STREAMING JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 7, 2021 - VILLANOVA THEATRE PRESENTS - Villanova ...
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V I L L A N O V A T H E A T R E P R E S E N T S
STREAMING JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 7, 2021
About Villanova University
Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition
has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn
to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others.
There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in
the University’s six colleges – the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the
Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise
Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and
the Villanova University School of Law. As students grow intellectually,
Villanova prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change
everywhere life takes them.
In Gratitude
The faculty, staff and students of Villanova Theatre extend sincere gratitude
to those generous benefactors who have established endowed
funds in support of our efforts:
Marianne M. and Charles P. Connolly Jr. ’70
Dorothy Ann and Bernard A. Coyne, Ph.D. ̓55
Patricia M. ’78 and Joseph C. Franzetti ’78
The Donald R. Kurz Family
Peter J. Lavezzoli ’60
Patricia A. Maskinas
Msgr. Joseph F. X. McCahon ’65
Mary Anne C. Morgan ̓70 and
Family & Friends of Brian G. Morgan ̓67, ̓70
Anthony T. Ponturo ’74
Eric J. Schaeffer and Susan Trimble Schaeffer ’78
The Thomas and Tracey Gravina Foundation
For information about how you can support the Theatre Department, please contact
Heather Potts-Brown, Director of Annual Giving, at (610) 519-4583.
gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our many patrons & subscribers.
We wish to offer special thanks to our donors.
20-21 Benefactors
A Running Friend William R. & Lillian N. Denise Ermilio
Farrokh Abadi Cassel Kevin Esmond
Sara Abbott H. William Chapman John T. Fallon
Richard B. Adler Anna May Charrington Robert Fanelli
Karen Allen Duncan Cheshire Larry & Barb Farrell
Frank Alston Abbot Elizabeth Chesick Carol Feeney
Anita Alvare-Gaynor Cristine N. Chory Dave & Betty Fish
Kristina Austlid Suzanne Clain Linda Fisher
Tara Bacani Jeanne Coburn Kenneth Fleischer
Lyn & John Bajtelsmit Carol Cohen Anne Fleming
Thomas J. Barbar John Collins James D. Fratto
Thomas Baroth Sarah M. Conlon Elizabeth Frawley
David Barry & Susan Kabat Linda Copel Michael K. Friel
Lisa Basgall Kent Cprek Sharon and Robert Fuerman
Olivia Lauren Bateh Debra Crane Mary Jane Fullam
Phoebe Baxter Janet Creedon Karen Gaffney
Robert & Barbara Beck Alan Culler Marc Gallicchio
Marilyn Becker Michael Cuneo Honorable John & Anne
Dana Bereznak Estate of Sara B. Curley Gartland
Nicholas F. Biesiada Bill D’Agostino Christine Gaspar
Pamela Blewitt Joseph D’Angelo Lawrence Geller
Joseph & Miriam Blimm Christopher Dayett Melissa D. Gerding
Carol N. Boslet Marie Dellagreca Chase Gibson
Rebecca Bradbeer Susan W. Dennen Sarah Gilbert
Richard Bradford Robert Devos Gilbane Building Company
Carol Bradley David & Shelly Dinehart S. Glattes
Arleen Brainard John & Diane DiSimone Eileen Gray
Gerard Brandon Mary Disipio Patti Greenwood
George Brennan Rev. Peter M. Donohue Linda Griska
Michael Brown Donna Dougherty Priscilla Grosick
Geraldine Burton Richard Egan Thomas & Josephine
Catherine F. Cabot Shannon Elizabeth Gudowicz
Nicholas & Janet Caniglia Marilyn C. Ely Paul Christopher Guerin
Wesley Carroccio Richard Erickson Judith Hadley
Brian & Sonja Haggert Cherie Laster Michael F. Neff Kathy S. Hall Marc & Gina Lario A. Hirotoshi & Sumie S. Stephen Harlen Bob & Mary Lawler Nishikawa Theresa Haro Christian Libson Bill & Mimi Nolan Caelyn Harris Susan & Len Lodish Beverly Nolan Beth Hassel Robert & Kathy Lorentson Edward Novak James Hawkins Anita Loveland Marta Nolan-Alley Matthew Heim Ronald Macgillivray Irene W. Nunnari Charles Helmetag Jeanine Mallon Janet O’Brien John A. Hermann & Delia Debra Margerum Josephine O’Brien Mullaney Dorothea D. Martin Andrew J. Packer D. Herrick Henry & Mary Martuscello Martin Page John Hilliard Ed & Lucille Mathis Christine Palus Richard A. Hirsh Laura Matthews Mary-Angela Papalaskari Margaret Hoey James Matthews Spencer Pascal David A. Hoffmann Susan May Jeff & Connie Pelesh Michael Hollinger Sharon McCabe Francis Pelone Rosemary Holt Dorothy McCabe Marcia H. Pentz Sandra Horne David & Ann McCarraher Randy Petersen Shari Hughes John McCarthy Chelsea Phillips Nancy & Joseph Hopko Claire McCormick Debra Phillips Kerry L. Huntsman Matthew McGovern Claire Pisapia Anthony J. Inverso Layne & Terry McHugh Harris A. Platt Frederick Jackes Carol McKiernan Matt Ploch Elizabeth Jekot George McNeal Marita Podder Margaret Jochum Catherine McQuaid Matt Pollart Jack & Fran Johannes Federico Melo Susan Poritsky Thomas Johnson James Menz Jennie Quinn Eric Karson Mary Beth Miller Florence Reif Madeleine Keehn Anne Minicozzi Mary Jo Reilly Betty Anne & Frank Kenney Puala Mirabile Emily Richard Kim Keszeli Marie Mitchum Emily Riley Patricia Kirwin Kenneth Michael Mont Mary Robinson Kat Ross Kline Stephanie Moore Heidi Rose Carolyn Klock Mary Anne C. Morgan Kevin Rouse Martha & Leo Kob Donna Moriarty Ronald & Mary Russo Joan & Jack Kramer John Mullany Lara Rutherford-Morrison Gloria & Ed Kresch Amy Myers Patricia Ryan Nicole Kruman Regina Myers Paul Ryskalchick Caroline Kunz Cecelia Natt Margaret Saeger Susan Lang Kathleen Nazar Christopher Sarnowski
Judith Saunders Tangerine Isabella Sazak Lloyd B. Tepper Ann Scheve Joseph & Susanne Thompson Margaret Schiavo Charlotte Thurston Joseph T. Schick & Michael F. Joanne & Paul Tierney Williamson James & Mary Ellen Trainer Marguerite K. Schlag Christine Tranchida Megan Schumacher Patricia Tucci Melissa Schutte Helen Tursi Jutta Seibert Gail Underiner Rachel Seligman Rodger & Judy Van Allen Barry & Laura Selinsky Adele Vecchiolli Sheila Shannon Jess Ventura Elaine Sharer Dwayne Verley Judith Shepherd Anna Marie Vernot Kathleen Sheridan Sara Wallace Kim Shimer Annmarie Walsh Jacqueline Sigel Megan Walsh-Boyle Jeane Sigler Christopher Ware Haley Simmonds Eric Watkins Bill & Cathy Siple Elaine Webster Brian Sirak Jim & Mary Weeks Richard Sleutaris Debra Holt Weil Janice Smink Lizanne Wentz Chris Smith Suzanne Wentzel Stuard Smith Jack Whelan Rose Marie Smith Lori Whittaker Terry & Joe Sousa Adrena Williams Loretta Spadafora Grant Williams Ellen Spencer Taylor Williams Julia Stein Patricia Wood Denette Stetler Joseph Wootten Barbara Stevenson James Peter Yandoli Gay Strickler Suzanne M. Zadik Donald Stryker Xuewel Zhang Meghan Tait Stephen Zeller This list is updated as of January 27, 2021. Gifts of $25 and above are acknowledged in the program. This list reflects ticket refund donations for Merrily We Roll Along. If your name has been misprinted or omitted, or if you are interested in supporting Villanova Theatre, please contact: Kimberly Reilly, Director of Marketing & PR at (610) 519 - 7454.
Villanova Theatre Presents
songs for a new world
Music and Lyrics by
JASON ROBERT BROWN
Originally Produced by the WPA Theatre, New York City, 1995
(Kyle Renick, Artistic Director)
Original Orchestration by Brian Besterman and Jason Robert Brown
Scenic Designer Costume Designer
ASAKI KURUMA JANUS STEFANOWICZ
Lighting Designer Sound Designer
JEROLD R. FORSYTH MICHAEL KILEY
Music Director Production Dramaturg
PETER A. HILLIARD MATTHEW REDDIN
Director of Photography
TAJ RAUCH
Directed by
KARA SCARAMAZZA
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International
(MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com
Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world’s leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres
from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Found-
ed in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser, and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical
theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form.
MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts,
musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 70,000 professional, community and school theatres in
the US and in over 60 countries worldwide.
MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre, and has created special collections to meet the needs of
various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior™ shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for
performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotat-
ed for performance by high school students.
Any video and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.
Appearing Online January 28 - February 7, 2021
CAST
Amanda Atkinson, Charlie Barney, David Burgess,
Cristy Chory, Erin Coffman, Meghan Dietzler,
Frankie Frabizzio, Brian Jacko, Angela Rose Longo, Tina Lynch,
Lora Margerum, Mikal K. Odom, Mason Olshavsky,
Cristian Rodriguez, Sharese Salters, Emily Sgroi
PRODUCTION CREW
Stage Manager .................................................................. Veshonte Brown
Assistant Stage Manager ................................................ Nicholas V. Ecker
Sound Board Operator ........................................................ Allison Bajada
Production Manager .................................................................... John Flak
Production Assistant ...................................................... Alison Scaramella
Master Electrician ............................................................. Michael Hamlet
Director of Digital Strategy ............................................... Kimberly Reilly
Event Coordinator ................................................................. Margo Raube
SPECIAL THANKS
Autumn Storm Blalock, Kate Fischer
MUSICAL NUMBERS
“The New World”.............................................. Sharese Salters, Company
“On the Deck of a Spanish Sailing Ship 1492”.................. Charlie Barney
“Just One Step”....................................................................... Cristy Chory
“I’m Not Afraid of Anything”........................................ Amanda Atkinson
“The River Won’t Flow”................. Frankie Frabizzio & Mason Olshavsky
Transition to: “Stars and the Moon”................................... Sharese Salters
“Stars and the Moon” ....................................................... Lora Margerum
“She Cries”..................................................................... Mason Olshavsky
“The Steam Train”........................................................ Cristian Rodriguez
“The World Was Dancing”............................ David Burgess & Tina Lynch
“Surabaya Santa”......................................................... Angela Rose Longo
“Christmas Lullaby”......................................................... Meghan Dietzler
“King of the World”........................................................... Mikal K. Odom
“I’d Give it All for You”.................................. Brian Jacko & Emily Sgroi
Transition to: “The Flagmaker, 1775”................................. Sharese Salters
“The Flagmaker, 1775”......................................................... Erin Coffman
“Flying Home”.................................................................... Charlie Barney
“Hear My Song” .......................................................................... Company
“Bows” ........................................................................................ Orchestra
ORCHESTRA
Keyboard .......................................................................... Peter A. Hilliard
Bass ................................................................................. Jonathan Hilliard
Cello ............................................................................... Nicholas Hilliard
Guitar .............................................................................. Stephen Kleiman
Strings ............................................................................... Russell Kotcher
Drums ...................................................................................... Kevin Stahl
Is Songs for a New World
a work of theatre?
Dramaturgical Notes by Matthew Reddin
Often called a song cycle, Songs does not have an easy, simple nar-
rative with clearly defined protagonists and a single objective driving
them forward. Instead, it is composed of 16 distinct songs, most of them
solo pieces, none of which explicitly connect to any other. They are not
sung by the same characters – although throughlines can occasionally
be drawn – and many of them are more famous as stand-alone cabaret
numbers than as part of a unified whole.
However, the structure of Songs for a New World is not the only factor
complicating the question above for our production. Due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic and the need for keeping our performers, creative
teams, and patrons safe, you will be witnessing this show not from the
luxurious seats of our brand-new Topper Theatre, but from a safe space
of your choosing, on a computer screen or smart device. With a single
exception, the entirety of this production has been rehearsed and per-
formed in isolation, with actors doubling as their own stage managers,
taking direction via Zoom, and recording performances that were edit-
ed together with pre-recorded orchestration to create a finished, filmed
product they have only seen in its totality a few days before you.
This is not theatre the way we have known it. But we believe this pro-
duction is still theatre for a simple reason: At its heart, this process has
always remained one where all of us are working together to collabo-
ratively tell a story our audience needs to hear as much as we do. It is
theatre because we built it that way.
“I Just Want to Tell A Story”
The line above, taken from the song “She Cries,” could serve as a thesis
statement both for the characters within Songs for a New World and for
our production of this musical. One of the reasons Songs was chosen by
the student body, in partnership with Villanova Theatre faculty and staff,
was because the nature of this song cycle resonated with us, who are
similarly isolated by our COVID experiences, and in need of making a
connection to tell our stories to the world.
While we may not be able to gather together, we can use our new tools
– cameras and microphones – to accomplish what we might have used
a scenic design or a lighting transition to do once before. And we can
accomplish brand-new things we’d never be able to do in a live perfor-
mance setting as well, using technical effects to simulate glitches and
other digital artifacts that mirror those we’re currently experiencing in
our everyday lives. In this way, we are not just conveying the words and
feelings of the characters Jason Robert Brown has written, but we are
able to imbue those narratives with aspects of our lives in 2021, increas-
ing this play’s resonance with our present moment.
Telling stories is the heart of what theatre is. So, while Songs may be a
different type of show than we’re used to, and our new world requires
us to present this show in a way unlike anything we’ve ever done before,
that guiding principle – keep telling stories – remains at the heart of
what we have done here.
The Story of Songs
Songs for a New World exists, at least in part, entirely due to a single
chance encounter. In the early ‘90s, composer Jason Robert Brown was
working as a conductor, arranger, and pianist in New York City, making
ends meet while trying to figure out how to get his big break. One eve-
ning, while playing in a piano bar, he added one of his own songs into
the mix – a piece called “The Flagmaker” – and it got the attention of
Daisy Prince, a budding theatre director who complemented the song
and encouraged him to send it to her “Uncle Steve.”
That’s “Uncle Steve,” as in Stephen Sondheim. And “Prince” as in HalPrince, the famous Broadway director, and Daisy’s father. While Brown would in fact later collaborate with both Sondheim and the elder Prince, it was with Daisy Prince that he began to develop a cabaret show of his own work that would later become Songs for a New World. Brown and Prince worked closely together developing the show for many years, starting with songs Brown had written for other shows but never used and adding new pieces in one by one. The show remained unfocused, however, until Brown had a break- through and wrote the opening number that tied it all together. This opening song, and the echoes of it that recur throughout the song cy- cle, frame each of the other songs as being about “one moment … having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back.” After further revision, the show pre- miered Off-Broadway in 1995, receiv- ing mixed reviews. But when a cast al- bum was released the following year (one which, sadly, replaced original cast member Billy Porter due to a con- tractual dispute), the show’s popular- ity began to gradually grow through word of mouth. Individual songs were plucked out of the greater whole and became major cabaret standbys. Re- gional theatres, beginning with New Line Theatre in St. Louis, identified the show’s potential and produced it en masse, further expanding its reach. Brown would go on to write the Tony Award-winning Parade and his most famous musical, The Last Five Years, over the next decade, but Songs kept pace with those new pieces, becoming a diamond in the rough for musical theatre lovers. In many ways, Songs for a New World is more popular now than it has ever been. Over the last half-decade, major productions have been staged in both London and New York, the latter an Encores! Staged concert that spawned a second cast recording. And, as theatres still try to grapple with the new world created by the COVID-19 pandemic, it has emerged as a potential alternative to completely going dark, with the isolated nature of its performances enabling theatres large and small (including ours!) to produce individual numbers safely.
Yet Songs isn’t just a practical choice for theatres. Surrounded by nothing
but uncertainty, it’s soothing to experience a musical dedicated, across
all of its songs and stories, to finding something hopeful to hold onto as
we step forward into the brand-new world lying ahead of us.
Villanova’s Vision
In Brown and Prince’s original production – and almost all of the pro-
fessional productions that followed – Songs is a piece written to be per-
formed by four actors: two women and two men. While no character
technically appears in more than one song, the musical is arranged
along “tracks” which organize songs in a way to create quasi-narrative
threads. The Man 1 track, for example, features songs like “On the
Deck,” “The Steam Train,” and “King of the World,” all of which share
a focus on breaking free from some mental or physical imprisonment,
and songs from the Woman 2 track like “Just One Step,” “Stars and the
Moon,” and “Surabaya Santa” follow a series of wives realizing the
sacrifices they have made over the course of their lives.
From the moment we decided to choose Songs for a New World as a
replacement production in our 2020-21 season, the creative team made
a clear and conscious decision not to follow that framework, instead
casting a total of 16 singers. While there were some practical reasons
for this choice – opening up the cast allowed for more students to get
experience and participate in the process – this was also a creative
decision meant to emphasize the feeling of community we’re all lacking
in this present moment. For most of the play, these 16 actors are sepa-
rated from each other, just as we all are in real life. And the first time
they come together, at the start of the show, is a moment not of unity or
togetherness, but one of chaos, a worst-case-scenario Zoom call filled
with glitches and communication difficulties.But all of this serves a purpose. By the end of the show, after we have
heard all these isolated stories, there is one final moment of actual unity,
actual togetherness. A moment where our actors can be together on
stage, performing almost-live theatre in the safest way possible. In this
way, the play has been reframed as a journey just like the individual
journeys made by its many protagonists, one that begins with a com-
munity trying to be together in isolation and ends with that community
actually reunited in person, bringing a piece of our old world into this
new one, even for just a moment.
Song Snapshots
A chorus of singers herald A man adrift prays for A mother and wife is pushed A young woman reflects on
the approach of a new, himself and his fellow to extremes to get her ne- the fears of others in her
changed world. travelers to safely reach glectful husband’s attention, life, resolving not to follow
their “promised land.” threatening to leap from the in their footsteps.
roof of their penthouse.
Two men consider their A woman reflects on what A man attempts to offer A young basketball prodigy
inability to find success she chose and sacrificed in advice based on his experi- vows to one day become a
despite their continual prior romantic relationships ences with women. household name and escape
hustle. before settling down with his life in the Bronx.
her husband.
A man reflects on the events The latest Mrs. Claus says A young woman embraces An imprisoned ruler remem-
of his early 20s, which led farewell to her husband her recently discovered bers the days when he was
him to grow distant from after years of ill treatment pregnancy as the Christmas free and longs to reclaim
his family and abandon his and neglect. season dawns. his destiny.
fiancée.
Two estranged lovers reunite A woman worries about her A recently deceased soul A chorus of singers
after unsuccessfully trying husband and son, both at sings of his entry into champion the power of song
to convince themselves they war, while doing what she heaven. to bring hope in the face of
were better off apart. can to support the cause. a changing world.CAST AND CREW AMANDA ATKINSON (“I’m Not Afraid of Anything” soloist) is a senior at Villanova Uni- versity pursuing a double major in English and Classical Studies. She is the current Presi- dent of Villanova Student Musical Theatre and her past roles with the group include Hope Cladwell in Urinetown, Leading Player in Pippin and Duchess Estonia Dulworth in Nice Work If You Can Get It. Amanda is also a member of Villanova Student Theatre and played the role of Lady Catherine de Bourgh in VST’s production of Pride and Prejudice last semester. CHARLIE BARNEY (“On the Deck of a Spanish Sailing Ship 1492” and “Flying Home” soloist) is a Philadelphia area teaching artist and actor who came out of Rowan Universi- ty’s department of Theatre and Dance, where he was seen in Dracula (Robert Renfield) and The Cherry Orchard (Petra Trofimov). Other credits include Heathers The Musical (JD) and Newsies (Jack Kelly) with The Road Company. He recently joined the Eagle Theatre this past summer as one of the Conservatory Directors where they had a blast putting together a virtual revue Truth from the Youth. Charlie also teaches with EgoPo Classic Theatre in Phil- adelphia where he brings his love of theatre to city public schools. When not in the classroom setting, you may find him on the stage all throughout the Philadelphia/South Jersey area. DAVID BURGESS (“The World Was Dancing” soloist) is a second-year graduate theatre student. He is making his Villanova Theatre debut in Songs For a New World after the cancellation of Merrily We Roll Along. Prior to attending Villanova Univer- sity, he earned his BS in Computer Science with a minor in music from West Chester University. He then worked as an Audio-Visual Technician and IT helpdesk Techni- cian at the Philadelphia Museum of Art from 2004-2013. While at the PMA, David per- formed in a comedic drag troupe, The Dumpsta Players as his alter ego Amanda Playwythe. He has studied sketch writing and improv comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade in NYC as well as completing the Improv program and Philly Improv The- atre. Now he serves on the board of Beacon Theatre Productions where he appeared at C. S. Lewis in Freud’s Last Session and Arthur Conan Doyle in Red Letter Locker. CRISTY CHORY (“Just One Step” soloist) is a second-year graduate theatre stu- dent and tuition scholar pursuing a Masters degree in Theatre with a certificate in Non- profit Management. She is also the Villanova Theatre Education Dramaturg for the 2020-2021 season. Having recently appeared on the Villanova Theatre “virtual stage” in She Makes Knives Now (Agave), her other Villanova Theatre credits include A Mid- summer Night’s Dream (Demetrius) and (very nearly!) Merrily We Roll Along (Gussie). Since graduating from NYU Steinhardt with a degree in Vocal Music Performance, Cris- ty has worked extensively in arts education and diversity, equity and inclusion spaces. In addition to credits as a director, music director and choreographer, other favorite on- stage credits include My Fair Lady (Eliza Doolittle), Once Upon a Mattress (Lady May- belle/Nightingale), The Secret Garden (Martha) and Angel Street (Bella Manningham). ERIN COFFMAN (“The Flagmaker, 1775” soloist) is a first-year theatre gradu- ate student and a recipient of the Thomas and Tracey Gravina Scholarship. She earned her BA from Washington College in 2017, graduating with departmental hon- ors, thesis honors for her direction of The Glass Menagerie, and the Stewart The-
atre Award. Erin is an alumna of the American Theatre Wing’s SpringboardNYC Class of 2017, where she spent two weeks learning from the likes of David Henry Hwang, Katherine Burton, Lucy Liu, and more. Favorite roles include Bakkhai (Bak- khai), Next to Normal (Natalie Goodman), Cock (W) and La Bete (Rene du Parc). MEGHAN DIETZLER (“Christmas Lullaby” soloist) is a full-time staff member on campus in Villanova’s Office of Campus Ministry as the director of local volunteer service programs and more. She was seen on stage as Helena in last season’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She studied Theology and Music with an unofficial minor in Theatre at The Catholic Univer- sity of America and is currently pursuing her MA in Ministry and Theology at Villanova. She has been seen on stage at The Kennedy Center, Catholic University, Walt Disney World and various venues throughout the Philadelphia area as both an actress and vocalist, most nota- bly at her beloved Upper Darby Summer Stage. Favorite credits include 42nd Street (Peggy Sawyer), Hairspray (Penny), Big Fish (Jenny Hill), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Featured Soloist), Shrek (Fiona), A Chorus Line (Maggie Winslow) and Fiddler on the Roof (Yente). FRANKIE FRABIZZIO (“The River Won’t Flow” soloist) is a freshman and is thrilled to be making his Villanova Theatre debut. He has been studying voice for four years with Mary Ellen Schauber. He recently competed in the 2020 National Student Auditions for the National Association of Teachers of Singing, where he came in first place regionally in both the classical and music theatre divisions and was a finalist in the national rounds. Past credits include Father in Ragtime, Captain Walker in The Who’s Tommy and Marius in Les Misérables (Salesianum School Theatre), Gibbs in Dogfight (New Light Theatre), Sparkle in Habitat (Salesianum Student Theatre) and Magaldi in Evita (Delaware All-State Theatre). BRIAN JACKO (“I’d Give It All For You” soloist) is a first-year graduate student in the Villanova University department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. As an un- dergraduate, he also studied at Villanova University, earning a minor in Theatre and performing in eleven musical productions. Over the last four years he appeared on the Villanova Student Musical Theatre (VSMT) stage in such roles as Gomez Addams (The Addams Family Musical), Feldzeig (The Drowsy Chaperone), the Waiter (First Date), Aaron Fox (Curtains), Cinderella’s Prince/the Wolf (Into the Woods), Michael Mell (Be More Chill), Pippin (Pippin), Caldwell B. Cladwell (Urinetown) and R.F. Simp- son (Singin’ in the Rain). At Villanova, Brian served as both president and vice presi- dent of VSMT during the years of 2019 and 2018, respectively. Additionally, Brian is a Philadelphia based scenic designer, having designed for six productions in the area. ANGELA ROSE LONGO (“Surabaya Santa” soloist) is a soon-to-be graduate of the MA program having recently finished her Solo Performance Thesis, I’m an ACTRESS!. Villano- va Theatre credits include the staged reading of Chrysalis by Kathryn Petersen (Dorothea), She Loves Me (Ensemble), Orlando (Sasha), staged reading of People in collaboration with Inis Nua (Brit), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hermia), Beginning (Ino) and the never-be- fore-seen closing production in Vasey Theatre, Merrily We Roll Along (Mary). Angela holds a BA in Theatre from Rowan University. Angela is the Executive Director of the Eagle Theatre in Hammonton, NJ and a creative partner at Wings of Paper in NE Philadelphia. Angela is a recipient of the Belle Masque Scholarship and the Brian and Mary Anne Morgan Scholarship. Angela also served as the Media and Events Coordinator for Villanova Theatre for two years.
TINA LYNCH (“The World Was Dancing” soloist) is a part-time graduate theatre stu- dent in Villanova’s Master’s program. She was previously seen on the Villanova Theatre stage in Beginning (Agave), Orlando (Actor 1), The Importance of Being Earnest (Miss Prism), She Loves Me (Ilona Ritter) and Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (Edna). She earned her BA in Theatre with a concentration in Acting and Directing from DeSales Uni- versity and is a working actress based in Philadelphia. She has also performed in New Jersey theatre and Off-Broadway. She has been a member of theatre company, With- out a Cue Productions for twelve years and currently works as a teacher and choreog- rapher at MacGuffin Theatre and Film Company and Sandy Run Middle School. Favorite roles include: Deirdre in I Hate Hamlet, First Witch in Macbeth, Graziella in West Side Story, Columbia in The Rocky Horror Show, and Marvel Ann in Psycho Beach Party. LORA MARGERUM (“Stars and the Moon” soloist) is a second-year graduate Tui- tion Scholar from Indiana. Most recently at Villanova, she played Semele in Beginning as a part of Bakkhai Variations, and last year she was a part of Merrily We Roll Along and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She earned her BA in Theatre from Wagner College in 2019. At Wagner, she served as the Assistant Director for the 2018 production of Ev- erybody, was a teaching assistant for the directing classes and was an active member of both student run theatre companies. Some of her favorite roles from Wagner include Nick Bottom (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Grandma Ida (First Date) and Eliza Doo- little (Pygmalion). Other recent roles include Jan (Grease), Olive Ostrovsky (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and Truly Scrumptious (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang). MIKAL K. ODOM (“King of the World” soloist) is a filmmaker, theatre artist, and educa- tor. His debut feature film, LUV Don’t Live Here, won the 2015 qFLIX Philadelphia Film Fes- tival Audience Award for Best Feature Narrative Film and was nominated for Best Diaspora Feature at the 2016 Africa Movie Academy Awards. Theatre directing credits: Aida and Choir Boy (Wilmington Drama League). Theatre acting credits include A Funny Thing Hap- pened on the way to the Forum (Walnut Street Theatre) and To Kill a Mockingbird (Ritz The- atre Co.). Mikal currently teaches performing arts at an elementary school in Newark, NJ. MASON OLSHAVSKY (“She Cries” soloist) is a freshman studying biochemis- try at Villanova. Some of his favorite roles he has played include King Arthur in Mon- ty Python’s Spamalot, Carl Hanratty in Catch Me If You Can, Chairman in The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Dickon in The Secret Garden. With his high school theatre troupe, he performed The Diviners as a mainstage production at the Pennsylvania State Thespian Festival, at which he received the All-Star Cast award for his performance as Buddy Layman. Mason was also recently selected as a top ten finalist in Playbill’s Search for a Star contest for his performance of “For Forever” from Dear Evan Hansen. CRISTIAN RODRIGUEZ (“The Steam Train” soloist) is a junior pursuing a BA in Public Relations. He was seen on stage as Stephen in If/Then and Bob- by Strong in Urinetown for Villanova Student Musical Theatre, as well as Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride and Prejudice for Villanova Student Theatre. SHARESE SALTERS (“The New World” soloist) is a South Carolina native, who is working in her second year as a Props Assistant for the program. Sharese received her
BA in Fine Arts - Theatre from the University of South Carolina Aiken. Through Villanova Theatre, she was last seen as Dee in The Bakkhai: or, I’m trying so hard to be good, Bakkhai in Bakkhai, Rain Cloud in Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea, Puck and Philostrate in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lexi in Hookman, and Chorus in Orlando. EMILY SGROI (“I’d Give It All For You” soloist) is a junior at Villanova. She is currently working toward a BA in Communication and a minor in Theatre. This is Emily’s first produc- tion with Villanova Theatre, but she has participated in various productions with Villanova Student Musical Theatre. Past roles include Soupy Sue in Urinetown and Fastrada in Pippin. She also currently serves as Developmental Director of Villanova Student Musical Theatre. JASON ROBERT BROWN (Composer/Lyricist) is the ultimate multi-hy- phenate - an equally skilled composer, lyricist, conductor, arranger, or- chestrator, director and performer - best known for his dazzling scores to several of the most renowned musicals of our time, including the generation-de- fining The Last Five Years, his debut song cycle Songs for a New World, and the seminal Parade, for which he won the 1999 Tony Award for Best Score. Jason Robert Brown has been hailed as “one of Broadway’s smartest and most sophisticated songwriters since Stephen Sondheim” (Philadelphia Inquirer), and his “extraordinary, jubilant theater music” (Chicago Tribune) has been heard all over the world, whether in one of the hundreds of productions of his musicals every year or in his own incendiary live performances. The New York Times refers to Jason as “a leading member of a new generation of composers who embody high hopes for the American musical.” Jason’s score for The Bridges of Madison County, a musical adapted with Marsha Norman from the bestselling novel, received two Tony Awards (for Best Score and Orchestrations). Honeymoon In Vegas, based on Andrew Berg- man’s film, opened on Broadway in 2015 following a triumphant production at Pa- per Mill Playhouse. A film version of his epochal Off-Broadway musical The Last Five Years was released in 2015, starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan and directed by Richard LaGravenese. His major musicals as composer and lyricist include: 13, written with Robert Horn and Dan Elish, which opened on Broadway in 2008 and was subsequently directed by the composer for its West End premiere in 2012; The Last Five Years, which was cited as one of Time Magazine’s 10 Best of 2001 and won Drama Desk Awards for Best Music and Best Lyrics (and was later directed by the composer in its record-breaking Off-Broadway run at Second Stage Theatre in 2013); Parade, written with Alfred Uhry and directed by Harold Prince, which won both the Drama Desk and New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards for Best New Musical, as well as garnering Jason the Tony Award for Original Score; and Songs for a New World, a theatrical song cycle directed by Daisy Prince, which has since been seen in hundreds of productions around the world since its 1995 Off-Broadway debut, including a celebrated revival at New York’s City Center in the summer of 2018. Parade was also the subject of a major revival directed by Rob Ashford, first at London’s Donmar Warehouse and then at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Jason conducted his orchestral adaptation of E.B. White’s nov- el The Trumpet of the Swan with the National Symphony Orchestra, and recorded the score for PS Classics. Future projects include a new chamber musical created
with Daisy Prince and Jonathan Marc Sherman called The Connector; an adapta- tion of Lilian Lee’s Farewell My Concubine, created with Kenneth Lin and Moisés Kaufman; and a collaboration with Billy Crystal, Amanda Green, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel on a musical of Mr. Saturday Night. Jason is the winner of the 2018 Louis Auchincloss Prize, the 2002 Kleban Award for Outstanding Lyrics and the 1996 Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Foundation Award for Musical Theatre. Jason’s songs, including the cabaret standard “Stars and the Moon,” have been performed and recorded by Ariana Grande, Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Billy Por- ter, Betty Buckley, Renée Fleming, Jon Hendricks and many others, and his song “Someone To Fall Back On” was featured in the Walden Media film, Bandslam. As a soloist or with his band The Caucasian Rhythm Kings, Jason has performed concerts around the world. For the past four years (and ongoing), his monthly sold- out performances at New York’s SubCulture have featured many of the music and theater world’s most extraordinary performers. His newest collection, “How We Re- act and How We Recover”, was released in June 2018 on Ghostlight Records. His previous solo album, “Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes”, was named one of Ama- zon.com’s best of 2005, and is available from Sh-K-Boom Records. Jason’s 2012 concert with Anika Noni Rose was broadcast on PBS, and he was the featured solo- ist for a live episode of Friday Night Is Music Night, broadcast live from the London Palladium and featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra. His collaboration with singer Lauren Kennedy, “Songs of Jason Robert Brown”, is available on PS Classics. Jason is also the composer of the incidental music for the Broadway revival of You Can’t Take It With You, David Lindsay-Abaire’s Kimberly Akimbo and Fuddy Meers, and Kenneth Lonergan’s The Waverly Gallery, and he was a Tony Award nominee for his contributions to the score of Urban Cowboy the Musical. He has also contributed music to the hit Nickelodeon television series, The Wonder Pets as well as Sesame Street. Jason spent ten years teaching at the USC School of Dramatic Arts, and has also taught at Harvard University, Princeton University and Emerson College. For the musical Prince of Broadway, a celebration of the career of his mentor Harold Prince, Jason was the musical supervisor and arranger. Other New York credits as conductor and arranger include Urban Cowboy the Musical on Broad- way; Dinah Was, off-Broadway and on national tour; When Pigs Fly off-Broadway; William Finn’s A New Brain at Lincoln Center Theater; the 1992 tribute to Ste- phen Sondheim at Carnegie Hall (recorded by RCA Victor); Yoko Ono’s New York Rock, at the WPA Theatre; and Michael John LaChiusa’s The Petrified Prince at the Public Theatre. Jason orchestrated Andrew Lippa’s john and jen, Off-Broad- way at Lamb’s Theatre. Additionally, Jason served as the orchestrator and ar- ranger of Charles Strouse and Lee Adams’s score for a proposed musical of Star Wars. Jason has conducted and created arrangements and orchestrations for Liza Minnelli, John Pizzarelli, and Michael Feinstein, among many others. Jason studied composition at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., with Samuel Adler, Christopher Rouse, and Joseph Schwantner. He lives with his wife, composer Georgia Stitt, and their daughters in New York City. Ja- son is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild and the American Federation
of Musicians Local 802. Visit him on the web at www.jasonrobertbrown.com. KARA SCARAMAZZA (Director) is a theater and dance artist and educator from New Jersey. Kara is a proud graduate of Villanova University’s Masters in The- atre program where she was an Acting Scholar. She received her BA in Theatre Per- formance from Wagner College where she was able to choreograph for the Dance Project. Director-Choreographer credits include Thoroughly Modern Millie, Mamma Mia, and Freaky Friday. Kara has performed at Arizona Broadway Theatre, Water- front Playhouse, Surflight Theatre, Broward Stage Door Theatre, and the Palace Theatre. Kara is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA. JEROLD R. FORSYTH (Lighting Designer) is a theatre lighting designer and consultant. In regards to theatre lighting, Mr. Forsyth has designed over 350 productions to date. Philadelphia area credits include designs for: The Wilma Theater, Villanova Universi- ty Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Arden Theatre Company, Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, Interact Theatre Company, Simpatico Theatre, Orbiter 3, Fringe Arts, Amaryllis Theatre Company, The American Music Theatre Festival, People’s Light & Theatre Com- pany, Philadelphia Festival Theatre for New Plays, Venture Theatre, and The Philadelphia Drama Guild. Additional east coast credits include: The Kennedy Center, The New York Shakespeare Festival, Lincoln Center Theatre, The York Theatre Company, The Village Theatre Company, The Vineyard Playhouse, Opera Ebony--New York, and Palm Beach Dramaworks. Design awards include thirteen nominations and two Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Lighting Design. Mr. Forsyth has also twice received “Most Notable Light- ing Design” citations from The Philadelphia Inquirer. Mr. Forsyth has consulted on the- atrical lighting systems for: The Wilma Theater, The Mainstage and The Playground at the Adrienne, The Mullen Center for the Performing Arts, Delaware County Community College, and the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology. In addition, Mr. Forsyth designed a unique art gallery lighting system for the Bethlehem House Contemporary Art Gallery. PETER A. HILLIARD (Music Director) holds degrees in Composition from the San Fran- cisco Conservatory and in Musical Theatre Writing from NYU. His musicals, Don Imbro- glio, and Going Down Swingin’, appeared in the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and his opera The Filthy Habit was a finalist in the National Opera Association Chamber Op- era Competition. It was the first opera ever presented in the Chicago Fringe Festival and has had 9 productions. It will be produced a 10th time at FSU this Spring. A bluegrass opera, The Last American Hammer has been produced at Urban Arias and Pittsburgh opera, and will receive a third production this Spring at the University of Illinois. His op- era Blue Viola has had productions at Urban Arias, Lyric Opera of The North and Opera Memphis. Peter has accompanied many singers, including Krissy Fraelich, Jeff Coon, Christiane Noll, and Marla Schaffel. Peter is an active orchestral and choral composer, and has music directed on both coasts and Off-Broadway. He has conducted The Pirates of Penzance and Iolanthe at the International Gilbert and Sullivan festival in Harrogate, England. His performing edition of Victor Herbert’s 1911 Opera Natoma, crafted using the original parts at the Library of Congress was heard in a full reading in New York in 2014 for the first time in over 80 years. Hilliard is the music director of the Savoy Company and the Abington Choral Club and occasionally plays jazz piano in the Bob Wagner Quartet. MICHAEL KILEY (Sound Designer) is a sound designer, composer, performer,
and educator based in Philadelphia. Past collaborations include Faye Driscoll, luci- ana achugar, The Play Company, Pig Iron Theatre, Nichole Canuso Dance Company, and The Wilma Theatre. He makes original music under the name The Mural and The Mint, and recently released the full length recording You Will Always Have Your Long- ing on all streaming platforms. His work has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, The Independence Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, and FringeArts. ASAKI KURUMA (Scenic Designer) is a recent graduate from Villanova’s Master’s in Theatre program. Originally from Japan, Asaki has been working professionally for over a decade collaborating with many theater companies and artists in the Philadel- phia area. Costume design credits: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Villanova Theatre), Man of God (InterAct Theatre), Boycott Esther (Azuka Theater), Las Mujeres (Pow- er Street Theatre Company), Romeo & Juliet (Lantern Theater Company), Tiger Style! (Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists), Romeo & Juliet, Complete History of America, Abridged, Measure for Measure (Commonwealth Classic Theatre Co). Asaki is also a resident artist at Power Street Theatre Company. https://www.powerstreettheatre.com/ TAJ RAUCH (Director of Photography) is a Philadelphia based artist and entrepre- neur. His body of work consists of existential commentaries on nihilistic worlds through film, installation, writing and choreography. His notable works of the past few years in- clude Code Blue (2020), an 11 minute drama exploring the ways in which the president handled the epidemic of COVID-19, produced by the Wilma and directed by Blanka Ziz- ka. Taj designed the sound as well as edited the entire video. Is God Is Documentary (2020) Taj was commissioned to create a documentary for the radio play adaptation of Is God Is, directed by James Ijames and produced by the Wilma. Flu Shot (2019), was a video piece created in collaboration with Nyeree Boyadjian, it premiered at the IceBox Project Space. Acedia (2018), his first professionally produced full length play about a demon who works in Human Resources for Hell, premiered in the UArts season in the spring of 2018 following his graduation in December. Proxy (2016) an installation explor- ing the deep web which contained a projected QR code that when scanned, displayed a monologue of someone trapped in the internet. And Kigo (2016) a film with a script com- posed entirely of linked haikus that follows an immortal man at the end of the universe. JANUS STEFANOWICZ (Costume Designer) is Villanova Theatre’s resident cos- tume designer and costume shop manager. She has designed costumes for Act II Playhouse, the Arden Theatre Company, Delaware Theatre Company, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Philadelphia Theatre Company, The Wilma Theater, Pennsyl- vania Shakespeare Festival, the 2013 Philadelphia International Theatre Festival, The Lantern Theatre Company, Theatre Horizon and Hedgerow Theatre Company. Janus has received 17 Barrymore Award nominations for Outstanding Costume De- sign for Villanova Theatre’s The Tempest, Parade, Chicago, Children of Eden, Into the Woods, Candide, and Evita; Cheltenham Center for the Arts’ The Illusion; Philadelphia Theatre Company’s Intimate Apparel (2006 Barrymore Award winner); The Wilma The- ater’s The Invention of Love, Magic Fire, Big Love (2003 Barrymore Award winner), Gal- ileo and Age of Arousal; and most recently Theatre Horizon’s The Revolutionists. VESHONTE BROWN (Stage Manager) is a first-year graduate student currently pursuing
the MA in Theatre and Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Villanova University. She
currently serves as a graduate assistant in the Costume Shop and recently appeared as
Khai in Dionté and Khai Do Dinner. She received her BS in Theatre and Graphic Design
from Troy University. Her most notable work as a graphic designer has been at William-
stown Theatre Festival and The Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, AL. She is the 2018
recipient of the Kennedy Center’s John Cauble Award for Aspiring Artists and Producers.
MATTHEW REDDIN (Production Dramaturg) is a second-year Theatre graduate student
pursuing his MA with a Certificate in Nonprofit Management. At Villanova, he worked in
marketing through the 2019-20 season, including on the student PR team for Hookman,
and stage managed a reading of Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea. He is cur-
rently the finance clerk for Eagle Theatre, an Equity theatre in South Jersey, and recently
worked as a dramaturg on Inis Nua’s staged reading of 3 Billion Seconds. Before moving
to Philadelphia, he served as the marketing director for Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, and
has worked for many years as a theatre critic, culture editor, and arts advocate in the
Midwest, after receiving a BA in both journalism and English from Marquette University.
Stay tuned for
The Scar Test
By Hannah Khalil
Directed by Claire Moyer
“We’re in prison. But we’ve done nothing
wrong…I just–I can’t believe this is England.”
They expected to be free from the horrors of their
homelands when they finally fled to the United
Kingdom; instead, imprisoned together at Yarl’s
Wood Immigration Removal Centre, a cohort of
asylum seekers find themselves stuck in limbo,
stripped of their privacy, and isolated a world
away from the lives they used to know. Based
on interviews with current and former detainees, Irish-Palestinian playwright Hannah
Khalil’s The Scar Test offers a powerful and unflinching snapshot of life inside England’s
migrant detention system. Fiercely felt and fearlessly told, The Scar Test is an incendiary
theatrical experience that will stay with you long after the performance has ended.VILLANOVA THEATRE FACULTY AND STAFF
Valerie Joyce, PhD................................................................Department Chair; Musical Theatre;
Script Analysis; Teaching of Theatre
Michael Hollinger, MA.........................Artistic Director; Solo Performance; Playwriting; Songwriting
Peter A. Hilliard, MFA......................................................Resident Music Director; Musical Theatre
James Ijames, MFA..............................Acting; Collaborative Theatre; Creativity; Voice & Movement
Chelsea Phillips, MFA, PhD.....................................Associate Artistic Director; Dramaturgy; Acting;
New Play Development; Shakespeare On Stage
Bess Rowen, PhD........................Dramatic Vision and Form; Acting; Gender, Politics & Performance
Edward Sobel, MFA.........................................................Directing; Dramaturgy; Acting; Playwriting
Professors Emeriti...........................James J. Christy, PhD; Harriet Power, MFA; Joanna Rotté, PhD
Amanda Coffin, MA.................................................................................Interim Production Manager
Kevin Esmond, MA...........................................................................................Program Coordinator
Elisa Loprete Hibbs, MA........................................................................................Business Manager
Sharri Jerue, BA..........................................................................Properties Master & Scenic Charge
Rosemarie McKelvey, BS.............................................................................................Cutter/Draper
Kimberly Reilly, MA...............................................................Director of Marketing & Public Relations
Jacob Rothermel, MFA...........................................................................................Technical Director
Janus Stefanowicz, MFA............................................................................Costume Shop Manager
Megan Schumacher, MA.......................................................... Educational Dramaturgy Consultant
GRADUATE ASSISTANTS AND SCHOLARS
Costume Construction: Autumn Storm Blalock, Veshonte Brown,
Manda Apony Moriarty, Anna Sorrentino
Properties Construction & Scenic Artists: Kenzie L. Bradley, Sharese Salters
Scenic Construction & Electrics: Luke Davis, Stefan Matthews, Jilly “J.Bean” Schwab
Marketing & Public Relations: Kirsten Sughrue
Research Scholar: Zach Apony Moriarty
Acting Scholar: Cristy Chory
Tuition Scholars: Chelsea Drumel, Lora Margerum, Kat Ross Kline
Belle Masque Scholars: David Burgess, Nicholas V. Ecker, Tyler Eldridge, Paul Gorazcko,
Matthew Reddin, Timothy Storey
Connolly Scholars: Hannah Deprey-Severance, Kate Fischer, Jaime Knarr,
Emma Miller, Emma Poley
Franzetti Scholars: Chelsea Drumel, Vincent Raffaele, Anna Rose Smith
Gravina Scholars: Erin Coffman and Alison Scaramella
Maskinas Scholar: Kat Ross Kline
Schaeffer Scholar: Alycia J. Brown
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
Assistants to the Costume Designer.................................. Manda Apony Moriarty, Veshonte Brown
Education Dramaturg..................................................................................................... Cristy Chory
Business Manager’s Assistants....................................................... Will Franey, Carolyn McWhirterYou can also read
