Download to the CAMELOT Study Guide!

e
r
t
a
e
h
t
y
r
o
t
r
e
p
e
r
w
e
n
E
D
I
U
G
Y
D
TU
S
T
O
L
E
M
A
C
er
n
r
e
L
y
a
J
Alan
y
b
s
c
i
r
y
l
ewe
o
L
book and
k
c
i
r
e
red
music by F
orters
Supp
h
c
a
e
r
t
u
O
Education
LEAP
,
tributors,
ral Council
ividual con
d
in
s
u
etts Cultu
ro
s
e
u
n
h
e
c
g
a
s
y
s
b
a
M
part
et Stores,
Funded in
mble, Targ
a
dation,
n
G
u
ndation,
d
o
n
F
a
r
r
Street Fou
Procte
n, Fulle
o
d
ti
n
a
la
d
h
n
ig
u
o
H
nt F
undation,
Roy A. Hu
munity Fo
m
o
C
t.
s
n
e
w
W
o
Watert
r Metro
undation fo
and the Fo
grams
nt arts pro
nrichme
lifelong e
a d m i n i s t r a t i v e o ff i c e
200 dexter avenue
watertown, ma 02472
artistic director jim petosa managing director harriet sheets
the professional theatre company
in residence at the arsenal center for the arts
Contents
‘‘
2 Synopsis of CAMELOT
4 A Modern Camelot
3
Program Notes
5
Pre-Show and Post-Show Questions
4
The Beginnings of a Classic
5
Works Cited
Synopsis of CAMELOT
CAMELOT Study Guide
begin to fade. He realizes that Nimue,
a beautiful water nymph, has come to
draw him into her cave for an eternal
sleep in the song “Follow Me”. His
memories fade permanently, and he
is led away.
Five years later, Arthur sits with
Guenevere in his study, debating
about what to do for his kingdom.
He explains that he wishes to create
a new kind of knight – one that does
not pillage and fight, but upholds
to go to Camelot and join Arthur’s
knights (“C’est Moi”). King Pellinore,
an elderly man who was a friend of
Arthur’s family, also visits Camelot
to witness Arthur’s greatness.
After Lancelot arrives, Guenevere
organizes a May Day festival on the
castle grounds (“The Lusty Month
of May”), where Arthur introduces
her to Lancelot. Guenevere takes
an instant dislike to this cocky fellow
and instigates him to engage three
knights of the Round Table in a
jousting match (“Then You May Take
Me to the Fair”). Unlike everyone
else, Arthur likes Lancelot, and tries
to dissuade Guenevere from taking
sides against the young knight. After
failing to convince her, Arthur is at
a loss to understand a woman’s way
(“How to Handle a Woman”).
In the jousting match, Lancelot
easily defeats all three knights. He
wounds Sir Lionel so badly that the
crowd thinks him dead (“The Jousts”).
But the dismay of the crowd turns
to awe and adoration, as instead
Lancelot appears to resurrect a dead
man. Guenevere finds herself falling
in love with Lancelot, although she
the queen’s champion by howard david johnson
does not want to violate her marriage
honor and justice. With Guenevere’s vows and wishes Lancelot would
help, he is inspired to establish the leave Camelot (“Before I Gaze at You
Round Table with the motto “might Again”). Lancelot is also conflicted,
for right.”
A few months later, because although he is devoted to
Arthur’s idea has led to the Knights King Arthur, he is
le,
of the Round Table becoming
be invincib
ld
u
o
h
s
Round
uld fail.
renowned throughout the
the Table
c man wo
ti
s
ta
n
knight of
fa
A
s
s
country. This news reaches
where a le lse can climb,
Succeed
e
e
n
o
o
n
young Frenchman Lancelot
all
,
Climb a w gon in record time
du Lac, who is determined
iron mail.
ra
d
y
v
a
a
e
e
Cleav
at of h
o
c
a
in
t
oa
Swim a m lot, “C’est Moi”
ce
n
a
L
‘
Camelot is the fictional setting
where the legend of King Arthur and
his Knights of the Round Table takes
place. The play opens with King
Arthur hiding in a tree, nervous about
his upcoming arranged marriage.
Merlyn the Magician, Arthur’s wise
tutor, calls him down to warn the
young man that he must learn to
think for himself. Merlyn, who lives
backwards in time and remembers
the future instead of the past, knows
he will soon be separated from
Arthur. Merlyn persuades Arthur to
climb down and chides him for his
unkingly behavior. Arthur then left
alone, ponders both his subjects and
his own feelings about the intended
nuptials in the song “I Wonder What
the King is Doing Tonight?”. Arthur
hears someone coming and scampers
up the tree again. Guenevere has
come to the woods and does not like
the idea of being Queen, preferring
to live an ordinary life (“Simple Joys
of Maidenhood”).
She stumbles
into Arthur not knowing he is her
intended future husband and he tells
her of the joys of life in Camelot in
the song “Camelot”. It is love at first
sight and they almost kiss, but are
interrupted by Arthur’s attendants.
Arthur’s identity is revealed, and he
tells Guenevere the story of how he
pulled the sword from the stone and
became king. Guenevere is charmed
and they are delighted at the thought
of becoming husband and wife. The
wizard Merlyn is pleased with this
development, but his joy turns to
sorrow as his memories of the future
mber,
r to Dece
Decembe
m
t,
o
o
fr
c
,
r
g
u
in
yo
Each even rift to sleep upon
mber
ud
you reme
o
t
y
a
th
re
s
fo
le
e
B
ta
e
th
ll
k on a
Think bac
ry,
t.
lo
e
m
rd the sto t,
a
Of C
if he’s hea
no
n
s
o
a
rs
h
e
e
p
zif h
Ask ev’ry
and clear
f glory
g
o
n
p
ro
is
st
w
it
g
And tell
a fleetin
s
a
w
re
e
th
That once lot.
e
m
a
C
d
eprise)”
e
ll
Ca
amelot (R
C
“
r,
u
h
rt
-A
2
Synopsis of CAMELOT continued
in love with Guenevere. Arthur sees
that the two are in love but chooses
to ignore it, as he does not wish to
upset the tranquility of Camelot.
Several years later, Guenevere
and Lancelot are still tormented by
their unfulfilled love (“If Ever I Would
Leave You”). Then Mordred, Arthur’s
illegitimate son, comes to Camelot
to dishonor the King and try to
gain the throne for himself. Arthur
puts him in charge of the Knight’s
training program, not knowing the
nature of Mordred’s true intentions of
revenge. Mordred accepts, though
‘‘
‘‘
he detests the idea of being a Knight
(“The Seven Deadly Virtues”). As
Guenevere remains faithful to her
husband, Arthur begins to feel the
strain of ruling England (“What Do
Simple Folks Do”).
Meanwhile,
Mordred has devised a plan to trap
Arthur in the forest one night with the
help of his aunt, Morgan le Fey (“The
Persuasion”). While Arthur is gone,
Lancelot visits Guenevere in her
chambers, where she tells Lancelot
how much she loves him (“I Loved
You Once in Silence”). Mordred
bursts into the room with some of
the Knights of the Round Table to
accuse Lancelot of treachery and to
imprison him. Lancelot succeeds in
escaping from prison, but Guenevere
is arrested, found guilty of treason
by reason of her infidelity, and
sentenced to be burned at the stake
(“Guenevere”). She is saved by
Oh, no! not in spring-time!
Summer, winter or fall!
at all!
No, never could I leave you
Leave You”
uld
Wo
- Lancelot, “If Ever I
Lancelot, who takes her off with him
to France. For the sake of his own
honor and that of Camelot, Arthur
must now wage war on France.
The war takes a terrible toll on
Camelot, as more than half of the
Knights of the Round Table are
killed. Lancelot and Guenevere’s
relationship has floundered and
Guenevere has become a nun. Just
before the final battle, Arthur meets
Lancelot and Guenevere and forgives
them both. In camp, Arthur meets a
young stowaway who wants to join
the Round Table. Arthur knights
him on the field of battle and sends
him back to England to grow up
there, hoping that he might pass
on to future generations the ideals
of chivalry and Camelot (“Camelot”
{reprise}).
Program Notes
“There’ll be great presidents again...but there’ll never be another Camelot,” Jacqueline Kennedy
said in an interview with Theodore H. White one week after her husband, President John F. Kennedy, was
assassinated. White quoted Jacqueline Kennedy in an essay he published in Life magazine on December 6, 1963
titled “For President Kennedy: An Epilogue.” Since that time, the Kennedy administration has been linked with
King Arthur’s mythical Camelot, which represents a utopian ideal, a world filled with hope and dreams. Theodore
H. White would later refer to the Kennedy administration as “a magic moment in American history when gallant
men danced with beautiful women, when great deeds were done, when artists, writers and poets met at the
White House, and the barbarians beyond the walls held back.”
During President Kennedy’s lifetime, no one referred to
Washington as Camelot, but Kennedy was familiar with the
cast recording of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s
CAMELOT. His favorite moment, Jacqueline Kennedy said,
came during the final number, when King Arthur urges a
young knight to inspire future generations to idealism:
“Don’t let it be forgot/That once there was a spot,/For
one brief, shining moment/That was known as Camelot.”
PHOTO BY
CAMELOT Study Guide
STAN TRETI
CK
/UNITED PR
ESS INTERN
ATIONAL
3
The Beginnings of a Classic
Alan Jay Lerner was first inspired
to write CAMELOT in 1958, when his
friend Stone “Bud” Widney showed
him a New York Times book review of
Terence H. White’s novel, The Once
and Future King, and suggested it
should be his next musical, following
the success of MY FAIR LADY. White
had based his saga on Thomas
Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur (1485), a
compilation of the legends of King
Arthur, and interpreted its theme
from a modern perspective, as the
search for an antidote to war. In his
adaptation of The Once and Future
King, Lerner was unable to draw
much material from White’s first
volume, The Sword and the Stone
(which detailed Merlyn’s education
of King Arthur), because Disney had
purchased the movie rights for an
animated film. He also took some
creative liberties with the rest of
White’s text. Whereas White blames
the fall of Camelot on “greed and
selfishness and violence in the heart
of man,” Lerner blames the fall on
adultery, and he simplifies the story
to two mythic elements: the love
triangle and the round table. Lerner
and Loewe further condensed and
altered White’s story to meet new
challenges brought on by changes
in musical theatre. CAMELOT
conformed to the musical theatre
style established by Rogers and
Hammerstein: a long first act and a
short second act leading to a dramatic
finale. However, with character
development now vitally important,
and with music now integral to the
telling of the story, songs had to
be central to the drama rather than
merely entertaining diversions.
Even with significant cuts from
White’s novel, the early versions of
CAMELOT were lengthy, in keeping
with the massive size of the production
itself: there were fifty-six actors in
the cast, thirty-three musicians in
the orchestra. At its October 1960
premiere in Toronto, the musical ran
four and a half hours. By the time the
show arrived on Broadway after its
stop in Boston, one and a half hours
of music and dialogue, including a
ballet sequence and a jousting scene,
had been cut. Directed by Moss
Hart, CAMELOT officially opened
at the Majestic Theatre in New York
City on December 3, 1960. Though
the show stayed true to the framework
Lerner and Loewe intended, cuts
continued even after the opening.
CAMELOT had a successful run of
873 performances and won four Tony
Awards. The original cast album was
the top selling LP in the United States
for fifteen months.
A Modern Camelot
On November 22, 1963, John
F. Kennedy was assassinated.
Two weeks later, Theodore H.
White’s article appeared in Life,
and CAMELOT was performed in
Chicago on the national tour. Lerner
described the audience’s emotional
reaction that night: “Louis Hayward
was playing King Arthur. When he
came to those lines [“Don’t let it be
forgot/That once there was a spot,/
For one brief, shining moment/That
was known as Camelot”], there was
a sudden wail from the audience. It
was not a muffled sob; it was a loud,
almost primitive cry of pain. The
play stopped, and for almost five
minutes everyone in the theatre—
on stage, in the wings, in the pit,
and in the audience—wept without
restraint. Then the play continued.”
November 22, 2013 marks the
50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s
assassination. The Camelot myth
has endured, despite subsequent
CAMELOT Study Guide
revelations that Kennedy was not
the ideal president the King Arthur
analogy suggested. Even Theodore
H. White, in his 1981 book, In Search
of History, calls the Kennedy myth
a “misreading of history.” As Mike
Celizic reminds us, the Camelot of
legend itself never existed “except
in the minds of people who needed
there to be such a place.” In the
immediate aftermath of John
F. Kennedy’s death, Jacqueline
Kennedy and Theodore H. White
understood the country’s need
for a heroic myth as it grieved for
its thirty-fifth president and feared
for its future. In explaining why so
many people believed in what he
calls “this elaborate fiction,” Robert
Fulford says that we “wanted to
believe. We embraced, perhaps for
the first and last time in our lives,
an ancient ideal of virtue, wisdom
and beauty embodied in one great
leader.”
‘‘
Don’t let it be forgot
That once there was a spot
nt
For one brief, shining mome
That was known as Camelot
)”
- Arthur “Camelot (Reprise
4
s
Question
Pre-Show Questions
1) Lerner and Loewe were collaborators on numerous
projects. They wrote many great musicals together,
but it was said that this collaboration put a stress
on their friendship. What do you think would be
the benefits and also the challenges of writing
a script, music, and lyrics with someone else?
2) In the opening of the musical, King Arthur is hiding
from his bride-to-be. How is this different from the
way we imagine the story of King Arthur and Camelot?
3) Describe and analyze the role of Merlyn. How does
Merlyn’s presence help or cause trouble for King Arthur?
Post-Show Questions
6) Music can provide an emotional connection between
a character and the audience. Think about a song
or character from CAMELOT that you connected
with. Describe your own characteristics and
discuss how they relate to the song or character.
7) How did Guenevere and Lancelot’s relationship go
against the values of the Knights of the Round Table?
8) There are a lot of mystical characters in CAMELOT, such as
Merlyn, Morgan le Fey, and Nimue. What are some ways
in theatre to show the audience that these characters are
different from everyone else? Think about the lighting,
costumes, and music that is used for those characters.
4) CAMELOT takes place over an extended period of
time. Imagine you are an actor playing either the
role of Arthur, Guenevere or Lancelot. What would
you do to portray growth and development in your
character? How would you portray the process of aging?
9) CAMELOT ends at a camp just before the final
battle of King Arthur’s war. What kind of impact
did this have on you as an audience member? How
did this affect the overall message of CAMELOT?
5) Who is Pellinore and what is his significance in
CAMELOT? Would the story be any different if
Pellinore were not present?
10) The story of King Athur and CAMELOT is known on
a global level and there have been many different
portrayals of it. Collect images of King Arthur and
describe how the artist interprets him. What is the tone
of these images? How do they connect to the musical?
ed
Works Cit
Burns, William E. A Brief History of Great Britain. New York: Facts On File, 2010.
Castleden, Rodney. King Arthur: The Truth behind the Legend. London: Routledge, 2000.
Celizic, Mike. “Kennedy’s Death Marks the End of Camelot.” 26 Aug. 2009. http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/politics/Death_marks_
the_end_of_Camelot-55080932.html
Eisenberg, Susan Dormady. “Stone Widney Recalls the Magic of Camelot as Musical Turns Fifty.” Huffington Post. 2 Dec. 2010. http://
www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-dormady-eisenberg/stone-widney-reflects-on-_b_790814.html
Fulford, Robert. “The Kennedy Myth—And Why We Believed It.” The National Post 5 June 2004. http://www.robertfulford.com/200406-05-kennedy.html
Gänzl, Kurt. The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre. New York: Schirmer, 1994.
Lerner, Alan Jay. The Street Where I Live. New York: Norton, 1978.
Mordden, Ethan. Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s. New York: Palgrave, 2001.
Pfefferkorn, Karl. “Effects of Kennedy and White’s ‘Camelot’ Myth Discussed.” 08 December 2008. http://www.virginia.edu/insideuva/
textonlyarchive/95-12-08/4.txt
Schlesinger, Arthur M., Jr. A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965.
Swain, Joseph Peter. The Broadway Musical: A Critical and Musical Survey. New York: Oxford UP, 1990.
White, Theodore H. “For President Kennedy: An Epilogue.” Life 6 Dec. 1963: 158-59.
White, Theodore H. In Search of History: A Personal Adventure. New York: Harper & Row, 1978.
CAMELOT Study Guide
5
new repertory theatre’s
CAMELOT
book and lyrics by
music by
ALAN JAY LERNER
FREDERICK LOEWE
directed and choreographed by RUSSELL
musical direction by DAVID
GARRETT**
MCGRORY
scenic designer
JOHN TRAUB
costume designer
RAFAEL JAEN***
lighting designer
CHRIS BRUSBERG
sound designer
STEVE DEE
stage manager
KEVIN SCHLAGLE*
assistant stage manager
LESLIE SEARS*
cast
( in alphabetical order )
RACHEL ABBATE Lady in Waiting
TROY BARBOZA Guilliam
RISHI BASU Castor
MICHAEL J. BORGES* Sir Dinadan
KEVIN CIRONE Sir Sagramore
SHONNA CIRONE Lady Anne
KATIE CLARK Morgan Le Fey
BENJAMIN EVETT* Arthur
DASHIELL EVETT Tom of Warwick
MARK LINEHAN* Colgrevance
BRITTNEY MORELLO* Nimue
ROBERT D. MURPHY* Merlyn, Pellinore
MAURICE
EMMANUEL PARENT* Sir Lionel
JULIAN SCHEPIS Page
JACOB SHERBURNE Bliant
ERICA SPYRES* Guenevere
NICK SULFARO Mordred
NATALIE HALL Young Girl in Waiting
MARC KOECK* Lancelot
JACKIE THEOHARIS Lady in Waiting
JEREMY A. TOWLE Squire Dap
orchestra
DAVID MCGRORY
PRISCILLA CHEW
JEFF CLAASEN
BETH MUNN GRIFFIN
DONALD HOLM JR.
STANLEY J. SILVERMAN
LAURA SMOLOWITZ JERI SYKES
Music Director, Piano
Cello
Trumpet
Percussion
Percussion
Violin
Flute
Clarinet
dance captain
MAURICE EMMANUEL PARENT*
fight captain
MICHAEL J. BORGES*
*member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
**member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Inc., an independent national labor union
***member of United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829
CAMELOT Study Guide
6
RACHEL ABBATE (Lady in
Waiting) makes her New
Repertory Theatre debut.
Recent credits include
Thoroughly Modern Millie
(Stoneham Theatre);
Oklahoma (The Berkshire
Theatre Group); and The Sound of Music, The
Mikado, and The Music Man (Muhlenberg
College’s Summer Music Theatre). Ms.
Abbate earned her BA in theatre and dance
from Muhlenberg College (Pennsylvania).
Originally from Norfolk, MA, she resides in
Manhattan.
TROY BARBOSA (Guilliam)
makes his New Repertory
Theatre debut. Recent
credits include The
Libertine (Bridge Rep); The
Da Vinci Commission (Can’t
Wait Productions); Next to
Normal (M&D Productions); Xanadu, The
Drowsy Chaperone, and My Fair Lady (Cape
Rep). In addition, Mr. Barboza was assistant
director on Twins (Boston Actors’ Theatre).
Originally from Cape Cod, he resides in
Brookline.
RISHI BASU (Castor) makes
his New Repertory Theatre
debut. Area credits include
Les Miserables and Fiddler
on the Roof (Reagle Music
Theater); On the Town and
The Mikado (Lyric Stage
Company); RENT, Freakshow, The Pillowman,
Oliver!, An Ideal Husband, And Then There
Were None, Gypsy, Singin’ in the Rain,
and Hair (Footlight Club). He has been a
featured singer with the Tanglewood Festival
Chorus, Boston Camerata, and Harvard
Glee Club. Originally from Rochester, NY, he
resides in Somerville.
MICHAEL J. BORGES* (Sir
Dinadan, Fight Captain)
makes his New Repertory
Theatre debut. Area credits
include The 25th Annual
Putnam County Spelling
Bee (Lyric Stage Company/
Broadway World Award); A Christmas Carol
(North Shore Music Theatre); and Awesome
80’s Prom (Bello Productions). Off-Broadway
credits include Mexican Hayride and Strike
up the Band (Lions Theatre). Mr. Borges
earned his BFA in Musical Theatre at
Emerson College. Originally from Taunton,
MA, he resides in New York.
CAMELOT Study Guide
KEVIN CIRONE (Sir
Sagramore) makes his
New Repertory Theatre
debut. Regional credits
include Legally Blonde and
Sunset Boulevard (Next
Door Theater); Ragtime
(Fiddlehead Theater); I Love You, You’re
Perfect, Now Change (Arts After Hours);
Into the Woods (Salem Summer Theater);
tick, tick…BOOM! and The Last Five Years
(T & F Theater); The Producers (Turtle Lane
Players/IRNE Nomination); and Bye Bye
Liver: The Boston Drinking Play (Pub Theater
Company). Currently he is developing a new
musical called Creative License, for which he
wrote the book and lyrics and co-wrote the
music. Originally from Veazie, ME, Mr. Cirone
resides in Woburn.
SHONNA CIRONE (Lady
Anne) makes her New
Repertory Theatre debut.
Boston area credits include
Fiddler on the Roof (Reagle
Music Theatre); A New Brain
(Moonbox Productions);
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat (Turtle Lane Playhouse); Ragtime
(Fiddlehead Theatre/IRNE Award); Bye,
Bye, Birdie (Reagle Music Theatre, IRNE
Nomination); The Full Monty (Stoneham
Theatre); I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now
Change (Arts After Hours); The Phantom
Tollbooth (Wheelock Family Theatre);
Candide (Huntington Theatre Company);
and The Last Five Years (T & F Theater).
Ms. Cirone is a graduate of The American
Music and Dramatic Academy (New York).
Originally from Billerica, MA, she resides in
Woburn. Next she will appear in Company
(Moonbox Productions).
KATIE CLARK (Morgan
Le Fey) makes her New
Repertory Theatre debut.
Area credits include A Chorus
Line (Reagle Music Theatre);
Thoroughly Modern Millie
(Stoneham Theatre); Crazy
for You (Fiddlehead Theatre Company);
Hairspray (Reagle Music Theatre); Singin’in
the Rain (New Bedford Festival Theatre);
and Spamalot (Cape Rep Theatre). Other
credits include Guys and Dolls (Interlakes
Summer Theatre); The Music Man (National
Tour); Trailer Park Musical (Theatre Barn); and
42nd Street (Arizona Broadway Theatre). Ms.
Clark earned her BA in Musical Theatre and
Dance from Ball State University (Indiana).
Originally from Medford, MA, she will next
appear in Company (Moonbox Productions).
BENJAMIN EVETT* (Arthur)
returns to New Repertory
Theatre after appearing
in Amadeus, Cherry Docs,
Opus, Indulgences, A
Christmas Carol, Quills, A
Girl’s War, and Jerusalem,
and directing RENT. He was recently seen
in Freud’s Last Session (Arizona Theatre
Company) and God of Carnage (San
Jose Rep). He was a member of the ART
Resident Acting Company from 1993 to
2003, performing in over 50 productions,
including Waiting for Godot, The Bacchae,
Phedre, and Six Characters in Search of an
Author. He has performed at the Missouri
Rep, the Virginia Stage Company, the Alley
Theatre, the Taiwan National Theatre, and
the Moscow Art Theatre. He is Founding
Artistic Director of Actors’ Shakespeare
Project, where he played Coriolanus, Hamlet,
Petruchio, Edmund, and Caliban. Mr. Evett
will next appear in On the Verge this spring.
DASHIELL EVETT (Tom
of Warwick, Understudy:
Ensemble) is a sixth-grader
at Ottoson Middle School in
Arlington. His previous acting
credits include Kurt in The
Sound of Music (Concord
Players); one of Fagin’s Gang in Oliver!
(Arlington Friends of the Drama); and a pair
of twins in Blood Rose Rising (Honest Ghost
Productions). He sings with both In Good
Company, an all-ages group that creates
engaging, original musical theater inspired
by stories from American history, and
Arlington’s Broadway Performance Group.
Dashiell plays guitar, makes his own films,
and enjoys cooking, tennis, and ultimate
Frisbee.
NATALIE HALL (Young Girl in
Waiting) is a seventh-grader at
The Rivers School in Weston.
Her previous acting credits
include Children’s Chorus
in Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat
(Turtle Lane Players); Marta in The Sound
of Music (Reagle Music Theatre); Molly in
Annie (Wellesley Players); and Greta in Henry
& Greta (Jenny Lim: Old Depot Film). She
performs with The Friends of Broadway
(SAMM Entertainment) and dances with
Eclipse Dance Company. She trains in musical
theater, tap, jazz, and ballet at The Performing
Arts Connection in Sudbury.
7
MARC KOECK*(Lancelot)
makes his New Repertory
Theatre debut. Other credits
include Legally Blonde
(Ocean State Theatre). Film
credits include Grown Ups 2
(Columbia Pictures) and The
Heat (20th Century Fox). Mr. Koeck is currently
a senior pursuing his BFA in Musical Theatre
at The Boston Conservatory. Originally from
Fargo, North Dakota, he currently resides in
Boston.
MARK LINEHAN*
(Colgrevance) returns to
New Repertory Theatre
after appearing in The Last
Five Years (BroadwayWorld
Award). Other area credits
include Pippi Longstocking
(Wheelock Family Theater); It’s A Wonderful
Life and Lumberjacks in Love (Stoneham
Theatre); Cupcake: A New Musical
(GBA Productions/Club Cafe); and Floyd
Collins (Moonbox Productions). He has
also appeared on stage at the Reagle
Music Theatre, Lyric Stage Company,
Foothills Theatre, Next Door Center for
the Arts, Fiddlehead Theater, and the
Papermill Theater (New Hampshire). Film
credits include stunt work in Shutter Island
and Surrogates. He has also appeared
in numerous television commercials. Mr.
Linehan earned his BFA in Musical Theater
from Emerson College. Originally from
Natick, MA, he resides in Malden. This
winter, he will appear in Hairspray (Wheelock
Family Theater) and in Something’s Afoot
(Stoneham Theatre).
BRITTNEY MORELLO*
(Nimue) makes her New
Repertory Theatre debut.
Other credits include
Pirates! (Huntington
Theatre Company);
Nine (SpeakEasy Stage
Company); A Christmas Carol (North
Shore Music Theatre); and My Fair Lady
and The Marvelous Wonderettes (Maine
State Music Theatre). Ms. Morello earned
her BFA in Musical Theatre from Emerson
College and resides in New York.
ROBERT D. MURPHY*
(Merlyn, Pellinore) makes
his New Repertory Theatre
debut. Other area credits
include Operation Epsilon
(Nora Theatre Company);
CAMELOT Study Guide
Sticks and Bones (Harbor Stage Company);
Floyd Collins and Lucky Stiff (Moon Box
Productions); A Child’s Christmas in Wales
and King of the Jews (Boston Playwrights’
Theatre); and Hotel Cassiopeia and Time
of Your Life (Fort Point Theatre Channel).
Television credits include Gilded Lilys
(ABC) and several episodes Brotherhood
(Showtime). Mr. Murphy provides voiceover
for many Boston companies, including
Fidelity Investments and Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt. He served on the Board
of Directors for StageSource, resides in
Beverly, and will next be seen in the Sila
(Underground Railway Theater).
MAURICE EMMANUEL
PARENT* (Sir Lionel, Dance
Captain) returns to New
Repertory Theatre after
performing in RENT, Passing
Strange, Cabaret, The Wild
Party, and Ragtime. Other
area credits include On the Town, Man of
La Mancha (Lyric Stage Company); A Raisin
in the Sun (Huntington Theatre Company);
The Mountaintop (Underground Railway
Theater); The Motherf**cker with the Hat and
Some Men (SpeakEasy Stage Company);
Romeo and Juliet, Troilus and Cressida, A
Midsummer Night’s Dream, Coriolanus, and
King John (Actors’ Shakespeare Project/
Company Member); Angels in America/Elliot
Norton Award Best Actor (Boston Theatre
Works). Other credits include The Rink (Cape
Playhouse); The Good War (York Theatre);
Hair (Barrington Stage); Ragtime (Fulton
Opera House/Music Theatre of Wichita).
Mr. Parent resides in Cambridge and after
Camelot will appear in The Color Purple
(SpeakEasy Stage Company).
JULIAN SCHEPIS (Page,
Understudy: Tom of Warwick)
returns to New Repertory
Theatre after performing in
mainstage productions of
DollHouse and A Christmas
Carol, as well as performing
in New Rep On Tour’s A Christmas Carol.
He has performed in numerous productions
with Watertown Children’s Theatre, most
recently in Macbeth and Aladdin. Other
Boston-area credits include The Nutcracker
(Stoneham Theatre); Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (North
Shore Music Theatre); and Tom Sawyer (Zero
Point Theatre). Julian is in eighth grade at
Watertown Middle School, plays cello, writes
stories, and is an avid Boston Red Sox fan.
JACOB SHERBURNE (Bliant)
returns to New Repertory
Theatre after performing in
both Romeo and Juliet and
To Kill a Mockingbird with
Classic Repertory Company.
Recent area credits include
The Donkey Show (A.R.T.); Evil Dead: The
Musical (Arts After Hours); Les Miserables
and Bye Bye Birdie (Reagle Music Theater);
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat (Turtle Lane Playhouse); and
Floyd Collins (Moon Box Productions). Mr.
Sherburne earned his BA in Theatre and
English from Boston College. Originally from
Arlington, he resides in Medford.
ERICA SPYRES*
(Guenevere) returns to
New Repertory Theatre
after appearing in Master
Class and Marry Me a
Little. Area credits include
Tribes and The Light in
the Piazza/IRNE Award (SpeakEasy Stage
Company); Avenue Q/IRNE Award Elliot
Norton Nomination, Time Stands Still/
Elliot Norton Nomination, and The
Mikado (Lyric Stage Company); Of Mice
and Men (Moonbox Productions); and
Pirates! (Huntington Theatre Company).
Ms. Spyres is a corporate spokesperson,
radio/TV announcer, can be seen and
heard on commercials throughout the
U.S., and coaches for My College Audition.
Originally from Missouri, she resides in
Boston.
NICK SULFARO (Mordred)
returns to New Repertory
Theatre after appearing in
RENT. Other Boston-area
credits include Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde (Stoneham
Theatre); Anne of Green
Gables (Wheelock Family Theatre); The Full
Monty (Stoneham Theatre); Photograph 51
(Nora Theatre Company); The Nutcracker
(Stoneham Theatre); Sitting Still #1: a radio
play for the Emerging America festival
(Huntington Theatre Company); and Bat
Boy: The Musical/IRNE Nomination (Metro
Stage Company). He directs for Stoneham
Theatre’s Young Company and serves as
the instructor for their Resident Youth
Ensemble. A lifelong Massachusetts
resident, Mr. Sulfaro earned his BFA from
Emerson College, and resides in Allston.
8
JACKIE THEOHARIS (Lady
in Waiting) makes her
New Repertory Theatre
debut. Area credits include
Thoroughly Modern
Millie/IRNE Nomination
and The Drowsy
Chaperone/IRNE Nomination (Turtle
Lane Playhouse); Spring Awakening/
MyTheatre Nomination (FUDGE); Fiddler
on the Roof and Oklahoma (Reagle Music
Theatre); Once on this Island (Blue Spruce
Theatre); A Chorus Line and Cabaret
(Woodland Theatre Company); Next
to Normal and The Rocky Horror Show
(Emerson Umbrella); and Children of
Eden/EMACT Nomination (Wellesley
Players). Ms. Theoharis will graduate from
Brandeis University this December with
degrees in Theater Arts and Education.
She also studied at both the Circle in the
Square Theatre School and the Broadway
Artists Alliance, in New York. She resides in
Waltham.
JEREMY A. TOWLE (Squire
Dap) returns to New
Repertory Theatre after
performing in Cabaret
and The Wild Party (IRNE
Nomination, Best Supporting
Actor/IRNE Award, Best
Ensemble). Other Boston area credits
include On the Town (Lyric Stage Company);
A Christmas Carol (Hanover Theater); A
Chorus Line and La Cage aux Folles (Reagle
Music Theatre); The 25th Annual Putnam
County Spelling Bee (Walpole Footlighters);
The Awesome 80’s Prom (Bello Productions)
and Pirates! (Huntington Theatre Company).
He toured the U.S. with The Doodlebops
Live! and toured internationally with Snappy
Dance Theater and The Aluminum Show.
Mr. Towle earned his BA in Theater and
Dance from the University of Maine. After
Camelot, he will appear in Baby with the
Bathwater (Happy Medium Theater) and
Aida (Fiddlehead Theatre Company).
RUSSELL GARRETT** (Director &
Choreographer) returns to New Repertory
Theatre after directing Little Shop of Horrors
and performing in The Elephant Man and
Amadeus. In New England, he has directed
and choreographed All Shook Up (North
Shore Music Theatre); Shout!, High School
Musical, and Beehive! (Ogunquit Playhouse);
9 to 5, Hairspray, and The Full Monty
(Theatre By The Sea); Legally Blonde (Ocean
State Theatre Company); Lies and Legends:
The Musical Stories of Harry Chapin (Majestic
Theatre); Falsettos, The Rocky Horror
Show, and The Best Little Whorehouse in
Texas (Foothills Theatre Company). He has
CAMELOT Study Guide
staged acclaimed productions in theaters
across the country including Skylight Music
Theatre (Wisconsin), Arts Center of Coastal
Carolina (South Carolina), Sierra Repertory
Theatre and Moonlight Stage (California),
and Red Mountain Theatre Company
(Alabama). At those theaters he directed
and choreographed multiple productions
of Chicago, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Smokey Joe’s
Cafe, and Anything Goes as well as The
Who’s Tommy; Cabaret; Kiss Me, Kate; The
Wizard of Oz; and Guys and Dolls. Originally
from San Diego, CA, Mr. Garrett resides in
Boston’s South End.
DAVID MCGRORY (Music Director) returns
to New Repertory Theatre after music
directing Marry Me a Little. Boston Music
Director credits include Avenue Q and The
Threepenny Opera (Boston College); HPT
164: There Will be Flood (The Hasty Pudding
Theatricals); and Code Monkey (Westford
Academy). Assistant Music Director credits
include Oklahoma, Jesus Christ Superstar,
and Sweeney Todd (Boston Conservatory)
and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat (North Shore Music Theatre).
Mr. McGrory is also a composer and concert
pianist, performing mostly in the Boston
area. His debut CD, Beethoven & Bizet:
Variations, was released in 2012. Originally
from Belfast, Northern Ireland, he resides
in Medfield. After Camelot he will perform
recitals in Newton and Lexington, and will
music direct The Drowsy Chaperone (Boston
College) and Jacques Brel is Alive and
Well and Living in Paris (Gloucester Stage
Company).
JOHN TRAUB (Scenic Designer) returns
to New Repertory Theatre after previously
designing Master Class. Regional credits
include Production Manager for The Merry
Wives of Windsor (Boston Midsummer
Opera); Dead Man Walking (Boston Opera
Collaborative); Associate Designer for A
Christmas Carol (Hanover Theatre); Fred!
The Musical (Cutler Majestic Theater);
Moonchildren and Annie! (Berkshire Theatre
Festival); Fallujah (winner of the KCACTF
National Showcase; Off-Broadway debut);
The Postman Always Rings Twice, Susannah,
and Twelfth Night (Boston University
School of Theatre); and Play about the
Baby (Exquisite Corps). Mr. Traub earned
his BA at Colorado College and his MFA at
Boston University, and serves as Professor of
Production Management and Technology
at The George Washington University.
Originally from New Mexico, he resides in
Washington, D.C. and will next be working
on several events in the Capitol area,
including the White House East Wing, CNN
and the National Endowment for the Arts.
RAFAEL JAEN*** (Costume Designer)
returns to New Repertory Theater after
designing costumes for Marry Me a Little,
DollHouse, Boston Marriage, and The
Misanthrope. Recent theater credits include
The Mikado (Lyric Stage Company/IRNE
Award Nomination); Possessions (Escape
Artist); Two Gentlemen of Verona (Emerson
Stage); 42nd Street (Stoneham Theater); and
Café Variations (ArtsEmerson & Ann Bogart’s
SITI Company). Television and film credits
include God in America (PBS) and The Game
Plan (Disney). He is the recipient of the
Kennedy Center ACTF Golden Medallion for
Excellence in Theater Education. His book
SHOWCASE, 2nd Edition (Focal Press) was
nominated for a USITT Golden Pen Award.
He serves as Assistant Professor of Costume
Design at University of Massachusetts in
Boston. Mr. Jaen will also design costumes
for New Rep’s On the Verge in May.
CHRIS BRUSBERG (Lighting Designer)
returns to New Repertory Theater after
designing Master Class, Holiday Memories,
Three Viewings, DollHouse, Frankie and
Johnny in the Clair de Lune, and Fool for
Love. Other select area credits include The
Other Place (Central Square Theater); The
Third Story (Titanic Theater Company);
Loose, Wet, Perforated (Guerilla Opera);
Carmen and Cosi Fan Tutte (Boston
Midsummer Opera); Monster and I Am My
Own Wife (Boston Center for American
Performance); Yank (Boston Center for the
Arts); Dead Man Walking and A Little Night
Music (Boston Opera Collaborative); and
Richard III (Northeastern University). Mr.
Brusberg earned his BFA in Lighting Design
from Boston University. Originally from New
Jersey, he lives in Somerville.
STEVE DEE (Sound Designer) returns to
New Repertory Theatre after mixing sound
for Amadeus. Area design credits include
Assassins (Boston University), Monster/
IRNE Nomination and House (Boston
Center for American Performance). Other
design credits include Radio Gals, Hello,
Dolly!, Sweet Charity, Nunsense, and Ain’t
Misbehavin’ (Cape Playhouse) in Dennis, MA.
Mr. Dee earned his BFA from the Boston
University’s School of Theatre. Originally from
Cromwell, CT, he resides in Somerville.
KEVIN SCHLAGLE* (Stage Manager)
returns to New Repertory Theatre after
serving as Production Stage Manager for
The Elephant Man and Assistant Stage
Manager for Amadeus. Recent Boston
credits include The Two Gentlemen of
Verona (Commonwealth Shakespeare
Company), Our Town (Huntington Theatre
9
Company), Marie Antoinette and over two
years with The Donkey Show (American
Repertory Theatre). Mr. Schlagle’s opera
credits include work with Boston Baroque,
Boston Opera Collaborative, Guerilla Opera,
New England Conservatory, and Boston
University’s Opera Institute. Mr. Schlagle
earned his BFA from Boston University.
LESLIE SEARS* (Assistant Stage Manager)
returns to New Repertory Theatre after
stage managing Rancho Mirage, Amadeus,
and Race. Area credits include A Raisin in
the Sun, Invisible Man, Private Lives, Ma
Rainey’s Black Bottom, Sons of the Prophet,
Ruined, Vengeance is the Lord’s, Bus Stop,
Prelude to a Kiss, All My Sons, A Civil War
Christmas, Fences, The Miracle at Naples,
The Corn is Green, How Shakespeare
Won the West, and The Rivals (Huntington
Theatre Company); three seasons at Boston
Lyric Opera and four seasons at Tanglewood
Music Center. New York credits include
Sons of the Prophet (Roundabout Theatre
Center). Ms. Sears is a graduate of Boston
University where she currently teaches Stage
Management. Originally from San Diego,
California, she now resides in East Boston.
ALAN JAY LERNER (Book & Lyrics)
was an American lyricist and librettist. In
collaboration with Frederick Loewe, and later
Burton Lane, he created some of the world’s
most popular and enduring works of musical
theatre for both stage and film, including
Brigadoon, Gigi, and My Fair Lady. He was
educated at Bedales School (England),
The Choate School (Connecticut), Harvard
University, and Julliard. He won three Tony
Awards and three Academy Awards, among
other honors. He died in 1986 at age 68.
FREDERICK LOEWE (Music), raised
in Germany, was an Austrian-American
composer. He learned to play piano by ear
and begin composing songs at age 7. In
Berlin he attended a music conservatory. At
age 13, he was the youngest piano soloist
to appear with the Berlin Philharmonic.
After moving to New York, he met Alan Jay
Lerner in 1942, and together, they created
Brigadoon, My Fair Lady, Gigi, Camelot and
others. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of
Fame in 1972, he died in 1988 at age 87.
JIM PETOSA** (Artistic Director) joined
New Repertory Theatre as an award-winning
theater artist, educator, and leader in 2012.
He has served as Director of the School of
Theatre, College of Fine Arts, at Boston
University since 2002, and Artistic Director
of Maryland’s Olney Theatre Center for the
Arts and its National Players educational
touring company (1994-2012). While at
BU, he established the Boston Center
for American Performance (BCAP), the
professional production extension of the BU
School of Theatre, in 2008. Throughout the
Northeast, Petosa has directed for numerous
institutions, including The Elephant Man,
Amadeus, Three Viewings, The Last Five
Years, and Opus at New Rep. In Boston, his
work was nominated for two IRNE awards
for A Question of Mercy (BCAP). He has
served as one of three artistic leaders for
the Potomac Theatre Project (PTP/NYC)
since 1987. In Maryland, his work earned
over 25 Helen Hayes Award nominations as
well as the award for outstanding direction
of a musical for Jacques Brel is Alive And
Well and Living in Paris. His production
of Look! We Have Come Through! was
nominated for the Charles MacArthur
Award for outstanding new play, and he
earned the Montgomery County Executive’s
Excellence in the Arts and Humanities Award
for Outstanding Artist/Scholar. A member
of Actors’ Equity Association, Petosa has
served on the executive board of the Stage
Directors and Choreographers Society, and
currently serves on the Board of Directors for
StageSource. Originally from New Jersey, he
was educated at The Catholic University of
America and resides in Quincy.
HARRIET SHEETS (Managing Director)
joined New Repertory Theatre in 2000,
bringing with her experience in human
resources, union contracts and negotiations,
budgeting and cash-flow management,
as well as marketing, development, and
special events. During her tenure, Ms. Sheets
has successfully managed the theatre’s
increasing operational budget, and moved
the company from Newton Highlands to
Watertown’s Arsenal Center for the Arts.
Prior to New Rep, she was the General
Manager at Merrimack Repertory Theatre,
where she worked for nine years. Ms. Sheets
began as an Actors’ Equity Association Stage
Manager, working at North Shore Music
Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company,
Opera Company of Boston and others.
Originally from Arizona, she holds a BFA
from Arizona State University and resides in
Methuen.
additional production staff
fight choreographer Angie Jepson
props designer Andrea VanDenBroeke
assistant director & child supervisor Sophie Rich
production assistant Tom Kordenbrock
audio engineer Jeremy Goldenberg
follow spot operator Renne Brungard
hair and makeup artist Emily Damron
dialect coach Christine Hamel
costume assistants Colleen Fitzgibbons, Sarie Guessner, Ashleigh Roy
special thanks
Martha Mulligan, Dr. Solomon of Solomon Collection and Fine Rugs, Heather Eagan,
Robert Walsh, Ted Hewlett, North Shore Music Theatre, The Boston University School of Theatre, The
Huntington Theatre Company, UMass Boston Theatre Arts, Mercury Manufacture and Design
CAMELOT Study Guide
10