Artistic Director

Sean Murray

Executive DirectorBillSchmidt

Cygnet Theatre Companypresents

~PIANOLESSONBY AUGUST WILSON

Directed byDelicia Turner Sonnenberg

Lighting DesignEric LotzeO

Stage ManagerHeather Brose*

Wig and Makeup DesignPeter Herman°

Scenic DesignJerry Sonnenberg

Property DesignBonnie L. Durben°

Costume DesignMegan Schmidt

Sound DesignGeorge Yea

TH E CAST[in alphabetical order)

Laurence Brown ... Lymon, Boy Willie UnderstudyMonique Gaffney* Berniece

Madeline Hornbuckle Maretha

Keith Jefferson* AveryAntonio "T.J." Johnson .. Doaker

Tanya Johnson-Herron GraceMark Christopher Lawrence* Boy Willie

Grandison Phelps III. .. Wining Boy

Elzie Billops... Lymon Understudy

Place: Doaker Charles' house in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Time: 1936

There will be one 15minute intermission.

SPECIAL THANKSSan Diego State University Theatre Department

Ijabo Abdi • Paola and Scott Hornbuckle· Tom Zohar

'Cygnet Theatre Resident Artist. 'Member of Actor's Equity Association, the Union of

Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

The Piano Lesson is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

Featured Restaurant

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ANTONIO "T.J."JOHNSON(Doaker)Cygnet Theatre: Fences, TheMatchmaker. He has been an

actor, teacher, singer, songwriter,director, and producer for over26 years. He is originally fromChicago, and has been servingas the Executive Director of the

San Diego Black Ensemb[e Theatre since Januaryof 2006. Antonio has appeared in major roles atthe Old Globe, Moonlight Amphitheatre, SanDiego Repertory Theatre, Southeast San DiegoTheatre, Lambs Players and is an Associate Artistfor the San Diego B[ack Ensemb[e and the NorthCoast Repertory Theatre. Antonio received aDramalogue Award in 1991 for his portrayal of

KEITH JEFFERSON* (Avery)Cygnet Debut. Originally fromHouston TX, this veteran actor

. ~~. resides in Los Angeles, Ca'&~ .•... and has a successful career in

..••.- \1]. film,television,and theatre. Keith11"'1, . holds a BFA in musical theatredJfa: and an MFA in acting.Keith hasappeared in national tours as well on the stages ofthe La Jolla playhouse to the Alley. Keith has alsomusical[y produced for many independent artists.Regional Credits: Othello (Othello), Saint Joan(Dunios), Grapes of Wrath (Jim Casey), Boys NextDoor (Lucien), Big River (Jim), Once on this Island(Agwe), Nine (Guido) just to name a few. Television/Fi[m Credits: Jamie Foxx Show (Stoney and CJ), TheShield (Snitch), Buffalo Soldiers (Andrew) starringDanny Glover. Keith also recorded the film'ssoundtrack. The Last Freed Man (Jeremiah) starringAngela Lansbury, Phylicia Rashad and Taraji P.Henson, VH-l's animated series flfustrated (50Cent, Bi[1Clinton, Rev. A[ Sharpton). Keith is a proudmember of Actors Equity and SAG and dedicatesthis performance to the late Rev. Edward Jefferson.

•MADEUNEHORNBUCKLE(Maretha)is an eighth grader at Ranchodel Rey Middle School. Her pastroles/staged readings includeRaynelle in Fences, Zonia in

•. Joe Turner's Come and Gone,

1 Maretha in The Piano Lesson,and Rebecca Gibbs in Our

Town. She appeared in the training video It CouldHappen to You for Casa de Las Companas andperformed the part of Laura in The Christmas Treeat the North Park Vaudevil[e Playwright's Festival.Maddy was last seen in the musical The MagicalForest at Coronado Playhouse. She is excited toperform in Cygnet's wonderful new theatre in OldTown.

MONIQUE GAFFNEY* (Berniece)Cygnet Theatre: Man from

Nebraska, Yellowman (2007Craig Noe[ Award), Bug,

and Las Meninas. San Diego

Credits: Monique was last seen

performing in the productionof Gangsters as a South African poet at TheatreInc. in collaboration with Black Ensemble Theatre.

Other local credits: Doubf at San Diego REP;NoExit at Diversionary Theatre; Medea and f HaveBefore Me A Remarkable Document Given To

Me By A Young Lady From Rwanda at CompassTheatre(2006 Patte Award); Gibson Girl andBlueBonnef Courf for Moxie Theatre; In Arabia

We'd Be Kings at Lynx Progressive Theatre; StillUfe at New Village Arts; Macbeth and Phaedra in

Delirium at Sledgehammer; Story Theatre, Stories

About the Old Days and The African CompanyPresents Richard //1 at North Coast Rep. New York

credits: Willie Mae/Martha in Mamba's Daughtersat the International Spo[eto Theatre directedby David Herskovitz; Josephine Baker/Oscar

Micheaux in American Si/ents directed by Anne

Bogart. She received her BA from UCSD in actingand also holds an MFA in acting from Columbia

University. Monique Gaffney is sponsored by ArtistAdvocates Lisa Capper & Jesse King, Robin Lipman& Mira Stano, Karl Lorraine Scott & Dino Serafino.

LAURENCE BROWN (Lymon/

Boy Willie Understudy) Cygnet

Theatre: Fences (Lyons).Laurence is a San Diego native.

He attended Dillard University in

New Orleans. He was bit by theacting bug in the fourth grade.

He just appeared as a co-star in the award winningtelevision series Monk and also a supporting role in

the Bollywood/Hollywood feature film My Name isKhan.

ELZIE J. BILLOPS (Lymon

Understudy) is proud andhonored to be a part of ThePiano Lesson and this

phenomenal cast. Attended

Arts Magnet in Dallas Tx. San

Diego Rep: A Christmas Carol,King Lear; Ion Theater/Common Ground: A Raisin

in the Sun. Thanks and love to my family and friends

can also see Mark work as a stand-up comic onhis self-produced and distributed Gospel ComedyDVD series, SHOUT!, available from Amazon.com,Sam's Club and on his website www.prayerdudz.com.

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" ACTOR'S EQUITY ASSOCIATION

Actor's Equity Assocation [AEA),founded in 1913, represents more

ACTORS' than 45,000 actors and stagemanagers in the United States.EQUITY Equity seeks to advance, promoteASSOCIATION 1913 and foster the art of live theatre

as an essential component of our society. Equitynegotiates wages and working conditions,providing a wide range of benefits, includinghealth and pension plans. AEA is a member of theAFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA an internationalorganization of performing arts unions. TheEquity emblem is our mark of excellence. www.actorsequity.org

GRANDISON PHELPS III (WiningBoy) is excited to return toCygnet Theatre where heenjoyed a successful run inthe award winning productionof August Wilson's Fences in2008. Other notable credits

include Bulrusher; The Gospelat Colon us, I Am A Man, I'm Not Rappaport, JoeTumer's Come and Gone, To Kill a Mockingbird,Amen Comer, Storyville and the title role in Othello.Praises to God for the opportunity to be a partof this talented cast and crew under Ms. Turner

Sonnenberg's direction. Heartfelt thanks to his wifeand family for their continued love and support.

TANYA JOHNSON-HERRON (Grace)Tanya is a native of Washington,DC, and has appeared invarious commercial, theatre andfilm roles. Most recently, she wasseen in Cigarettes for Breakfast,which was showcased in theUrbanworld Film Festival. She is

honored to be performing a play from one of thegreatest playwrights of all time.

MARK CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE'

(Boy Willie). Mark is very happyto return to the Cygnet Theatrestage after having so muchfun in Cygnet's production ofFences. Regionally Mark hasbeen seen in Moxie Theatre's

world premiere of GibsonGirl: Since Africa (Mo' olelo

Performing Arts Company): Nuevo Califomia, AChristmas Carol, Love Janis, and The Merchantof Venice (San Diego Rep): A Midsummer Night'sDream (La Jolla Playhouse): Cotton Patch Gospel(Lambs' Players Theater). Other Regional workincludes Antony and Cleopatra, Life Is A Dream,10 November, Minamata [Time Magazine CriticsChoice), and The Black Horror Show (L.A.T.C.):Glasshouse (NAACP IMAGE AWARD), South OfWhere We Live, What A Good Black Man Needs,and Patience: Or Bunthome's Bride [EbonyShowcase Theater) and Ripped Van Winkle withthe world famous San Francisco Mime Troupe. Ontelevision Mark isa series regular on his third seasonof Chuck (NBC Monday's @ 8pm) and has recentlyguest-starred on Heroes, Weeds, My Name IsEarl, Crossing Jordan, Reba, American Dreams,and the Disney TV movie Life Is Ruff. Recent bigscreen appearances include Rob Zombie's H2,

The Pursuit Of Happyness (starring Will Smith), TheIsland, Christmas With The Kranks, and Garfield.For a more comprehensive listing of Mark'scredits please visit: www.reelaccess.com/talent/markchristopherlawrence or just Google him. You

"Clayborn" in the Blackfriars production of StoriesAbout the Old Days and a Playbill Award for hisportrayal of Dodge in NCRT's production of BuriedChild. He appeared as Hoke in the 1998 NCRTproduction of Driving Miss Daisy featuring thelate Katherine Falconour directed by Joe Powers,Othello directed by the late Dr. Martin Garish, TroyMaxson in the 1990 production of Fences directedby mentor and friend, the late Dr. Floyd Gaffney atthe Lyceum for Southeast Community Theatre, andagain for Cygnet in 2008 [San Diego Critics CircleAward). Antonio "TJ" Johnson is sponsored by ArtistAdvocates Connie Coe & Bev Conner.

AUGUSTWILSON(Playwright)The son of a white father

and a black mother, AugustWilson was born Frederick

August Kittel on April 27, 1945in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.In 10 separate plays,each covering a differentdecade of the 20th century,August Wilson explored the

lives, dreams, triumphs and tragedies of African­American history and culture. Often called the"Pittsburgh Cycle," all but one of the plays is set inthe Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh whereAugust Wilson grew up. August Wilson's series ofplays brought him recognition as one of America'smost celebrated dramatists and earned him

numerous awards, among them the Tony Award(1985), the New York Drama Critics Circle Award(1985) and the Pulitzer Prize for drama (1990). TheVirginia Theater on Broadway in NYC was renamedthe August Wilson Theater in his honor in 2005, andthe African American Cultural Center of Greater

Pittsburgh was renamed the August Wilson Centerfor African American Culture in 2006.

DELICIA TURNER SONNENBERG (Director) is thefounding Artistic Director of MOXIE Theatre. BeforeMOXIE, Delicia worked as Artistic Associate of SanDiego Repertory Theatre as a part of the TheatreCommunications Group's New GenerationsProgram: Future Leaders. In addition to directingproductions for MOXIE, Delicia has directed fornumerous San Diego theatres including CygnetTheatre's production of Fences. Other theatresinclude: San Diego REP, New Village Arts,Diversionary, 6th @ Penn, Eveoke Dance Theatreand The Playwrights Project. Honors and awardsinclude: San Diego Critics Circle "Craig Noel"awards, Patte awards, a Women's InternationalCenter Living Legacy Award, The Des McAnuffNew Visions Award for "Risk Taking Leadership"from the San Diego Critics Circle and a SD Playbill"Billie" award. Delicia was twice a recipient ofthe Van Lier Directing Fellowship through SecondStage Theatre in New York, and is an alumna ofthe New York Drama League's Directors Program.Delicia is married to designer Jerry Sonnenbergand proud mama of August and zoe.

HEATHER BROSE' (Stage Manager) Recent PSMcredits include: Man From Nebraska, CygnetTheatre; The Seafarer, Doubt, Water & Power,The Blessing of a Broken Heart, San Diego REP;Dreamgirls, SDMT; A Shayna Maidel, North CoastRep; Menopause The Musical at the Grove Theatrein Upland, CA and at the Lyceum Theatre in SanDiego; 3 Hotels at the Fremont Centre Theatre;Salome and The Father directed by Estelle Parsonsfor The Actors Studio starring AI Pacino and Dianne

•Wiest; and Stephen Sondheim's 70th Birthday Bashat the Hollywood Bowl. Proud member of Actor'sEquity Association.

BONNIE L. DURBEN° (Properties Designer) Cygnet

Theatre (Resident Artist): Man from Nebraska, FullyCommitted, Noises Off, Hedwig, Bed and Sofa,Mauritius, The History Boys, Love Song, A ChristmasCaro/, Dying City, Fences, It's A Wonderful Life,Communicating Doors, Bug, My Fair Lady, A LittleNight Music, The Receptionist. San Diego Theatre:The Dresser, A String of Pearls, A Christmas Carol2000, Dracula, Big Bang, North Coast RepertoryTheatre; West Side Story, Little Shop of Horrors,Me and My Girl, Moonlight Productions; 1940'sRadio Hour, Heartland, Anything Goes, BlitheSpirit, Electra, As You Like It, Assassins, MiraCosta College. Film: Ready? OK! and The StreetSweeper. Member of the Set Designer Society ofAmerica and Recipient of the John Guth Patte forBackstage Brilliance.

PETER HERMAN" (Wig and Makeup Designer)Cygnet Theatre (Resident Artist): Costumes andWigs/Makeup Design for Hedwig and the AngryInch. Wigs/makeup for It's A Wondeful Life, NoisesOff, Bed and Sofa, The History Boys, A ChristmasCarol, The Receptionist, A Little Night Music,Fences, The Turn of the Screw, CommunicatingDoors, Arcadia, The Matchmaker, It's a Wonderful

Life: A Live Radio Play. Elsewhere: Peter hasdesigned hair and wigs for over 300 productions,including the La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego Rep,San Diego Opera, Disneyland, and various filmand television projects. Film: Costume design forReady? Ok! Peter currently teaches wigs andmake-up at SDSU.

ERIC LOmo (Lighting Designer) Cygnet Theatre

(Resident Artist): Man from Nebraska, FullyCommitted, Noises Off, Hedwig and the AngryInch, Bed and Sofa, Mauritius, The History Boys,It's A Wonderful Life, Dying City, The Receptionist,Fences, The Turn of the Screw, St. Nicholas,Communicating Doors, Arcadia, Yellowman,Bug, Copenhagen, The Little Foxes (SD CriticsCircle Award). Elsewhere: The Good Body, SanDiego Repertory Theatre, The Listener, Rhubarb,Wet, Moxie Theatre; Les Miserables, Beauty andthe Beast, Route 66, Moonlight; Ragtime, Aida,Urinetown, Sweeney Todd, Starlight; Riptide,Shamu's House of Douse, Terrors of the Deep,SeaWorld.

MEGAN SCHMIDT (Costume Designer) CygnetTheatre Debut. Elsewhere: Into the Woods, 1001Grains of Sand, A Midsummer Night's Dream(tour), Hollywood Heights (tv pilot), The JungleBook (assistant), San Diego State University; Talley'sFolly, Unity Theater, Brenham, Texas. Megan is the

costume designer for the upcoming productionof Moscow at the Diversionary Theater. She iscompleting her final semester in the MFA CostumeDesign and Technology program at SDSU.

ANDY SCRIMGER [Technical Director) is the ownerand founder of Volume 11, a graphic design andlarge-format printing agency in San Diego, CA.Prior to moving to San Diego, he served as theTechnical Director at the Marin Theatre Companyand worked as a freelance designer for theatresincluding CCMT, SF Playhouse, the York School,Center Repertory Theatre, and Western Stage.Andy received his degree in Theatrical Designfrom Chico State in 1998. Through Volume 11, hehas drafted set designs for such productions asLast Comic Standing, The Chris Isaac Show, Dans IeOe/, and Top Chef (Season 4). Andy is a memberof San Diego Ad Club and a leader in eco-friendlyprinting and design. He works with many clients toproduce color-specialized marketing and artworkfor banners, vehicle wraps, event displays, andgallery exhibits.

JERRY SONNENBERG [Scenic Designer) is currentlythe Art director for Let's Make a Deal on CBS,

JEOPARDYl (Check local listings), and LincolnHeights on ABC Family. He has designed scenery

for theatre in New York, Los Angeles, Houston,Minneapolis, Austin, Belfast, Bern, and San Diego.Jerry received his BA in Studio Art from theUniversity of Texas and his MFA in theatre designfrom UC-San Diego.

GEORGE YEO (Sound Designer) Cygnet Theatre

(Resident Artist): Man From Nebraska, A ChristmasCarol, The Receptionist, A Number, Fences,Arcadia, Yellowman, It's a Wonderful Life, Bug,Escanaba in do Moonlight, Fully Committed; San

Diego Rep: Restless Spirits, The Goat, Proof, NuevoCalifornia; Old Globe/MFA: Sir Patient Fancy,Marat Sade, Absolute Turkey; Diversionary Theatre:Little Dog Laughed, M. Butterfly, The Killing of SisterGeorge, Falsettos, Love ValourCompassion, Cloud9, 5th of July, Never the Sinner; North Coast Rep: ALife in the Theatre, Travesties, Relatively Speaking;San Diego Asian American Rep: Woman From theOther Side of the World, Struggling Truths, Flipzoids,FOB, Fool For Love, Cultivated Lives. Elsewhere:

Find You in the Forest, Oedipus at Colon us, TheCrucible, Sam I Am, Over the Asian Airwaves, Side

Kick, Silent Sacrifices, The Illusion. George has hisMFA/MA and teaches at Mesa College and theUniversity of San Diego.