Presents Edward II · 2011. 9. 12. · Prince Edward/James Steve Smith Baldock/Bishop of Coventry/Gurney Ronnie Larsen Edmund, DukeofKent, the King's half-brother Max Macke Warwick/Matrevis

~tOOIl!THEATRE

Presents

Edward IIBy

Christopher MarloweAdapted by Richard Baird

with

Amber Bonasso, Jim "Doc" Coates, Alexandra Grossi,Ross Hellwig*, Steven Jensen, Evan Kendig,Ronnie Larsen, Noah Longton, Max Macke,

Jeff Anthony Miller, Dangerfield G. Moore, John Polak,Steve Smith, John Tessmer and Reed Willard

Lighting DesignMichelle Caron+

Costume DesignHoward Schmitt

Scenic DesignMatt Scott+

Fight ChoreographyJeff Anthony Miller

Sound Design &

Original MusicKevin Anthenill

Prop DesignDavid Medina+

Fight CaptainAmber Bonasso

DramaturgGideon Rappaport

Stage ManagerChris Powell

Directed byRichard Baird

+Diversionary Theatre Associate Artitist* Member,Actors' Equity Association

Financial support for both Diversionary Theatre is provided in partby the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.

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CAST

King Edward II Ross Hellwig*Roger Mortimer John PolakQueen Isabella Alexandra GrossiPiers de Gaveston Dangerfield G. MooreBerkeley/Abbott of Neath Steven JensenYoung Spenser/Priest/Soldier Noah LongtonOld Spenser/Archbishop ofCatebury/Lightborn Jim "Doc" CoatesLady Margaret de Clare/Soldier/Herald Amber BonassoThomasofLancaster/RiceAp HowelL JohnTessmerPrince Edward/James Steve Smith

Baldock/Bishop of Coventry/Gurney Ronnie LarsenEdmund, DukeofKent, the King's half-brother Max MackeWarwick/Matrevis Jeff Anthony MillerPembroke/Leicester Reed Willard

Mower/Champion Evan Kendig

Edward II is performed in two acts.There will be one, 15-minute intermission.

Please be aware that smoke and fog effectsare used during the production.

The use of any recording device, either audio or video, and the taking ofphotographs, either with or without flash, is strictly prohibited.

Please turn off all electronic decives, such as cell phones, pagers andwatches.

* Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actorsand Stage Managers in the United States,

appearing under a Special Appearance Contract.

Special Thanks

Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, Jeneva Moore. Swords and weap­onry provided by The Baird Family, Jeff Anthony Miller, Russell Copley

and the Eagle Rock Drama Department.

CAST BIOS

~ .. AMBER BONASSO (Lady Margaret/Soldier 1): Amber is thrilled to

~ . be making her San Diego stage debut with Diversionary Theatre .-=- . Some of her recent favorite rolls include Ann in All My Sons, and

. ~J Kate in The Taming of the Shrew. Having had extensive training in~ ..AI classical weaponry and all things stunt/fight related at theAcademy of Theatrical Combat, she is excited to be fighting in thisproduction and to assist Jeff Miller as Fight Captain. She would like

to thank Richard for giving her the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful cast.

JIM "DOC" COATES (Archbishop of Canterbury/Spencer Sr./Lightborn/Monk) enjoys plays and playing. He treasures this debutopportunity at Diversionary Theatre and to work again with RichardBaird. Favorite roles include: "John 0' Gaunt" in Richard /I for Poor

Players, and variously elsewhere: "Puck," "Sir Andrew Aguecheek,""Old Adam," "Egeon," "The Porter," and "Gremio." Jim's professionalwebsite is www.actsup.com.

~." ALEXANDRA GROSSI (Queen Isabella): is a recent New York

- ~ transplant where she worked with such company's as Red BullI ~ ~ .1 Theatre, Theatre For The New City and Castle Shakespeare~ ., Repertory. She received her BA in Theatre Performance from West-

\ _ "ern Michigan University and studied classical theatre at the BritishAmerican Drama Academy in London, England. She lives in L.A.pursuing Film and TV but it feels damn good to be on stage in the

west coast! She is proud to work with such an influential company as Diversion­ary. Special thanks to Greg, Yaya and Papa without whom this would not havebeen possible .

EiROSS HELLWIG (Edward II) is making his Diversionary Theatre

.. debut. Other San Diego credits: King 0' the Moon (North Coast

~ • ' ... Rep); Vincent in Brixton, Macb.eth, Don Juan, Anton!, & Cleopatra,..:-,.. The Comedy of Errors, The Wmter's Tale, As You LIke It (The OldGlobe). Elsewhere: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Vienna's English Thea-

- tre). RFK: The Journey to Justice (LA Theatre Works). KingsmenShakespeare Company, The Antaeus Company, Rubicon Theatre,

South Coast Rep, The Fountain Theatre, A Noise Within. Pittsburgh PublicTheatre, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, Pennsylvania ShakespeareFestival, Mill Mountain Theatre. TELEVISION: Numb3rs, Law & Order: SVU,Guiding Light. EDUCATION: MFA, The Old Globe; BFA ,University of Arizona.

mSTEVEN JENSEN (Berkeley/Abbot of Neath): Diversionary debut.

Some recent plays: The Gondoliers at Lyric Opera SO, The Im-

~ ..~ ~. portance of Being Earnest at Coronado Playhouse, The Tempest~ A.-, at Poor Players, Julius Caesar at New Village Arts, King Lear at

~ Vanguard, Macbeth at Southwestern College, and many staged. readings at local theaters.

CAST BIOS

~ •. EVAN KENDIG (Mower/Champion): Evan is happy to be back on

. the Diversionary stage once again and with such talented ensem-

,~•.•. ble. His most recent performance was The Break-Up Break-Down..t.,. .. with Circle Circle dot dot with which he is a company member.

•. , Some other San Diego credits include James in The Lieutenant ofInishmore (Ion Theatre) Matt in Dog Sees God (Innermission Pro­ductions) He is very thankful for all of support from all of his friends

and family for their support and inspiration.

f]RONNIE LARSEN (Baldock/Bishop of Coventry/Gurney/Soldier 2):...... Ronnie is incredibly grateful to Richard Baird and Diversionary for

this opportunity. In October and November Ronnie will be in San': Francisco acting in two of his own plays, Making Porn and Two

.• Dead Clowns both of which he hopes to bring to San Diego. www... RonnieLarsen.com

GNOAH LONGTON (Young Spencer/Ensemble): Diversionary:

Dooley, Sextet, and The New Century. La Jolla Playhouse: Read­

~ jI;fo.. ing of Trespassers (Other): Lily's Purple Plastic Purse, The Com­plete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), To Kill A Mock-

A - ~ ingbird. Noah is a proud graduate of the University of Northern" Colorado, where he received his B.A. in Theatre.

DMAX MACKE (Edmund/Duke of Kent): is a native San Diegan who

has been acting locally for 20 years. Most recently he was seen

....' -;......•....as the Devil in Moxie's production of Eurydice. Credits include;

. Humphrey Bogart in Play It Again Sam, Danforth in I'm Not Rap­port (SRT), Gar in Adam Baum & the Jew Movie (6TH @ Penn)

f, .'o. Falstaff in Henry IV pt. 1 & Merry Wives of Windsor, Claudius inHamlet, Ross in Macbeth, Toby Belch in 12TH Night, Friar Law­

rence in Romeo & Juliet, Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet (Poor Players). He wouldlike to thank his parents and his amazing wife Amanda for love and support.

E1JEFF ANTHONY MILLER (Warwick/Maltrevis/Monk): is thrilled to

• ... \. be making his debut at Diversionary. San Diego credits include 8't'"' Shakespeare productions as well as credits at New Village Arts:'.: Death of a Salesman, Golden Boy; Moonlight: Magic Fire, A Man

, for all Seasons. San Diego Rep in the world premiere of Oxy­gen; Sledgehammer: Ghost Sonata, NCRT: Arcadia, The Fritz:Gangster #1, Mandell-Weiss Forum: The Interview and several

East Coast productions. Jeff studied acting at Circle in the Square, NYC; theBritish American Drama Academy and at Trinity Rep (MFA 1998).

CAST BIOS CREATIVE TEAM BIOSiIDANGERFIELD G. MOORE (Gaveston): Dangerfield is new to the

.••.... San Diego area and is happy to be involved with Diversionary. HeI"" > was previously seen as Enrico in the Coronado Playhouse produc-

.. tion of A Roman Holiday. He has extensive credits in stage and film.~. He received his Bachelor's in drama from the University of Pitts-

burgh. He hopes to add to productions in and around San Diego,and pursue an MFA in Theater.

CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE (Author) as poet and playwrightwas at the forefront of the 16th Century dramatic renaissance, a

man to whom Shakespeare and others owe a huge debt of grati­tude. He also led a full and intriguing life outside the theatre. En­

tangled in the outer reaches of the Elizabethan espionage web,Marlowe's life is alleged to have ended prematurely in 1593when, at just 29, he was reportedly stabbed to death in Deptford.

~. ~ REED WILLARD (Pembroke/Leicester): Reed is thrilled to be work-

;' . ing at Diversionary again after being in the world premiere of Dooley1 •-- :::"', this past spring. Select local credits: The Lieutenant of Inishmore

"0'. (ion Theatre); Romeo & Juliet (Intrepid Shakespeare Co.); The RockyHorror Show (Onstage Playhouse); Funny Little Thing (LyceumTheatre); Psychopathia Sexualis (Compass Theatre); I'm Not Rap-

paport (Scripps Ranch Theatre); Engaged (Talent to aMuse). His film credits canbe found on IMDb. Reed is having a blast working with such a talented director,cast and crew.

~ JOHN TESSMER (Lancaster/Rice Ap Howell): A Shakespeare veter-.....•• an, John is thrilled to be in his first Marlowe play, while also making

~.1 his Diversionary debut. After 6 seasons with the Colorado Shake­..•••• speare Festival, John returned to San Diego 10 years ago. Other

. ~ 'J' Regional credits include: Idaho Rep, Laguna Playhouse, MonomoyTheatre, and Western Stage. Selected Local: Intrepid ShakespeareCo., Mo'olelo, North Coast Rep, Poor Players, SO Shakespeare

Society, and Sixth @Penn/Compass Theatre. Education & Training: Yale (B.A.),University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (M.F.A.). Namaste!

I JOHN POLAK (Roger Mortimer): San Diego credits include: Alex in

Facing East (Diversionary); Ronnie in Parasite Drag and Michal in

. :>'. The Pi/lowman (ion theatre); Orestes in Orestes (The Theater inc.);~, Chek in Chiang Kai Chek and Prosecuting Attorney in Patriot Act. , (Sledgehammer).

STEVE SMITH (Prince Edward/James/Monk): holds a BA in theatrefrom the Florida State University. In his last gig, Steve played a gayrabbi. This time out he's a fourteen year old boy. Other fun chal­lenges have included Vladimir in Waiting for Godot, Pablo Picassoin Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Guildenstern in Rosencrantz andGuildenstern ... , Macduff in Macbeth, James Leeds in Children of aLesser God, and Hamlet in Hamlet.

KEVIN ANTHENILL (Sound Design & Original Music): Kevin com­posed the score for San Diego Repertory Theater's Boom, and Inthe Next Room. He recently sound designed for San Diego Asian

American Repertory Theater on their productions of BFE, and Flow­er Drum Song at the La Jolla Playhouse, as well as USD's produc­tion of A Winters Tale at The Old Globe Theater. He has worked

with The Old Globe's education department sound designing theirSummer Shakespeare Intensive twice, and assistant sound de­

signed The Old Globe's Summer Shakespeare Festival. He

Holds a B.A. in Theater Design from San Diego State University.

RICHARD BAIRD (Director) was last seen at Diversionary in 2005 inTony Kushner's Bright Room Called Day (Herr Gottfried Swetts) a coproduction with Backyard Productions. In 2001 he founded the SanDiego based troupe Poor Players, a company dedicated to the works ofWilliam Shakespeare. For Poor Players he has directed and appearedin over 20 productions including Macbeth (KPBS Best Actor Award)and Measure for Measure (San Diego Critics Circle Award). He servedas Associate Artistic Director for Southwest Shakespeare Company inthe 2008-09 season where he directed As You Like It and The Winter's

Tale. As an actor, Richard has performed for the Oregon ShakespeareFestival, Chicago Shakespeare, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, KingsmenShakespeare, North Coast Repertory Theatre and many others. He canbe seen next in San Diego as Richard in North Coast Repertory's produc­tion of Lion in Winter. Richard is a proud member of Actor's Equity. Hewould like to dedicate this production to his dear friend, Marc Overton .

MICHELLE CARON (Lighting Designer): Michelle is pleased to re­turn to Diversionary Theatre, where her designs include Poster Boys,Dooley, Fair Use, Santa Claus is Coming Out, and Anita Bryant Diedfor Your Sins. Her recent local work includes The Gondoliers (Lyric Op­

era), Malashock/RAWand Surface Tension with Malashock Dance, andOur Town, It's a Wonderful Life '09 and '10 and The Norman Conquests(Cygnet Theatre). Michelle holds a MFA in Theatrical Design fromSan Diego State University. See her work at carondesignworks.com.

An entertaininglyoffensiveromantic comedy(with dance breaks)

Learn to be Latina

Up next at Diversionary:

CREATIVETEAM-B10S

DAVID J. MEDINA (Properties Design): is proud to be an AssociateArtist at Diversionary: Poster Boys, Speech & Debate, The MarriageBed, Twist, The Little Dog Laughed, Facing East, Scrooge In Rouge,Corpus Christi, The Daddy Machine. Other Diversionary credits in­clude: When Pigs Fly (Asst. Scenic), Busy World Is Hushed (Asst.Scenic) Blue Bonnet Court (set construction); ion Theatre: Crippleof Inishman (prop Asst.) Bang productions: Sideman; USD: Caba­ret, The Saints Plays. David has worked for the Old Globe Thea­tre on over 20 shows as a Properties Buyer, Craftsperson & Artisan.

JEFF ANTHONY MILLER (Stage Combat Choreographer): Jeff returnsto Diversionary having previously staged fights in Beautiful Thing andBrave Smiles. He has also choreographed fights in Of Mice and Men,View from a Bridge (Renaissance Theatre), Romeo & Juliet (OctadOne with Richard Baird), Hamlet (Marquis Theatre), Mad Boy Chroni­cles (Trinity Rep Conservatory) among many others and has appearedas a fighter in about a dozen productions including San Diego Opera'sproduction of O~hello.. He was a member of the University of IllinoisNCAA fencing team ( ranked 10th nationally) and has trained in stagecombat with the New York City Fight ensemble and at the Trinity Reper­tory Conservatory where he attained his MFA in acting. Special thanksto Amber stepping into help as fight captain and all the fabulous fightersin this cast.

CHRIS POWELL (Stage Manager): Chris is excited to be working withRichard Baird at Diversionary. Prior Diversionary shows are the criti­cally acclaimed productions of YANK! The Musical, Dooley, TheBusy World is Hushed, Torch Song Trilogy, Corpus Christi, New­Century and Robin Tyler's Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Groom.Other local credits include the award winning productions of The ITGirl!, Cinderella (Coronado Playhouse), Dames at Sea (Lamplight­ers) and most recently Pickwick Player's mentoring project Snoopy!!!The Musical, where Chris made his local acting, singing and danc­ing debut as Pigpen! Special thanks to TF and BH for my "career".

GIDEON RAPPAPORT (Dramaturg/Text Advisor): Gideon is a drama­turge who teaches English, Shakespeare, and humanities at La JollaCountry Day School, where he also teaches evening courses opento the public. He has also served as dramaturge for the North CoastRepertory Theatre, the San Diego Repertory Theatre, the Califor­nia Shakespeare Festival, the Old Globe Theatre, the British-Amer­ican Youth Festival Theatre, The Intrepid Shakespeare Company,The Bishop's School, and La Jolla Country Day School. He has aPh.D. in English and American Literature from Brandeis University.

CREATIVE TEAM BIOS

HOWARD SCHMITT (Costume Designer): Trained at the OregonShakespeare Festival and has worked on productions of 25 of theplays in the Shakespearean canon. He has designed for eleventh sea­son at Kingsmen Shakespeare. In Los Angeles, he received a Dra­malogue Award for costume design for Brian Friel's Translations atthe Celtic Arts Center. Internationally, he designed two seasons on theEdinburgh Fringe Festival and the Bermuda premiere of Sondheim'sA Little Night Music. He graduated from Northwestern Universityand ha's been teaching in the costume program at USC since 1984.

MATT SCOTT (Scenic Design): Diversionary: [title of show], Fair Use.Dooley, Poster Boys. ion theatre: (Actor and/or Design) Lieutenantof Inishmore, Wonder Wounded Heroes, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Songof Extinction, Back of the Throat, Hurly Burly (Craig Noel, Ensem­ble), U.S. Drag, Speed-The-Plow, Frozen, Request Programme, LaGaviotta, The Pillowman, Punks, The Glass Menagerie, The Grapesof Wrath, Marat/Sade. Other Designs: Richard 1/) Intrepid Shake­speare); Christmas is Comin' Uptown, Waiting for the Parade (Com­mon Ground). Other: Storm Windows and A World Apart (Writer/ Ac­tor) AASD Festival of Short Plays, Best of Fest; Dog Act and KimberlyAkimbo (MOXIE), Uncle Vanya and A Midsummer Night's Dream(New Village Arts); Dial M for Murder (Lambs Players), and his Patte'award winning performances in Oedipus Tyrannus (6th@Penn) andMoxie's The Treatment.

PRODUCTION STAFF

Producer Bret YoungFight Captain Amber BonassoDramaturg/Text Advisor Gideon RappaportWardrobe Manny BejaranoLighting Assistant Jeffrey ArnesonScenic Construction Matt Scott, Bret YoungPhotographer Ken Jacques

Diversionary Theatre is a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG),the national organization for the American Theatre, and

National Alliance for Musical Theatre