.m.Recommended for Ages 6 - 13

moRe stoRy pIRates peRfoRmances to Be announceDvIsIt geffenplayhouse.com/famIly foR upDates!


chaIRman’s cIRcle$50,000+anonymouspatricia Kiernan applegatearia resort & spaaudi of america, IncBen/Joyce eisenberg foundationcity national Bankmary ann cloydcreative artists agencysusan & John ebeyedgerton foundationJoyce eisenberg-Keefer & melvin Keeferfox entertainment Groupherbert m. & Beverly J. GelfandJim & ann Gianopulosadi & Jerry GreenbergGuggenheim partnerscarole & Bill haberharold & mimi steinberg charitable trustmartha hendersonJ.p. morgan private Bankmarilyn & Jeffrey KatzenbergGlorya KaufmanKeyes automotive Groupsandra Krause & william fitzgeraldlatham & watkins llpmr. and mrs. Jason & yvonne leelos angeles county arts commissionGinny mancinifay & frank mancusodonna mcKenna & flynn chernosron & Kelly meyerann & Jerry mossmoss foundationnews corporationonewest Bankpricewaterhousecoopersralph m. parsons foundationmadeline & Bruce ramerlinda Bernstein rubin & tony rubinrichard & Barbara shermanshubert foundationskirball foundationKate capshaw spielberg & steven spielbergdeeanna staats, staats & co.cynthia p. stafford & lanre IdewuJodi & howard tenenbaumthe ucla dream funddeborah & michael e. walshthe walt disney companywestfield GroupJudy & chancellor charles e. youngdirk & natasha ziff

eXecutIve pRoDuceR$25,000 — $49,999anonymousa&e television networksarlene & alan aldathe BackyardBelvedere & Grand marnierstephanie & Jonathan carsoncBs corporationclassic party rentalsdan hartman arts & music foundationthe douglas foundationdreamworks animationthe edward a. & ai o shay family foundationGreater los angeles new car dealers associationJ.p. morgan chase foundation

loretta Kaufmanthe lear family foundationlos angeles magazinesusan & peter mallorymarcia Israel foundation, Inc.susanna midnight & charlie midnightmontage hotels & residencesleslie moonves & Julie chenmorgan stanleynapa valley Grillenorthern trust, nasony pictures entertainmentJudith & Bruce sternshel & cynthia stonetransamerica Insurance & Investment Groupuniversal studiosvomow hotel westwoodwarner Bros. entertainment

pRoDuceR$10,000 — $24,999 ariel Investments, llccharles a. Black, Jr.annette BlumJames l. BrooksBrotman foundation of californiaeileen & harold Brownlinda & Jerry Bruckheimermark Burnett & roma downeyJames cameroncapital Group companiesceline dion foundationvalarie de la Garza & michael centenocity of los angeles department of cultural affairsshelley wike cranleycarole Bayer sager & robert a. dalydestination fit4ladean & lisa devlinBarry dillerdreamworks studiosdwight stuart youth fundelectric entertainmentthe eli & edythe l. Broad foundationsusan & mark fleischerG.e. foundationGang, tyre, ramer & Brown, Inc.patty Glaser & sam mudiearthur Greenbergc. curtis GrishamIn memory of morrie hazanhBo filmseric & samantha heermellody hobsoncindy & alan hornInteractive corp (Iac)Joan KaloustianKenneth t. & eileen l. norris foundationleo s. Guthman fundpeter & Janine lowylucasfilm ltdcarla maldenmona maldenmalibu family winesnancy & michael mcclellandsandra e. milkenhope mineo & Jeffrey Kitchenoccidental petroleum corpchristine marie ofieshlee & lawrence J. ramer*rollin ransom & chris lacroixreaders fine Jewelersdr. Judith reichmanresnick family foundationthe richenthal foundation

pamela robinson hollander & robert hollanderloren rothschild & hon. frances rothschildrichard ruskellthe simms/mann family foundationfred specktor & nancy hellertanino ristoranteheather thomas & skip Brittenhamsteve tischtribune directunion Bankthe vidal sassoon foundationwells fargo foundationwilliam morris endeavor entertainmentrita wilson & tom hanksruth zieglerziffren Brittenham llpKen & ellen ziffren

DIRectoR$5,000 — $9,999Jehan f. agrama & dwora friedJack & hilary angeloanschutz film Group/walden medianeal Baer & Gerrie smithmara & Jonathan BlumBobcat productions, Inc.creative Intelligence IncorporatedJeanne cunicelliJohn davisdirectors Guild of americafielding edlow & larry clarkedr. & mrs. paul eisenbergnora ephronmelinda & peter farrellyfiskereric flamholtz & yvonne randlefour seasonsGeorge hoag family foundationpriscila GiraldoGloria & peter GoldJay Gordon & meyera robbinsBarbara Grenellrabbi uri d. herscher & dr. myrna herscherlynne & michael heslovhilton moorea lagoon resort & spastanley Iezman & nancy starkwendell & Bernice Jeffreymannon Kaplansally & dr. manny J. Karbelnigwendy Kurtzmanpaul lesterdrs. Gerald & Barbara leveyshawn levymichael lewisJennifer lopatalost Iguana resort & spamarlene & sandy louchheimmichael & summer mannmoca foundationtodd morgan & rosanna arquettemorris & libby singer foundationneda nobari foundationKay & Bob rehmemayor richard riordanJane rissman & richard sondheimerJay d. roth & sherry e. Grantpaula & allan rudnickthomas l. safransafran & associatesJody & arthur schmidGabi & lowell sharronsidley austin llpsimon strauss foundationsondheimer foundationst. regis princeville resort

Ben stiller & christine taylortanaz assil Jewelrythomas l. safran & associatesdavid tillman, md & Karen zoller, mdmiranda tollmanthe travel companydaniel trulyuBs private wealth managementu.s. Bankus playing card companytony & tanya vincentGail zapparuth & stan zicklin

sponsoR$3,000 — $4,999Janis adams & John lyonschancellor Gene d. Block & mrs. carol Blockmarcy carsey & leo yoshimuraterri ann cooper Konheimdora & neil Kadisharobin & seth Kuglerphyllis & Ken lembergerpam, amanda, lianna & eddierobert luketicrenee & meyer luskinwilliam & Karen timberlakew fort lauderdaleleslie white & al limonKaren & rick wolfenmimi & werner f. wolfen

eDucatIon aDvocate$1,000 — $2,999anonymous (3)23rd street Jewelersharry & Gay abrams/abrams artists agencydr. richard ackerman & miriam shakterrichard acostatamara aden-llewellynmiriam aguiarolga s. aldersonrichard alonsonicole alpemerryl & david a. alpertamgen foundationpatti & harlan amstutzarizona Biltmoremargaret & howard arveyasicsavion tequilahank azariad.c. & carol ann Bakemanrobert e. & maria h. Barronrichard & shelley Bayerrobert Beitchersusan & eric m. Benderpeter & Barbara Benedekpatricia & mark Benjaminshelly & libby Bergenwendy & John Bergquistcathy & Bill Bindleysusan Booththe Bordy & leibovic familiesBrenda & alan BorsteinBrentwood schooldr. wallace p. Brithineecarolyn & Gerald Bronsteinrobert Brook & Jacqueline Kosecoffwendy & david Brotmanmr. & mrs. todd Brown & familyscott carlberg

the Geffen playhouse recognizes the following individuals and organizations for their generous support of our annual fund and Backstage at the Geffen. donors are listed at the associate level and higher for gifts made between august 1, 2011 and december 15, 2012.

In appreciation, donors enjoy a host of special benefits including house seats, complimentary drinks, receptions and much more. for more information, please call Jamie sherman at 310.208.6500 ext. 128.

annual DonoRs

chancellor emeritus albert carnesale & mrs. robin carnesale

dr. fanya carter & dr. harold J. delchampsdavid cates & christine vavakGilbert cates, Jr. & elizabeth laceyJane catesmelissa cates & roger clamanlisa, michael & rachel chalfinsheldon cherry & carolyn runowiczfrank chiocchi & Jessica richroy & dorothy christopherlaurel & aaron clarklinda & John colemanlou colentim & charlene conwayJanine cristianoBrunello cucinelliIn loving memory of ed cypertdaedalus foundation, Incruth daughertyshirley lu & norman davidsonroger davispam dawberGavin de Beckerdeluscious cookiesdaniel & Gayle devincarolyn dirks & Brett doughertydennis & Jeralyn dotymichael douglas & catherine zeta-Jonesdr. laura’s wholesome Junk foodJan & thea drayerdream warrior GroupGerald & sally ducotvictoria dummerwilliam duncancolleen m. ellisterri & david elstonKevin watts & christine enlowcarl & courtenay enrightcarol & J.B. esterkinstacey feinbergsusanna felleman & erik feigGloria & morton fieldlawrence n. fieldmichael filermanJoan & charles foxsteve freedmantom & Kathy frestoncarol & paul frimmertomas fuller & Bill Kellyfuture lightingG2 Graphic service, Inc.Jim GarfieldKathleen GarfieldJeanne & arnold Geffnerharry a. Gilbertrose GilbertKiki & david Gindlercherna & dr. Gary Gitnickcharlotte Golddr. Irene Goldenbergadrienne Grant & paul JenningsKen Greenblatt & peter walshJack Grossbart & marc schwartzallen & deborah Grubmanmichael Grunwaldthe Guerin foundationmadeline Gussmanandrea & marc Guthmonty & marilyn hallalan & michelle heilpernmr. & mrs. william hellmanmel & faith henkindavid & lisa hernandGrant & lysa heslovJean himmelstein & david colemanstephen sass & steven hochstadtdr. John d. hofbauer & dr. laura e. foxmrs. dorothy hoffmanGail & stanley hollanderroger & linda howardvicki Iovinelynn hunt & margaret Jacob

terry & marc J. JacobyJerome & linda Jangerlori JohnsonJack & cindy JonesJordan strauss photographyJoseph B. Gould foundationlinda & david Kagelcarol Kahnmr. & mrs. Bernard KamineKarney Guren family foundationJulie & david Kavnersabrina Kay charitable foundationpatricia Keatinglenny & david Keltontamara KeoughBarbara & stuart KlabinKent Klavenslisa Klingenbergleslie & norman Koplofthea & neal Kosscarol KrauseKrol vodkaeric & melissa Kurtzmandeborah lacusta & daniel castellanetadespina Gianopulos landers & Jay landershelene & arthur laubmae & hugh lichtigJohn liebeschristine & david lindsay-abairesteven & nancy lippmanGerald & dorothy lipskyJudith locke & dennis massiemarcia e. williams & Gene lucerothe Jennifer & Greg malins foundationBrian & renee manneric G.c. markJohn mccrite & Juan lopezJanis B. mceldowneysue mchugh & herb seesemelia cozumel all Inclusive Golf & Beach resortdianne & Burton merrilltobias meyerandrew & laura mintzerJoanne & Joel mogylaurie & chuck mondrusrichard & Kioko morgansternlowell & Jackie morgenGail morinoIn loving memory of harvey s. morserio & frank morselon morse & toni hollander morsemusic express, Inc.Joan & fred nicholasalbert & Barbara nicholsoccidental Grand cozumelsteve & Judy orichornest family foundationcarol & Bill ouchilondon, alex & marty padillalaurie macdonald & walter parkesmichael parks & Judith haywardphilip & leslie patonJennifer peltzJulie piepenkotterherbert & marilyn pikenIn memory of michael pillerpaula, lauren, nicole, & Joseph pinhasJack & Jane pollockruth popkinpopland studiosJeanne mcdonald-powers & travis powerspure cheesecakesdaniel rappaportrichard rasiej & Joan hermanharvey & Joyce reichardmichele reinerdonald B. & susan f. riceIn memory of frances richmanesther & howard richmondBeth roberts & warren smithric robertsonron robinsonBrad & nancy rosenberg

sue weiss rosenwasserlori & david roussoruss august & Kabatlaura & John saadedavid a. & Karen richards sachsrichard & amber sakaidaphna salimpourmark san filippoJoseph schrageJonathan schwartzsteve & paula schwartzscreen engine, llclillian seidman-davisalex & danielle shahidimatthew shakmantony shalhoub & Brooke adamsIn memory of diane Barnett-shapirotraci sheltondiane sherman-smithshowtime networks Inc.holly & larry shulmanrita & Jose sigalGreg & amanda silvermanron silverman & soraya rossKaren & vic smithsnyder family foundationdrs. matthew & marion solomonBruce & patti springsteenmitch & sherry steinJoannie sternBarbra streisand & James Brolineric strom & eileen Goodismr. alec sulkinKathryn & mark sullivanelaine & radoslav sutnarfred tatasciore familyanne c. taubman & david BoyleJohn teeples & nicolas martinez, Jr.larry & Barbara tenanaudri & stan tendlerGreen dot filmsdaniel tongbaiJenno toppingthe lodge at torrey pineslaura trice, m.d.peter & susan van haftenalan van vlietpaula wagnerpeter & denise walshcraig alisander weiner & marcia GilbertJoanne & Ken weinmanroberta weintraubGelena & seth weissmanpat westalison whalen & steven marenbergms. patricia youngmanmarcie & howard zelikowellen & arnold zetcherIn loving memory of herman zieglerdavid & ellie zuckerman

aRtIstIc aDvocate$500 — $999anonymous (2)dale adrionrobert c. andersondr. sandra & dr. charles aronbergsheila & raymond BangsJanet & Irwin Barnetdawn & marshall Beinroger p. Bergstu & lucy Billetruth & Jake Bloomdeanne BosnakJanet & mark Browndr. r.w.G. Bugentaldavid & Kathy Burkethe Busch-schifino familyBush Gottlieb singer lopez Kohanski

adelstein & dickinsonBruce carr

ms. martha chasedavid copperfieldted cordesdonald & zoe cosgroverobert cushnir & perry lewisJeffrey s. davidsonJames dixoncarol Jean doehringthe milton l. & Betty J. dranow family foundationGood works foundationrichard & lauren donnerpaul dowlingpatricia l. eisenbergmarjorie & arthur finesydney m. finegold, m.d.dr. Barbara fishmichael & lynne flynnBurt & nanette foresterGlenn & Jane fowlerfran fredella & scott rubinlora fremontGwen & Jacob friendlois & Gerald Gallopsharlene & sol GalperBenita & Bert Ginsbergrichard & lori Glucksmandr. & mrs. lee B. Goldlouis & linda Goldsmanabner & roz Goldstinelori & robert GoodmanJulie c. Graham, olivia c. zeiden, liam d. zeidendiana & ronald Granitpeter e. hallms. linda hanadaronald hansenms. tess harpersalma hayekmurray & Gail heltzerdiana & Joe hilbermanmarion & todd hindinrand hoffman & charlotte robinsonKelley m. hoganpaula holtcarol hove-ahmansonGerald Isenbergrobert & Gail Israelsusan & Greg Kaymilly & robert Kayyemann & Jonathan KirschIrwin Kishnerannette & charles Kleemancarol & richard Kurlandrick KurtzmanBill & tiiu JacobsonJoyce ledererpeter levin & audrey davis levinBarry levinsonBurton & anita levinsonJordan & sheri levylydia levyloris & Kory lunsfordsacha malin & dori levanonineil l. & ora d. macfarlanecindy mediavillarobert mercerphilip & Joan millerallan m. mohrman Jr.carol moranJohn & sandy murdockms. sherri nelsonvicki niemicarol f. phillipslisa pierozziGary & Gail racheletskylynda ricklinda & manny riderrichard robertsonrandy rodedolores rogersronda & fred roseIn memory of Gil cateslawrence ross & linda nussbaumsamantha rothnancy & ted sanbornnadine schiffmalcolm schneer & cathy liu


the

giFt

annual DonoRs


david & margaret schwankeBob & susan schwartzsusan schwarzmichele & peter serchukrobert shadurdora r. sherdanelle sherrodpearl shultzsteven siegel & lily careycarol & arthur f. silbergeldrobin & robert sillsmartin & leah sklarKaren smitstrudy sokolmichael & millie sondermannmelvin spearsroberta speroms. rita spiegelstaples center foundationcori steinbergthomas & lisa sternmr. & mrs. robert sugarJerry & diana swartzlance & maureen tanmr. & mrs. david tanndeborah valdezanthony vasekIra & laurie waldmanJay weinstein & lori woldarrae Jeane williamsherb wiseBen & anne youngbloodandrew & Kimberly zakanychdebra zavala & alpha zavala

assocIate$250 — $499anonymous (5)herbert ehrmann & constance abellterry & richard abramsnorman & toshka abramsacademy of motion picture arts & sciencesIrwin & helene adlerelaine & michael agrancharles & annick allensylvia almstadtarthur alperJan altemusIrving andersonclayton andersonelise andrewsphilip angerhofer & stephen a. Joneseloise appelBarbara & ethan aronoffmarc & Betsy axelrodcharles & Kayatana axelrodlynne & lee BabbittIrene Baronanne Barrycecile Bartmanarnold & susan Beckerterry & lionel Belllaurie & Bill Benensoncarole a. & charles Bennettrichard n. BergerJames & diane Berlinermr. & mrs. william Birnkrantadrienne & michael Blackmanronald & Jamie BlackstoneJoe Blackstone & Jamie mohnpamela & Bill Bohnertfrances & thomas Boothmary Bosakpaula Brandshelli & Bill Broderdennis & Bobbi Brownmarcia Burnamthe schifino familylaura d. campbellmarlene & david capellBarry charlesmarjore chronisterwilma chungKen coelhodavid conney, m.d.

dino conteGail cottinghamsusan Georgine craigwhitney cummingsrandall & diane danielsarah danielshedva & dr. dudley danoffJaye t. darbydiana davidow & deborah constanceruth B. davis & pearl schultzGregory dawleyhal and roberta deleviedr. udayakumar devaskarvirginia diBonasuzanne & Bruce doddsfred & marilyn dorersteven & Beverly dorfmandaryl & paul f. doucettems. susan downeymr. chris easleyroni & ethan ellerlisa erspamerphyllis factoralan & Barbara faiolamarc feldmanmimi feldmanGladys fellmanabby & malcolm fieldlila & fred finkwilliam & elisabet fleischmanedward floresJanet fourticqKenneth J. friedman & marilynn J. friedman

family foundationl.t. friesenms. laurelle fromeyury & yelena furmansandy Gagelee GardenswartzKaren Berko Gibsondiane Glazerdavid & denise Goldbergann m. Goldbergfrancine Golden & marvin schlossmanmarilyn & allen Goldendr. peter GoldmanBarry Goldsteinellie Goodmanmark Gordonroger Gordonsusie & Bruce Gorentiki GreenbergIn loving memory of frank & eileen floodeve haberfield & david Johnsonlance hagenbuchross & lindsey avnermary & alan halkettmark & monica haloossimcarolyn & Bernard hamiltonKay harringtonsheila hasdaydr. & mrs. samuel havesonlois haytinpenny & steve heldJackson henrycarla & alan a. herdGunter hermancina hodgesJackie & dr. Irwin hoffmandr. sharron holmanada & Jim horwichfred & nancy Jacobusdaniel & carolyn Jordannancy Josephsonseymour KahnJoyce Kaisermanruth & marvin Kalintrudy & albert Kallisdrs. elaine & Jeff Kamilanita Karbelnigharris Katlemanowen Katomr. & mrs. william Keastwilliam & renee Kendallstuart Kesslerphyllis Klein

dr. phyllis Kleindonna & Jeffrey Kleinlaurie & milton KlormanJudy KnappIn honor of leni Jane Knappcharles Kolstaddonald Kottlerrichard KraftBarbara & stan Krasnoffhoward & vivian KrepackJanice white & eugene Kriegercharles Kristensonfrumeh labowdoctors mark & lena laboweJoan & christopher larkinJill & michael laskyJeanne & christopher lavagninoann lelandGail J. levinemarla e. levinedr. Isaac & Barbara levymr. warren lincolnlee & therese lindenvictor & madeline lindenheimIrma & allen lipindonald lipschutzleslie & adam lobellori & tom lowann & Bill lucasdianne lumanne l. lynchliz lytleteresa l. maguireGuillaume mailletmike & millie maloneyconnie & leslie martinsonphyllis & Bert massingstewart mayedacheryl mccormickwilliam e. & marcela h. mcKennaKimberly meyeBettina michaelsteddie J. milnerankica milosavljevicandrew molaskyJohn moschittacatherine namethBonnie nashdavid neilanmark & diane neubauersheila newmannapoleon & afra nobayshelby notkinelad offeradrienne & arthur omanskymartin ordmandonald ottallen pack & rikki Gordonmichael pannulloBob parisedward parkermr. & mrs. herman passdavid paymerKathy & Jeff perkinsmichael & leslee perlsteinnaidu & Jane permaulwilliam pesetskifrank J. pfizenmayer & Josh BrownGloria pinkfrank piontekdr. ronald & alyson podelllily & rick pollackms. Kim pompeyzazi popenancy portermr. david posnerandrea pourmoradiphilip pritchettmr. & mrs. howard privette

drs. laurence & Isabell purdylisa Quatemanedward B. raschmildred reidvicki reisslinda & steve richmanwilliam ridgewaycarlene ringerJill schary robinsonBarbara & david rognlienmr. & mrs. avi rojanyBeverly & melvin rosenthaladrienne rosenthalJoyce & deane rossBlanche & Bruce Joel rubinterry ryanJoyce hokin sachsJanet salter

In memory of hon. maxwell hillary saltercharlene & victor sandssusan & Kenneth sarnoJune & melvin sattlermaxine savitzGary & Karen schneidernancy & steve schneiderelaine carey & vincent J. schodolskiJane & Bill schopfstacy schriersusan & peter schwabdr. & mrs. Jack schwartzmr. charles schwartz & mrs. carol schwartzarlene & arthur schwimmerrodolfo segoviamary & paul shanethom & Judy sharpyossi sidikaroseymour & dorothy siegeldon & marie sirneymarcia l. & mark J. smithdr. Jerry & marci smithdiane Good & frank smithfanya & sidney solldebra & Bruce spectorms. m.l. stearnsmr. & mrs. tom stempelsally stevenschambers stevensholly stromKatherine sungrobin & david swartzthe tauber familycheryl tiano & frank Gerechtermr. & mrs. art tompkinsJoan townsenddavid trainerBrigitta troypia & steve vaianthony vasekcarole wagner-vallianos & peter vallianosandrew Kevin walkerann w. wangBerna lynn warnermarcia & dr. charles wassermanannette weilJulie & peter weilmarsha & steven weisselayne & walter wentzrichard & Joyce wicklinedara & Greg paynerowie & Jeffrey wolfGeorge wolfbergKenneth & teresa worleyKaren & frank wurtzelBarbara & stanley zaxlynn & meir zivdayle & abram zukorsandy zwirn

have we maDe an eRRoR?to report a misspelling or omission in these listings, please contact the development department at 310.208.6500 ext. 128

annual DonoRs

28

8:00pm the gift

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rch

1

8:00pm the gift

please visit geffenplayhouse.com/signatureseries for more event details.

THE FLAGSHIP SHOWsaturday, february 2

11:00am


sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday frIday saturday

jan

uary

comIng up at the geffen playhouse

gil cates theater at the geffen playhouse

talk back tuesdays girls night out lounge fridays wine down sundays

gil cates theater at the geffen playhouseaudrey skirball kenis theater at the geffen playhouse

23:00/8:00pm

the gift5:00/8:00pm

nothing to hide

11

172:00/7:00pm

the gift4:30/7:00pm nothing

to hide

15

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3:00/8:00pm the gift

5:00/8:00pm nothing

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128:00pm

the gift8:00pm

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28:00pm

extraordinary chambers

8:00pm superior

donuts

21

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19

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308:00pm

the gift8:00pm

nothing to hide

102:00/7:00pm


to hide

32:00/7:00pm


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298:00pm

the gift8:00pm

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13

7

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8 93:00/8:00pm

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openIng nIght8:00pm

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318:00pm

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brua

ry 18:00pm

the gift8:00pm

nothing to hide


CREATE-A-SHOWsaturday, march 9

11:00am

extended again by popular demand! checK geffenplayhouse.com foR futuRe Dates

Randall Arney artistic director

ken novice managing director

Behnaz Ataee General manager

Regina Miller chief development officer

aRtIstIc

Mary Garrett artistic managerAmy Levinson artistic associate / literary directorPhyllis schuringa artistic associate / casting directorshannon noel artistic coordinatorkristina Leach literary associate

Development

ellen catania director of major Gifts & corporate/foundation partnershipsJessica Brusilow Rollins associate director of donor relations & strategic partnershipsJamie sherman associate director of Individual Givingkristen smith Grants manager & major Gifts executive assistantscott kriloff development associate & database managerAva Bogle development assistantJessie sherman development assistant

eDucatIon

connor White resident teaching artist & education associateBenjamin salka story pirates ceoDuke Doyle story pirates producing directorLee overtree story pirates artistic directorQuinton Johnson story pirates education directorGabe Jewell story pirates producer

aDmInIstRatIon

Frankie ocasio executive assistant to the managing directorMaryam Meehan accounting and payroll manager candice Mitchell accounting and payroll specialistMarguerite Harris receptionist

facIlItIes management

Miguel del castillo facility managerVictor cueva De Loera maintenanceMario santillan-Perez custodial

pRoDuctIon

Daniel ionazzi production managerJill Barnes associate production manager Matthew carleton technical directorRich Gilles properties masterJames Grabowski sound masterDarren Rezowalli master electricianLeah A. Lewis wardrobe supervisor communIcatIons

chelsey Rosetter communications coordinator

maRKetIng & sales

Joseph yoshitomi marketing directorkaren Gutierrez associate marketing directorMark san Filippo ticket services director & database administrator stephanie strand audience services manager Brian Dunning Graphics / production artist Jodi Feigenbaum advertising & promotions assistantL.J. stevens Group sales Janice Bernal associate Box office manager Bryan Martin associate Box office manager korie Benavidez, Audrey cain, zack Hamra, Richard Martinez, Lilach Mendelovich, Martin Wurst Box office staff

fRont of house

Jeni Pearsons director of special eventsDavid Gerhardt supervising house managerMichelle cantrell, Amy Farkas, tommy French, kimberly Legg, erik odom, Julianne tveten house managers Abdoulaye n’Gom head ushercaroline Harrison, sean Jones, Matt Jones, Lyndsi Larose, Rebecca Leigh, nathaniel Meek, katie Mitchell, Leah Munson, Lindsay nyman, Jonathan schwartz ushersRob Mersola Bar managerManuel Mayorga weekend Bar managerAdam carr, Jared White, kimberly Legg, Lyndsi LaRose Bartenders

this theater operates under agreement between the league of resident theaters and actors equity association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the united states.

the scenic, costume, lighting and sound designers in lort theaters are represented by united scenic artists local usa-829, Iatse.


geffen playhouse staff

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The Gift Program

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