2009-2010

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Presents

Leading Ladies

A Comedy

by Ken LudwigDirected by

Diana Forgione

September 10-20, 2009 302 Seminole Street, Clearwater, FL 33755

(727) 446-1360 www.FrancisWilsonPlayhouse.Org

Produced through special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc

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From the President’s Desk To our members and friends

We had a busy summer while you all thought we were resting up for the next season. Our three week teen camp led by Showdown Performing Arts was a great success, and we also loaned out the theatre to four school and youth groups to allow them to showcase their productions on a real theatre stage. However, we are now back with our regular programming, and have we got a season for you!

On August 22nd, some of you came down to the theatre and were treated to the most enthusiastic and fired up group of play directors that I have ever seen talking about their shows for the coming season. The atmosphere was amazing and the audience was hanging on their every word. I am so looking forward to all of these shows, and not only because I helped to choose them.

This first show is a crazy cross dressing farce by the master of fast paced comedy, Ken Ludwig. Next comes A Shot in the Dark, which ran for a year on Broadway and starred Julie Harris, Walter Matthau and William Shatner. The first of our three musicals, Annie Get Your Gun comes next. This is the revival version, which ran for over a thousand performances on Broadway. We close out the year with our own version of the seasonal favorite, A Christmas Carol.

We kick off next year with Side Show, a moving musical portrait of Daisy and Violet Hilton. February brings Mary Chase’s delightful Harvey to the playhouse at long last – we have been trying to get the rights for years! In March we have a complete change of pace with A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and the opening song says it all: Tragedy tomorrow, Comedy tonight! In April we present the romantic comedy Enchanted April, and finally close the season in May with the zany farce Don’t Dress for Dinner.

In between the shows we have persuaded Jason Fortner to present four musical concerts, featuring songs from the musicals that you love. The performers and Jason will not only sing, but also entertain us with anecdotes about each number.

All in all, this promises to be one of the great seasons, where every show is a hit. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I know I am going to.

Graham Jones

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Francis Wilson Playhouse

Benefactors

Executive Co-Producers M/M Bruce Black

Angels

Mrs. Nancy Neef Carnaby Ms Eleanor Jones M/M Robert Vest Ms Patricia S. Smith

Patrons

Ms Bobbi Wileman Adair M/M James Foit Ben & Virginia Loper Mrs. Patti Baldwin M/M David Ford Mary & David Macdaid M/M David Camburn LTC/Mrs. Peter Graubard M/M Gisella Monus Mr. Donald Carroll Dr Paul & Maureen Gualtieri M/M Richard Mucciolo M/M Charles Carter M/M Joseph Hall Ms Jimmie Parker M/M Joe Corbett Ms Dianna Hanger Mr. Michael Paysan M/M Charles DeBlaker Ruth & Rogers Hedberg Mr. Charles Possick Mr. Bruce & Karen DeFelix M/M Robert Isinger M/M Egon Schreiner Dr Helen Dexterr M/M Tony Johannesmeyer Satendra & Marie SinghM/M Henry Durlacher M/M Graham Jones M/M John Stockman M/M Allen Edelman Ms Ann Kessler Steven & Mary Ann White

Sustainer Members Mr. Howard Eddy Ms Eddy Licht Mr. William Rockenfeller Mrs. Babs Michael

We apologize if your name was inadvertently left off this list.

Please contact our box office as soon as possible for a correction of any oversight.

================================================= 2009-2010 Season Memberships

9 Show Extended Season ............................................................... $150 8 Show Season................................................................................ $135 6 Show Season (6 consecutive shows)........................................... $125

Francis Wilson Playhouse Benefactor Memberships “Sustainer Member” ......................................................................... $175 “Patron” (2 seats per show) ............................................................. $350 “Angel” (4 seats per show)............................................................... $750 “Executive Co-Producer” (6 seats per show)................................$1,100

Box Office (727) 446-1360

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Francis Wilson Playhouse

Clearwater, Florida

Board of Directors

Graham Jones ................................................ President Andy Rufo.......................................... 1st Vice President Babs Bailey .......................................2nd Vice President Cory McBride .................................................Treasurer Peggy Reay-Jones......................................... Secretary Kathleen Goelz ..................................... VP Investments Cherie Albury ....................................................Director David Camburn .................................................Director Dianna Hanger ..................................................Director Patricia Bates Smith .........................................Director Chick Svboda ....................................................Director Jules Vickers .....................................................Director Patti Baldwin ................................ Chair - First Nighters Sam McClelland ...........Chair – Dorothy Ellison Society

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Leading Ladies

September 10-20, 2009

A Comedy

By Ken Ludwig

Directed by

Diana Forgione

Director’s Notes: LEADING LADIES is a comic farce, fast and sexy in good-natured way written by a master of the genre, Ken Ludwig. The great playwrights give producing companies all they need to know about communicating great story telling to audiences, you who are the most important part of the final production. Leave all the news of the day behind for a couple of hours and join in on the wacky Moose Hall meeting, laugh at the Shakespearean mix-ups of identity and watch the tango on the way to true love. Hang in there with our joyful cast as our playwright has one more trick up his sleeve before sending you home, happily figuring it all out. Cast and crew want to thank their families and friends and the Francis Wilson Playhouse Board of Directors who have given this troupe so much support. And a special thank you to you our audiences, for continuing to give us this theatre in which to work.

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Meet the Director Diana Forgione Diana is a lifelong performer, holds her degree in Theatre from Syracuse University and studied Shakespeare with Charles Laughton. Directing for 20 years, her work is supported by summers studying with the academy at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and the Shaw Festival, both in Ontario, Canada. Christopher Plummer, Martha Henry

and Brian Bedford helped us understand the extraordinary power of great live, story telling as we deal with electronic games, TV and films immersed in computerized special effects.

ACT I

Scene 1..................Living Room – York, PA ..................................................Spring 1958 Scene 2.... Moose Lodge – Shrewsbury, PA Scene 3..............................Empty Train Car Scene 4............................Telephone Scene Scene 5.................................... Living Room

ACT II Scene 1........ Living Room – Late Afternoon ......................................... Three Days Later Scene 2............ Living Room – Mid Morning ............................................ Ten Days Later Scene 3........................Living Room – Party ............................................ Ten Days Later

Cast In Order of Appearance

Meg Snider........................................................................ Janine Quinn Rev. Duncan Woolery.................................................... Rafi Rodriguez Doc Meyers/Chief Moose ................................................ Sam DePriest Leo/Maxine ......................................................................... Jay Morgan Jack/Stephanie .....................................................................Neil Brown Audrey............................................................................ Jessica Bishop Butch/Moose............................................................... Charles Atkinson Voices Off ..................................................................... Jonathan Hecht Aunt Florence Snider .................................................Connie McDonald

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Meet the Cast

Charles Atkinson (Butch/Moose)

Charles was born in California, but calls Connecticut home. Having lived or visited almost every state in the US, including Alaska, and abroad to England, Scotland and the Virgin Islands, he’s acquired a vault of life experiences. His credits to the theatre include Lil’ Abner, M.A.S.H., Fiddler

on the Roof, Stalag 17, Annie Get Your Gun, and Leepa-Rattner Museum’s Plaza Suite, Zebras, and Awake and Sing, gaining him nomination for supporting actor’s award.

Jessica Bishop (Audrey) Jessica does plays…including this one. Recently, she was in The Full Monty and Something’s Afoot for which she earned a Lary nomination. Oh, and love to everyone important. You know who you are. Neil Brown (Jack/Stephanie) Neil is very excited and thankful to be involved in his first production at Francis Wilson Playhouse. This is his second community theatre production, his first being Hamlet at the Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center where he played the role of Rosencrantz. Some of his favorite high school roles include The Three Musketeers (The Cardinal), Singin’

In The Rain (Roscoe Dexter), and The Shame of Tombstone (Ole’ Tomer). He would like to thank both Diana’s for the opportunity to be in this wonderful show and thanks go also to his family and friends for their constant love and support.

Sam DePriest (Doc Meyers/Chief Moose) Sam DePriest is happy to be performing at the Francis Wilson Playhouse for the first time portraying Doc. A native Tennessean, he fell in love with acting when he was in kindergarten and heard all the applause after his recital of a poem. The bug bit and it bit hard! Since then he has performed in many, many plays mostly in Tennessee and

Maryland. Having moved here in 2007, he performed in a production of Wait Until Dark as the psycho Harry Roat Jr. and Sr. Others plays consist of Death Trap, Hello Dolly, You Never Know and Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat where he was able to portray Pharaoh Elvis. I hope the audience will enjoy watching me and my fellow actors perform in this production of Leading Ladies. Thank you for supporting the Arts.

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Jonathan Hecht (Voices Off) Born and raised in Seminole, Florida, Jonathan has attained a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Florida. Currently he is attending the University of South Florida for Electrical Engineering. This is his first production. Connie McDonald (Aunt Florence Snider) Connie is excited to be back at the Playhouse. You may remember her as Mrs. Watts in Trip to Bountiful, Sister Catherine in Joan of Lorraine or in My Three Angels as Madame Parole, to name a few. She also appears in many local TV commercials and states “I do TV commercials to

support my theatre habit – my first love!”

Janine Quinn (Meg Snider) Janine is a native New Yorker who recently moved to Tampa. She graduated with a Master’s in Film/Acting from the New York Film Academy (NYFA). She has performed in an Off-Broadway play Seasons of Desire. This is her Clearwater debut. Thanks to all my friends and family for your support. XOXO.

Jay Morgan (Leo/Maxine) Jay is excited to return to the Playhouse stage. Jay started performing on stage in the early 90’s in North Carolina, and after graduating from Appalachian State University, moved to St. Petersburg to attend Stetson College of Law; and through it all never really lost the acting bug. His recent shows include Something’s Afoot, The Full Monty, the

S.T.A.G. production of Dealer’s Choice; I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (WCP) and Little Shop of Horrors (SPLT). Jay would like to thank all his friends and family for their love and support. Enjoy the show!

Rafi Rodriguez (Rev. Duncan Woolery) Rafi is excited to be making his debut at the Playhouse! Latest efforts include Mame, Ragtime, Pajama Game, Kiss Me, Kate, Dearly Departed, Twelfth Night, and Richard III. Rafi grew up in stage, film, television, and recording studios in Puerto Rico. Thank you Diana for including me in this wonderfully talented cast!

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Advertise in our playbill – See choice of sizes below. For pricing information contact

Gabrielle Snapp, Box Office Manager, 727-446-1360.

A full season subscription reaches a circulation of over 15,000. Benefits include show ticket coupons to give to your customers.

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Jennifer Pippin – Stage Manager Jen has worked backstage on several shows at the Playhouse (including The Full Monty, which was incredible!), however Leading Ladies is her first attempt at Stage Management, so if anything goes wrong, blame her – not the wonderful cast she has enjoyed having the pleasure of working with! Jean wants to thank Dianna

Hanger and Cathy Hunt for their guidance and encouragement, as well as her gorgeous and generous boyfriend Jay Morgan (at least you’re not an exhibitionist in this one). Thanks to his love and support she stays relatively sane! Maybe the pygmies will get her next time, but for now, she is surviving!

Production Staff Director ..........................................................................Diana Forgione Stage Manager .............................................................. Jennifer Pippin Choreographer......................................................................Dee Crews Set Design & Construction.............................................. Jim Demetrius Costumer ......................................................................Mickey Bronson Lighting Design ......................................................................Andy Rufo Lighting Technician........................................................ Dianna Hanger Assistant Stage Manager/Props .......................................... Cathy Hunt Production Assistants ..................Jacqueline Cavitch, Zolman Cavitch, ..................................................................John Nelligan, Patricia Uribe Box Office .................................................................... Gabrielle Snapp Producer ........................................................................ Dianna Hanger

Copyright laws prohibit the use of cameras or any recording devices.

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We are pleased to introduce you to "The Dorothy Ellison Society." The name honors a great lady whose contributions to the theatre spanned more than 60 years. She was one of our earliest members as a young woman, and stayed active as an actor, director, member of the Board, President of the Board and every other job there is in the theatre. In 1999, the auditorium was named after her to recognize her lifetime of achievements in our community and its theatre.

To join this prestigious group at the “Ensemble” level, all you need to do is make a donation of $50 or more to the Playhouse. Of course, we would like you to make an annual commitment at whatever level of giving that you can afford, so that we can be assured of not only being able to keep bringing you quality shows, but also to build a new theatre to replace our aging edifice. To make that as easy as possible, you can sign up for a monthly commitment using your credit card; just $10 debited each month gives you “Performer” level.

Society Recognition Levels:

"Founder" $5,000 or more

“Benefactor" $2,500 - $4,999

"Director's Circle" $1,000 - $2,499

"Star" $500 - $999

"Player" $250 - $499

"Performer" $100 - $249

"Ensemble" $50 - $99

The roster of Society members will be preserved indefinitely, and will appear on a “Founders” display plaque in the new theatre.

Members will receive: A certificate of membership

Recognition in the Theatre lobby Annual luncheon

Special invitations and information

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Coming October 8, 2009

A Shot in the Dark By Marcel Achard, adapted by Harry Kurnitz

The story centers around Paul Sevigne, a young magistrate tasked with

getting to the bottom of a recent murder which occurred in the home of a

prominent family. The pretty young chambermaid is discovered

unconscious, nude and holding a gun while her lover lies dead beside her.

Sevigne’s superiors want the incident swept under the rug with a quick,

scandal-free indictment of the most obvious suspect. Sevigne, however,

senses that there’s more to the case, and spends the show interrogating a

series of zany characters including the guileless and amoral maid, her

circumloquacious employer, his wife (who shares her views on life with the

Spanish Inquisition) and her lover, or is he the husband’s best friend?

This comedic story of a murder investigation has garnered a lot of

attention since it was first written. The first version, L’Idiote, was written by

the popular and talented French playwright Marcel Achard in 1960. In the

next four years, the play was translated into English with Harry Kurnitz’s

usual deft touch; ran for a year on Broadway showcasing Julie Harris as

the maid, William Shatner as the investigating magistrate, and Walter

Matthau received a Tony award for his performance as the aristocratic

Benjamin Beaurevers; and was made into a movie starring Peter Sellers.

The Sellers film, however, really shares only its title with our stage play.

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The First Nighters

Left to Right: Kay Slade, Evelyn Shambough, Pat Hinds,Jan Withopf, Ruth Padrone, Glenda Robinson,Patti Baldwin, Ann Shortway, Stella Coe, Sunny Kovarick

The Francis Wilson Playhouse First Nighters are a “one-of-a-kind” group, a charity within a charity. This group of ladies are fundraisers for Francis Wilson Playhouse and are involved in many projects. They sponsor two or more premier performances of FWP productions which includes a champagne and hors d’oeuvres reception each year to benefit the theatre. They sell all the tickets, decorate the lobby, sell 50-50 cash prize tickets, conduct raffles and drawings for door prizes that they have acquired from local merchants. A major advantage the First Nighters bring to FWP is they attract an audience different from our normal season members, who in many cases have never been to FWP before. The money they raise, normally around $4,000 per performance, is a welcome contribution to our building maintenance, updates and new building funds. We can’t say enough about these fine ladies and we can’t heap enough praise on their enthusiastic leader, Patti Baldwin. An heartfelt thank you to all the ladies and especially their dynamic leader Patti Baldwin.

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A Special Thanks To Our Contributors

General Fund

Deborah A. A’Hearn Milton and Kay Hooper

Donations in kind and (Furnishings, Costumes Props, etc)

Cherie Albury M/M H. William Isaly Hildegard Andreas Eleanor Jones M/M David Camburn Babs Bailey Peggy and Graham Jones Michael Crawford Dolores and Ronald Buckley Charles Kubecka Dee Ray Crews Alan & Stephany H. Dawson Mary and David MacDaid Mrs. Helen Dalzell Charles & Karleen DeBlaker Anita and Sam McClelland Patricia and Pat Moran Rich & Shelly Dennis Babs Michael Charles Napier Dorothy M. Dutcher Marguerite S. Sharkey Sharon Price Carol Enters Mrs. Ida Swartz M/M Thomas P. Evans Terry Sue Turner

Lillian and Claude Washabau

Dianna and Mary Hanger Betty and Jay Waxenberg Welcome Home Relocation Mary Ann White Ms. Shirley Wyckoff

Theatre Building Fund In Memory of Larry Banks

In Memory of Henry Baldwin

Deborah A’Hearn M/M Glenn Blair Ms Debbie Baldwin M/M. Thomas Evans Jennifer Blair Ms Delores Baldwin Mary Fitzpatrick Thella Brooks Mr. Joseph Baldwin Ruth and Rogers Hedberg Joan M. Dewey Ms Lori Baldwin Kim and Rob Hedin M/M George Krissinger Ms Marci Baldwin Janice B. Hill M/M Clifford Perry Evelyn Kolkmeyer Roberta and Raymond Hoopes M/M Richard Philpott M/M Robert Kontey James D & Susan Larsen Tom Poddi M/M Jerry Lorch Dr. Harold & Mrs. Olive Lehmus Nancy and Jim Nadin M/M Michael Schmitt Anita and Sam McClelland M/M George Roby The FWP First Nighters Thomas H.& Kathryn J. Meachum

Nancy and Randolph Spoth

M/M John Wookey Beverly and Donald Taylor

Anna Marie and Frank Turk

We apologize if your name was inadvertently left off this list.

Please contact our box office as immediately for a correction of any oversight ________________________________________________________________________

Francis Wilson Playhouse Upcoming Events 2009-2010

Concert Series By Gershwin October 3, 2009

2:00 pm & 8:00 pm

October 3, 2009

A Shot in the Dark Comedy

by Marcel Achard, adapted by Harry Kurnitz

October 8-18, 2009

S M T W T F S1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 1718 19 20 21 22 23 2425 26 27 28 29 30 31

October

Annie Get Your Gun Musical

Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin, Book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields,

November 5-15, 2009

S M T W T F S1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 2122 23 24 25 26 27 2829 30

November

Concert Series Hits From the Flops

November 28, 2009 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm

November 28, 2009

A Christmas Carol Musical Drama

Dramatization by Sam McClelland, Book by Charles Dickens December 10-20, 2009

S M T W T F S1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 1920 21 22 23 24 25 2627 28 29 30 31

December

Side Show Musical

Book and Lyrics by Bill Russell, Music by Henry Krieger January 14 – 24, 2010

S M T W T F S1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 910 11 12 13 14 15 1617 18 19 20 21 22 2324 25 26 27 28 29 3031

January

Concert Series A Night at the Operetta

February 13, 2010 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm

February 13, 2010

Visit us at www.FrancisWilsonPlayhouse.Org

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