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NEIL SIMON Marvin Neil Simon was born on the Fourth of July, 1927 in New York City. He got his start in show business writing for radio and television, collaborating with comedians such as Woody Allen and Mel Brooks. Simon’s first success writing for the stage came in 1961 with COME BLOW YOUR HORN, followed by BAREFOOT IN THE PARK in 1963. His next play, THE ODD COUPLE, introducing the comic duo Felix and Oscar, earned Simon his first Tony Award. THE ODD COUPLE was later adapted into a successful movie and hit TV comedy series. He has also earned a record number of Tony nominations over the course of his longw career including both a Tony and the Pulitzer Prize for his 1991 play, LOST IN YONKERS. In 1983 the Shubert Organization renamed a midtown Manhattan theatre the “Neil Simon Theatre.” President Clinton, when presenting Simon with an award at the Kennedy Center, remarked: “He challenges us and himself never to take ourselves too seriously.” Simon continues today to write plays, mixing honesty with humor to capture the foibles of human beings. BAREFOOT IN THE PARK Premiering on Broadway in 1963 starring Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley, BAREFOOT IN THE PARK ran for over 1500 performances (the 10 th longest running play in Broadway history). “I don’t think anybody stopped laughing while the curtain was up last evening” (New York Daily News). Simon adapted the play a few years later into a feature film, starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. A television series based on the play was shown on ABC in 1970 and in 2006, a revival opened on Broadway at the Cort Theater. BAREFOOT IN THE PARK continues to be performed on stages around the world and remains an audience favorite! BAREFOOT IN THE PARK takes place on the top floor of a brownstone on East 48 th Street in New York. ACT I: A cold February afternoon (around 5:30 p.m.) ACT II: Scene 1 – Four days later (around 7:00 p.m.) Scene 2 – Later than night (around 2:00 a.m.) ACT III: The following day (around 5:00 p.m.) CAST OF CHARACTERS (in order of appearance) Corie Bratter Rachel Brianna Cumberland Telephone Man Abou B. Conneh* Delivery Man Kristian Gonzalez* Paul Bratter G. Cameron Curry* Mrs. Banks (Corie’s Mother) Mary Martin* Victor Velasco Patrick Ferrara ARTISTIC AND PRODUCTION STAFF Director Rosina Whitfield Producer June Guralnick* Set Designer Tom Barker* Light Designer Jody LS Tidwell* Costume Designer Rosina Whitfield Technical Director Jody LS Tidwell* Stage Manager Theo Vicars** Technical Assistant Corbet Wright** Assistant Stage Manager Valeria Gonzalez-Toledo** Assistant Stage Manager Kaliah DeBerry** Props Director Joseph Avila** Props Assistant Kinney Robertson ** Light Board Operator Jake Grochowski** Sound Board Operator Samantha Sullivan** Sound Board Operator Deric Holmes-Cobb** Costume Manager Amanda Weikert** Costume Assistant Eslam Metaweia Front-of-House Manager Amanda Weikert** Publicity Director Colt Anthony Champagne** Publicity Assistant Essence Edwards** Graphic Designer Lisa Albritton** Backstage Crew JD Hedgecock,** Damoné Taylor,** Kristal Taylor** Sound Designer Kyle Partin** Sound Engineer Jeremy Featherstone** There will be one 15-minute intermission. No food or beverages are permitted in the theatre. The use of camera or other recording devices is prohibited in the theatre. *GTCC faculty/staff **GTCC students CAST BIOGRAPHIES (in alphabetical order) Abou B. Conneh (Telephone Man) is originally from Liberia and speaks multiple languages, including Mandingo and French. Abou has attended school overseas in the Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Liberia. A freshman at GTCC majoring in biology, Abou thanks GTCC Theatre Program for cast- ing him in his first show in English! Rachel Brianna Cumberland (Corie Bratter) was born and raised in Greensboro. You may have recently seen her in productions of OUR TOWN (Livestock Theater) as Mrs. Gibbs and MACBETH (Weaver Acad- emy) as Hecate. She feels honored to be a part of GTCC’s fall production! G. Cameron Curry (Paul Bratter) started acting at Ragsdale High School. He went from playing John in PETER PAN to roles such as Tevye in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF and Edna in HAIRSPRAY. Cameron is currently studying Business Administration at GTCC and thought it vital to give acting another go. Patrick Ferrara (Victor Velasco), a native New Yorker, was recently seen in Open Space Cafe Theatre’s production of COME BLOW YOUR HORN. He has also performed locally at the Community Theatre of Greensboro, Drama Center of City Arts, Carolina Theatre, Theatre Alliance, Twin City Stage, Stained Glass Playhouse and the National Black Theatre Festival. Patrick studied acting at both the Strasberg Institute and Stella Adler Conservatory in New York and has acted in vari- ous roles on Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway stages. Kristian Gonzalez (Delivery Man) is a freshman at GTCC majoring in English and Theatre. He has appeared in City Arts as well as Southeast Guilford High School shows, including RICHARD III, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, THE THREE MUSKETEERS, and ROMEO & JULIET. Mary Martin (Mrs. Banks) is originally from Asheville. A mother of four, she is a freshman at GTCC pursuing a degree in Logistics. Mary is usually a stage mom but decided to step back into character. She has performed in productions of GREASE (Herman High School), OLIVER and LES MIS (Ashe- ville Community Theatre), and currently works with Flowerchild productions. ARTISTIC AND PRODUCTION STAFF BIOGRAPHIES Rosina Whitfield (Director) is beginning her 10th season as Youth Theatre Director at the Drama Center of City Arts. Previously, she held a similar position at York Little Theatre in York, PA. She hails from the Washington, D.C. area where she worked as a freelance actor, director and teacher for many years. Her work included being an adjunct instructor at Montgomery Community College in Rockville, MD where she taught acting and speech classes and directed shows. Rosina has a bachelor’s degree in theatre from American University (Washington D.C.), with graduate work at Villanova University (Philadelphia, PA). Recent shows include THE THREE MUSKETEERS by Ken Ludwig and Shakespeare’s MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM at the Drama Center of City Arts, along with many plays and mu- sicals performed by the Greensboro Children’s Theatre. She is delighted to be back in a community college environment and has truly enjoyed work- ing with the faculty, staff, and students at GTCC. June Guralnick (Producer) is the author of 11 full-length dramas and has directed classic and new works for the past 30 years. June’s plays have been performed at venues including the Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), Abrons Arts Center/New Federal Theatre (NY), Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre (NC), Burning Coal Theatre (Raleigh), and the North Carolina Museum of Art. Awards and grants include the Silver Medal-Pinter Drama Review Prize, North Carolina Arts Council Literature Fellowship, Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre New Plays Winner, Writing Fellows at Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and Tennessee Williams Scholar at the University of the South Sewanee Writers’ Conference. June received her BA in Theatre and Political Science from the State University of New York at Buffalo and her master’s degree in theatre from City College of New York. June recently completed a new full-length play, ACROSS THE HOLY TELL. Tom Barker (Set Design) is a freelance artist living in Greensboro where he recently graduated with an MFA in Scene Design from UNC-Greens- boro. Previous set designs include SPAMALOT at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre (Fayetteville), PRIDE & PREJUDICE, PETER PAN, and TOP GIRLS at UNC-Greensboro, and SWEET CHARITY and LITTLE SHOP OF HOR- RORS at Temple Theatre in Sanford. In addition to his design work, Tom has acted in plays around the area and is a new theatre faculty member at GTCC. Jody LS Tidwell (Technical Director/Lighting Designer) has an M.F.A. in Design & Technology from the University of South Dakota. A new resident of North Carolina, Jody previously served as Technical Director/Lighting Designer at College of Wooster in Ohio. Lighting designs for productions include IPHIGENIA, THE GLASS MENAGERIE, EQUUS, CHORUS LINE, and WILLY WONKA. A member of IATSE 631, Jody and husband Dave recently celebrated their 32nd anniversary with children Aaron and Melissa from New York. Theo Vicars (Stage Manager) has been doing technical work since 2009. Originally from Atlanta, Theo graduated in 2012 from R. J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem. Currently attending GTCC pursuing an AFA Drama Concentration degree, last semester he worked on GTCC’s production of the musical 3XL. Past experience includes work with North Carolina Black Repertory Company on HORIZONS MEMORIAL AND CROWNS. SPECIAL THANKS GTCC Fine Arts Theatre offers our gratitude to Mary Skrabec (Dean, Business Technologies Division); Cory Gurley (faculty, Advertising and Graphic Design Dept.); LJ Rush, Interim Department Chair, Culinary Arts Program; GTCC staffers Carla Kucinski, Maritza Mandarino, Rhonda Carter, Kathy King, Stewart Frye and the Printing Dept.; Theatre Program faculty Dan Kelly; Entertainment Technology program faculty TJ Johnson and Richard Tremmel; graphic design students Kha Xiong, Heather Collins, Lesie Rierson, Bradley Farrell, and Rachel Walker; and all the student and community volunteers. Special thanks also to the following individuals and organizations: Greensboro City Arts; Triad Stage; UNC-Greensboro; Bradford Mendenhall and the High Point City Lake Park; Dave Briggs and Kacy Woody and the High Point Theatre. gtcc theatre program Your Stage Door Opens Here! Over the past twenty-five years, the GTCC Theatre Program has presented plays ranging from tragedies such as the classic Greek play OEDIPUS THE KING to modern comedies such as THE ODD COUPLE. Courses offered range from acting and vocal training classes to production oriented courses such as stagecraft and makeup. Graduates have gone on to careers in every aspect of the theatre profession. § Part of the Creative & Performing Arts Department, the Theatre Program is currently located in the Koury Hospitality Careers Center building on the GTCC Jamestown campus. Theatre facilities include the Fine Arts Theatre (modified black box space), Costume Shop, Scene Shop, Dressing Rooms, Rehearsal Hall, Prop and Scene Storage spaces. One of the key goals of the Theatre Program is to engage and inspire students to become active participants in the theatre arts, integrating the following core values into our educational endeavors: • Creativity and artistic integrity • Inclusivity and diversity • Collaboration and ensemble teamwork • Plays of all types and historical periods • Positive theatre-going experiences for our audiences • Stewardship of campus theatre facilities and resources • Drama as an integral part of a healthy college community For more information about GTCC Theatre contact June Guralnick, Director, GTCC Theatre Program [email protected] or visit www.gtcc.edu
