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SPECIAL THANKS to the following individuals and organizations for their
donation of in-kind goods and services:
The William Penn Foundation Earl Wilcox
Eileen O’Brien and Sam Hopkins Susan Feagin Jesse Delaney
Bill Brock Susan Satkowski & George Sfedu
Gregory Day Ari Benjamin Bank
Curio Theatre Company Kevin Glaccum/Azuka Theater Company Tom Reing/Inis Nua Theatre Company Tim Martin/Lantern Theatre Company Jessica Doheny/Walnut Street Theatre
Glen Sears/Walnut Street Theatre Properties Department La Croix Restaurant
Peter DeFeo Andy Campbell Britt Plunkett Brian Adoff
Kate Black-Regan Liam Castellan John D'Alonzo Michael Dura Sharon Geller
Michael Harrah Kati Kertesz Ethan Lipkin Jane Moore
Kevin Murphy Lee Pucklis Bill Rayhill
Sonja Robson Jane Stojak
Bayard Walker Ryan McMenamin
Johanna Austin - AustinArt Photography - austinart.org Mark Knight - OverKnight Theater - http://FB.com/OverKnightTheatre
or email [email protected]
Cast Member profiles available online on the Theater, Dance and Visual Art Event Calendar:
www.EventsFilter.com
September 2011
The Arsonists still burns brightly
Welcome! The IRC bursts into our 6th season with this regional premiere of Alistair Beaton’s elegant translation of Max Frisch’s 1958 absurdist romp, The Firebugs. The theme of Max Frisch's classic play -- that private and public morality cannot be separated -- rings even truer today. What is our responsibility to self, to family, to our neighbors and beyond? Why do we choose to ignore glaring red flags in front of our faces, and what is the damage we suffer for that choice? Alistair Beaton offers these notes on his translation: “The Arsonists is my title for a play previously known as The Fire Raisers, first staged in Britain at the Royal Court in 1961. When Dominic Cooke and Ramin Gray asked me to come up with a new translation as part of the Court's international season, I went back to the original German text to see how much the play still had to say to a modern audience. In other words, I wondered whether I ought to be doing a straightforward translation or a new version. I was pleased to find that Max Frisch's famous play required little in the way of updating. We immediately have to ask: what is the great evil we are failing to face up to today? Is it still nuclear weapons? Is it the destruction of our environment through personal greed and corporate plunder? Is it the misery we inflict upon the Third World? Is it the erosion of our liberties in the name of the War on Terror? With a Greek chorus composed of firefighters, the power of The Arsonists lies in the undefined nature of the evil it portrays.
(continued on inside back cover)
Many thanks to those who made The Arsonists possible:
Inferno ($250.00 and above) The Samuel S. Fels Fund
The Philadelphia Cultural Fund The Charlotte Cushman Foundation
Brian and Morgan Adoff Susan Feagin Gail Furman
Andy Lamas and Ginny Vanderslice Jane Stojak
Beverly Stover Earl Wilcox, Plannerzone, Inc.
Blaze ($100.00 - $249.99)
Jim Caiola and David Salama - Beau Monde • Jeanne George Andrea O'Shea • Dr. Steven Peitzman • Joanna Shope
Stephen and Johnne Tint • Lisa and Stuart Young Askold Zagars and Marie Feehan
Flame ($50.00 - $99.99)
Herman and Madeline Axelrod • Pat and Stacey Bishop John D'Alonzo • Patricia Durante • Norman and Carolyn Ellman
Sam Hopkins and Eileen O'Brien • Moe and Sandy Lebo Paul Levine • Pat and Allyson Lewis • Michael Lynch
Rose O'Brien and Jim Devine • Lee Pucklis Thomas and Kathleen Quinn • Christopher and Jennifer Rule
Bob and Pat Schmidt • Joel and Barbara Stewart
Spark (Up to $49.99)
John and Alberta Chiaravalloti • Rosina Coltellaro Jesse Delaney • Suzanne Eagleson • Peter Forcinito
Robert Gregerson • Jeanette Hartunian Suzanne Inman • Robert C. Jones • Robert Judge
Marc Scheiner and Jonathan Hamm • Lois Shestack Michael Zuckerman
(continued from inside front cover) Where the play is precise is in identifying what happens when there is a private-public split in a person's moral code. We can't be decent people at home while ignoring the evils of the world. It just doesn't work.”
~ ~ ~ More than a century earlier than Frisch, and halfway around the globe, Nikolai Gogol was writing about the absurdity of the human condition in his native Russia. I hope you’ll join us in February 2012 once again at the Walnut Street Theatre Studio 5 for Nikolai Gogol’s Marriage. Gogol’s writing goes beyond tragedy or comedy into a realm that might be called “cosmic farce.” Earlier this year we had the opportunity to experience Geoffrey Rush playing the lowly civil servant Poprischin in Gogol’s Diary of a Madman at Brooklyn Academy of Music. The language was extraordinary. As was Rush. And while we weren’t able to secure him for the lead role of Podkolyoshin in IRC’s production of Marriage, his playful spirit and interpretation left such an impression that we felt compelled to stage one of Gogol’s works. Please tell a friend about the IRC and stay connected with our goings on at www.IdiopathicRidiculopathyConsortium.org. It’s your support that helps to keep these works alive for generations to come… they might not be staged otherwise. See you at the theater. Tina Brock Producing Artistic Director
The Arsonists A moral play without a moral
A new translation of
Max Frisch’s The Firebugs by Alistair Beaton
CAST
(in order of appearance)
Gottlieb Biedermann Liam Castellan Chorus Leader John D’Alonzo Chorus Monah Yancy Chorus Jaime Pannone Chorus Bob Schmidt Chorus Michael Dura Chorus Tomas Dura Anna Kristen Egermeier Josef Schmitz Ethan Lipkin Babette Biedermann Kirsten Quinn William Eisenring Mark Knight Policeman Jesse Delaney Doctor of Philosophy Lee Pucklis Mrs. Knechtling Tina Brock
Directed by Tina Brock
This production is made possible in part by generous grants from
The Samuel S. Fels Fund and The Philadelphia Cultural Fund
The Charlotte Cushman Foundation
The IRC participates in the Barrymore Awards Honoring Excellence in Theater
Playing time is approximately 70 minutes;
there will be no intermission.
The Arsonists Costume Design
Brian Strachan
Lighting Design Josh Schulman
Scenic Design Meghan Jones
Sound Design Aaron Oster
Technical Director Rajiv Shah
Set Construction Andy Campbell
Scenic Painter Colleen Sawyer
Stage Manager Gregory Day
Sound Operator Jesse Delaney
Light Board Operator Liam Brock
Vocal Coach Michael Dura
Prop Construction/Assistant Stage Manager Jahna Ferron-Smith
House Manager/Police Officer Ari Benjamin Bank
Box Office Manager Eileen O’Brien
Photography Johanna Austin
(AustinArt Photography – www.austinart.org)
Orange Flower Water (Luna Theatre), Shapes of Things (Plays & Players), This is Our Youth and Getting Out (Simpatico), The Faculty Room (Flashpoint), Back to the Boulevard, (Theatre Ariel) and Spring Awakening (EgoPo). He is the Associate Artistic Director of Luna Theatre Company and a CCTC Company Member, as well as an adjunct theatre professor at WCU and Rutgers University, Camden. He is a member of the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors' Lab, and is a resident of Collingswood, New Jersey. Thanks to IRC for this opportunity, and love to Lindsay, who puts up with it all.
Rajiv Shah (Technical Director) is a graduate of Temple University. His commitment to theater began at a young age with summers shared between Spoleto Festival USA, Charleston, SC and Summer Stage, Upper Darby, PA. From 2002 to 2009 he toured as Production Manager for The Gershwin's Opera, Porgy & Bess in England, Ireland, Scotland, Portugal, Poland, Russia, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Trinidad, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, and the USA, Head carpenter with the national tour of Martha Graham Dance Company, Avenue Q, and Barbie Live in Fairytopia. Raj's love of Philadelphia and carpentry has empowered him to freelance as a technical director since early 2010, creating scenery for the LanternTheater, Inis Nua Theatre Company, The Berserker Residents, Amyrillis, and Burlington County College, and most recently the Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. Arts is a rough road in a recession but I'll swing the hammer if you buy the seat.
Joshua Schulman (Lighting Design) was the 2008 Barrymore Award winner for his lighting of Art at Delaware Theatre Company. He was also nominated for a Barrymore in 2009 for lighting Rock ‘N’ Roll at the Wilma Theatre. Work for other companies includes Azuka Theatre, Media Theatre Company, InterAct Theater, Flashpoint Theater Company, Lantern Theater, The Hidden City Festival, Theatre West Virginia, Rebecca Davis Dance Company, Hotel Obligato, and many more. Joshua has his MFA from Boston University. Love to Karen and Elijah.
Brian Strachan (Costume Design and Construction) is the costume shop manager/designer at the Delaware Theater Company. Brian has designed The Lesson, The Chairs, The Gnädiges Fraulein and The Madwoman of Chaillot for the IRC in past seasons. Brian has also designed costumes for The University of the Arts Dance Department, EgoPo Theater Company, The Lantern Theater Company, Ursinus College, Sharp Dance Company, Isis Theater Company, New City Stage, The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theater, Temple University, and Enchantment Theatre as well as many other theaters and colleges across the country. Brian is so happy to be back working with the IRC. Brian can be reached at [email protected].
Liam Brock (Light Operator) is a wizard hailing from the frozen wastes of the far north. He possesses mastery of illuminomancy. His Mother adds: Liam Brock is an 11th Grader who eats a lot, sleeps a lot, enjoys computer games and has a vivid imagination. He’s an all-around swell person. Last year he played Willy Loman in his high school’s production of Death of a Salesman.
Gregory Day (Stage Manager) is a techie, playwright, dead-head and stage director originally from Sugar Land, Texas. Recent works include *Trickster* (produced as part of the Free Library's One Book/One City campaign), *Deep Dark Hollow* and last year's zombie fringe radio play *Dead Air. * He has worked with the Kitchen Theatre Company in Ithaca, NY, Main Street Theater in Houston, the New York Musical Theatre Festival with And-Entertainment and produces a one act festival at the Dawson Street Pub. Many many thanks to Tina and IRC for the smokes, jokes and fun.
Jahna Ferron-Smith (Prop Construction/Assistant Stage Manager) is entering her senior year this fall at Boston University College of Fine Arts. She is a Theatre Arts major and has been involved in a number of productions, including Merrily We Roll and the Orestia. This past winter she studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and had the opportunity to perform in Othello and Richard III as well. She would like thank the cast and Tina Brock for allowing her to create with them.
Meghan Jones (Scenic Design) is delighted to join the design team for The Arsonists. Her previous design experience with IRC includes The Empire Builders. She mostly designs throughout the Philadelphia region. Past companies include Inis Nua, Theatre Exile, Azuka Theatre, The Lantern Theater Co. and People's Light and Theater Co. Highlighted designs include Kidnapped, HunterGathers, Neighborhood 3, Pumpgirl and Uncle Vanya. Meghan is Production Manager for The Lantern Theater Company. In her copious down time she dabbles in fine painting and furniture design. She holds her MFA from Temple University. Most appreciation to IRC's Staff, Cast, and Crew for all their support.
Aaron Oster (Sound Design) started his professional career in Minneapolis, where he designed and directed with the Southern Theater, Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, and the Minnesota Fringe Festival. After receiving an MFA in Directing (Ohio University), he migrated to Philadelphia to work as a director, dramaturge and sound designer specializing in new work. Sound designs for local productions include: Bedbound and Pumpgirl (Inis Nua), How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found, Slasher, Hot and Throbbing and
WHO’S WHO
Liam Castellan (Gottlieb Biedermann) was last seen in Much Ado About Nothing with Shakespeare in Clark Park. IRC fans may remember him from every single Raw Onion fundraiser, as well as Four of a Kind in the 2007 Fringe. He directed Titus Andronicus for Plays & Players in the 2010 Fringe, and has also directed for Hedgerow Theatre, the Walking Fish Theatre, and PDC. Other acting credits include Simpatico Theatre Project, Hedgerow, and the Living Arts, Inc. world tour of Porgy and Bess. Liam is a proud ensemble member of Curio Theatre Company as both actor and director. Up next: acting in Accidental Death of an Anarchist for Curio.
John D'Alonzo (Chorus Leader – Firefighter Frank Piazza ) is very honored to be working with the IRC again! Previous productions include The Gnadiges Fraulein, The Madwoman of Chaillot, and The Best of Raw Onion: Let Us Eat Cake! John also helped produce Secret Room Theatre's Philly Fringe shows Wired and Lickety Skits. (www.secretroomtheatre.com) John would like to thank Tina, the cast, crew, friends, family and You for supporting the Arts!
Jesse Delaney (Policeman, Sound Operator) has been involved with the Philadelphia Fringe Festival since 2001, and is happy to be working with the Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium again. He has capered as a giant fox in Workshop for Potential Movement's Speak, Mascot!, peddled shoelaces and opened doors in IRC's The Madwoman of Chaillot, and lit up the stage from the tech booth in The Empire Builders. When not in the theater, Jesse enjoys volunteering with Neighborhood Bike Works and riding his yellow 10-speed around town.
Michael Dura (Chorus – Firefighter Flynn Coleman) has been actively involved in theatre, film, music and dance for over twenty five years. He received his BA degree in Music at La Salle University in 1975 and went on to study voice with Regina Zona, Joyce M. DiDonato, Thomas Scurto-Davis, and finally Enrico Di Giuseppe. Theatrically he has performed with such companies as The Vagabond Acting Troupe, Big Mess Theatre, Iron Age Theatre, and The Brick Playhouse. Philadelphians got to know him for his annual portrayal of Edgar Allen Poe with the Philadelphia Orchestra in its Halloween Concert at the Kimmel Center. He is also known for playing Dick Deadeye in the Savoy Company's last production of H.M.S Pinafore at the Academy of Music. He has performed operatically for such companies as Delaware Valley Opera, Amici Opera, Blue Planet Opera, and the West Chester Opera Society. Previous performances with the IRC include his shared performance with his brother, Tomas, in Samuel Beckett's Ohio Impromptu, his portrayal of the street singer in The Madwoman of Chaillot and, most recently, as The Neighbor in The Empire Builders.
Tomas Dura (Chorus – Firefighter Simon Canino) has toured Europe, Canada and the U.S. and has appeared in film, video and television. He is best knows as a flamenco dancer in addition to being an actor, musician and fire eater. He worked with the great flamenco dancer, Jose Greco, for 8 years, frequently serving as assistant during Mr. Greco's last years. Tomas performed solo with the Philadelphia Orchestra to a sold out house at the Kimmel Center in his own choreography of the Spanish Dance from Swan Lake (2007). He has worked in the films Smoke and Mirrors (director K. Hardy ), Loneliness (director M. Zubarev) and About Angels (Zubarev). He dances in the movie, Cafe, directed by Marc Erlbaum and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt. Tomas has collaborated with artists like Flameno Ole, Kei Takei's Moving Earth and the Wilma Theater . He is the director and lead male dancer of Fiesta Flamenco Dancers and is choreographer in residence with the Amici Opera Co. He has received numerous grants from the Pa Council on the Arts and the 5 County Arts Fund. He has also received commissions from the Community Education Center & NY performances at the Joyce Soho through the New Dance Alliance. He teaches flamenco dance classes in grade schools, high schools, colleges and public community centers. Previous roles with the IRC have included the Listener in Beckett's Ohio Impromptu, the Deaf Mute in The Madwoman of Chaillot and The Schmürz in The Empire Builders.
Kristen Egermeier (Anna) Born, raised, and trained in Los Angeles, Kristen then carved out her professional career in Washington, D.C. before moving to Philadelphia last year. Favorite productions from Philadelphia, D.C and L.A. include Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom, Merry, Happy…What?, A Thousand Cranes, We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay!, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Stinky Cheese Man, Mad Breed, Rashomon, 1984, and Twelfth Night. Kristen holds a B.A. in Theatre from California State University, Northridge with an emphasis in Acting and Costume Design. A huge thank you to The IRC team, her husband and family, friends, and Finn (her dog, who always patiently listens to her practice her lines)!
Mark Knight (William Eisenring) has appeared in 183 stage plays as well as on radio & TV. He has toured the UK & Europe. He is a playwright, producer & director. He was resident Actor/ Teacher/Manager at Shakespeare's Globe Education Department, London and toured internationally on the Globe's behalf for many years. He now lives in Philadelphia as a permanent legal alien. He co-produces the 24 hour Overknight Theatre a program offering theatre artists abundant production possibilities for fresh & intriguing work. www.FB.com/OverknightTheatre, email: [email protected], or 267-888-7529
The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium
Board of Directors
Tina Brock Susan Feagin
Alyson Fillippone, CPA - Treasurer Gail Furman - Secretary
Eileen O'Brien Lee Pucklis
Susan Satkowski, Esq. Bob Schmidt
Jane Stojak - President Earl Wilcox
The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium P. O. Box 63872, Philadelphia, PA 19147
www.IdiopathicRidiculopathyConsortium.org
Promotional consideration for The Arsonists was provided by
Follica Plus
good news for men!
program auditor for the New York State Council on the Arts. Presently, he is a board member of the IRC aiding in fundraising and production development.
Monah Yancy (Chorus – Firefighter Nancy LeBlanc) is a property manager for an apartment community in the Northeast as well as an actress. Monah graduated from Texas Woman’s University in December 1999 with her B.A. in Performing Arts. She moved to Philadelphia in 2001 to pursue her acting career. Since then she has not only acted on stage but has also done technical work for theatre companies such as Playmasters’ in Bensalem, PA as sound and lighting tech. This is Monah’s third time working with The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium, and she loves every minute of it. Monah would like to thank Tina for allowing her to be a part of a creative, outgoing group of actors/project. Thank you to such great parents for allowing me to always express myself and for showing me such unconditional love and support.
Tina Brock (Mrs. Knechtling, Director) is one of the founding members of the IRC. Directing projects include Boris Vian’s The Empire Builders, Jean Giraudoux's The Madwoman of Chaillot, Eugène Ionesco's The Chairs, The Lesson, Frenzy for Two, Foursome, The Leader and Victims of Duty; Samuel Beckett's Ohio Impromptu, Catastrophe, and Come and Go; Edward Albee's The Sandbox; Harold Pinter’s Trouble in the Works; Christopher Durang’s Wanda’s Visit, For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls, Desire Desire Desire, A Stye of the Eye and The Actor’s Nightmare, and Tennessee Williams' The Gnädiges Fraulein. As an actress, theater credits include Philadelphia Theater Company, Act II Playhouse, Luna Theater, Azuka Theater, Theatre Exile, Arden Theater Company. Tina studied Journalism and Dance at University of Maryland; Speech Communication at West Chester University and Psychology at Rutgers University. Over the past fifteen years she has also worked as a freelance producer and writer, including associate producer credits on the NPR radio series A Chef's Table with Jim Coleman, and in the development, public information and fundraising departments at PBS affiliate WHYY-TV12. Many thanks to the incredibly hard-working and very talented cast, crew and design team for their efforts. Welcome to Liam, one and all!
Bob Schmidt (Chorus – Firefighter Dirk Denzinger) is a founding member of the IRC and has appeared in many productions since the company's founding in 2006: Boris Vian’s The Empire Builders, Jean Giraudoux’s The Madwoman of Chaillot, Eugène Ionesco's The Chairs, Victims of Duty, The Leader, and Foursome; Christopher Durang's The Actor's Nightmare, Wanda's Visit, Samuel Beckett's Catastrophe, and numerous Raw Onions. Many thanks to Tina for making all of this possible and an awesome cast and dedicated crew. Thank you for supporting The IRC!
The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium presents
Marriage by
Nikolai Gogol
An utterly improbable occurrence in two acts
February 2012
The Walnut Street Theatre Studio Five
www.IdiopathicRidiculopathyConsortium.org
Ethan Lipkin (Josef Schmitz) is glad to be back with the IRC, where he has previously appeared in their productions of The Madwoman of Chaillot and A Streetcar Named Durang. Most recently he has appeared in Killing Neil LaBute by David Robson for The April Arts Festival, as Snug the Joiner in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Sir Jack Falstaff in Henry IV Part I at the Philadelphia Shakespeare Theater, and as Wendell in New City Stage’s production of Chicken. He has also performed locally with the Wilma Theater, Shakespeare in Clark Park, Vagabond Acting Troupe, The Walking Fish, and has been featured in works by Beckett, Chekhov, Mamet and Williams.
Jaime Pannone (Chorus – Firefighter Laverne Coyle) picked up a guitar in New York City before packing up her bags and heading to Philadelphia. Since relocating to the City of Brotherly Love, she has become a familiar face on the local music scene with her band, After the Noise. Since playing the role of Paulette in IRC’s September production of The Madwoman of Chaillot, Jaime has enjoyed exchanging her blonde wig for boxing gloves as The Empire Builders’ fight captain.
Kirsten Quinn (Babette Beidermann) is thrilled to be working with IRC for the third time (fifth if you count the Onions) in this exciting production of The Arsonists! Quinn holds an M.F.A. in acting from the University of Pittsburgh. Credits in Philadelphia and the surrounding area include work with the Wilma, the Lantern, InterAct Theatre, Luna Theater, Theater Catalyst's ESP (co-founder), Greenlight, Montgomery Theatre, B.Someday, New City Stage, Center City Theatre Works and various Fringe companies. Favorite roles include but are certainly not limited to: Mme Gabrielle in The Madwoman of Chaillot (IRC), Ms. Havilland in Unwrap Your Candy (Luna), Darlin' I'm Tellin' in Joyce Carole Oates' I Stand Before You Naked (ESP), Beverly in The Shadow Box (Center City Theatre Works), Lady Macbeth (Shakespeare in the Schools Tour) and Adela in House of Bernarda Alba (Lantern). Thank you to Tina, the wonderful team of IRC, and the cast and crew. Thank you also to Community College of Philadelphia where Kirsten has been a professor for many years. Kirsten would like to send love and thanks to her wonderful family for all of their love and support (especially Mom, Dad, Fran and Rich:) Tom, and Nana), and to Ari, for being the best husband in the world. I love you all.
Lee Pucklis (Doctor of Philosophy) appeared in the IRC's The Madwoman of Chaillot, Victim's of Duty, The Chairs, and The Gnädiges Fraulein. He has acted and produced on and off Broadway, in regional and stock theatre, film and TV. His formal training came from Meisner, Strasberg, LeGallienne, and Lortel. Additional NY theatre work includes the general management and stage and production management functions at Lucille Lortel Productions, The Actors Studio, Union Square Theatre, American Place Theatre, and Circle Rep. Lee is a past member of the NY League of Theatre Producers, and also a former theatre
Ethan Lipkin (Josef Schmitz) is glad to be back with the IRC, where he has previously appeared in their productions of The Madwoman of Chaillot and A Streetcar Named Durang. Most recently he has appeared in Killing Neil LaBute by David Robson for The April Arts Festival, as Snug the Joiner in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Sir Jack Falstaff in Henry IV Part I at the Philadelphia Shakespeare Theater, and as Wendell in New City Stage’s production of Chicken. He has also performed locally with the Wilma Theater, Shakespeare in Clark Park, Vagabond Acting Troupe, The Walking Fish, and has been featured in works by Beckett, Chekhov, Mamet and Williams.
Jaime Pannone (Chorus – Firefighter Laverne Coyle) picked up a guitar in New York City before packing up her bags and heading to Philadelphia. Since relocating to the City of Brotherly Love, she has become a familiar face on the local music scene with her band, After the Noise. Since playing the role of Paulette in IRC’s September production of The Madwoman of Chaillot, Jaime has enjoyed exchanging her blonde wig for boxing gloves as The Empire Builders’ fight captain.
Kirsten Quinn (Babette Beidermann) is thrilled to be working with IRC for the third time (fifth if you count the Onions) in this exciting production of The Arsonists! Quinn holds an M.F.A. in acting from the University of Pittsburgh. Credits in Philadelphia and the surrounding area include work with the Wilma, the Lantern, InterAct Theatre, Luna Theater, Theater Catalyst's ESP (co-founder), Greenlight, Montgomery Theatre, B.Someday, New City Stage, Center City Theatre Works and various Fringe companies. Favorite roles include but are certainly not limited to: Mme Gabrielle in The Madwoman of Chaillot (IRC), Ms. Havilland in Unwrap Your Candy (Luna), Darlin' I'm Tellin' in Joyce Carole Oates' I Stand Before You Naked (ESP), Beverly in The Shadow Box (Center City Theatre Works), Lady Macbeth (Shakespeare in the Schools Tour) and Adela in House of Bernarda Alba (Lantern). Thank you to Tina, the wonderful team of IRC, and the cast and crew. Thank you also to Community College of Philadelphia where Kirsten has been a professor for many years. Kirsten would like to send love and thanks to her wonderful family for all of their love and support (especially Mom, Dad, Fran and Rich:) Tom, and Nana), and to Ari, for being the best husband in the world. I love you all.
Lee Pucklis (Doctor of Philosophy) appeared in the IRC's The Madwoman of Chaillot, Victim's of Duty, The Chairs, and The Gnädiges Fraulein. He has acted and produced on and off Broadway, in regional and stock theatre, film and TV. His formal training came from Meisner, Strasberg, LeGallienne, and Lortel. Additional NY theatre work includes the general management and stage and production management functions at Lucille Lortel Productions, The Actors Studio, Union Square Theatre, American Place Theatre, and Circle Rep. Lee is a past member of the NY League of Theatre Producers, and also a former theatre
program auditor for the New York State Council on the Arts. Presently, he is a board member of the IRC aiding in fundraising and production development.
Monah Yancy (Chorus – Firefighter Nancy LeBlanc) is a property manager for an apartment community in the Northeast as well as an actress. Monah graduated from Texas Woman’s University in December 1999 with her B.A. in Performing Arts. She moved to Philadelphia in 2001 to pursue her acting career. Since then she has not only acted on stage but has also done technical work for theatre companies such as Playmasters’ in Bensalem, PA as sound and lighting tech. This is Monah’s third time working with The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium, and she loves every minute of it. Monah would like to thank Tina for allowing her to be a part of a creative, outgoing group of actors/project. Thank you to such great parents for allowing me to always express myself and for showing me such unconditional love and support.
Tina Brock (Mrs. Knechtling, Director) is one of the founding members of the IRC. Directing projects include Boris Vian’s The Empire Builders, Jean Giraudoux's The Madwoman of Chaillot, Eugène Ionesco's The Chairs, The Lesson, Frenzy for Two, Foursome, The Leader and Victims of Duty; Samuel Beckett's Ohio Impromptu, Catastrophe, and Come and Go; Edward Albee's The Sandbox; Harold Pinter’s Trouble in the Works; Christopher Durang’s Wanda’s Visit, For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls, Desire Desire Desire, A Stye of the Eye and The Actor’s Nightmare, and Tennessee Williams' The Gnädiges Fraulein. As an actress, theater credits include Philadelphia Theater Company, Act II Playhouse, Luna Theater, Azuka Theater, Theatre Exile, Arden Theater Company. Tina studied Journalism and Dance at University of Maryland; Speech Communication at West Chester University and Psychology at Rutgers University. Over the past fifteen years she has also worked as a freelance producer and writer, including associate producer credits on the NPR radio series A Chef's Table with Jim Coleman, and in the development, public information and fundraising departments at PBS affiliate WHYY-TV12. Many thanks to the incredibly hard-working and very talented cast, crew and design team for their efforts. Welcome to Liam, one and all!
Bob Schmidt (Chorus – Firefighter Dirk Denzinger) is a founding member of the IRC and has appeared in many productions since the company's founding in 2006: Boris Vian’s The Empire Builders, Jean Giraudoux’s The Madwoman of Chaillot, Eugène Ionesco's The Chairs, Victims of Duty, The Leader, and Foursome; Christopher Durang's The Actor's Nightmare, Wanda's Visit, Samuel Beckett's Catastrophe, and numerous Raw Onions. Many thanks to Tina for making all of this possible and an awesome cast and dedicated crew. Thank you for supporting The IRC!
The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium presents
Marriage by
Nikolai Gogol
An utterly improbable occurrence in two acts
February 2012
The Walnut Street Theatre Studio Five
www.IdiopathicRidiculopathyConsortium.org
Tomas Dura (Chorus – Firefighter Simon Canino) has toured Europe, Canada and the U.S. and has appeared in film, video and television. He is best knows as a flamenco dancer in addition to being an actor, musician and fire eater. He worked with the great flamenco dancer, Jose Greco, for 8 years, frequently serving as assistant during Mr. Greco's last years. Tomas performed solo with the Philadelphia Orchestra to a sold out house at the Kimmel Center in his own choreography of the Spanish Dance from Swan Lake (2007). He has worked in the films Smoke and Mirrors (director K. Hardy ), Loneliness (director M. Zubarev) and About Angels (Zubarev). He dances in the movie, Cafe, directed by Marc Erlbaum and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt. Tomas has collaborated with artists like Flameno Ole, Kei Takei's Moving Earth and the Wilma Theater . He is the director and lead male dancer of Fiesta Flamenco Dancers and is choreographer in residence with the Amici Opera Co. He has received numerous grants from the Pa Council on the Arts and the 5 County Arts Fund. He has also received commissions from the Community Education Center & NY performances at the Joyce Soho through the New Dance Alliance. He teaches flamenco dance classes in grade schools, high schools, colleges and public community centers. Previous roles with the IRC have included the Listener in Beckett's Ohio Impromptu, the Deaf Mute in The Madwoman of Chaillot and The Schmürz in The Empire Builders.
Kristen Egermeier (Anna) Born, raised, and trained in Los Angeles, Kristen then carved out her professional career in Washington, D.C. before moving to Philadelphia last year. Favorite productions from Philadelphia, D.C and L.A. include Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom, Merry, Happy…What?, A Thousand Cranes, We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay!, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Stinky Cheese Man, Mad Breed, Rashomon, 1984, and Twelfth Night. Kristen holds a B.A. in Theatre from California State University, Northridge with an emphasis in Acting and Costume Design. A huge thank you to The IRC team, her husband and family, friends, and Finn (her dog, who always patiently listens to her practice her lines)!
Mark Knight (William Eisenring) has appeared in 183 stage plays as well as on radio & TV. He has toured the UK & Europe. He is a playwright, producer & director. He was resident Actor/ Teacher/Manager at Shakespeare's Globe Education Department, London and toured internationally on the Globe's behalf for many years. He now lives in Philadelphia as a permanent legal alien. He co-produces the 24 hour Overknight Theatre a program offering theatre artists abundant production possibilities for fresh & intriguing work. www.FB.com/OverknightTheatre, email: [email protected], or 267-888-7529
The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium
Board of Directors
Tina Brock Susan Feagin
Alyson Fillippone, CPA - Treasurer Gail Furman - Secretary
Eileen O'Brien Lee Pucklis
Susan Satkowski, Esq. Bob Schmidt
Jane Stojak - President Earl Wilcox
The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium P. O. Box 63872, Philadelphia, PA 19147
www.IdiopathicRidiculopathyConsortium.org
Promotional consideration for The Arsonists was provided by
Follica Plus
good news for men!
Liam Brock (Light Operator) is a wizard hailing from the frozen wastes of the far north. He possesses mastery of illuminomancy. His Mother adds: Liam Brock is an 11th Grader who eats a lot, sleeps a lot, enjoys computer games and has a vivid imagination. He’s an all-around swell person. Last year he played Willy Loman in his high school’s production of Death of a Salesman.
Gregory Day (Stage Manager) is a techie, playwright, dead-head and stage director originally from Sugar Land, Texas. Recent works include *Trickster* (produced as part of the Free Library's One Book/One City campaign), *Deep Dark Hollow* and last year's zombie fringe radio play *Dead Air. * He has worked with the Kitchen Theatre Company in Ithaca, NY, Main Street Theater in Houston, the New York Musical Theatre Festival with And-Entertainment and produces a one act festival at the Dawson Street Pub. Many many thanks to Tina and IRC for the smokes, jokes and fun.
Jahna Ferron-Smith (Prop Construction/Assistant Stage Manager) is entering her senior year this fall at Boston University College of Fine Arts. She is a Theatre Arts major and has been involved in a number of productions, including Merrily We Roll and the Orestia. This past winter she studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and had the opportunity to perform in Othello and Richard III as well. She would like thank the cast and Tina Brock for allowing her to create with them.
Meghan Jones (Scenic Design) is delighted to join the design team for The Arsonists. Her previous design experience with IRC includes The Empire Builders. She mostly designs throughout the Philadelphia region. Past companies include Inis Nua, Theatre Exile, Azuka Theatre, The Lantern Theater Co. and People's Light and Theater Co. Highlighted designs include Kidnapped, HunterGathers, Neighborhood 3, Pumpgirl and Uncle Vanya. Meghan is Production Manager for The Lantern Theater Company. In her copious down time she dabbles in fine painting and furniture design. She holds her MFA from Temple University. Most appreciation to IRC's Staff, Cast, and Crew for all their support.
Aaron Oster (Sound Design) started his professional career in Minneapolis, where he designed and directed with the Southern Theater, Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, and the Minnesota Fringe Festival. After receiving an MFA in Directing (Ohio University), he migrated to Philadelphia to work as a director, dramaturge and sound designer specializing in new work. Sound designs for local productions include: Bedbound and Pumpgirl (Inis Nua), How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found, Slasher, Hot and Throbbing and
WHO’S WHO
Liam Castellan (Gottlieb Biedermann) was last seen in Much Ado About Nothing with Shakespeare in Clark Park. IRC fans may remember him from every single Raw Onion fundraiser, as well as Four of a Kind in the 2007 Fringe. He directed Titus Andronicus for Plays & Players in the 2010 Fringe, and has also directed for Hedgerow Theatre, the Walking Fish Theatre, and PDC. Other acting credits include Simpatico Theatre Project, Hedgerow, and the Living Arts, Inc. world tour of Porgy and Bess. Liam is a proud ensemble member of Curio Theatre Company as both actor and director. Up next: acting in Accidental Death of an Anarchist for Curio.
John D'Alonzo (Chorus Leader – Firefighter Frank Piazza ) is very honored to be working with the IRC again! Previous productions include The Gnadiges Fraulein, The Madwoman of Chaillot, and The Best of Raw Onion: Let Us Eat Cake! John also helped produce Secret Room Theatre's Philly Fringe shows Wired and Lickety Skits. (www.secretroomtheatre.com) John would like to thank Tina, the cast, crew, friends, family and You for supporting the Arts!
Jesse Delaney (Policeman, Sound Operator) has been involved with the Philadelphia Fringe Festival since 2001, and is happy to be working with the Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium again. He has capered as a giant fox in Workshop for Potential Movement's Speak, Mascot!, peddled shoelaces and opened doors in IRC's The Madwoman of Chaillot, and lit up the stage from the tech booth in The Empire Builders. When not in the theater, Jesse enjoys volunteering with Neighborhood Bike Works and riding his yellow 10-speed around town.
Michael Dura (Chorus – Firefighter Flynn Coleman) has been actively involved in theatre, film, music and dance for over twenty five years. He received his BA degree in Music at La Salle University in 1975 and went on to study voice with Regina Zona, Joyce M. DiDonato, Thomas Scurto-Davis, and finally Enrico Di Giuseppe. Theatrically he has performed with such companies as The Vagabond Acting Troupe, Big Mess Theatre, Iron Age Theatre, and The Brick Playhouse. Philadelphians got to know him for his annual portrayal of Edgar Allen Poe with the Philadelphia Orchestra in its Halloween Concert at the Kimmel Center. He is also known for playing Dick Deadeye in the Savoy Company's last production of H.M.S Pinafore at the Academy of Music. He has performed operatically for such companies as Delaware Valley Opera, Amici Opera, Blue Planet Opera, and the West Chester Opera Society. Previous performances with the IRC include his shared performance with his brother, Tomas, in Samuel Beckett's Ohio Impromptu, his portrayal of the street singer in The Madwoman of Chaillot and, most recently, as The Neighbor in The Empire Builders.
The Arsonists Costume Design
Brian Strachan
Lighting Design Josh Schulman
Scenic Design Meghan Jones
Sound Design Aaron Oster
Technical Director Rajiv Shah
Set Construction Andy Campbell
Scenic Painter Colleen Sawyer
Stage Manager Gregory Day
Sound Operator Jesse Delaney
Light Board Operator Liam Brock
Vocal Coach Michael Dura
Prop Construction/Assistant Stage Manager Jahna Ferron-Smith
House Manager/Police Officer Ari Benjamin Bank
Box Office Manager Eileen O’Brien
Photography Johanna Austin
(AustinArt Photography – www.austinart.org)
Orange Flower Water (Luna Theatre), Shapes of Things (Plays & Players), This is Our Youth and Getting Out (Simpatico), The Faculty Room (Flashpoint), Back to the Boulevard, (Theatre Ariel) and Spring Awakening (EgoPo). He is the Associate Artistic Director of Luna Theatre Company and a CCTC Company Member, as well as an adjunct theatre professor at WCU and Rutgers University, Camden. He is a member of the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors' Lab, and is a resident of Collingswood, New Jersey. Thanks to IRC for this opportunity, and love to Lindsay, who puts up with it all.
Rajiv Shah (Technical Director) is a graduate of Temple University. His commitment to theater began at a young age with summers shared between Spoleto Festival USA, Charleston, SC and Summer Stage, Upper Darby, PA. From 2002 to 2009 he toured as Production Manager for The Gershwin's Opera, Porgy & Bess in England, Ireland, Scotland, Portugal, Poland, Russia, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Trinidad, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, and the USA, Head carpenter with the national tour of Martha Graham Dance Company, Avenue Q, and Barbie Live in Fairytopia. Raj's love of Philadelphia and carpentry has empowered him to freelance as a technical director since early 2010, creating scenery for the LanternTheater, Inis Nua Theatre Company, The Berserker Residents, Amyrillis, and Burlington County College, and most recently the Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. Arts is a rough road in a recession but I'll swing the hammer if you buy the seat.
Joshua Schulman (Lighting Design) was the 2008 Barrymore Award winner for his lighting of Art at Delaware Theatre Company. He was also nominated for a Barrymore in 2009 for lighting Rock ‘N’ Roll at the Wilma Theatre. Work for other companies includes Azuka Theatre, Media Theatre Company, InterAct Theater, Flashpoint Theater Company, Lantern Theater, The Hidden City Festival, Theatre West Virginia, Rebecca Davis Dance Company, Hotel Obligato, and many more. Joshua has his MFA from Boston University. Love to Karen and Elijah.
Brian Strachan (Costume Design and Construction) is the costume shop manager/designer at the Delaware Theater Company. Brian has designed The Lesson, The Chairs, The Gnädiges Fraulein and The Madwoman of Chaillot for the IRC in past seasons. Brian has also designed costumes for The University of the Arts Dance Department, EgoPo Theater Company, The Lantern Theater Company, Ursinus College, Sharp Dance Company, Isis Theater Company, New City Stage, The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theater, Temple University, and Enchantment Theatre as well as many other theaters and colleges across the country. Brian is so happy to be back working with the IRC. Brian can be reached at [email protected].
September 2011
The Arsonists still burns brightly
Welcome! The IRC bursts into our 6th season with this regional premiere of Alistair Beaton’s elegant translation of Max Frisch’s 1958 absurdist romp, The Firebugs. The theme of Max Frisch's classic play -- that private and public morality cannot be separated -- rings even truer today. What is our responsibility to self, to family, to our neighbors and beyond? Why do we choose to ignore glaring red flags in front of our faces, and what is the damage we suffer for that choice? Alistair Beaton offers these notes on his translation: “The Arsonists is my title for a play previously known as The Fire Raisers, first staged in Britain at the Royal Court in 1961. When Dominic Cooke and Ramin Gray asked me to come up with a new translation as part of the Court's international season, I went back to the original German text to see how much the play still had to say to a modern audience. In other words, I wondered whether I ought to be doing a straightforward translation or a new version. I was pleased to find that Max Frisch's famous play required little in the way of updating. We immediately have to ask: what is the great evil we are failing to face up to today? Is it still nuclear weapons? Is it the destruction of our environment through personal greed and corporate plunder? Is it the misery we inflict upon the Third World? Is it the erosion of our liberties in the name of the War on Terror? With a Greek chorus composed of firefighters, the power of The Arsonists lies in the undefined nature of the evil it portrays.
(continued on inside back cover)
Many thanks to those who made The Arsonists possible:
Inferno ($250.00 and above) The Samuel S. Fels Fund
The Philadelphia Cultural Fund The Charlotte Cushman Foundation
Brian and Morgan Adoff Susan Feagin Gail Furman
Andy Lamas and Ginny Vanderslice Jane Stojak
Beverly Stover Earl Wilcox, Plannerzone, Inc.
Blaze ($100.00 - $249.99)
Jim Caiola and David Salama - Beau Monde • Jeanne George Andrea O'Shea • Dr. Steven Peitzman • Joanna Shope
Stephen and Johnne Tint • Lisa and Stuart Young Askold Zagars and Marie Feehan
Flame ($50.00 - $99.99)
Herman and Madeline Axelrod • Pat and Stacey Bishop John D'Alonzo • Patricia Durante • Norman and Carolyn Ellman
Sam Hopkins and Eileen O'Brien • Moe and Sandy Lebo Paul Levine • Pat and Allyson Lewis • Michael Lynch
Rose O'Brien and Jim Devine • Lee Pucklis Thomas and Kathleen Quinn • Christopher and Jennifer Rule
Bob and Pat Schmidt • Joel and Barbara Stewart
Spark (Up to $49.99)
John and Alberta Chiaravalloti • Rosina Coltellaro Jesse Delaney • Suzanne Eagleson • Peter Forcinito
Robert Gregerson • Jeanette Hartunian Suzanne Inman • Robert C. Jones • Robert Judge
Marc Scheiner and Jonathan Hamm • Lois Shestack Michael Zuckerman
(continued from inside front cover) Where the play is precise is in identifying what happens when there is a private-public split in a person's moral code. We can't be decent people at home while ignoring the evils of the world. It just doesn't work.”
~ ~ ~ More than a century earlier than Frisch, and halfway around the globe, Nikolai Gogol was writing about the absurdity of the human condition in his native Russia. I hope you’ll join us in February 2012 once again at the Walnut Street Theatre Studio 5 for Nikolai Gogol’s Marriage. Gogol’s writing goes beyond tragedy or comedy into a realm that might be called “cosmic farce.” Earlier this year we had the opportunity to experience Geoffrey Rush playing the lowly civil servant Poprischin in Gogol’s Diary of a Madman at Brooklyn Academy of Music. The language was extraordinary. As was Rush. And while we weren’t able to secure him for the lead role of Podkolyoshin in IRC’s production of Marriage, his playful spirit and interpretation left such an impression that we felt compelled to stage one of Gogol’s works. Please tell a friend about the IRC and stay connected with our goings on at www.IdiopathicRidiculopathyConsortium.org. It’s your support that helps to keep these works alive for generations to come… they might not be staged otherwise. See you at the theater. Tina Brock Producing Artistic Director
The Arsonists A moral play without a moral
A new translation of
Max Frisch’s The Firebugs by Alistair Beaton
CAST
(in order of appearance)
Gottlieb Biedermann Liam Castellan Chorus Leader John D’Alonzo Chorus Monah Yancy Chorus Jaime Pannone Chorus Bob Schmidt Chorus Michael Dura Chorus Tomas Dura Anna Kristen Egermeier Josef Schmitz Ethan Lipkin Babette Biedermann Kirsten Quinn William Eisenring Mark Knight Policeman Jesse Delaney Doctor of Philosophy Lee Pucklis Mrs. Knechtling Tina Brock
Directed by Tina Brock
This production is made possible in part by generous grants from
The Samuel S. Fels Fund and The Philadelphia Cultural Fund
The Charlotte Cushman Foundation
The IRC participates in the Barrymore Awards Honoring Excellence in Theater
Playing time is approximately 70 minutes;
there will be no intermission.
SPECIAL THANKS to the following individuals and organizations for their
donation of in-kind goods and services:
The William Penn Foundation Earl Wilcox
Eileen O’Brien and Sam Hopkins Susan Feagin Jesse Delaney
Bill Brock Susan Satkowski & George Sfedu
Gregory Day Ari Benjamin Bank
Curio Theatre Company Kevin Glaccum/Azuka Theater Company Tom Reing/Inis Nua Theatre Company Tim Martin/Lantern Theatre Company Jessica Doheny/Walnut Street Theatre
Glen Sears/Walnut Street Theatre Properties Department La Croix Restaurant
Peter DeFeo Andy Campbell Britt Plunkett Brian Adoff
Kate Black-Regan Liam Castellan John D'Alonzo Michael Dura Sharon Geller
Michael Harrah Kati Kertesz Ethan Lipkin Jane Moore
Kevin Murphy Lee Pucklis Bill Rayhill
Sonja Robson Jane Stojak
Bayard Walker Ryan McMenamin
Johanna Austin - AustinArt Photography - austinart.org Mark Knight - OverKnight Theater - http://FB.com/OverKnightTheatre
or email [email protected]
Cast Member profiles available online on the Theater, Dance and Visual Art Event Calendar:
www.EventsFilter.com
