SOUTHERN OREGON UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE ARTS

FALL 2007 PLAYBILL

BY TOM STOPPARDCENTER STAGE THEATRE

Nov. 8-18, 2007

BY EURIPIDES

Designated the Center for Excellence in the Fine

and Performing Arts by the Oregon University System

Adapted by Hilary Tate and James Edmondson

CENTER SQUARE THEATRENov. 1-11, 2007

“Creating Space at the Center – Where We Stand”

Welcome to another example of the excellent quality of our work.

The current season is one of our most dynamic to date. This fall we offer Tom Stoppard’s “Arcadia,” which is arguably one of the finest late twentieth-century plays written. Faculty director Dennis Smith is ably guiding us through the realization and unique view of the time and space

continuum we call home. Guest artist James Edmondson has given us the opportunity,

with “Women of War,” to explore the classic work of Euripides in a dynamic new context that is vibrant with relevance to our current world.

SOU Theatre Arts has continued to grow and is currently the largest exclusively undergraduate theatre arts program in the western United States. The quality of the program attracts students from an expanding radius to our campus. We need more space to deliver the quality of program we are capable of delivering.

Last year the portion of the governor’s budget that included funding for a portion of the amount needed to expand and remodel our Theatre Arts facility was not supported by the legislature. At this point we are at the beginning of a fundraising process that will need to show support from our patrons, our alumni, and friends to stimulate support from private and public funding sources.

At the end of this Playbill, you will find a contribution form. I hope you will consider being a part of our fundraising efforts at the earliest stages. Your support will help us realize our dream for our students and our community. Please contact me if you would like to be involved in exploring the means to raise the funds that will help us to realize our potential as one of the most dynamic and creative undergraduate theatre programs in the country.

We have a vital program, with strong faculty, talented students and a tremendous spirit. On behalf of Theatre Arts at SOU, I thank you for being a part of our growth and our students’ success. Your continued patronage makes our work possible.

– Chris Sackett 1

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Chris Sackett .........................................................Department ChairJim Giancarlo ..............................................Musical Theatre FacultyMichael J. Hume ......................................................Adjunct FacultyDavid Kelly ..............................................................Adjunct FacultyLaurie Kurutz ....................................Costume Construction Faculty Eric Levin ...........................................Director of Theatre Education Dale Luciano ......................................................... Directing Faculty Maggie McClellan ............................. Voice and Movement Faculty Sean O’Skea ...................................................Scenic Design Faculty Deborah Rosenberg ....................................Costume Design Faculty Ezra Severin ..........................................Technical Direction Faculty Dennis Smith ..............................................................Acting Faculty Christi Courian ........................................... Administrative AssistantSu Grossmann ............................................ Administrative AssistantJane Hickinbotham ..................................... Staff Technical Manager

Department of Theatre Arts Faculty and Staff

2007-2008 SeasonCenter Stage Theatre

Arcadia by Tom StoppardNovember 8-18, 2007

Urinetown by Mark Hollmann and Greg KotisFebruary 21-March 9, 2008

Metamorphoses by Mary ZimmermanMay 22-June 1, 2008

Center Square TheatreWomen of War, an adaptation of Iphigenia at Aulis and The Trojan

Women by Euripides – adapted by Hilary Tate and James EdmondsonNovember 1-11, 2007

Many Moons from the book by James Thurber – adapted by Charlotte Chorpenning

February 15-March 2, 2008Hunting Cockroaches

by Janusz Glowacki – translated by Jadwiga KosickaMay 15-25, 2008

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by Tom Stoppard

Directed by Dennis Smith

Scenic Design by Jennifer Ward*

Costume Design by Lauren Lind

Lighting Design by Chris Sackett

Sound Design by Amadon Jaeger

Barry Kraft, Dramaturg

Choreography by Jim Giancarlo

Scene:

A room on the garden front of Sidley Park Manor, Derbyshire, England. The action of the play shuttles back

and forth between the early 19th century and the present day.

Length:

Two hours and forty-five minutes with one fifteen minute intermission.

5

Thomasina Coverly ........................................ Ashley Scallon*

Septimus Hodge ............................................. Michael Fallon*

Jellaby .................................................................Alex Yochim

Ezra Chater ............................................................ Ryan West

Richard Noakes .......................................Brandon Simpliciano

Lady Croom ................................................. Juliana Slemenda

Capt. Brice, RN ............................................ Samuel Ashdown

Hannah Jarvis ..................................................Deborah Jensen

Chloe Coverly ............................................................Erin Pike

Bernard Nightingale ...................................Samuel Dinkowitz*

Valentine Coverly ............................................ Jonathan Dyrud

Gus/Augustus .................................................Blaine Johnston

Cast

Special thanks to College of the Siskiyous Theatre Department and University of Washington School of Drama

Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

*These students have undertaken these assignments as the culminating creative projects to satisfy the thesis requirement for their Bachelor of Fine Arts Degrees.

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Arcadia Production CrewASSISTANT DIRECTOR .........................................................John LewisSTAGE MANAGER .......................................................... Shauna DuryeaASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER .........................................Stephen AbtsASSISTANT SCENIC DESIGNER ....................................Erin DickinsonTECHNICAL DIRECTOR ................................................James ChandlerASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR ...........................Dorian RobisonPRODUCTION ASSISTANT ..............................................Krysteen BushDIALECT COACH ...............................................................Carlyn Blount MASTER CARPENTER ......................................................Stephen PurdyCARPENTERS ....................... Micaela Batson, Tim Homsley, Zach Myers, ................................................................................. Jon Oles, Cole Sutera, ......................................................................................... Graham Tordoff, PROP MASTER .....................................................................Chad AlbertsPROP ARTISANS ............... Robert Chikar, Brandon Crouch, Noah Jacobs, ......................Isaac Kosydar, Holly Nunn, Kira Wightman, Jessica WilliamsPAINT CHARGE ARTIST ..................................................... Ryan NicolaiPAINT CREW .....................Pen Corbin, Tiffany DeMoss, Amber DePerro, ...................... Ariel Jackson, Adrian Munguia, Carly Palmer, Hannah WoldASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNER ................................ Penelope SinorDRAPER ............................................................................. Laurie KurutzWARDROBE SUPERVISOR .......................................... Freya H. WilliamsASSISTANT WARDROBE SUPERVISOR..............................Heidi StonerWARDROBE CREW .............................................. Julia Box, Josh Bowen, ...........................................................Lauryn Hochberg, Mayson SheppardMAKEUP SUPERVISOR......................................................Amy BaldwinMAKEUP CREW ..................................... Kristine Purcell, Russel Rivinius ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER ...................................Laura WileyMASTER ELECTRICIAN ...................................................Andy ZehrungPROJECTION ..........................................................................Tim BrownLIGHT CREW ..................... Justin Campanoli, Robbie Erickson, Ian King, ..................................... Meryn MacDougall, Aaron Postma, Ben Sheppard, ................................................ Don Skaggs, Jonathan Stinson, Nick WalkerSOUND DESIGNER ......................................................... Amadon JaegerSOUND ENGINEER ........................................................Amazing JaegerSOUND RUN ..................................................................... Patrick BuxtonPIANO COMPOSITIONS ..................................... Michael Allen HarrisonRECORDING ENGINEER ....................................Tahlia Rachel Harrison RUN CREW ............................................................ Head: Monica Keaton ........................................Zachary Centers, Stephanie Krause, Kayla Loisel, .................................................................Victoria Spero, Mallory Wedding

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Sir Tom Stoppard (born as Tomáš Straussler on July 3, 1937) and his

family moved to Singapore in 1939 to escape the Nazis. Then, shortly before

the Japanese invasion of Singapore in 1941, young Tom fled to Darjeeling,

India with his mother and brother. However, his father, Eugene Straussler,

remained behind and was killed during the invasion. In 1946, the family

emigrated to England after Tom’s mother married Kenneth Stoppard, a

major in the British army.

Years later, Tom Stoppard burst on the international theatre scene with

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Since then he has become one of the

most acclaimed playwrights in the English-speaking world, moving between

plays, screenplays, essays, and plays for radio and television. His work

frequently revolves – most often in comic terms – around the difficulties of

moral and political choices in a baffling world. Some of his other works

include Jumpers, Travesties, Night and Day, The Real Inspector Hound, The Real

Thing, The Invention of Love, and The Coast of Utopia. For Arcadia, he was

awarded the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards for the Best New Play in 1993

and the Laurence Olivier/BBC Theatre Award in 1994 for Best New Play.

Tom Stoppard’s work has continued to grow in popularity and

influence. To date, he has written 22 books, 41 plays (many of which are

simply his books coming to life on the stage), and eleven screenplays. In

recognition of his work, he has been honored with twelve different awards.

Many of those awards were received multiple times, though. All in all,

Stoppard has twenty awards to show for his efforts and was knighted in

1997.

About Tom Stoppard

8

When considering Director’s Notes for this production of Arcadia, I confess, rather sheepishly, to being struck by a surprising feeling of resentment. Was it not punishment enough to have to direct this astonishingly complicated romantic mystery about mathematics and physics, free will and determinism, the Chaos Theory and Newton’s Second Law of Thermodynamics, nineteenth century English poetry with accompanying perspectives of the Romantic versus the Classical views of English landscape gardening? But then, to have to explain why I love this play so much; to have to explain why it is my favorite contemporary play…Well, it just seemed like cruel and unusual punishment. Oh yes, and did I mention that it’s set in two time periods? And it’s a comedy.

Some time back I came across a 1995 review of the Lincoln Center production of Arcadia in, of all places, The Journal of the American Mathematics Society. The reviewer, Allyn Jackson, wondered, “How far can science and mathematics take us in explaining what life is all about? The ominous implications of the second law of thermodynamics – that disorder will increase until all energy is dissipated and all light and life are extinguished – hang heavy over the play. But this bleak prognosis is in the end contravened as…the struggles to understand life begin to mesh as the unquestioning joy of the young points to a more hopeful path…” I like that.

Does it seem to you that, with certain questions of existence, the stridency and intolerance levels have risen incrementally? I often feel surrounded these days by so many polarizing polemics that demand a commitment to some absolute – as if one political party was more a part of the natural universe than another, or that science and the divine were mutually exclusive. And the more we allow the “narrow view” to drive us apart, the more often rational, much less respectful, debate is lost. Stoppard once said that he liked writing plays because dialogue was the easiest way for him to contradict himself (something I think we should all be encouraged to do). Arcadia is a fine example of this principle.

And a final thought from Arcadia itself. As two characters, voices from a few hundred years ago, observe near the end of the play:

Septimus: When we have found all the mysteries and lost all the meaning, we will be alone on an empty shore.

Thomisina: Then we will dance. Is this a waltz?

Septimus: It will serve.

– Dennis Smith

Director’s Notes

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Arcadia Student Bios

Juliana R. Slemenda (Lady Croom) is a junior from Silverton, Ore., and

is pursuing her BFA. Previous SOU credits include Sophie in Entertaining

Strangers, Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story, and Karen in Speed the Plow.

Other credits include Hermia in Midsummer’s Night Dream, Jennie Mae

Layman in The Diviners, and Mina Harker in Dracula.

Samuel Ashdown (Captain Brice) is a junior from Newberg, Ore., and is

pursuing his BFA. Previous SOU credits include The Mathemagician in The

Phantom Tollbooth, C.K. Dexter Haven in The Philadelphia Story, Oswald in

Ghosts, Mowgli in Jungle Book, and Chorus in Big Love.

Alex Yochim (Jellaby) is a junior from Clackamas, Ore., pursuing a BA.

Previous SOU credits include roles in Romeo and Juliet, The White Plague,

and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Other credits include

roles in Beauty and the Beast, A Company of Wayward Saints, Pirates of Penzance,

Wizard of Oz, and Kiss Me Kate.

John R. Lewis (Assistant Director), from Orinda, Calif., is in his senior year

pursuing a BA. John directed Speed the Plow in The Directing Projects (Fall

2006). His SOU acting credits include King Azaz The Unabridged in The

Phantom Tollbooth, Marcus Lycus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the

Forum, Lucien P. Smith in The Boys Next Door, and Baloo in Jungle Book.

Deborah Jensen (Hannah Jarvis), a senior from Vernonia, Ore., is pursuing

a BA. Previous SOU credits include Ann Henning in Entertaining Strangers,

Mr. Martin’s daughter in Hotel Paradiso, Persephone in Metamorphosis,

and Amy Joy in Life Under Water. Deborah has also participated in The

10 Minute Play Festival and other play readings at Ashland Community

Theater.

Lauren Lind (Costume Designer), from Portland, Ore., is pursuing a BA.

Lauren was also the Costume Designer for The Phantom Tollbooth. Other

SOU credits include working on crafts/costumes for Big Love, Entertaining

Strangers, and Swimming in the Shallows. Last spring, Lauren enjoyed an

internship in Crafts at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and she will be

returning to OSF to work as a stitcher under contract.

continued on page 10

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Arcadia Student Bios (Continued)

Amadon Jaeger (Sound Designer), from the Big Island of Hawaii, has also sound engineered for Big Love. Other credits at SOU include Assistant Sound Designer for Romeo and Juliet and Entertaining Strangers. Last spring, Amadon enjoyed a Sound Internship at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Jennifer Ward (Set Designer) is a senior from Liverpool, England. Previous SOU credits include Costume/Scenic Design for The White Plague, Assistant Scenic Designer for Romeo and Juliet, Entertaining Strangers, and Assistant Costume Design for Who’s Happy Now? Jennifer has also worked at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as a Wig Assistant for Taming of the Shrew and On the Razzle. She worked in Wardrobe for OSF’s production of The Diary of Anne Frank.

Mike Fallon (Septimus Hodge) is a senior from Walnut Creek, Calif. Mike is pursuing his BFA. Previous SOU roles include Shark in Swimming in the Shallows, and First Assistant/Pavel in The White Plague. Other credits include the U.S. premiere of Dangerous at the New Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, Elvis in Picasso at the Lapin Agile at Center Repertory Theater, and Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.

Ashley Scallon (Thomasina Coverly) is a senior from the Bay Area pursuing her BFA. Previous SOU credits include Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Victoire in Hotel Paradiso, Regina in Ghosts, Wolf Cub in Jungle Book, and Olympia in Big Love.

Shauna Duryea (Stage Manager) is a senior from Spokane, Wash., pursuing a BS in Theater and a BS in Math. Previous SOU credits include Assistant Stage Manager for The Phantom Tollbooth, Assistant Director for Romeo and Juliet, and Light Designer in Icarus’ Mother. She has also worked on various shows on paint, light, and stitching crews.

Samuel D. Dinkowitz (Bernard) is a senior from Grants Pass, Ore., pursuing a BFA. Previous SOU credits include Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, Tock in The Phantom Tollbooth, Mike in The Philadelphia Story, Miles in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Father Wolf/Monkey in Jungle Book, and Nikos in Big Love. Other credits include Merrick in The Elephant Man, El Gallo in The Fantasticks, and Kennickie in Grease.

Jonathan Dyrud (Valentine), a sophomore from Klamath Falls, Ore., is pursuing a BFA. Other SOU credits include Sandy in The Philadelphia Story, Georges in Hotel Paradiso, and Orestes in Iphigenia and Other Daughters. Other credits include Benny in Epic Proportion and Hortensio in Taming of the Shrew.

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Production Crew - Both Shows

PRODUCTION MANAGER ..................................................Sean O’Skea

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR .....................................................Ezra Severin

HOUSE MANAGER ...........................................................Mitch Harvick

ASSISTANT HOUSE MANAGER .........................................Riley Arthur

BOx OFFICE .......... Holly Edwards, Kaitlin Humphreys, James O’Hanlon, ....................................Ashley Reverman, Jackie Williams, Jason Woodland

USHERS ........ Elsa Bishop, Chris Carwithen, Billy Cowell, Jessica Gorman, ....................................... Jenna Johnson, Jorge Paniagua, Alyssa Rosenthal, .....................................Chelsie Thomas, David Evan Wark, Kristin Wilkins

CONCESSIONS ................................................. Erin Claxton, Maya Fein, .............................................................Kaitlin Humphreys, Maire Murphy,

PUBLICITY ASSISTANTS ................ Ty Boice, Clinton Clark, Maya Lake, ...................................... Gregg Land, Jenny Rader, Alice Reid, Victor Rojo, .......................................Suzanne Rose, Lisa-Marie Taylor, Chelsie Thomas

LOBBY DISPLAY ............... Libby Barnard, Caleb Brumley, Nick Ferrucci, ..................................................... Nik Horaites, James Larson, Olivia Todd

ASSISTANT COSTUME SHOP SUPERVISORS .......................................

.....................................................................Brittany Bigalke, Tara Watkins

FITTERS ...............................Caitlin Bedford, Michelle Coon, Chris Kelley

STITCHERS ................................. Karen Rose Anderson, Danielle Chaves, ..........Winter Pearl Downing, Jacob Feller, Nikki Fenton, Michaela Herbert, ........... Karen Hopkins, Gretchen Hutterli, Teresa LaScala, Kelle McFarland ........... Meaghan McGlasson, Chelsea Rayman, Amy Rogers, Brad Sosinski, ...................Bunny Spady, Morgana Spake, Sasha Vincent, Irene Vipperman

HAIR CUTTER (in training) .................................................... Jacob Feller

PREVIEW GALA .................................................Head: Ryan Celeste Holt ..................... Kanaan Amoncio, Riyo Iwasaki, Evan Jennings, Joanna Ortiz

HOUSE MANAGER - PROJECTS ............................................................

TECH COORDINATOR - PROJECTS .......................................................

LIGHTING SHOP MANAGER................................................ Jason Burg

PLAYBILL COORDINATOR .............................................. Jimmy Garcia

ORGANIZATION & MANAGEMENT ...........Garrett Alden, Tyler Below, ................. Megan Iverson, Rachael Jones, Derek Mesford, Nathan Schaller, ...............................Rollyn Stafford, Talyssa Viela-Crandall, Anneke Wisner

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by EuripidesAdapted from “Iphigenia at Aulis”

and “The Trojan Women” by Hilary Tate and James Edmondson

Directed by James Edmondson

Scenic Design by Sean O’Skea

Costume Design by Linnaea Boone Wilson*

Lighting Design by Allen G. Adams

Sound Design by Mike Douglas

Scene: Somewhere in El Salvador in the mid-1980s

Length:Two hours and fifteen minutes with one fifteen minute intermission

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“Iphigenia at Aulis”

Agamemnon ........................................................................ Krystal Brewer

Old Man/Messenger ..........................................................Kim Freimoeller

Menelaus .................................................................................. Mya Ewing

Klytemnestra .........................................................................Joanna Tyler*

Iphigenia .................................................................................. Emi Becker

Orestes/Astyanax ..........................................................Tal Shalom Halevy

Achilles ...............................................................................Jennifer Brown

“The Trojan Women”

Hecuba .................................................................................. Tai Sammons

Talthybius ..........................................................................Linnea Jefferson

Kassandra ...............................................................Jordan Leigh Wakefield

Andromache ......................................................................Monique Barbee

Helen ......................................................................................... Ana Byers

Women of War Cast

Special acknowledgements to Michael O’Rourke and Vanessa Nowitzky

*These students have undertaken these assignments as the culminating creative projects to satisfy the thesis requirement for their Bachelor of Fine Arts Degrees.

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Women of War Production CrewASSISTANT DIRECTOR .................................................Katherine Lewis

STAGE MANAGER ............................................................Jamie Thomas

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER ..................................... Bridget Carlson

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT ...................................Pam Merten-Hindorff

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR .................................................. Richard Weiss

ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR/RIGGER .............. Karla Badeau

ASSISTANT SCENIC DESIGNER ........................................Amanda Patt

MASTER CARPENTER ......................................................... Colin Green

ASSISTANT MASTER CARPENTER ............................Christopher Cook

CARPENTER ...............................Winston Biscof, Tesla O’Connell-Barger, ................................................................... Daniel Plafcan, Trevor Robison

PROP MASTER ......................................................................Kristen Mun

PROP ARTISANS .............. Justin Cowan, Felicia Falasco, Robert Hastings, ...................Brennen Johnson, Bobbi Kupfner, Karen Kuran, Brittney Spady

PAINT CHARGE .................................................................. Sarah Greene

PAINTERS ...............Amy Mazzaferro, Madeline Nutting, Sereena Ojakian

ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNER ................................ Katie Nowacki

WARDROBE/HAIR/MAKE UP SUPERVISOR .......... Anna-Lisa Chacon

WARDROBE/HAIR/MAKE UP CREW.............................. Caitlin Baird, ................................. Adrienne Browning, Isabella Buckner, Emily Caldwell

ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER ................................ Max Bowman

MASTER ELECTRICIAN ...................................................... Kristin Lake

LIGHT CREW ......................Sarah Allen, Maria Buzard, Hannah Grenfell, ...................................Kaylyn Kilkuskie, Catherine Ridenour, Corey Stacey,

SOUND RUN .................................................................. Brandynn Boyles

RUN CREW ...................................................................Head: Savel Sabol .............................................Lea Gillette, Kendal Lenton, Kelsey Wambold

17

About EuripidesEuripides was born on the island of Salamis; his parents had fled

for refuge at the time of the Persian invasion. Tradition has persistently

claimed that he was born in 480 B.C., on the very day of the naval battle

of Salamis, fought between the Greeks and the Persians. If the tradition be

true, then three of the greatest Greek poets were linked together by an odd

circumstance: the eldest, Aeschylus, helped to win the victory, the second,

Sophocles, was chosen to lead the triumphal procession, and the third,

Euripides, was born on the day the fight occurred. He lived the life of a

student and studied philosophy, as a youth, under Anaxagoras; and, in later

life, with Socrates.

Euripides is arguably the darkest and most disturbing of the Greek

playwrights. He questions authority, and he is fascinated by the oppressed:

women, barbarians, and slaves are more than just background on the

Euripidean stage. He allows them to speak, and speak well. For his complex

representations of “bad women,” he earned the censure of critics and

judges. He depicts the position of the oppressed without romanticizing

them, and his plays make war against the gods of Olympus. The universe in

which Euripides believed was not benevolent, or just. Hardship falls on all,

the wicked and the good, and the gods are powerful but often capricious and

cruel. He questioned social structures and hollow or hypocritical ideals.

Needless to say, these positions made Euripides unpopular. He was the

unwanted voice of conscience in his age, a man unafraid to point out the

lies with which a civilization comforts itself. Sophocles gives us heroes, and

Aeschylus gives us a vision of history and teleology; Euripides gives us real

men with all-too-human weaknesses, and his visions are often nightmares.

In the end, the frenzied descent into chaos so often imagined by Euripides

was truest to Athens’ fate. Infighting and dirty politics compromised Athens’

good name, and Athens fell to her hated enemy, Sparta, just a few years after

Euripides’ death.

More of his plays have survived than those written by Aeschylus

and Sophocles combined. He died in 406 B.C., the same year as his

senior Sophocles, just before the close of the Peloponnesian war. As with

many brilliant men whose vision is less than comforting, it was only after

Euripides’ death that his genius was appreciated.

18

Director’s Notes

There are two plays in “Women of War:” the telling of “Iphigenia at

Aulis” and the telling of “The Trojan Women,” one of the greatest anti-

war stories written. Throughout the history of war, two elements have been

primary. The rapid and continual advance of the technology of war is new.

And the victims of war have always been women and children – that is

constant. Soldiers die in battle and this is a generally accepted practice when

entering war, but the innocents, the civilians, have always paid a heavy price.

In war, there is always the fact that people disappear, through killings in mass

graves, being thrown from aircraft over the world’s oceans, and other acts of

barbarity; it is the women and children who must survive these acts quietly,

without protest, else they too are disappeared.

“Women of War” deals with a group of women in Latin America, who

will be silent no longer. These women, who live in poverty, are united in

their loss and organize themselves to speak for the dead, the disappeared,

and those forgotten by society. Risking life and limb, they find an action and

a voice. They say the names of those lost out loud, they carry their pictures,

and they protest. Using only what is available to them in their poverty-

stricken communities, they cleverly disguise themselves in plain clothing in

order to quickly dissipate into a crowd and avoid those who would silence

them.

“Women of War” began its journey to the stage some seventeen years

ago above the old Rexall building in Ashland when my friend and colleague,

Hilary Tate, and I adapted works by the Greek playwright Euripides. There

are some differences in the SOU production. For example, the play was

originally adapted for seven women who were double cast in the male roles.

Today’s production includes eleven women who play single roles: some as

women, some as men. It is a women’s story that transcends time and gender.

It is a story of those who will accept being silenced no more. “Women of

War” speaks to all women and men, questions the true losses in wartime,

and focuses on the victims of war who are generally not spoken about and

forgotten.

– James Edmondson

19

Women of War Student Bios

Tai Sammons (Hecuba) is a senior from Ashland, Ore. Previous SOU

credits include Dr. Sigelius in White Plague, Domina/Vibrata in A Funny

Thing Happened on the Way to The Forum, Mother in Who’s Happy Now, and

Bun in Love Talker. Previous credits outside of SOU include Brighton Beach

Memoirs, I’m Not Rappaport, The Sisters Rosensweig, What about Eve, Zorba! and

Carnival.

Jamie Thomas (Stage Manager) is a junior from Coos Bay, Ore. Previous

SOU credits include Production Assistant for The Phantom Tollbooth and

Assistant Stage Manager for Swimming in the Shallows. Previous credits

outside of SOU include Stage Manager for Shakespeare in Hollywood.

Ana Byers (Helen of Troy) is a senior transfer student from Wapato, Wash.

Previous SOU credits include Karen in Dinner with Friends, Helena in

Helena’s Husband, and Curio in Twelfth Night.

Jennifer Brown (Achilles), a senior from Brookings, Ore., is pursuing a BA.

Previous SOU credits include Clytemnestra in Iphigenia and Other Daughters,

Balthasar in Romeo and Juliet, and Celeste in Where’s My Money. Previous

credits outside of SOU include Germaine in Picasso at the Lapin Agile at

Ashland Community Theater.

Linnea Jefferson (Talthybius/Chorus), a junior from Mt. Shasta, Calif., is

pursuing a BA. Previous SOU credits include A Geminae in A Funny Thing

Happened on the Way to the Forum, Pat in Icarus’ Mother, and Anna in Closer.

Previous credits outside of SOU include Macbeth in Macbeth at Mt. Shasta

High School.

Tal Shalom Halevy (Orestes/Astyanax) Tal, age seven, is in second grade

and hails from Israel. This is Tal’s second appearance in a SOU production.

His first appearance was as Orestes in Iphigenia and Other Daughters.

Krystal Brewer (Agamemnon) Born and raised in Medford, Krystal is a

senior transfer from Rogue Community College and is pursuing a BA. This

is her first appearance in an SOU production. Previous credits outside of

SOU include The Good Person of Szechuan, Adriana in The Comedy of Errors,

multiple roles in The Spoon River Anthology, Captain in Twelfth Night, Nurse

in Romeo and Juliet, and Mrs. Jones in How to Succeed in Business. continued on page 20

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Women of War Student Bios (Continued)Linnaea Boone Wilson (Costume Design) is a senior from Santa Cruz,

Calif. Women of War is her thesis project. Previous SOU credits include

work as a draper on Romeo and Juliet and Hotel Paradiso, and work as a

fitter on The Philadelphia Story. Other credits outside of SOU include

costume design for A Catch of Shadows Youth Theater Co and A

Midsummer’s Night Dream at Ghost Light Theater.

Allen G. Adams (Lighting Designer) is a senior from Springfield,

Ore., and he is pursuing a dual emphasis BS in Lighting Design and

Performance. Allen has also been an assistant Lighting Designer for

Swimming in the Shallows. Previous credits as Master Electrician include A

Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and A Perfect Ganesh. Acting

credits include Mr. Martin in Hotel Paradiso, Father in White Plague, and

Pop in Who’s Happy Now.

Jordan Leigh Wakefield (Kassandra) is a junior from Seattle, Wash.

Previous SOU credits include Chorus in Big Love, Maxiene in Tongue of a

Bird, and Lanie in Two Rooms.

Mya Brynn Ewing (Menelaus/Flautist) is a junior transfer student from

Pleasant Hill, Calif. Previous SOU credits include wardrobe crew for

Hotel Paradiso and Swimming in the Shallows. Previous credits outside of

SOU include Catherine in Proof, Beverly in Shadow Box, Flora Humble in

Humble Boy, and Beth in Dinner with Friends.

Monique Bernadette Barbee (Chorus/Andromache) is a sophomore from

Grants Pass, Ore. Previous SOU credits include The White Plague.

Kim Freimoeller (Old Man/Messenger/Chorus) is a sophomore from

Portland, Ore. Previous SOU credits include Iphigenia and Other Daughters.

Previous credits outside of SOU include Mary in Virgin, J.P. in Every

Seventeen Minutes the Crowd Goes Crazy, Sister Mary Florence in This is a

Test, Lenny in Crimes of the Heart, and Medea in Medea, and Sarah Siddins

in An Actor’s Nightmare.

Emi Becker (Iphigenia) is a freshman from Portland, Ore. This is Emi’s

first appearance in a SOU production. Other credits include Anne in The

Diary of Anne Frank, Kolenkhov in You Can’t Take It With You, Paravicini in

The Mousetrap, and Mrs. Patty in The Curious Savage.

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Thank You! The faculty, staff, and students of the Department of Theatre Arts acknowledge the generosity of the following individuals, who have made donations to the Theatre Arts Building Fund, Scholarship and Operating funds since 2004.

AnonymousEd and Maureen BattistellaJan CraigieAnne F. DeckerJohn and Diane EngelhardtBettie HenryDr. Charles Holloway

and Dr. Barbara GabertCraig Hudson and Jorge SilvaJed and Celia Meese FoundationAlberta Lee

Platinum Judith BartellAnne F. DeckerRichard L. HayVictoria HexterJennifer and Paul HohenloheCharles and Betty HoweJewish Communal Fund

(Recommended by Robert and Gerry Hodes Family)

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Lefkowitz, Jr.Oregon Shakespeare FestivalHerb and Frances PetschekShirley PollockJoan T. SpearMr. and Mrs. Cecil StaverRobert and Janice StaverWestern Medical Consultants

GoldAshland Lions ClubJim and Lucille BurkeDr. Charles Holloway

and Dr. Barbara GabertFrank and Eleanor MarzoccoJames McConvilleRobert H. MillerKathleen OylerMr. and Mrs. Michael QuirkKathryn Cleland-Sipfle

and William SipfleTreasa SpragueSilver Dr. John I. AlexanderAlan Armstrong

and Victoria SturtevantFran AversaDr. and Mrs. John Burns

Building Fund Donors

Theatre Department Donors

Richard MoeschlHerb and Frances PetschekJames PlummerChris Sackett

and Brooke FriendlyJoan T. SpearTreasa SpragueRobert and Janice StaverCarl and Jean StrandSteve and Penelope ThorpeAllan Weisbard

continued on page 23

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Theatre Department Donors, cont.Bronze, continuedMargery GoodmanThe HamazonsJames and Jane HibbertMarjorie and Robert HoeftMary E. HollandCarole HorobinIBM Matching Grants ProgramCarol IngelsonAlbert and Leatrice IsaacsonHal and Marjorie JamisonMary Ann JonesSally Jones and Ben BenjaminMiriam and Frederick KolmVivian KornM.J. and Howard LevineTonette LongDoris MannionMr. and Mrs. David MedeirosNan and Ron MillerEdith MontgomeryDr. and Mrs. Frank MooreSharon L. NelsonDorothy OrmesBill and Shirley PattonMack PurcellBarbara and Harvey RothSusan RustMary SanteeRobert SchepplerSallie ShippenJenifer SkilesLloyd and Joanne SorensonDouglas and Diana SpenceJoan SteeleGerald and Ann SteinJames and Gwynn SullivanElizabeth TachellaSue ThomasLiz Vesecky and Herschel KingJane WetzelShirley and Barry Vitcov

Silver, continued Diane Cowan Jan CraigieJim and Helen DeanJudith FaulknerEllen HeimanJack and Marlene HenselmanRobert HilliardEd and Sheila HungerfordSaundra and Edward KicePhilip Lang and Ruth MillerRobert PollockMarie and Bill RadkeJim and Sandi RisserMr. and Mrs. Steve SniderWillis and Daghner StanfillRobert and Joyce StevensRandall StothersGeorgia F. StraussMr. and Mrs. Eugene ThomasRudolf VestRonald and J. Brantley WaittJillian and Kevin WardPatty and Vince WixonBetty and Arthur WolvertonBronzeRhoda B. and S.C. AbrahamsDona AffolterWilliam and Janet AndersonLinda BarnettRaina and Roger BradshawRobert and Patricia ButlerKeith CampbellNancy CarterKen and Lyn ClarkeChristi CourianPam CurlClark CustodioJudith DraisJean EisenbergLue Douthit and Dee Anne EversonCindy Faubion

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