wilmatheater.org

Newsletter ofThe Wilma Theater

&

2007 - 2008 Season

bySarah Ruhl

Dear Audience Members,The Wilma Theater first introduced Philadelphia audiences to Sarah Ruhl’s talentwhen we produced her play, The Clean House, in the 2004/05 Season. At the time,she was a relatively unknown playwright. In the years since, her career has skyrocketed. The Clean House was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2005. In 2006,Sarah was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, the prestigious “Genius Grant”.During the past 18 months, three of her plays have received critically-praised Off-Broadway productions. We’re happy now to bring Sarah back to the Wilma withEurydice, her retelling of the classic myth, which The New York Times has called “alove letter to the world.”We’re also happy to announce our 2008/09 Season. It begins with Tom Stoppard’s latest play, Rock ’n’ Roll. With half of the play taking place in formerCzechoslovakia, Rock ’n’ Roll brings us back to one of the defining moments in ourlives when we left Czechoslovakia in 1976. It is the perfect play to open our 30thAnniversary Season. Over the holiday season, we’ll be producing a comedy calledSchmucks by Roy Smiles, an imaginative tale of a meeting between two comic icons,Groucho Marx and Lenny Bruce. Our third production will be the intensely dramatic and moving play, Scorched, from the internationally acclaimed Lebanese-born playwright Wajdi Mouawad. Portraying characters searching for humanitywhile surrounded by the irrationality of war in the Middle East, this play was called“a fiery epic of intricate layers that mixes humor, tenderness, tragedy, and socialupheaval.”(TorontoStage.com) Closing our season will be Terry Johnson’s OlivierAward Winner for Best New Comedy, Hysteria. Based on an historical meetingbetween Sigmund Freud and Salvador Dalí, this is a play we’ve been after for sevenyears; we can’t wait to stage this explosive comedy!

Blanka Zizka Jiri Zizka

In This IssueSponsors.......................................p.4Production Information................p.5Meet the Artists............................p.7Open Stages......................centerfoldWilma Staff .................................p.10About the Wilma........................p.11Supporters..................................p.12

To advertise in the Wilmabill, contact Nora Sidoti at 215.893.9456 x102

co-Artistic Director co-Artistic Director

Thank you to our 2007 - 2008Season Sponsors

Production Sponsors

Opening Night Sponsors

For information about upcoming sponsorship opportunities, please contact Lea Montalto-Rook, Development Associate, at 215.893.9456 x 109.

Media Sponsor

Eurydice was made possible in part by a grant from the

Philadelphia Theatre Initiativea program of the Philadelphia Center forArts and Heritage, funded by The Pew

Charitable Trusts and administered by TheUniversity of the Arts

Eurydice is supported in part byan award from the

National Endowmentfor the Arts.

presents

Blanka ZizkaArtistic Director

Jiri ZizkaArtistic Director

James HaskinsManaging Director

Set DesignerMimi Lien

New York CastingJerry Beaver Associates

Gene D’Alessandro, Benjamin Huber*, Merritt Janson*, Stephen Novelli*, Erin Reilly*, Triney Sandoval*, Cathy Simpson*

featuring(in alphabetical order)

Costume DesignerOana Botez-Ban

Lighting DesignerTyler Micoleau

Stage ManagerPatreshettarlini Adams*

Production ManagerPatrick Heydenburg

Directed byBlanka Zizka

under the direction of

Music ComposerToby Twining

Eurydice is produced by special arrangement with Bruce Ostler, BRET ADAMS, LTD., 448 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and StageManagers in the United States.This Theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres andActors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in theUnited States.

Sound DesignerJorge Cousineau

The Wilma deeply appreciates the generous support of Michael J. Finney, Honorary Producer, for this pro-

by Sarah Ruhl

DramaturgWalter Bilderback

This play was originally produced by Madison Repertory Theatre, Madison, Wisconsin, August 29, 2003, Richard Corley, Artistic Director, Tony Forman, Managing Director, and subsequently produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2004, Tony Taccone, Artistic Director, Susan Medak, Managing Director and Yale Repertory Theatre in 2006, James Bundy,

Artistic Director, Victoria Nolan, Managing Director.Produced by Second Stage Theatre, New York, NY on June 12, 2007, Carole Rothman, Artistic Director

Philadelphia CastingCarol Laratonda

Cast(in order of appearance)

Children PolicySome subject matter may be deemed objectionable for children; therefore, children under 12 willnot be permitted in the theater.Distracting NoiseThe noise of cellular phones, electronic devices and candy wrappers is distracting to both audiences and actors. Please turn off all cellular phones and electronic devices. Also, please besure that your watch alarm does not sound during the performance.Smoking, eating and drinking are prohibited inside the theater.

Please notePhotography or sound recording inside thetheater, without the written permission ofthe management, is prohibited by law.Violators may be asked to leave the theaterand may be liable for financial charges.

The Wilma Theater proudly participates in the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre, Philadelphia's premier professional theatre awards program. The Wilma Theater is a member of the following organizations: League of Resident Theatres, Rittenhouse Row, Theatre CommunicationsGroup, Inc., Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, and Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.

Eurydice..........................................................................................................................................................Merritt JansonOrpheus.......................................................................................................................................................Benjamin HuberFather............................................................................................................................................................Stephen Novelli

Nasty Interesting Man/Lord of the Underworld...........................................................................................Triney SandovalLittle Stone............................................................................................................................................................Erin ReillyBig Stone..................................................................................................................................................Gene D’AlessandroLoud Stone.....................................................................................................................................................Cathy Simpson

Musicians(in alphabetical order)

Tenor............................................................................................................................................................Steven BradshawSoprano..............................................................................................................................................................Eric BrennerMezzo/Alto.....................................................................................................................................................Elizabeth FiliosConductor/Bass................................................................................................................................................Mark JohnsonCello...............................................................................................................................................................Floreta Shapiro

Sarah Ruhl(Playwright) Playsinclude The Clean House(Pulitzer Prize Finalist,2005; The Susan SmithBlackburn Prize, 2004);Passion Play, A Cycle(The Fourth FreedomForum PlaywritingAward from The

Kennedy Center, a Helen Hayes Awards nomina-tion for Best New Play); Dead Man’s Cell Phone;Melancholy Play; Eurydice; Orlando and Late: a cowboysong. Her plays have been produced at LincolnCenter Theater, Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage,Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, South CoastRep., Yale Rep., Berkeley Rep., The Wilma Theater,Actors Theatre of Louisville, Madison Rep. and thePiven Theatre, among others. Her plays have alsobeen produced in London, Germany, Australia,Canada, and Israel, and have been translated intoPolish, Russian, Spanish, Norwegian, Korean, andGerman. Originally from Chicago, Ms. Ruhlreceived her MFA. from Brown University whereshe studied with Paula Vogel. In 2003, she was therecipient of the Helen Merrill EmergingPlaywrights Award and the Whiting Writers’ Award.She is a member of 13P and New Dramatists andrecently won the MacArthur Fellowship. Blanka Zizka (Director, co-Artistic Director)

has been Co-ArtisticDirector of TheWilma Theater since1981. In FebruaryBlanka directed herfirst opera Kát’aKabanová by LeošJanáček for AVA.Recently she directedAge of Arousal, The Life

of Galileo (5 Barrymore nominations), My Children!My Africa!, Ariel Dorfman’s The Other Side starringRosemary Harris and John Cullum at ManhattanTheatre Club, Cloud 9 by Caryl Churchill, I Am MyOwn Wife by Doug Wright, the World Premiere ofRaw Boys by Dael Orlandersmith, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’Train by Stephen Adly Guirgis (Barrymore Winner,Best Overall Production and Best Director), theWorld Premiere of Embarrassments by LaurenceKlavan and Polly Pen, and the PhiladelphiaPremieres of Lillian Groag’s The Magic Fire andChay Yew’s Red. In 2002 she directed the WorldPremiere of Dael Orlandersmith’s Yellowman atManhattanTheatre Club, McCarter Theatre Center,Long Wharf Theatre, ACT in Seattle, and at TheWilma Theater. She was awarded the firstBarrymore Award for Best Direction of a Play forCartwright’s Road. She directed Jiler and Leslee’sAvenue X (Barrymore Winner, Best OverallProduction of a Musical and Best Direction of aMusical), Wright’s Quills (Barrymore Winner, BestOverall Production of a Play), and the East CoastPremiere of The Invention of Love by Tom Stoppard(Barrymore Winner, Best Overall Production of aPlay and Best Direction of a Play). Her otherfavorite productions include Orwell’s Animal Farm,

O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape, Ionesco’s Macbett, Fugard’sStatements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act andPlayland, Dulack’s Incommunicado, Sherman’s WhenShe Danced, Stoppard’s Travesties, Brecht’s TheThreepenny Opera, Freed’s The Psychic Life of Savages,Klavan and Pen’s Bed and Sofa, Sherwood’s Spin,Thompson’s Perfect Pie, Carr’s Portia Coughlan andSherman’s Patience.Gene D'Alessandro (Big Stone) was last seen in

Marsha Norman'sGetting Out forSimpatico TheatreProject. Recent pro-ductions includeFlashpoint TheatreCompany's The FacultyRoom, The Ritz's pro-duction of Scrooge, andRomeo and Juliet with

Shakespeare in Clark Park. Gene has also performed with Bristol Riverside Theatre, REVTheatre Company, and the Pennsylvania, Texas, andPhiladelphia Shakespeare Festivals. Benjamin Huber (Orpheus) Off-Broadway: A

Midsummer Night'sDream (The PublicTheater/NYSF);Yellowface u/s (ThePublic Theater).Regional: King Lear,The Tempest (SeattleShakespeareCompany); Crimes ofthe Heart, Macbeth

(Tacoma Actors Guild); Ring Round the Moon, RichardII, As You Like It (American Players Theater).Education: NYU Tisch School of the ArtsGraduate Acting Program (MFA). Ben is pleased tobe making his Wilma debut. Love to Sarah andfamily.Merritt Janson (Eurydice) Stage credits include:

Chevalier in TheDeception (La JollaPlayhouse, Theatre dela Jeune Lune); Junia inBritannicus and TheOnion Cellar (AmericanRepertory Theatre);Emilia Lanier in TheEnglish Channel(Vineyard Playhouse);

Lillian Aster in Black-Eyed Susanna (Hasty PuddingTheatre); Tuesday (Barrymore Award forOutstanding Ensemble, Amaryllis Theatre Co.);Bonnie in HurlyBurly and Maggie in Drive to aDeparting Flight (Adrienne Theatre). New York cred-its include: Ashley in Three Years from Thirty(Pantheon Theatre); Kate in Daddy Longlegs in theEvening (Chashama); Cavalleria Rusticana (Opera ofthe Hamptons). Film credits include: Mail OrderWife (Best American Film - Santa BarbaraInternational Film Festival); Otto and Anna. Merrittreceived her MFA from the A.R.T./MXAT Instituteat Harvard University.Stephen Novelli (Father) is delighted to be mak-ing his first appearance on The Wilma Theater

stage. In addition tobeing a long-timemember of the resi-dent acting companyat The People’ s Light& Theatre in Malvern,Stephen also serves asAssociate ArtisticDirector. He wasmost recently seen at

People’s Light as the villainous John Aycliffe inCrispin, The Cross of Lead and the tormented Fatherin Six Characters in Search of an Author. Other recentroles at PLT include Argan in The Imaginary Invalid,George Pye in Humble Boy and the title role in TheGiver. Plays he directed at PLT include Tuesdays withMorrie, Camping with Henry and Tom, Measure forMeasure and Glengarry Glen Ross.Erin Reilly (Little Stone) is thrilled to be makingher Wilma debut! Credits: Mr. Bailey's Minder

(Walnut StreetTheatre); Turn of theScrew (Cape MayStage); Holiday Show atthe Swing Club, TheViolet Hour (TheatreHorizon); Wizard ofOz, A MidsummerNight's Dream (MumPuppettheatre); Whores

(InterAct); A Play on Two Chairs (Inis Nua);Valparaiso (Theatre Exile); Nocturne (TheatreCatalyst). Upcoming: The Stephen Schwartz musical Working in July 2008 in King of Prussia atTheatre Horizon, where she is Artistic Director.Thank you to Blanka and this wonderful cast! Formy young prince, Patrick.Triney Sandoval (Nasty Interesting Man/Lordof the Underworld) makes his Wilma debut with

Eurydice. Broadway:Frost/Nixon. OffBroadway: The Idiot,Elliot, a Soldier’s Fugue,As You Like It.Regional: Death andthe Maiden (BaltimoreCenter Stage); TheUnderpants (ActorsTheatre of Louisville);

Taming of the Shrew, Ladies of the Camillias (Yale Rep);Day of the Kings (The Alliance); Napoli Millionaria(Milwaukee Rep); Figaro Gets a Divorce (La JollaPlayhouse); The Tempest (Alabama Shakespeare); Art(Virginia Stage); Much Ado About Nothing, ChristmasCarol (Great Lakes Shakespeare); Taming of theShrew, The Tempest, Arms and the Man (CaliforniaShakespeare); Hamlet, Merchant of Venice, As YouLike It, and others (Old Globe); company memberfor five seasons with The Oregon ShakespeareFestival. Television: Sopranos, One Life to Live, All MyChildren, recurring roles on Law & Order and Law& Order: SVU.

7Meet the Artists

Cathy Simpson(Loud Stone) is acompany member ofThe People’s Light andTheatre as well as the“Freedom Rising”Company at theNational ConstitutionCenter, and theAmerican Historical

Theatre Company. Her work in local theatresinclude InterAct, Philadelphia Theatre Company,Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, PhiladelphiaYoung Playwrights, Hedgerow, Theatre Catalyst andthe Arden. Regional theater credits include ArenaStage, The Kennedy Center, the National Theatre,Studio Theatre, Source Theatre, Woolly Mammoth,Olney Theatre Center, St. Louis Black Rep, St.Louis Rep., Indiana Rep., Big Arts, and Florida Rep.Film and TV credits include the award winning PBS Maple Ave, Outreach Film P.S. I LoveYou, numerous industrials and commercials for localFox TV. A three time Barrymore nominee and awinner for the Freedom Theatre’s production ofThe Old Settler, she has also been nominated twicefor the Helen Hayes Awards in Washington D.C.Cathy is continually grateful for acting jobs andeven more so for this one. Thank you WilmaTheater!Steven Bradshaw (Tenor), professionaltenor/countertenor, first came to Philadelphia in2001 to study voice at The University of The Arts.He is a core member and soloist with The ChoralArts Society and The Philadelphia Singers, appearsregularly with The Opera Company of Philadelphia,and is a paid section leader and soloist at St. Mark’sChurch in Center City. In addition to performingmany critically acclaimed concerts with modernchamber ensemble "The Crossing" in bothPhiladelphia and Spoleto, Italy, Steven covered therole of Capucin in The Opera Company's 2008production of Cyrano. Upcoming: Steven is sched-uled to perform Stockhausen's groundbreakingvocal sextet piece, "Stimmung," with composerToby Twining at the annual Bang on a CanMarathon in New York City.Eric Brenner (Soprano) was born and raised inthe wilds of Long Island where he grew up playing violin & viola–badly. After several years in NewYork City working with such groups as Early MusicNew York, New York Collegium, the Saint ThomasChoir, Amnesia Wars (theatre/improv), Consensus(male quartet), and Toby Twining Music, Eric joinedthe Grammy Award winning ensemble Chanticleerand spent the last three years singing, recording,and wandering the world with them. Back in NewYork, now pursuing a solo career in baroque operaand oratorio, Eric also writes fiction and is anincorrigible Mets fan.Elizabeth Filios (Mezzo/Alto), a graduate of theUniversity of Michigan, is grateful to have performed in Italy, Japan, South Africa, India, andVenezuela. Wilma credits include: The Life of Galileo(Voice of opera singer); Amadeus (Diction coach);and the staged reading of Days of Significance (Clare).Elizabeth also taught at last summer's Camp Wilma:Viva l'Italia. Regional Credits include: Out of the

Shadows (Joyce Soho); Grace: Kingdom (A GratefulCompany); Lend Me a Tenor (New CandlelightTheatre); The Food Chain (23 Piece Productions); TheFantasticks (Ann Arbor Civic); and Dances ofPulcinella (Philadelphia Orchestra). Opera creditsinclude: Miranda in La Tempesta, La Donna inCavalleria Rusticana, and Perdita in Il Raccontod’Inverno. Special thanks to Blanka, Toby, Mom,Dad, and Troy.Mark Johnson (Conductor/Bass) was a memberof Toby Twining’s first vocal ensemble, MouthMusic, in the early 1990s. From 1998~2001 heassisted with all aspects of performance andrecording of Chrysalid Requiem, including creatingmidi sequences, preparing scores, singing, conduct-ing, producing, editing, and mixing. Mark has alsoworked with the Western Wind Vocal Ensemble asproducer on some of their recordings and arrangerof three songs on their “My Funny Valentine” CD(1997). In New York City, Mark sings in theSanctuary Choir at Marble Collegiate Church andtunes pianos. More recently he has been workingwith Roger Treece, editing and singing on a newBobby McFerrin choral album to be released thisyear.Floreta Shapiro (Cello) studied at the NationalConservatory in Bucharest, Romania (BA),Southeastern Louisiana University (MM,Performance) and West Chester University (MM,Theory/Composition). Performance credits include:Philadelphia Virtuosi, North Penn Symphony, GulfPort Symphony, and Bucharest Philharmonic aswell as performances at the Academy of Music,Ritz-Carlton Hotel Philadelphia, and at many cul-tural and historical sites in Pennsylvania andLouisiana. Floreta is a founding member of Liric

String Quartet;advanced string quartetstudies, Brevard.Toby Twining(Composer) begancomposing, performing, andrecording experimentalvocal ensemble music

in the mid 1980s. His early work often combined classical ensemble singing with worldvocal techniques and experimental sounds, such asAfrican yodeling, Tuvan throat singing, unconven-tional tremolos, and phonetics. To perform the music he was developing, he formedthe a cappella quartet Toby Twining Music, whichreleased its début CD Shaman in 1994 on BMGClassics. Around that time, Twining also becameinterested in new possibilities for harmony throughjust intonation and began using sequences ofextended consonant intervals to modulate microtonally (Hotel Destiné, 1992). He put together an expanded ensemble of twelve voices in1999 to perform his first large work of this kind,Chrysalid Requiem (Cantaloupe Music, 2002), at theFestival of New Spiritual Music in Amsterdam.Twining’s music has been recorded by avant-gardepianist Margaret Leng Tan (The Art of the Toy Piano,Uni/Point, 1997), pioneering cellist Matt Haimovitz(Anthem and Please Welcome Matt Haimovitz,

Oxingale/Artemis, 2002), and has been featured inthe film The Sorceress of the New Piano, and FX’sNip/Tuck (episode 17, Mrs. Grubman). TheAmerican Music Center selected his 9/11 Blues forthe Annual List of the 2006 IAMIC conference inSweden. Twining was a 2003 Pew Fellow. He livescurrently in Wolfeboro, NH where, in pursuit ofanother goal—the development and support ofcutting edge art within progressive religious communities—he directs music at FirstCongregational Church (United Church of Christ). Mimi Lien (Set Designer) Mimi has been design-ing sets for theatre, dance, opera, and film since defecting from the field of architecture 10 yearsago. Previous Wilma productions: Outrage, CloudNine, A Number, and The Life of Galileo. Recentwork includes: Carla Kihlstedt’s Necessary Monsters(MCA Chicago), In the Red and Brown Water(Alliance), Queens Boulevard (Signature), and TheMagnificent Cuckold (East River Commedia). Herwork has been presented at The Kitchen, The JoyceTheater, Juilliard, Williamstown Theatre Festival,Berkshire Theater Festival, Princeton University,Symphony Space, and Dance Theater Workshop,among others. Collaborators include Eliot Feld, TinaLandau, Charles Moulton, Matthew Neenan, DavisMcCallum, Pig Iron Theatre Co., and East RiverCommedia. Her work has been recognized by aBarrymore Award (Outrage), Barrymore nomination(Galileo), NY Innovative Theatre Award nomination(ERC), and she was a semifinalist in the RingAward competition for opera design in Graz,

Austria. Ms. Lien is arecipient of the 2007-2009 NEA/TCGCareer DevelopmentProgram.Oana Botez-Ban(CostumeDesigner), a nativeof Romania, has

designed for major theater and dance companiesincluding The National Theater of Bucharest andwas involved in different international theater festi-vals such as the Quadrennial Scenography Show inPrague. Oana is part of the first Romanian theaterdesign catalogue, Scenografica. Since 1999, her NewYork costume collaborations in theater and danceinclude Richard Foreman, Richard Schechner, BrianKulick, Zelda Fichlander, Karin Coonrod, JayScheib, Eduardo Machado, Gus Solomon Jr. &Paradigm, Carmen deLavallade, Adrian Giurgea,Gisela Cardenas, Pavol Liska, Matthew Neenan &Pennsylvania Ballet, Molissa Fenley, VeniaminSmekhov, Zishan Ugurlu, Doris Mirescu, Erin Mee,Alva Rogers, Saviana Stanescu, Naomi Goldberg,Judith Ren-Lay, Michael Sexton, Pig Iron TheatreCompany, Play Company, Charles Moulton, LoyArcenas, Ripe Time. MFA in Design fromNYU/Tisch School of the Arts. Princess GraceRecipient for 2007.

8

Tyler Micoleau(Lighting Designer) For the Wilma anddirector Blanka Zizka:The Life of Galileo(Barrymore nomina-tion). Tyler’s recentPhiladelphia area credits include Mary’sWedding (Delaware

Theater Co.), Isabella (Pig Iron), A Night In The OldMarketplace (Prince Music Theater). Recent NewYork Off-Broadway credits: God’s Ear (VineyardTheatre), Rainbow Kiss (Play Company), Two MenTalking (Barrow Street Theater), The Screwtape Letters(Theater at St. Clement’s and now at the LansburghTheater in Washington D.C.), Max & Ruby(TheatreworksUSA) and 1001 (P73). Recent regionalcredits at Long Wharf Theatre, Trinity Rep and TheOld Globe. Awards: Lucille Lortel, OBIE (for TracyLetts’ Bug), NEA/TCG Career DevelopmentProgram.Jorge Cousineau (Sound Designer) is excited tocontinue his line of work at the Wilma, where he previously designed sound for Ying Tong, Enemies, ALove Story and set and sound for I Am My Own Wife.He usually can be found designing sets, video, andsounds for many dance and theater productions inand out of Philadelphia. Recent highlights includeWittenberg, Assassins, and Sleeping Beauty at the Arden;The Four Of Us and This Is The Week That Is with 1812Productions; Batch with New Paradise Laboratoriesin Louisville, and Opus in NYC.

Walter Bilderback(Dramaturg/LiteraryManager) Now in hisfourth season at theWilma, Walter assistsin all aspects of seasonplanning. He also helpsto communicate theWilma’s missionthrough editing and

writing for Open Stages, pre- and post-show discus-sions, and organizing symposia such as last season’sacclaimed series for The Life of Galileo. Walter hasworked as a dramaturg for more than 20 years,working at regional theaters across the country andon Broadway. Anne Frank: Within and Without, onwhich he worked with puppeteer Bobby Box at theCenter for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, was awarded aUNIMA award (puppetry’s equivalent of a Pulitzeror Tony) for excellence this year. In Philadelphia, hehas also worked with Philadelphia YoungPlaywrights. Walter has contributed numerous articles to American Theatre magazine and the newly-published Columbia Encyclopedia of Modern Drama.Patreshettarlini Adams (Production StageManager/AEA) has been the production stage manager at the Wilma since the theater made itsnew home on the Avenue of the Arts. She is celebrating her 12th season at the Wilma and isvery happy to be a part of the Philadelphia theaterfamily. Prior to coming home to Philly, “Pat” wasstage manager at the Tony Award winningCrossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ. She wasprivileged to work with an awesome array of

African-American playwrights, directors, designers,musicians, and actors. Some of her fondest memories encompass the productions of Sheila’sDay, Mothers, The Screened-In Porch, Betsey Brown,Harlem Nocturne, The Love Space Demands, and TwoHah-Hahs and a Homeboy. In past years, Pat hasworked at both the National Black Arts Festival inAtlanta and the National Black Theatre Festival inWinston-Salem. When not at the Wilma, she findsherself traveling the world with critically-acclaimeddance company Noche Flamenca! Most recently,Pat became the proud grandmother of IsaiahNathaniel. God Is Good!Patrick Heydenburg (Production Manager)spent ten years working as a freelance production manager or technical director with most of thenonprofit theaters in New York City. These compa-nies include Playwrights Horizons, Second Stage,CSC, Vineyard, Circle Rep, WPA, New YorkTheatre Workshop, and American Place Theater. In addition, he was Production Coordinator at theBrooklyn Academy of Music for two years and wasVenue Manager for the Dublin Theatre Festival in1988. Patrick designed the scenery for four productions at the Jean Cocteau Repertory. Afterspending a season and half as Production Managerat South Coast Repertory in California, he cameback to New York to supervise the renovation andconstruction of Manhattan Ensemble Theater’snew Off-Broadway facility. Patrick is a 1983 gradu-ate of the State University of New York atPurchase.Jerry Beaver Associates (New York Casting)Jerry Beaver has been casting for The WilmaTheater for 12 years. His credits include Ying Tong -A Walk with the Goons, Age of Arousal, Amadeus,Enemies, A Love Story, The Pillowman, A Number, 9Parts of Desire, Shakespeare in Hollywood, Raw Boys, TheClean House, Night and Day, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train,Wintertime, Embarrassments, Resurrection Blues, Red, BigLove, The Magic Fire, Every Good Boy Deserves Favor,Dirty Blonde, Indian Ink, Yellowman, Les LiaisonsDangereuses, Passion, Patience, Cherry Docs, BlackComedy, Perfect Pie, Arcadia, On the Razzle, TheInvention of Love, and many others. In New York,Jerry was the resident casting director of theSignature Theatre Company for ten years casting plays by Romulus Linney, Lee Blessing,Edward Albee, Horton Foote, Adrienne Kennedy,Sam Shepard, Arthur Miller, John Guare, MarieIrene Fornes, and Lanford Wilson. He has workedfor Seattle Repertory Theatre, Alley Theatre,Hartford Stage, Actors Theatre of Louisville, TheO’Neill Playwrights Conference, and is theFounding President of the Black Bear Film Festivalin Milford, PA.

Jiri Zizka (co-Artistic Director),born in Prague andeducated at CharlesUniversity, became anArtist in Residence atthe Wilma in 1979 andArtistic Director in1981, where he hasdirected over 60

productions. Some of the highlights included

Orwell’s Animal Farm, Camus’ The Stranger, Brecht’sMother Courage, Capeks’ The Insect Comedy, Weiss’Marat/Sade, his own adaptation of Wilde’s ThePicture of Dorian Gray, Brecht/Weill’s Happy End,Orwell’s 1984 (also the Kennedy Center and Off-Broadway), Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist, andthe U.S. Premiere of Havel’s Temptation (a co-pro-duction with Joseph Papp’s New York ShakespeareFestival). Jiri has also directed a feature film of Vaclav Havel’s LargoDesolato, adapted by Tom Stoppard, starring F.Murray Abraham for PBS’s Great Performances.He wrote and directed Inquest of Love, a film nominated for an Emmy Award. His theater creditsalso include George F. Walker’s Love and Anger,Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan, DavidGow’s Cherry Docs (with David Strathairn),Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound, Peter Shaffer’sBlack Comedy, Stephen Sondheim’s Passion,Christopher Hampton’s Les Liaisons Dangereuses,Stoppard’s Indian Ink, Arthur Miller’s ResurrectionBlues, Charles L. Mee’s Big Love and Wintertime. Healso directed a co-production between the Wilmaand The Philadelphia Orchestra of Tom Stoppard’sand André Previn’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, aplay for actors and a philharmonic orchestra, at theKimmel Center’s Verizon Hall. Jiri directed TomStoppard’s Night and Day, Itamar Moses’ Outrage,Ken Ludwig’s Shakespeare in Hollywood, MarkSaltzman’s The Tin Pan Alley Rag (Carbonell Awardfor Best Director), Caryl Churchill’s A Number,Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman (6 Barrymorenominations), Sarah Schulman’s adaptation of IsaacBashevis Singer’s novel Enemies, A Love Story, PeterShaffer’s Amadeus, and most recently Roy Smiles’Ying Tong - A Walk with the Goons.

James Haskins(ManagingDirector) joined thestaff of the Wilma inJune 2006. He beganhis work in theatreadministration as BoxOffice Manager ofCircle RepertoryCompany and went

on to work with a number of New York theatres,including National Shakespeare Company,Symphony Space, Provincetown Playhouse, Actor’sPlayhouse, Triplex Performing Arts Center andAstor Place Theatre. In Seattle, he served asBusiness Manager of Seattle Group Theatre andworked intermittently for Ticket/Ticket, Seattle’shalf-price ticket booth. In 1999, James moved toPhiladelphia and worked as Managing Director ofInterAct Theatre Company, while also serving forthree years on the Board of the Theatre Alliance ofGreater Philadelphia as Chair of the BarrymoreAwards Oversight Committee. He later moved intothe Executive Director position of the TheatreAlliance and now serves as the Board Chair. Alsoan actor and director, James holds a BA from theCollege of Wooster in Ohio, and an MFA from theUniversity of Washington.

Assistant Director.............................................................................Ryder ThorntonAssistant Stage Manager............................................................................Erica FussAssistant Set Designer.............................................................................Amy RubinAssistant Lighting Designer............................................................Anjeanette StokesWig Designer..........................................................................................Jon CarterProp Master....................................................................................Kimitha CashinChoreographer (Fall)................................................................Kate Watson-WallaceChoreographer (Jitterbug)........................................................................Bob SkibaLight Board Programmer.......................................................................Terry SmithLight Board Operator............................................................................John CurallSound Board Operator......................................................................Andrea SotzingWardrobe Mistress...............................................................................Regina RizzoDresser..................................................................................................Alison LevyRunning Crew.......................................................Matt Zumbo, Christine RichardsCarpenters...................................................Steve Gravelle, Jeb Kreager, Alison Levy

Christine Richards, Matt ZumboElectricians............................................................Andrew Cowles, Brendan Gawell

Sam Henderson, Nicole RolloScenic Artist......................................................................................Rita D’AngeloScenery Constructed by..........................................................Proof Productions, Inc.Costumes Constructed by......................................................................Douglas Earl

Special Thanks:Arden Theatre Company

Philadelphia Theatre CompanyBarbara Tiffany

Walnut Street Theatre

EurydiceProduction Crew

How to contact usThe Wilma Theater, 265 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Administrative: 215.893.9456 Box Office: 215.546.7824 Fax: 215.893.0895

Website: www.wilmatheater.org

The Wilma Theater StaffArtistic Director...................................................................................Blanka ZizkaArtistic Director.........................................................................................Jiri ZizkaManaging Director.............................................................................James HaskinsArtisticDramaturg/Literary Manager........................................................Walter BilderbackLiterary Programming Assistant.....................................................Richard KotulskiMarketingMarketing Director.......................................................................Aaron ImmediatoGroup Sales & Special Events Manager.............................................Julie RossnagleMarketing Assistant................................................................................Nora SidotiMarketing Interns...............................................................Lindsey Booz, Julie TothDevelopmentDevelopment Associate..............................................................Lea Montalto-RookGrant Writer..........................................................................................Justin BauerDevelopment/Special Events Interns............Marie Gorbenko, Danielle WilliamsonEducationEducation Director.........................................................................Anne K. HolmesTeaching Artists...............................Vivian Appler, Kristyn Chouiniere, Mike Dees,

Bill Felty, Carol Laratonda, Mary McCann, Benjamin Lloyd, Kathryn Nocero,

Aaron Oster, Matt Pfeiffer, Greg Romero, Catherine Rush, Jay Wahl, Celeste Walker

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M A Y / J U N E 2 0 0 8

Newsletter Editor Walter Bilderback

Newsletter Designer Nora Sidoti

Contributing WritersWalter Bilderback

Richard W. KotulskiTHE NEWSLETTER OF THE WILMA THEATER

THE WILMA THEATERco-Artistic DirectorBlanka Zizkaco-Artistic DirectorJiri ZizkaManaging DirectorJames Haskins

Eurydice April 30 - June 1, 2008Eurydice, Grief, andMemoryIn the years since Sarah Ruhl’s work was lastseen on the Wilma stage, The Clean House,Eurydice, and her most recent play, DeadMan’s Cell Phone, have all received majorproductions in New York, as well as acrossthe country. Passion Play: A Cycle, an ambitious epic piece that weaves togetherthree historical periods and settings(Elizabethan England, Hitler’s Germany, andthe U.S. between the late 60s and early80s), examining the interplay betweendesire, faith, and political power, has beenproduced in Washington, DC and Chicago,with a production at Yale Repertory Theatrenext season. A new play, on the history ofthe vibrator, will open at Berkeley RepertoryTheater.

Sarah Ruhl’s MacArthur Fellow profiledescribes her work as “fresh, compelling,

and versatile,” which verges on understate-ment: she quite simply writes plays that arelike no one else’s. Each play is a separateworld, with its own rules. “I feel the world isalways open to transformation,” she told usin 2004, and this belief permeates her writing. Sarah’s work reflects Jean Cocteau’sconcept of “poetry of the stage, rather thanpoetry on the stage.” Her work is markedby a sensitivity in the portrayal of death, lossand mourning, which is always balanced by awry, offbeat, humor. “Humor is a really, sortof, selfless thing,” she said when we produced The Clean House. In the March 17,2008 issue of The New Yorker, she expandedthis: “Lightness isn’t stupidity. It’s actually aphilosophical and aesthetic viewpoint, deeplyserious, and has a kind of wisdom – steppingback to be able to laugh at horrible thingseven as you’re experiencing them.” A graduate of Brown University, her alumnimagazine christened her “the playwright laureate of grief” in a profile last year.

In Eurydice, she draws uponGreek myth for her inspira-tion. Written not long afterher father died of cancer,the play combines elementsof the myth with recollec-tions of her father, such ashis love of etymology. Infact, “recollection” or “remembering” could beseen as an essential elementof the larger theme of grief.

For the Wilma’s production,Blanka Zizka has drawnupon a range of influences,including Federico Fellini’s

film The Clowns, video artist Bill Viola, andconceptual artist Olafur Eliasson, in thedesign process. We’ve also commissioned anoriginal score, performed live each night,from composer Toby Twining. The followingpages (and the Wilma’s website) will allowyou to learn more of what’s behind tonight’s performance.

Origin and Early Incarnations ofthe Orpheus MythIn classical myth, the story of Orpheus andEurydice surfaced in many different formsand with much commentary. The nameOrpheus does not occur in Homer orHesiod, but appears first in the poetry ofSimonides, in the Sixth Century B.C.E.

The Greek poet Ibycus says Orpheuscharmed the trees, forest beasts, and eventhe stones with his sweet songs so that noneof them disobeyed him. In early accounts ofthe myth the outcome is more ambiguousthan in later versions, seeming to imply thatOrpheus was successful in retrievingEurydice from the underworld.

The ancient Greeks seemed to considerOrpheus a historical rather than mythical figure. The scholar Emmet Robbins pointsout that Orpheus was accorded a higherplace by the ancients than the authors of thetwo greatest extant monuments of ancientGreek literature: Homer and Hesiod.

Image Credits: Olafur Eliasson (left); JenniferSteinkamp (behind text).

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The myth as it is most known today—withgreat emphasis placed on the fatal glancebackward toward Eurydice and her seconddeath—dates from the Latin writings of Ovidand Virgil. In his Metamorphoses, Ovidwrites:

. . . there remained but little more toclimb till they would touch earth's surface, when in fear he might again loseher, and anxious for another look at her,he turned his eyes so he could gaze uponher. Instantly she slipped away. He stretched out to her his despairingarms, eager to rescue her, or feel herform, but could hold nothing save theyielding air. Dying the second time, she could not say a word of censure of her husband's fault; what had she to complain of—his greatlove? Her last word spoken was, “Farewell!”which he could barely hear, and with nofurther sound she fell from him again toHades.

Over the next two thousand years this partof the myth would be retold, taking on different meanings for different generations.

The Orpheus Myth in Music FromThe Renaissance to the PresentDuring the European Renaissance the mythtakes on significance as an emblem of thepower of music—and musicians begin inter-preting the myth with greater frequency.

The earliest extant opera, Jacopo Peri’sEuridice, dated around 1600, is based on themyth—as are at least 64 other operas datingfrom the year 1600 to the present day.These include, most notably: Monteverdi’sThe Legend of Orpheus, Telemann’s Orpheus,Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, Offenbach’sOrphée aux enfers (remembered for giving usthe “can-can”), and, most recently, PhilipGlass’ Orphée.

References to the story of Orpheus andEurydice have appeared in classical and pop-ular music ranging from the works ofStravinsky—who wrote a ballet for chamberorchestra based on the myth—tosinger/songwriter Rufus Wainwright. RockerNick Cave recorded a double album in 2004entitled Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus.

Black Orpheus, Jean Cocteau,and Rainer Maria RilkeThree of the most famous and influentialmodern interpretations of the Orpheus mythare Marcel Camus’ film Orfeu Negro, JeanCocteau’s film Orphée, and the works byRainer Maria Rilke on the subject: theSonnets To Orpheus and Orpheus, Eurydice,Hermes.

Set in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro during Carnival, Camus’ film is a generallyfaithful reinterpretation of the myth ofOrpheus set to a bossa nova soundtrack byAntonio Carlos Jobim. Praised by criticsaround the world, the film won the 1959Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival andthe 1960 Academy Award for Best ForeignLanguage Film.

Orphée, written and directed by JeanCocteau, is set in contemporary Paris. In thefilm, Orpheus is a poet who becomesobsessed with Death (the Princess), whileone of Death's associates, Heurtebise, hasunrequited feelings for Eurydice. Eurydice iskilled by the Princess' henchmen andOrpheus goes after her into theUnderworld. Although entangled, thePrincess sends Orpheus and Eurydice backout of the Underworld. Adapted from anearlier play by Cocteau, the film is thesecond of a three-part trilogy byCocteau based on Orpheus’ mythicalcharacter.

Orpheus, Eurydice, Hermes, writtennearly twenty years before theSonnets, delves more deeply intothe psyche of Eurydice than much ofthe Orphic literature had before. Inthe poem, Rilke describes Eurydice asbeing filled like a fruit with sweetness anddarkness and so full of vast death that shecomprehended nothing. In Rilke’s poem it isthe messenger god Hermes who noticesOrpheus’ famous look back:

And when suddenlythe god stopped her and, with anguish inhis cry,uttered the words: ‘He has turnedround’ –she comprehended nothing and said softly: ‘Who?’

Combined with the Sonnets, Rilke’s approachto the myth, his views of death within theworks, and its emphasis on Eurydice as acentral figure, has profoundly influenced thework of fiction authors, poets, musicians,and theatre artists including most prominently Mary Zimmerman and SarahRuhl.

Orpheus and Eurydice by G. Ksatrezntein-Stub The Loss of Eurydice by Elsie Russell, Oil on linen, 1994

Engraving of Mercury taking Eurydice back to Hades, 1902

Talking to Ghosts and Conjuringthe Invisible:A conversation with Sarah Ruhlabout life, death, and EurydiceWalter Bilderback: A lot has happened toyou since we did The Clean House here in2004. Can you tell us a little about it?How has your life as an artist changed?

Sarah Ruhl: Not much in substance. ButI did have a baby. And move to NewYork. I have less time to do nothing.Which I crave.

WB: That seems humble. You won aMacArthur fellowship; you’ve had newplays premiere at some of the most prestigious theaters around the country, aswell as three critically-praised productionsOff Broadway in the past 18 months.You've even been profiled in SmithsonianMagazine, which usually doesn't pay muchattention to theater.

SR: Do you mean that as a question or acomment?

WB: I was trying to make it a question,but. . .

SR: I guess I separate how has my lifeand writing changed from how has mycareer changed. Basically you write whatyou write, you show up at rehearsals—in substance it's very similar, that's what Imean. I don't mean to be disingenuous, Itake more taxis, but other than that, lifeis similar.

WB: What made you interested in usingthe myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as thebasis of a play? What led you to put theemphasis on Eurydice and her father in theunderworld, rather than on Orpheus, as inmost retellings of the legend?

SR: There have been lots of re-tellings ofthe Orpheus story—Cocteau, theoperas, Black Orpheus.... We know agreat deal about Orpheus’ loss. But forsome reason we never hear fromEurydice—she’s always a cipher, someone who dies twice. I’m interestedin her voice. I’m interested in anyone

who dies twice. In terms of the father, itmade intuitive sense to me that Eurydicewould meet some of her ancestors inthe afterlife. The triangulation betweenthe father and the groom is fascinating tome—watching young women have tochoose their husband over their father—it’s a deep, fraught exchange. In my ownlife, I lost my father too young, and inmany ways I think I wrote Eurydice as away to have more conversations withhim.

WB: Much of the play takes place in anunderworld based in many respects onGreek notions – especially the idea ofdrinking something that makes you forget.How did the idea of the Stones comeabout?

SR: In the version of the myth I grew upon, Orpheus' music is so sad it makeseven the stones weep. So I was interested in the idea of repressed emotion in the underworld... what is itabout weeping that breaks the rules ofthe underworld and allows Orpheus toenter? I also think the Stones enforce therules of the underworld, they are ourguides, and they make us laugh when wewant to weep. I love Greek chorusesbecause they mirror the experience of

the audience—they remind us thatwe’re seeing a play and not a film.

WB: You’ve also presented a differentimage of an afterlife in your play DeadMan’s Cell Phone. I can’t think of anotherplaywright who has created two differentvisions of the afterlife. What has led youback to this theme?

SR: Maybe I’ve been around too manydeath-beds for my age….but I also thinkthere is something about death that feelsunintegrated in the modern psyche. In away it feels to me like an odd casualty ofmodern life, the way death has beenprofessionalized—other people "handle"it for us, and we're cut off from thewhole notion of it, the whole experienceof it. It sometimes feels as though we'reno longer looking at the whole life cycle.Death is viewed as an odd aberrationthat happens to the unlucky, rather thansomething we ought to set our sights onin terms of how we live our daily lives. Ithink theater is a place where we cantalk to ghosts, conjure the invisible, andmeditate on the shortness of life, even aswe try to live in it fully.

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An Interview withComposer Toby Twining[Wilma Theater co-Artistic Director BlankaZizka asked vocal composer Toby Twining tocreate an original sound score for our production of Eurydice. He spoke with WilmaDramaturg Walter Bilderback about his compositional techniques.]

Walter Bilderback: Some in our audience mayknow your work, from appearances on PrairieHome Companion, for instance, but many willnot. Could you tell us a little about yourcareer?

Toby Twining: For the past twenty-plusyears, I have focused my composing and performing on primarily experimental,

unaccompanied vocalensemble music. I haveapproached the voice asan instrument, seekingto use its technical agilityand many colors toachieve a newchoral/vocal sound. Twoexemplary recordingsare Shaman (1994, BMGClassics), music for vocalquartet, quintet, andeleven voices, andChrysalid Requiem(Cantaloupe Music,2003), for twelve-partchamber choir. The latter is also my first

large work in extended just intonation, atuning system, which interests me for itsinnovative harmony.

WB: You’ve mentioned just intonation frequently in our conversations. Can youexplain what that is?

TT: Put briefly, just intonation is a very oldway of tuning music by making intervalssound their smoothest. I say “extended justintonation,” which implies that I am designing scales other than those that arestandard, such as the diatonic scale (whitekeys on a piano) or chromatic scale (blackand white keys on a piano). Just scales dividethe octave differently than a piano.Furthermore, scales tend to be fixed—thatis, they use a handful of pitch regions that donot change frequency: A is always 440 Hz(vibrations per second), E is always 660 Hz,etc. Sometimes I do that, but other times Imaximize smoothness to make a chord, withwhich the music can creep and crawl aroundmicrotonally throughout the pitch spectrum—A might begin as 440 Hz, butthrough a series of chord progressions,might become a little higher or lower.

WB: You refer tomicrotones a lot.What are they?

TT: The termmicrotone needsqualification.According towestern musictheory, our smallest musicalinterval is thesemitone, that is,the interval madeby two adjacentkeys on thepiano. Anything

smaller is a microtone, which westernershave traditionally considered to be an exoticfeature of the music of other cultures (SouthIndian, Indonesian, Egyptian, and many

more). However, microtones are part ofthe performance practice of westernmusicians, whose instruments have flexiblepitch, such as the violinand voice, in order tostay in tune with eachother. String quartets,Barbershop quartets,and vocal ensembles thatspecialize in Early Musicexcel in this.

WB: How can we recognize these techniqueswhen we hear them in the play?

TT: I'm not sure I want people to recognizeit when they hear just intonation in Eurydice.It's the musical qualities made possible bytuning subtleties that I hope will be effectivefor people, rather than knowing something is"microtonal" or in “just intonation." On theother hand, I feel that tuning with pure intervals can affect the music profoundly,such as the increased sense of serenity itproduces in Renaissance church music—another example, like Barbershop Quartet,that everyone hears without knowing what itis. Generally, whenever we hear maximumsmoothness between pitches, we are hearinga just tuning. If we are hearing unusual intervals that sound off in some way, but surprise us by their smoothness, we arehearing some form of extended just intonation.

Comments from CostumeDesigner Oana Botez-Ban:

I've been workingwith Mimi Lien sincemy 2nd year at NYU.I love working withMimi. Her sense ofspace is very unique:she creates an archi-tectural space thatsurprises you in itscomposition andpoetry which compliments thework of the other

designers. My first project with both Mimiand TylerMicoleau was PigIron's LoveUnpunished. Ithink Tyler’s workis breathtaking. Iam very excitedto be on thesame design teamagain.

The temptationwith this text wasto try to abstracteverything.Blanka was veryclear about the

need to not lose the human side of the story.

Worlds like Fellini's Clowns for the Stones orAlice in Wonderlandwere referencesfor the design.

Blanka kept referring to theStones as “Clownsof Death”...I thinkthat stayed withme.

Costume sketchesby Oana Botez-Ban

About the WilmaBeginning with their adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm in 1979 for The WilmaProject, Blanka Zizka and Jiri Zizka havecreated some of the most memorable the-atrical productions in Philadelphia for morethan 28 years. The Wilma Project, founded in 1973, challenged Philadelphia audiences with productions from avant-garde theater troopssuch as Bread & Puppet Theatre, MabouMines, Charles Ludlam’s RidiculousTheatrical Company, The Wooster Group,Ping Chong & the Fiji Company, andSpalding Gray. The Zizkas arrived inPhiladelphia from their nativeCzechoslovakia in 1977, and soon after theyjoined The Wilma Project as artists-in-resi-dence.In 1981, following the Board of Directors’offer to assume the artistic leadership of theproject, the Zizkas converted an old warehouse on Sansom Street into a 100-seatspace where The Wilma Theater, as it isknown today, was founded. On SansomStreet, the Wilma mounted 16 acclaimedseasons, operating to full capacity.

In 1985, a decision was made to find a larger space for the theater and in 1989, a location was identified at the corner ofBroad and Spruce Streets. The Wilmaopened its new facility on Philadelphia’sAvenue of the Arts in 1996. The first newtheater to be built in Center City since 1928was designed by renowned theater architect

Hugh Hardy. The 300-seat theater allows forintimacy and closeness between the audienceand the actors, while providing ample spaceon stage for more spectacular productions. Productions by the Wilma have been seen atthe International Theater Festival in theCzech Republic; in New York at the PublicTheater and Manhattan Theatre Club; TheKennedy Center for the Performing Arts inWashington, DC; McCarter Theatre Centerin Princeton, NJ; Long Wharf Theatre inConnecticut; and ACT Seattle. In addition totheir presentations and festivals, the Wilmahas produced over 100 productions, includ-ing 16 World Premieres, 12 US Premieres, 3East Coast Premieres, and 63 PhiladelphiaPremieres. The Wilma co-produced a feature film broadcast nationallyon Great Performances. The theater hasworked with notables such as StephenSondheim, Tom Stoppard, ChristopherHampton, Doug Wright, and Arthur Milleras well as playwrights such as Claudia Shear,Lillian Groag, Chay Yew, Charles L. Mee,Jason Sherman, Dael Orlandersmith, RobertWilliam Sherwood, Sarah Ruhl, Polly Pen,and Laurence Klavan.The theater has won 39 Barrymore Awardsfor Excellence in Theater, the most awardsreceived by any company, and has receivedhigh critical acclaim from many publicationsthroughout the tri-state region and fromnational publications such as: The New YorkTimes, The New York Post, TIME, USA Today,The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune andThe Wall Street Journal.

Why the NameWilma?In A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolfimagines Shakespeare’s sister Judith, as brilliant as her brother but beaten intosilence—both literally and figuratively—bythe age she lives in. To explain how the livesof two siblings could so dramaticallydiverge, Woolf recalls a bishop whoexplained to an inquiring parishioner that,just as cats don’t go to heaven, so cannotany woman possess the talent ofShakespeare: “How much thinking those oldgentlemen used to save one! How the bor-ders of ignorance shrank back at theirapproach! Cats do not go to heaven. Womencannot write the plays of Shakespeare.” Itwas simply a given.

The Wilma Theater inherited its name fromthe original Wilma Project, which began in1973 as a feminist collective. They chose toname their theater after an invented sister ofShakespeare, but not after Woolf ’s Judith.The founders created the fantastical Wilma,a talented sister with a room of her own,the means and freedom to express herself.When Blanka Zizka and Jiri Zizka took overThe Wilma Project, they did not abandon itsnamesake. The Zizkas’ The Wilma Theaterdoes not take the status quo as a given.Instead, it constantly strives for new ways ofexpression and revelation, social significance

Board of DirectorsOfficersPeggy Greenawalt, ChairJohn D. Rollins, Vice ChairAlbert E. “Ted” Wolf, Vice ChairLewis H. Johnston, SecretaryThomas Mahoney, TreasurerBoard MembersRoger BallouAutumn BaylesArjun BediClare D’Agostino, Esq.Mark S. Dichter, Esq.Steve DirectorHerman C. Fala, Esq.Linda GlicksteinSudhakar GoverdhanamJeff HarbisonHarvey KimmelErin KuhlsRobert E. LinckSissie LiptonDavid E. Loder, Esq.Marilyn LucasJames F. McGillinMargaret W. MeigsDonald F. ParmanRonald RockMary RucciDianne L. SemingsonEllen B. SolmsEvelyn G. SpritzGillian WakelyAndrew B. WilliamsElizabeth A. W. WilliamsJeanne P. Wrobleski, Esq.Ex-OfficioJames HaskinsDr. R. J. WallnerBlanka ZizkaJiri Zizka

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University of the ArtsPNC Bank FoundationThe Rosenlund FamilyFoundation

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INDIVIDUALDONORPROGRAMSThe Premiere CircleThe Premiere Circle is a groupof our area’s leaders whodemonstrate their love of theperforming arts through theirgenerosity to the Wilma withgifts of $1,000 or over. Thebenefits of the Premiere

Circle are designed to bringmembers closer to the artistswhose work they make possi-ble. For more information,please contact James Haskins,Managing Director, at215.893.9456 x110. A plus sign (+) denotesfive-year consecutive donors.Mrs. Valla Amsterdam+Roger and Georgeann BallouArjun BediPeter Benoliel and WilloCarey+

Daniel Berger+Louis BluverMs. Jacqueline BodinSheldon & Jill BonovitzLois and Julian BrodskyKathleen ChimiclesJohn and Priscilla Clement Ms. Clare D’Agostino+Mr. Joseph Dante+Mark and Tobey Dichter+Dr. and Mrs. Stephen W.Director

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There are other ways you can make a difference!1) You can double or triple your donation to the Wilma by

asking your workplace if they have a Matching Gifts program.2) You can give to the Wilma through The United Way. 3) You can donate In-Kind Gifts, or Gifts of Stock, or

Real Estate.4) You can remember the Wilma through Planned Giving.

Please contact our Development Office at 215-893-9456 x109for more information.

A Special Note to Our DonorsThank you to all of our donors, including those who donate through our Ticket Exchange Program. This list acknowl-edges all donors above $150 from April 15th, 2007 through

April7th, 2008. If your name has been omitted or misprinted,

please accept our apologies. Notify us of the change by contacting Lea Montalto-Rook,

Development Associate, at 215.893.9456 x109.Student Sunday Evenings

This program is generously underwritten by the Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Endowment Fund. This program provides $10 tickets to students.

To learn moreabout our education programs

visit wilmatheater.org

Proud Recipient of a 2007 Excellence Award from

This prestigious award is critical in the Wilma’s effort to broaden participation and engage our audiences byformalizing performance-related symposia and topical discussion events and launching our

Building the Audiences of Tomorrow campaign to increase high school and college student participation.Won’t you please join The Wallace Foundation and give the gift of theater to a student in your community?Here are just a few examples of what your contribution can do:• $25 subsidizes a discounted rush ticket for one student• $50 provides the materials for student leaders who participate in our Wilma Student Advisory meetings• $100 subsidizes a discounted season subscription to the Wilma for one student*At the $150 level your name is listed in the Wilmabill program*• $250 funds instruction by a Teaching Artist in our Wilmagination program.Teaching Artists visit underserved Philadelphia public schools to bring theater to students at their own educational institutions.• $500 covers one scholarship for a deserving student to attend Camp Wilma• $1000 subsidizes one whole class visit to attend a Wilma Student Matinee performance*At the $1000 level you become a Premiere Circle member with invitations to exclusive Wilma events*• $2500 sponsors the production of a Wilma Student Matinee performance

Please demonstrate your love for The Wilma Theater and your commitment toBuilding the Audiences of Tomorrow by contributing TODAY!

Contributions can be made online at www.wilmatheater.org or by calling our Development Office at 215-893-9456 x109.A Special Thank You to all of our donors who have already joined in our campaign.

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Tony and Harriet Crane+Mr. Jerry Cross+Granville CrothersMr. Chester T. Cyzio+Dr. Christopher D'AmandaMr. David J. DotzertMr. Daniel C. Drecksage andMs. Leslie Sudock+

Maxine DubinRobert DuPlessis and RachelBlau DuPlessis

Sheryl and Steve Durham+John T. Durkin and RebeccaL. Stanley+

Dr. and Ms. Joel K. Edelstein*Ms. Susan J. Ellis+Mr. Howard EmersonMr. Stephen Falchek+

Paul and Judith Farber+Dr. Charles FarthingMs. Helen F. Faust+Jill K. FentonJanet and Edward FieldingMr. and Ms. Robert J. FlemingRalph and Carol Flood+Alan Folsom and KathrynRuch

Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Ford+Ms. Ashley FrazierRobert Freeman and BeverlyCaplan-Freeman

W. Roderick & Pamela GagneCharles M. and EllenGallagher+

Harry and Jeanne Gelman+Ms. Deborah E. GlassDr. Steven and Mrs. SusanGlauser+

Glenn GoldbergMichele Goldfarb and TonyRostain

John and Elizabeth Gontarz+Ms. Criswell GonzalezDrs. Mark and VivanGreenberg

Ms. Susan V. GreeneMichael and AnneGreenwald+

Ms. Margaret Grip+Ira and Jane Grushow+Vahe HadajianMr. Mark H. Haller+Robert and Dianne Harnish+Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Harrison+Peter and Donna HasselmoMs. Marion V. Heacock+Ms. Patricia Henriques+Mr. and Mrs. WilliamHensinger+

Sally Steffen and GeoffreyHerrera

Ms. Elizabeth HigginbothamMatthew and Cindy HirschMr. and Mrs. Ralph S.Hirshorn+

Ms. Terry HirshornMr. Thomas Holland+Michael Hozik and MargaretRea+

Ms. Kathleen HutchinsPaul H. Kahn and Janet AldenKahn+

Mr. Ross Kardon+Caroline R. KemmererMr. John S. KileyDonald and Gay KimelmanMr. Robert Kirkwood+Ms. Kaori Kitao+Mr. and Ms. Craig KnauerDrs. Alfred Knudson andAnna Meadows+

Mr. Jeff KoopmanMr. Kenneth D. Kopple+Peg and Michael Kramer+Mr. and Ms. Clive LandaCharles and LucindaLandreth+

Nancy LanhamRachelle and Wayne Leese+Mr. Eric Leichter

Chris and Becky LeiseJoe and Ginny Leonard+Mr. David Lerman and Ms.Shelly Wallock+

Clifford and ElizabethLevine+

Dr. Rafael and NancyLevites+

Mr. and Mrs. Howard H.Lewis+

Joseph and Dorritt Linsk+Mr. William A. Loeb+Ann T. Loftus, Esquire andEileen Talone+

Mr. Michael LordMr. Robert MacbethFrank and Sally MalloryMr. and Ms. James MarksGordon and Louise Marshall+Fran MartinMs. Lynne MaxwellMs. Rachel MazzagattiMr. James McCaffery+Dot and Joe McGrew+Mr. Donald McKay+Laura and Marc McKennaMr. and Mrs. Jay K. MeadwayLawrence Meehan and SusanTomita+

Mr. and Ms. David Miller+Megan and Lou Minella+Mr. and Mrs. David MintzerFredaricka and DouglasMoffitt+

Ms. Jonni MooreChristiaan Morssink andShirika Kumanyika+

Mr. and Ms. Kenneth MummaFrank and Fiona Murray+Dr. and Ms. AndrewNewman+

Quan A. Nguyen and JessicaLynn Geyer+

Gene and Sally Nicholls+Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Ockman+Ms. Barbara Oldenhoff+Hugh O'Neill and Fay ShahMr. and Mrs. Paul OrlemanMs. Catherine Ormerod+Mr. and Ms. Robert PanaccioMr. Arthur Panfile+Milton and Ruth Parnes+Mr. and Ms. Philip Paul+Mr. and Ms. John PeakesRuth PerlmutterMs. Christina PetersonMr. and Mrs. John A. PhilbrickIII+

Marcelle PickElizabeth and JeromePontillo+

Dr. and Mrs. Joel S. Porter+Ms. Harriet PotashnickDaniel PromisloCharles and April ReganMr. and Mrs. Kurt W. Reiss+Dr. Ken Richman+Ms. Jean RidgwayDebi RochelleMr. and Mrs. Guadalupe andDorothy Romanko Rojo

Ms. Suzanne Rommel+

Gordon and Karen Rose+Mr. and Ms. Michael RosenBarbara and DanielRottenberg

Ms. Cheryl RustenCarol and George Sabochick+David and Romayne Sachs+Andrew Sacksteder andColleen Murphy+

Lynn and Anthony C. SalvoMs. Nora Salzman+Mr. John F. Sanford+Mr. and Ms. David Sautter+Karen ScholnickMr. Gino Segre and Ms.Bettina Hoerlin

Gerald and Linda Senker+Ms. Christine J. ShamborskySharon and Irv Shapiro+Mr. James SisnerosElizabeth and Richard SoltanDr. Edward J. Speedling andJane Isaacs Lowe+

Ms. Louisa Spottswood+Mr. Peter StamblerHarold and Emily Starr+Jonathan and Judith SteinMark Stein and Carol Baker+Mark Steinberger and AnnLebowitz+

Mr. and Ms. John Stiklorius+Mr. and Mrs. NormanStuessy+

Mr. Stephen A. Stumpf+Dr. Daniel B. SzyldMs. Nina E. Tafel+Bruce and Christina Tarkoff+Louis Thompson and SherrylKuhlman

Tonto IICarol DePrisco and WalterUhler+

United Way of SoutheasternPennsylvania

Philip and Betty Varner+Daniel and Marilyn Veber+ Barbara Ventresco+Hella and Lewis Volgenau+Eddie WallaceMs. Marion M. WalterSallie & James Warden+Ms. Wendy WarnerJohn Weidman and EbonyStaton

Bob Weinberg and EleanorWilner+

Ms. Margie WeingartenBarbara and PeterWestergaard+

Wendy and Miriam White+Bob Weinberg and EleanorWilner

Ms. Wendy E. Wilson+Bernhard and ElizabethWitter+

Ms. Mary Ann Woodcock+Barbara and Richard Woods+Thomas and JacquelineZemaitis

Peter Zutter and TomMurphy+

PartneringBusinessesBarristers Bar andGrille1832 Sansom St.215.496.0786Bistro Romano120 Lombard St.215.925.8880Cafe Spice35 S. 2nd St.215.627.6273Caribou Cafe1126 Walnut St.215.625.9535Cebu*123 Chestnut St.215.629.1100citygrange at TheWestin Philadelphia99 S. 17th St.215.575.6930Cork*90 Haddon Ave., Westmont, NJ856.833.9800Ecco Qui*3200 Chestnut St.215.222.3226Ernesto’s 1521 Cafe1521 Spruce St.215.546.1521Estia Restaurant1405 Locust St.215.735.7700Fork Restaurant306 Market St.215.625.9425Independence BrewPub1150 Filbert St.215.922.4292Italian Bistro ofCenter City211 S. Broad St.215.731.0700Locust RendezvousBar & Grill

1415 Locust St.215.985.1163London Grill2301 Fairmount Ave.215.978.4545Mantra*122 S. 18th St.215.988.1211Marigold KitchenBYOB*501 S. 45th St.215.222.3699Mercato Restaurant &BYOB1216 Spruce St.215.985.2962Meritage Restaurant500 S. 20th St.215.985.1922Mission Grill*1835 Arch St.215.636.9550Moriarty’s Restaurant1116 Walnut St.215.627.7676Naked Chocolate Café1317 Walnut St.215.735.7310Nineteen (XIX)Park Hyatt Philadelphiaat the Bellevue (19thFloor)Broad and Walnut Sts.215.790.1919Philadelphia Fish andCo.*207 Chestnut St.215.625.8605Portofino Restaurant1227 Walnut St.215.923.8208Ristorante La Buca711 Locust St.215.928.0556Ruth’s Chris SteakHouse260 S. Broad St.215.790.1515Sotto Varalli

231 S. Broad St.215.546.6800The Capital Grille1338 Chestnut St.215.545.9588The Melting Pot1219 Filbert St., Center City215.922.70028229 Germantown Ave.,Chestnut Hill215.242.3003150 Allendale Rd., King of Prussia610.265.7195The Prime Rib*1701 Locust St.215.772.1701Upstairs at Varalli1345 Locust St.215.546.4200Valanni Restaurant &Lounge1229 Spruce St.215.790.9494Warsaw Cafe306 S. 16th Street215.546.0204World Cafe Live*3025 Walnut St.215.222.1400Xochitl*408 S. 2nd St.215.238.7280*Client of The RestaurantCollection: www.therestaurantcollection.com

Venture InnSCENE 1: Pre-Theater Dinner Specials starting at $15SCENE 2: Eurydice@ the WilmaSCENE 3: After-Show Nightcaps

255 S. CAMAC ST. 215.545.8731 WWW.VIPHILLY.COM

The Wilma Theater would like to thank the following audience members for their participation in the

Audience Advisory Committee:Mary Ellen Byrne, Richard Drucker, Ilene Lefko,Karlyn Messinger, John Piston, Leslie Ryan, Karen Scholnick, Jim Shaw, John Shirley,

Lewis Silverman, Patricia Sollimo, Joseph Waldo, Frank Zampiello

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Tom Stoppard's Exclusive Appearance at the Wilma

In case you missed it, the Wilma was honored to haveTom Stoppard make a rare appearance to discuss hislatest play, Rock 'n' Roll, which will open the Wilma's

upcoming 30th Anniversary Season. Audience members were enthralled as he discussed with co-Artistic Director Blanka Zizka his life in former

Czechoslovakia and what inspired him in writing thisplay. Look for more exciting news about the Wilma’s

production of Rock ’n’ Roll very soon!

19

Introducing Pre-Theater DinnerAbove the Avenue of the Arts

Experience the flavors of XIX with a three course prix fixe menu

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30thAnniversary2008/09

Box Office: 215.546.7824 wilmatheater.org 265 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19107 Fax: 215.893.0895

ROCK ‘N’ ROLLby Tom Stoppard directed by Blanka Zizka

September 17 – October 19, 2008“Triumphant…Rock ‘n’ Roll is arguably Stoppard’s finest play…he is a magician, and this is a passionate,

decades-spanning tale of love, revolution, and music!” -The New York TimesThis extraordinary theatrical event from Academy Award winner and four-time Tony® Award winner Tom Stoppard (TheInvention of Love) was a recent hit on Broadway following a record-breaking run in London's West End. In August 1968,Russian tanks are rolling into Prague; Jan, the Czech student, lives for rock music; Max, the English professor, lives for

Communism; and Esme, the flower child, lives for a high. By 1990, the tanks are rolling out, the Stones are rolling in, andidealism has hit the wall. Stoppard's sweeping and passionate play spans two countries, three generations, and 22 turbulent

years, at the end of which, love remains — and so does rock 'n' roll.SCHMUCKS

by Roy Smiles directed by Jiri ZizkaDecember 3, 2008 – January 4, 2009

“An evening of total comic virtuosity…another success for the prolificand aptly named Roy Smiles!” -The Evening Standard

Fasten your seatbelts ‘cause all hell’s about to break loose! It’s 1965, and the great Northeast Blackout covers New YorkCity in a state of panic and disorder. Isolated in a small diner, a young stand-up comic with an upcoming gig on The Ed Sulli-van Show encounters comic icons Groucho Marx and Lenny Bruce and implores them for comedic guidance. What results isan exhilarating and unpredictable debate of the nature and purpose of comedy. From one of London’s funniest playwrights

comes a play that had audience members laughing out loud during a reading at the Wilma earlier this season.SCORCHED

by Wajdi Mouawad translated by Linda Gaboriau directed by Blanka ZizkaFebruary 25 – March 29, 2009

“Scorched introduces a playwright with an important voice to the English language theater!” -VarietyA tour-de-force epic mystery depicting one woman’s moral conviction to interrupt the cycle of war and revenge, Scorched isan intensely dramatic play from an internationally acclaimed Lebanese-born playwright. After the death of their mother,twins Janine and Simon receive a surprising request in her will to deliver letters to a father they thought was dead and abrother they never knew existed. These tasks lead them on a journey to the heart of their mother’s war-torn MiddleEastern homeland. In the course of their search, they learn about their mother's long-concealed history and uncover

shocking secrets about their own origins.HYSTERIA

by Terry Johnson directed by Jiri ZizkaMay 13 – June 14, 2009

“Hysteria is an exuberant surprise…as unexpectedly resonant as a crazy sonnet!” -The New York TimesWinner of an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, Hysteria is a madcap comedy based on an historical meeting betweentwo of the world’s greatest and most eccentric men – Sigmund Freud and Salvador Dalí. Set in London in 1938, this wild

comedy showcases Freud as he deals with several unexpected encounters with his physician, a persistent young woman whodelves into his past, and his biggest fan, surrealist Salvador Dalí. Soon Dalí’s surreal imagery begins to take over both Freud’s

consciousness and his study in this explosive comedy full of mix-ups, misunderstandings,scantily clad women, and Freudian slips.

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