Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Improvisational theatre wikipedia , lookup
Development of musical theatre wikipedia , lookup
History of theatre wikipedia , lookup
Antitheatricality wikipedia , lookup
Theater (structure) wikipedia , lookup
Medieval theatre wikipedia , lookup
Theatre of the Oppressed wikipedia , lookup
Federal Theatre Project wikipedia , lookup
English Renaissance theatre wikipedia , lookup
PORTLANDCENTERSTAGE Presents Great Expectations By Charles Dickens Adapted by Lucinda Stroud Directed by Jane Jones January 16 – February 14, 2016 Artistic Director | Chris Coleman PORTLANDCENTERSTAGE Presents Great Expectations By Charles Dickens Adapted by Lucinda Stroud For Book-It Repertory Theatre All rights reserved. Directed by Jane Jones Scenic Designer Christopher Mumaw Costume Designer Ron Erickson Lighting Designer Peter Maradudin Sound Designer Casi Pacilio Composer Joshua Kohl Fight Director John Armour Dialect Coach Gin Hammond Fight Captain Gavin Hoffman* Stage Manager Janine Vanderhoff* Production Assistant Stephen Kriz Gardner New York City Casting Harriet Bass Local Casting Rose Riordan and Brandon Woolley First commissioned, developed and produced in the Book-It Style® by Book-It Repertory Theatre, founded in 1990, Seattle, Washington, www.book-it.org. Performed with one intermission. Videotaping or other photo or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited. *Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. A LETTER FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR By Chris Coleman “It is easy for us to forget, sitting alone on our couches with our novels and television shows that, until fairly recently, story was always an intensely communal activity. For tens of thousands of years … story happened only when a teller came together with listeners. For uncounted millennia, story was exclusively oral.” – The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human, by Jonathan Gottschall At PCS we never forget how connected we are to story; our mission statement is built around it. But as I thought about the three productions kicking off 2016 in the context of the passage above, I felt even more connection to the traditions of storytelling. Two of the pieces – Forever and Each and Every Thing – are very different works by writer/performers, and the other one is an adaptation of one of the most beloved novels ever written, Great Expectations. What they share (as with all productions at PCS): We will experience each of them communally. Great Expectations is one of the books that marked the golden age of the novel. Growing literacy and the technologies that made wider distribution of books and magazines possible meant that the demand for stories grew rapidly. Many of Dickens’ novels, including Great Expectations, were originally published in serial form before being released as books, which meant that his characters and plots were more a part of the shared culture than ever before possible. By bringing this tale to the stage in a captivating adaptation by Lucinda Stroud, we’re excited to take this beloved story back to a shared experience. We are turning over the Ellyn Bye Studio for two months to a pair of superb storytellers, who each bring a distinct voice to the American experience. Some of you may remember Dael Orlandersmith from The Gimmick, which PCS presented in a special engagement in 2001. She is a brilliant poet/performer whose work embodies the ancient tradition of storytelling in a very modern way. In Forever, she pays tribute to the artists who have inspired her as she shares the personal, harrowing and formative journey of her own girlhood. I’ve known Dael for many years, and I’m an admirer of her compelling presence and artistry. I’m thrilled to bring her back to Portland. Dan Hoyle is also returning to PCS for Each and Every Thing, after his previous turn with us in The Real Americans in 2011. Dan is a keen observer of contemporary society, and in Each and Every Thing, he takes on the newest threat to shared experience—personal technology. If we spend time together not telling each other our stories, but focused on our devices, what happens to our common humanity? Through his insightful exploration and capacious imagination, Dan invites us to explore that question with him. As we welcome in the first months of 2016, I hope you will continue to join us as we bring you the most exciting spectrum of stories we can find, and to be inspired to share your own stories, communally, with your friends and family. FROM THE DIRECTOR: An Interview with Jane Jones Book-It Repertory Theatre creates adaptations of classic and contemporary literature for the stage, using its trademarked style that preserves the text as it is written. Describe the process of working with Lucinda Stroud on this adaptation of Great Expectations. When Book-It first started looking at the probability of adapting Great Expectations, it was decided we were interested in a single-evening theatrical event less than three hours in duration. A story with such a massive plot as Great Expectations, that spans two decades and traverses many geographic locations, is always going to present immense challenges. So early on, we decided to chiefly follow Pip's journey through the novel, concentrating on the events that specifically move and shape his future. We also decided to experiment with a smallish cast, nine actors, which is rare for Book-It. That led us to deciphering which characters we perceived were of utmost importance to Pip's story, and which could be edited away, always a painful exercise. Lucinda and I then shared what Book-It calls the "purple passages" from the novel; those lines of dialogue or narrative that are, subjectively, the "to be or not to be's" of the text. This is also a difficult process because, with a writer who is as descriptive and emotionally available as Dickens, the instinct to preserve as many lines as possible is irresistible. Next came the assignment of the double casting of the actors, and then Lucinda went to work! What transpired was a series of edits and rewrites, primarily with the company and Lucinda daily in the rehearsal room, which culminated in the creation of this script. One of our greatest joys would be the inspiration of this adaptation to encourage our audience to read the entire novel. There have been hundreds of adaptations of Great Expectations, from major films to numerous television series, and even a South Park episode. What is it about this work that continues to captivate and inspire generation after generation? This book is thought by many to be Dickens at his best. I have read that over and over while researching the novel. It’s also said to be his most autobiographical. I certainly can't speak for the generations, but for me, I am moved by the humanity of this story. It seems every human being has dreams, goals, things that we hope we will accomplish during our lifetimes. We hope to fall in love, have a comfortable if not elevated means for taking care of ourselves and our families. We hope we will achieve circumstances that will allow us a life of contentment; a life we will be proud of when we look back on our own time aboard planet earth. From the very start of Pip’s journey, he is dissatisfied with his given circumstances. He laments his lowly origins and proclaims: “It is a most miserable thing to feel ashamed of home.” How sad for such a youngster. Dickens’ origins were not as lowly as Pip’s, but apparently he suffered from low self-esteem and shame regarding his family background. His father’s time spent in debtor’s prison, and his past, which included working in a blacking warehouse, were secrets from his own children. He also wrote that a true love was the “one happiness I have missed in life, and the one friend and companion I never made.” These conflicts are the soul of the novel and the quest for Pip’s great expectations. You know the adage about expectations, try not to have them and you will be much happier? Well, Pip is loaded with expectations and every turn he makes tethers him closer to them, unrealistic as they are. He casts aside the young woman who truly loves him and wastes away his adoration on a woman whose “heart is made of ice.” He really goes through quite a wretched set of events that eventually leads him to see the missteps and bad choices he has made. In the end, he is humbled to understand the true nature of gratitude, a good, honest job and the value of family. And with the re-write of Dickens’ original ending, now commonly read as THE ending, we are led to hope he will ultimately find true love as well. He’s just a really complicated character, and I think we are always interested in holding up our own narratives in comparison to the ways other people live their lives. It’s comforting to know you’re not the only one who has had to dash hopes and dreams for reality. CAST BIOGRAPHIES Dana Green Mrs. Joe/Miss Havisham Dana Green is delighted to be working again at Portland Center Stage after appearing in Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream and JAW 2014. Other Portland credits include work with Third Rail Repertory Theatre and Profile Theatre (Drammy Award for Dead Man's Cell Phone). She spent four seasons with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, where some of her favorite roles included Isabella in Measure for Measure, Carol Cutrere in Orpheus Descending and Viola in Twelfth Night. She has performed at numerous regional theaters, including The Old Globe, South Coast Repertory, Yale Repertory Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, California Shakespeare Theater, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Court Theatre, Meadow Brook Theatre and Shakespeare Dallas. Television credits include Early Edition and Grimm. Gavin Hoffman Joe Gargery Gavin is very happy to be back at Portland Center Stage where he played Ligniere in Cyrano, Iago in Othello and Karl/Steve in Clybourne Park, and appeared in the last three JAW festivals. Portland: Harry in The Understudy and Dieter in The MonsterBuilder at Artists Repertory Theatre; Ellard in The Foreigner at Lakewood Theatre (Drammy Award 2011, Supporting Actor); Wolf/Red in To Cape, The Tripping Point at Shaking the Tree (Drammy Award 2012, Solo Performance); Ken in Fifth of July at Profile Theatre; Frank in Body Awareness for CoHo Productions; and Hank in A Noble Failure at Third Rail Repertory Theatre. He has worked regionally and in New York City. Gavin has guest-starred in The Big Easy (USA) and Leverage (TNT), and co-starred in Grimm (NBC). He is a member of Actors’ Equity and SAG-AFTRA. Gavin is a graduate of P.C.P.A. and has a B.F.A. in acting from Ithaca College. John Hutton Magwitch/Jaggers John has spent most of the last 25 years as a member of the resident acting company at Denver Center Theatre Company. Prior to his time in Denver, he was based in New York and worked there, as well as at theaters across the country. He was the dashing, but simpleminded Peter Love on Another World. Since Denver, he’s been to Prague for PBS; Oslo for a miniseries called Nobel; Northern Stage in Vermont, to play the Stage Manager in Our Town; Richmond, VA, for Lincoln; Arizona to play Lear in Southwest Shakespeare Company’s production of King Lear; and to Brooklyn to shoot Power for Starz network. Damon Kupper Pumblechook/Wemmick and others Damon was last seen at Portland Center Stage as Desiree in Cyrano. Other PCS productions include Othello, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Pillowman. Damon is a company member of Third Rail Repertory Theatre and has performed most recently in its productions of Or, The Night Alive, Middletown and The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Locally, he has also acted with Corrib Theatre, Artist Repertory Theatre, Portland Playhouse, Profile Theatre, Oregon Children's Theatre and the Well Arts Institute. Damon has worked as an instructor for various educational theater programs, both domestically and abroad, through Young Musicians and Artists, Stop-Gap Theatre, Vietnam American Theatre Exchange and many others. Isaac Lamb Compeyson/Orlick and others Isaac is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University, a proud company member of Third Rail Repertory Theatre, and is thrilled to be returning to PCS where he was seen in A Small Fire, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and JAW. For several years, Isaac starred in the national tour of Defending the Caveman, Broadway’s longest running one-person show, and worked regionally throughout the country. Select local credits include Third Rail (Belleville, The Mystery of Irma Vep, The Aliens), Artists Repertory Theatre (Playboy of the Western World, Assassins), Broadway Rose Theatre Company (Sound of Music, Ripper), Portland Playhouse (Mr. Burns: a post electric play, Famished), Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble (The Three Sisters), CoHo Productions (International Falls), Northwest Children's Theatre (Beauty and the Beast - Drammy Award) and many others. Isaac also directs professionally in the Portland area at Third Rail, Portland Playhouse, Broadway Rose, Oregon Children’s Theatre, CoHo and Lakewood Theatre. Sean McGrath Drummle and others Sean is elated to be making his Portland Center Stage debut. Portland audiences may know him from the ten years he spent onstage with Live Wire Radio, Maple and Vine (CoHo Productions), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Portland Playhouse), Weekend at Bernie's (Funhouse Lounge) and Roadhouse (Bad Reputation Productions). TV and film credits include Grimm, The Librarians, Deep Dark and a slew of local and national commercials. He is also the proud creator of Bath Night sketch comedy. Special thanks to his acting teachers, the cast and crew for all the laughs, Ma and Pa, Ryan and Terry, true blue pals who come out to his shows, and especially Jane Jones for taking a chance. Chris Murray Herbert Pocket and others Chris is an actor and producer in Portland who was last seen at Portland Center Stage in Our Town. Previous shows at PCS include futura, Sometimes a Great Notion, and 10 years at the JAW festival. Chris has appeared around town at Artists Repertory Theatre (The Liar, Playboy of the Western World, Xmas Unplugged, I am Still (The Duchess of Malfi), Mr. Marmalade, Take Me Out), Third Rail Repertory Theatre (A Bright New Boise, Penelope, The Aliens, A Skull in Connemara) and several shows at Profile Theatre, CoHo Productions, Portland Playhouse and more. Chris has been in many feature films you've probably never heard of, a few TV shows you probably have, and was called a pinhead by Bill O'Reilly on The O'Reilly Factor for his portrayal of Jesus in Everclear's music video, Hater. Stephen Stocking Pip Stephen is thrilled to be making his Portland debut at Portland Center Stage. Selected New York and regional credits include: A Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare Theatre Company); Heidi Armbruster’s Every Good Girl Deserves Fun — and Other Misremembered Things; The Casebook of Rudolf H- (New York Theatre Workshop, studio); Romeo and Juliet and Anything Goes (Williamstown Theatre Festival); Dance Dance Revolution (Les Freres Corbusier). NYU credits include: Describe the Night (world premiere by Rajiv Joseph), Desire, Three Sisters, Plenty, Landscape of the Body, The Beaux’ Strategem and Pale Fires. Stephen recently appeared in the Amazon TV pilot Z: The Beginning of Everything. M.F.A., NYU, Graduate Acting. Maya Sugarman Biddy/Estella Maya Sugarman is thrilled to be making her Portland Center Stage debut. A Seattle-based actor, she grew up performing at ACT Theatre, Book-It Repertory Theatre, 5th Avenue Theatre and Seattle Children’s Theatre. Favorite recent productions include Mary’s Wedding with New Century Theatre Company, Tartuffe with Seattle Shakespeare Company, As You Like It with Seattle Shakespeare Company’s Wooden O and The Memorandum with Strawberry Theatre Workshop. After earning a B.A. in Social Studies from Harvard, Maya also worked in public health in New Mexico and Boston, where she performed with Fort Point Theater Channel and the American Repertory Theater Institute. She is very grateful to her parents for their support. FEATURE I DOUBLE TROUBLE: COMING OF AGE WITH GREAT EXPECTATIONS Dickens’ epic narratives are often populated by multitudinous casts of colorful characters, and Great Expectations is no exception. Lucinda Stroud’s adaptation hones in on the journey of Pip, Dickens’ protagonist and narrator. Pip’s story harnesses many tropes of the “coming-of-age” genre, or Bildungsroman (“novel of education/formation”), and his growth is spurred on through his interactions with dozens of diverse individuals. So many individuals, in fact, that it would be nearly impossible to have as many actors on stage as there are characters in the novel. One of the challenges in bringing Great Expectations into the theater, therefore, is determining how to include all these characters. Stroud and director Jane Jones have employed a quintessentially theatrical and spirited solution: an extensive use of role doubling. As you will see in this production, an ensemble of nine actors takes on multiple roles, transforming themselves from one character to the next as they chart Pip’s journey. This doubling not only capitalizes on the playful liveness unique to the theater, it also aligns itself with one of Dickens’ genius strokes: the extensive use of literary doubles. Dickens frequently juxtaposes two characters whose relationships to Pip are similar, but whose attitudes and methods are polar opposites from one another. These “doubles” expose Pip to a wide range of humanity and lead him to formulate his own definitions of right and wrong. As a start, we have pointed out a few possible pairs of doubles with thematic significance on this page, and we encourage you to think about how the complex web of relationships resonates with you. What other doubles do you see in the story — and how do juxtapositions like these affect your interpretation of Great Expectations? ________________________________________ PAIRING #1 PHILIP PIRRIP (a.k.a. “PIP”) Our hero. Possessed of an open mind and an ambitious spirit, which leads him on a journey from the rural life of a poor blacksmith to the aristocratic social circles of London. His experiences give him the necessary scruples needed to consider situations and people from multiple perspectives. ORLICK Another of Joe’s blacksmithing apprentices. Darkhearted and wrathful, he feels trapped by his circumstances. His egotistical point of view, coupled with his extreme jealousy of Pip, leads to violence. ________________________________________ PAIRING #2 ESTELLA Miss Havisham’s adopted daughter. A model of coolheaded refinement and upper class privilege. A forerunner of the “femme fatale” archetype, Estella has been raised to break the hearts of men without remorse and has mastered the art of concealing her true feelings. BIDDY An intelligent orphan from Pip’s village. Biddy is warmhearted and generous, in contrast to Estella. Pip overlooks Biddy’s affection in his pursuit of Estella. Over time, Biddy becomes a voice of reason whenever Pip forgets his roots or finds himself in a moral quagmire. ________________________________________ PAIRING #3 JOE GARGERY Pip’s brother-in-law. A blacksmith. Joe and his wife, Pip’s illtempered sister, raise the orphaned boy. What Joe lacks in cosmopolitan breeding, he makes up for with kindness and integrity. He is an anchor for Pip’s moral compass in a sea of deceit and intrigue. Despite his lack of formal schooling, he is influential in Pip’s education as a human being. MISS HAVISHAM A wealthy, reclusive spinster. Mistress of her estate at Satis House and guardian of Estella. The romantic trauma of her youth instilled in her not only a hatred of men, but also an eccentric need to distort the innocence of young love. She has a special affinity for Pip, whose sincerity challenges her manipulative nature. Her presence provides an edgy counterpoint to Joe insofar as Pip’s education. Historically speaking, her presence also suggests the lack of agency of Victorian women fallen from social graces. ________________________________________ PAIRING #4 HERBERT POCKET Pip’s friend and fellow student of the gentlemanly arts. Sanguine and dependable. Herbert is one of the few people who not only witnesses Pip’s transformation but also takes part in the process. He becomes Pip’s lifelong companion, business partner, and de facto sidekick. BENTLEY DRUMMLE A young aristocrat. Pip’s rival for Stella’s affections. Despite the nobility of his birth, he is duller, ruder, and more abusive than his counterparts born of lower class. ________________________________________ PAIRING #5 MAGWITCH A mysterious escaped prisoner. He is possessed of an emotional complexity masked by his gruff exterior. Magwitch’s journey runs parallel to Pip’s and is marked by similar reversals of fortune. His actions challenge the prejudices of a class-based justice system and demonstrate the lengths humans are willing to go to redeem themselves. COMPEYSON Magwitch’s fellow prison escapee. An educated, sophisticated con artist. His brutal and deceptive nature contrasts with Magwitch’s. Like Drummle, Compeyson’s presence in the story questions the assumption that goodness and honor are a matter of class and breeding. —Benjamin Fainstein, PCS Literary Manager Tell us what you think of the show! Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. CREATIVE TEAM BIOGRAPHIES Charles Dickens Born on February 7, 1812 to a Naval Pay Office clerk, Dickens spent his early years in London, a period of his life he would later describe as idyllic. His childhood came to an abrupt end when his family found themselves in debtor’s prison in 1824. At the age of 12, Dickens was sent to work twelve-hour days at a shoe polish factory to earn extra money for his family. The harsh working conditions made a lasting impression on the young Dickens, undoubtedly shaping his convictions on social reform, status and the corruption of innocence — prevalent themes in his writing. In 1829, Dickens first tried his hand at writing as a freelance reporter at Doctors’ Commons Courts, eventually finding steady work at a newspaper. Dickens’ first published collection, Sketches by Boz, was a set of periodical sketches, the success of which led to the serialization of his first novel, The Pickwick Papers. Released in monthly, two-chapter installments, The Pickwick Papers was unprecedentedly popular, a publishing phenomenon, launching Dickens’ literary career. Most of Dickens’ works, including Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Hard Times, Little Dorrit, A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations, were published serially, explaining Dickens’ tendency towards cliff-hanger chapter endings. Sudden plot twists and suspenseful foreshadowing ensured his audience would continue to subscribe. Great Expectations, Dickens’ thirteenth novel, was published weekly in the magazine All the Year Round from 1860-1861. At the age of 24, he married Catherine Hogarth and together they had ten children, but separated in 1858 due to, as Dickens himself described, being “temperamentally unsuited” for one another. Over the course of his life, Dickens boasted a highly prolific career, writing more than 25 books, managing a theatrical company, traveling internationally, and attending scores of public readings, a demanding schedule that eventually took a toll on his physical well-being. As his health deteriorated, and against his doctor’s advice, Dickens maintained his productive fervor until he died from a stroke on June 9, 1870. Lucinda Stroud Adapter Lucinda Stroud began her theatrical career in Seattle by interning with Book-It Repertory Theatre as dramaturg and assistant director on Emma (dir. Marcus Goodwin) and The Cider House Rules Part I: Here in St Cloud’s (dir. Jane Jones). Her work there and background in creative writing led to her adapting Great Expectations. She has also worked as an assistant director with BASH Theatre and as a director with Freehold Theatre’s INCUBATOR Studio Series. Most recently, she directed and co-adapted A Gogolplex, based on the short stories of Nikolai Gogol, with Ghost Light Theatricals. A graduate of the University of Puget Sound, she is honored and excited to see this work brought to new life at Portland Center Stage. Jane Jones Director Jane is the founder of Book-It and founding co-artistic director of Book-It Repertory Theatre in Seattle with Myra Platt. In her 25 years of staging literature, she has performed, adapted and directed works by such literary giants as Charles Dickens, Eudora Welty, Edith Wharton, Raymond Carver, Jim Lynch, Amy Bloom, John Irving, John Steinbeck and Jane Austen. Her directing credits include work with Seattle Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage (Drammy Award, Best Production and Best Director, Twelfth Night), Mark Taper Forum (Ovation Award, Best Director with Tom Hulce, The Cider House Rules), Atlantic Theatre Company, NYC (Drama Desk nomination) and Book-It (Gregory Awards, Best Production, 2010 and 2011). Favorite Book-It productions include Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Uncensored, The House of Mirth, The Awakening, Owen Meany's Christmas Pageant, Truth Like the Sun, The Dog of the South, A Tale of Two Cities and Howard's End. In 2008, she and Co-Artistic Director Myra Platt were honored to be named by The Seattle Times among seven Unsung Heroes and Uncommon Genius for their 20-year contribution to life in the Puget Sound region. She is a recipient of the 2009 Women's University Club Brava Award, a 2010 Women of Influence Award from Puget Sound Business Journal, and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation's 20th Anniversary Founders Award. Jane was a finalist for Stage Directors and Choreographers' 2012 Zelda Fichandler Award. She is delighted to return to PCS, where she last directed Cyrano in the spring of 2015. Christopher Mumaw Scenic Designer Christopher is a freelance theater artist based in Seattle, Washington. He received his Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Washington and his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Wright State University in his home town of Dayton, Ohio. Scenic design credits include: Grease: The Musical (The 5th Avenue Theatre), a new opera workshop of Heart Mountain (Vespertine Opera Theater at Inscape), The Magic Flute (Pacific Music Works), The Dog of the South (Book-It Repertory Theatre), SPRAWL with Pete Rush (Washington Ensemble Theatre), Judy’s Scary Little Christmas (ArtsWest), Gregory Award-winning production of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Book-It), The Rape of Lucretia (Vespertine Opera Theater at St. Mark’s Cathedral), Little Women (ArtsWest) and The Last Five Years (Cornish College of the Arts). Christopher is thrilled and honored to be working with such a talented and genuine group of artists here in Portland. www.ChristopherMumaw.com Costume Designer Ron Erickson Ron Erickson had the privilege of designing the costumes for Book-It Repertory Theatre’s original production of Great Expectations, and he is thrilled to have the opportunity to design this production for Portland Center Stage. Other Book-It costume designs include Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, A Tale of Two Cities, Lady Chatterly’s Lover and Hard Times, to name just a few. Ron Erickson has also designed costumes and scenery for many other northwest theaters, including Pacific Northwest Ballet, Intiman Theatre, Tacoma Opera, Spectrum Dance Theater, Seattle Shakespeare Company and Strawberry Theatre Workshop. Ron is a founding faculty member of the performance production department at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. After more than thirty years he recently retired from his position as professor of costume design and costume design area head. Ron is currently head of wardrobe at Seattle Opera. Peter Maradudin Lighting Designer Peter Maradudin is pleased to return to Portland Center Stage, where previous work includes Threesome, Othello, Ragtime, Crazy Enough, West Side Story, Anna in the Tropics, Hamlet, King Lear and Terra Nova, among many others. He is also the lighting designer for the lobby spaces of the Gerding Theater at the Armory. On Broadway, he designed the lighting for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Kentucky Cycle, and Off-Broadway for Threesome, Hurrah at Last and Ballad of Yachiyo. Peter has designed more than 300 productions for such companies as the Guthrie Theater, American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Old Globe, South Coast Repertory and Steppenwolf. He is the Studio Director of the architectural lighting group StudioK1, and is the author, under his pen name Peter Alexei, of the novels The Masked Avenger and The Queen of Spades. Casi Pacilio Sound Designer Casi is the resident sound designer at PCS, where recent credits include Our Town, Three Days of Rain, Cyrano, The People’s Republic of Portland, Other Desert Cities, Threesome, Dreamgirls, The Last Five Years, Othello, A Small Fire, Twist Your Dickens, The Mountaintop; Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike with composer Jana Losey; and nine seasons of JAW. National shows: Holcombe Waller Surfacing and Wayfinders; Left Hand of Darkness, My Mind is Like an Open Meadow (Drammy Award, 2011), Something’s Got Ahold Of My Heart and PEP TALK for Hand2Mouth Theatre. Other credits include Squonk Opera’s Bigsmorgasbord-WunderWerk (Broadway, PS122, national and international touring); I Am My Own Wife, I Think I Like Girls (La Jolla Playhouse); Playland, 10 Fingers and Lips Together, Teeth Apart (City Theatre, PA). Film credits include Creation of Destiny, Out of Our Time and A Powerful Thang. Recordings: Glitterfruit’s fruit snacks. Composer Joshua Kohl Joshua Kohl is thrilled to work with Jane Jones and the fantastic PCS crew! Joshua's main artistic output is as music director, composer and co-artistic director of Degenerate Art Ensemble (DAE). Joshua has led the musical evolution of the group through manifestations including punk, big-band, orchestra, altrock combos and chamber music — each birthed to conjure the spirits needed for the work at hand. Joshua’s work “Warrior” was performed by the Kronos Quartet in 2012 and 2015. DAE’s work “Red Shoes” was awarded the Music Theatre Now Award in 2012 from the International Theatre Institute. Joshua recently collaborated with his father, author Herbert Kohl, for a Frye Art Museum commissioned work that has become a part of the museum’s permanent collection. Also an avid conductor of the works of his peers, he conducted the music of composer Jherek Bischoff with the Wordless Music Orchestra in New York at Lincoln Center with vocalist David Byrne in 2012. In 2015, he was the music director for 95 Rituals by the Bay Area dance company inkBoat, to celebrate the 95th birthday of choreographer Anna Halprin. John Armour Fight Director John is an actor and fight director who has been choreographing violence for more than 25 years. He is based in Portland, Oregon, where he choreographs for many local theater companies and teaches throughout the region at colleges, high schools and middle schools. John’s work has been seen regularly on stage at Portland Opera, Portland Center Stage, Artists Repertory Theatre, Oregon Children’s Theatre, Miracle Theatre and many others. John’s work has twice been recognized within the Portland theater community for best fight design. Gin Hammond Dialect Coach Gin Hammond is honored to be making her coaching debut at PCS. She is a certified vocal coach and co-founder of the Seattle Voice Institute. Her voice can be heard on commercials, audiobooks and a variety of video games, including Undead Labs: State of Decay and DotA 2. A graduate of the A.R.T. Institute at Harvard University/Moscow Art Theater, Hammond has performed nationally at theaters such as Guthrie Theater, Arena Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, Seattle’s ACT, The Pasadena Playhouse and Studio Theatre in Washington D.C., where she won a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress. Internationally, she has performed in Russia, Germany, Ireland, Scotland and England. ARTISTIC DIRECTOR CHRIS COLEMAN Chris joined Portland Center Stage as artistic director in May, 2000. Most recently, he directed the Off-Broadway debut of Threesome at 59E59 Theaters (a production that had its world premiere at PCS and was also presented at ACT-Seattle). Before coming to Portland, Chris was artistic director at Actor’s Express in Atlanta, a company he co-founded in the basement of an old church in 1988. Chris recently returned to Atlanta to direct the world premiere of Edward Foote at Alliance Theatre. He also directed Phylicia Rashad and Kenny Leon in Same Time Next Year at True Colors Theatre Company in Atlanta, in 2014. Favorite PCS directing assignments include Ain’t Misbehavin’, Three Days of Rain, Threesome, Dreamgirls, Othello, Fiddler on the Roof, Clybourne Park, Sweeney Todd, Shakespeare’s Amazing Cymbeline (which he also adapted), Anna Karenina, Oklahoma!, Snow Falling on Cedars, Ragtime, Crazy Enough, Beard of Avon, Cabaret, King Lear, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Man and Superman, Outrage, Flesh and Blood and The Devils. Chris has directed at theaters across the country, including Actor’s Theater of Louisville, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, ACTSeattle, The Alliance, Dallas Theatre Center, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop and Center Stage in Baltimore. A native Atlantan, Chris holds a B.F.A. from Baylor University and an M.F.A. from Carnegie Mellon. He is currently the board president for the Cultural Advocacy Coalition. Chris and his husband, Rodney, are the proud parents of an 18-lb Jack Russell/Lab mix, and a 110-lb English Blockhead Yellow Lab. SPONSOR STATEMENTS Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines is proud to sponsor Portland Center Stage's production of Great Expectations. With daily non-stop service to Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Detroit, Salt Lake City, Tokyo and Amsterdam, and convenient connections beyond, Delta connects Portlanders not only to the arts in our home town, but to destinations across America and the globe. Plan your next trip at www.delta.com. Stoel Rives Portland Center Stage presents an adventurous adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations. An orphaned boy named Pip meets three people that will forever change his life, and will eventually lead to clandestine and unforeseen encounters. A long-time supporter of PCS, Stoel Rives is delighted to sponsor this classic yet innovative production, adapted by the talented Lucinda Stroud. Viridian Reclaimed Wood The vintage wood used for this production was rescued from backyard fence boards by Viridian Reclaimed Wood. Its years of exposure to the elements create a natural patina that speaks to the passage of time and extreme nature of this story’s surroundings. Portland-based Viridian upcycles reclaimed wood materials into paneling, flooring and furniture of unparalleled character. Once the show closes, Viridian will reclaim and remill the wood into high quality wall paneling. To learn more about Viridian’s unique wood products please visit them at www.viridianwood.com. LEAD CORPORATE CHAMPION Umpqua Bank Actors take chances. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don't. But none of these actors would be on stage tonight without taking chances. It's part of growth, and we're all made to grow. That's why we're such a proud supporter of Portland Center Stage. Let this performance inspire you to take the chances that power your own growth.