The IRC’s Mission is to bring classic absurdist theatre to an international audience in the Philadelphia region. These rarely-produced, renowned plays explore and illuminate the human purpose and meaning, promoting reflection about the human condition in a contemporary world. Our dedicated group of artists invites you to explore with us these questions and share the word with friends; since 2006, a loyal IRC audience has been built largely through word of mouth.

PRODUCTIONS 2019

Dream Girl by Elmer Rice Betty’s Summer Vacation by Christopher Durang

Come Back, Little Sheba by William Inge 2018

Time Remembered (Leocadia) by Jean Anouilh The Eccentricities of a Nightingale by Tennessee Williams

2017 The Enchanted by Jean Giraudoux

Into the Absurd: Reading of The Witnesses by Tadeusz Różewicz Into the Absurd: Reading of A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur by Tennessee Williams

The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco 2016

The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol Into the Absurd: Reading of The American Dream by Edward Albee Into the Absurd: Readings of The Radio Plays of Beckett and Pinter

The Chairs by Eugène Ionesco 2015

Misalliance by George Bernard Shaw Exit the King by Eugène Ionesco All in the Timing by David Ives

2014 Ondine by Jean Giraudoux

Rhinoceros by Eugène Ionesco A Streetcar Named Durang by Christopher Durang

2013 Paradise Park by Charles L. Mee

The Castle by Franz Kafka 2012

Marriage: An Utterly Improbable Occurrence by Nikolai Gogol Ivona, Princess of Burgundia by Witold Gombrowicz

2011 The Empire Builders by Boris Vian

The Arsonists (The Firebugs) by Max Frisch 2010

The Gnädiges Fraulien by Tennessee Williams The Madwoman of Chaillot by Jean Giraudoux

2009 The Lesson by Eugène Ionesco The Chairs by Eugène Ionesco

2008 Oh! For the Love of Love!: Durang, Beckett & Ionesco

A Streetcar Named Durang: The Parodies of Christopher Durang 2007

Victims of Duty by Eugène Ionesco Four of a Kind: Pinter, Durang, Beckett & Ionesco

2006 Three One Acts: Albee, Beckett & Ionesco

February 2019

Welcome! Recently the question was posed as to how play selection works at the IRC. I’m guessing like most theaters, I keep a list of must do stories that seem right for the IRC’s aesthetic and sensibility given our mission. About a year out, we consider which plays work for the season, the current mood of the country and availability of the proper setting within which to tell the story. Since 2010, the IRC had performed out of the Walnut Street Studio’s Studio 5 space, a 53-seat black box that allowed us to grow our audience and our aesthetic over the years. The dedication last year of the space as a teaching-only facility found us scouting a new home for this show. It was suggested that the St. Mary’s Sanctuary might be a fit, and we know and love the space already as we rehearse in the Bearded Ladies Cabaret in the basement of the church. The beauty of the Neo-Gothic architecture suggests the vastness and scope of Manhattan; the questions raised in the play about a life well-considered seem to fit snugly in the walls surrounding us now. Producing in found spaces presents many opportunities and challenges that you will see and experience during the show. As we worked through the placement of the differing locations in the play among the nooks and crannies of this magnificent structure, it was hard not to be awed by the creation of this space, the many communities it serves, and the many gatherings over the years it has hosted. Circling back to the reason for the play’s selection and the idea of what we consider our sanctuaries in difficult times; conversations over the last couple years have inevitably lead to the particular ways people are coping with life, the methods they are using to refuel, hideaway, and find the space to think and breathe in what seems like an abnormally surreal, difficult to navigate day to day existence. Remembering the directive to “stop daydreaming and get moving” when I was a child, I wondered then how and if daydreaming gives us the space and the courage to give our dreams a practice run, if they in fact aren’t the first step in the process of bringing those dreams to life. Instead of considering daydreaming as only a diversion, what if it becomes a necessary diversion to moving one’s life forward one fantasy at a time -- a practice that perhaps has been frowned upon in recent years when productivity and efficiency are valued measurements for validity.

(continued on inside back cover)

These reasons, plus a love of anything New York City in the 1940’s, a love of two gals fighting to save the thing they care about most, and a soft spot for getting lost in the stacks of book stores for hours, brought me to this combination of story and space. Thank you for joining us tonight, we hope you will share the IRC story with 10 friends and join our mailing list to see how this detective story of small company searching for home base continues. We are thankful to each and every audience member for their generosity over the years which has brought us to our first three -show season in the company’s history. We are Dreaming Big for the years to come and look forward to seeing you in the audience as we forge our way to save this bookstore together. A hearty thanks to the staff at St. Mary’s for their flexibility in this first ever full run theater collaboration, and to this cast for their adventurous spirit in bringing this quirky little story to the stage. It’s been an illuminating experience for me and one I will always remember.

Tina Brock Producing Artistic Director The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy

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VISIT:

www.IdiopathicRidiculopathyConsortium.org

SPECIAL THANKS Brittany Holdahl

The Reverend Mariclair Partee Carlsen, Scott Wilds and the Congregation of St. Mary’s

Mark Williams Victor Keen and Jeanne Ruddy

Delaware Theatre Company Lehigh University Department of Theater

Bill Brock Robin Rodriguez Marcia Ferguson

Cyndi Jansen Rose Ben Doranz

Avista Custom Theatrical Services Gerald Kolpan - The Philo Project

MUSIC/COMPOSER ATTRIBUTION Our special thanks to the following artists:

George Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, The Five O’Clock Whistle

Dizzy Gillespie, Bebop Art Blakey, A Night at Birdland

The Lounge Lizards, The Voice of Chunk Henry Purcel, 10 Sonatas in Four Parts

John Coltrane, My Favorite Things Leroy Anderson, The Typewriter

John Zorn: Filmworks XXIII, Besos De Sangre Three Leg Torso, Animals and Cannibals

Jazz Passengers Featuring Deborah Harry/Elvis Costello, Individually Twisted

Bill Frisell, Good Dog, Happy Man The Mexican Mariachi Band from Adelaide (with Trumpet)

John Zorn, John Zorn@60

Dream Girl by

Elmer Rice

Directed by Tina Brock

Costume Design

Erica Hoelscher

Lighting Design Joshua L. Schulman

Sound Design Tina Brock

Stage Manager/Board Operator Madison Caudullo

Properties Master Mark Williams

Stage Interiors and Settings Tina Brock & Mark Williams

Ways and Means Coordinator Bob Schmidt

Assistant Costume Designer Mary Ann Swords-Greene

Photoshop Magic Bill Brock

Photography Johanna Austin / AustinArt.org

Cover Art Based on Metro Goldwyn Mayer’s The Thin Man

The IRC is a proud participant in the Barrymore Awards for

Excellence in Theatre, a program of Theatre Philadelphia www.theatrephiladelphia.org

Dream Girl is presented by

special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

Dream Girl by

Elmer Rice

Cast of Characters Brittany Holdahl……………………………..…..............Georgina Allerton

Tina Brock………………………………………………...Lucy Allerton/Nurse

Paul McElwee…………………George Allerton/Obstetrician/Woman/ Judge/French Waiter/Bert/Mariachi Band/Cop/Luigi/Antonio/ Theater Manager/Jazz Waiter/Justice of the Peace Billings

Dexter Anderson………………………..…Radio Announcer/Jim Lucas/ Doctor/Mariachi Band Leader/Usher/Salarino/Chauffeur

Brian McManus………………………..…………..Dr. J. Gilmore Percival/ Policeman/District Attorney/George Hand

Anna Pysher……..…………………………………..Miriam Allerton Lucas/ Claire Blakely/Arabella/Miss Delehanty

Kyle Fennie………………………………….Clark Redfield/Mariachi Band

Setting New York City, 1945 8:00 am – 3:30 am

One Day in the Life of Georgina Allerton

Running time is approximately 93 minutes, with no intermission.

Dream Girl is made possible, in part, by generous support from Wyncote Foundation; The Philadelphia Cultural Fund; The Charlotte Cushman

Foundation; The Virginia Brown Martin Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation; The Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts program of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, funded by the Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, with support also provided by PECO and administered regionally by the Greater Philadelphia

Cultural Alliance; Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, and by the generosity of you, our loyal and growing audience -- over 70% of our annual

budget is generated through ticket sales and individual donations.

Restrooms are located in the parish hall:

Exit the sanctuary through the rear double doors and continue up through the cloisters ramp and enter the hall through the red doors; restrooms are on the far left side.

CONTRIBUTORS

Increased Presentness $1.00 - $49.99

Oleg Brovender Fred and Carol Kueppers Donald Carter Moe and Sandy Lebo Sandra Chaff William Mulherin Marcia Ferguson Lee Saldinger Stephen Geraci Lois Shestack Robert Gorchov Bertram and Lynne Strieb Jeanette Hartunian Diane Zilka Thomas and Maureen Herninko Michael Zuckerman E Ashley Izard

The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium Board of Directors

Tina Brock

Norman Ellman Melissa Feliciani Erica Hoelscher

Bob Schmidt

Advisory Committee Ben Doranz

Susan Feagin (Ex Officio) Gail Furman Greg Nanni

Robin Rodriguez Larry Wilkins (Ex Officio)

PO Box 63872 Philadelphia, PA 19147

www.IdiopathicRidiculopathyConsortium.org

Facebook: Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium

Twitter: IRCTheaterCo

CONTRIBUTORS

Empathy and Compassion $100.00 - $249.99

Eliud Alvarado Rodriguez Michael and Barbara Lefkoe Herman and Madeline Axelrod Michael Lynch Harry F. Bambrick Peggy Mecham Robert and Donna Castle Bill and Vikki Monaghan John D'Alonzo & Theresa Leahy Jane Moore Elizabeth Denton Phyllis Priester Donald & Geraldine Duclow James Pritchett & Frances White Neil and Mercedez Durkin Philip Reeves James Frazier Christopher and Jennifer Rule Gail Furman Marc Scheiner Andrew and Myrna Gentsch Anita Schmukler Michael Golden & Shelley Green Albert Them & Jane Rutledge Mary L. Goldman & Debbie Weiner Stephen and Mrs. Johnne Tint Anna Goldstein Robert J. Wallner Margaret Harris David Wierz Roberta Kangilaski Ekaterina Zalenskaya Peter Katsufrakis Susan Zawislak Marta Kiesling

Inner Quietness $50.00 - $99.99

Charles & Donna Barksdale Denise La Marra & Mark Wilhelm Nancy Berenson Joan Lapayowker Alan and Ronnie Bronstein Ruth Levikoff John and Alberta Chiaravalloti Nadine Lomakin Cynthia D'Ambrosio & John Ianacone Margaret Lonzetta Thomas and Deborah Davis Bob and Nancy Megley Jesse Delaney Antonio Merenda Mary Frantz James Perretta Gertrude D. Furman Kathleen Quinn Roseann Gill Kirsten Quinn & Ari Bank Julia Baylor Harton Ismail & Sara Rabinovic Jean R. Haskell Nanette Steffenhagen Charlotte Humenuk Gary Swisher A. Ron Hunter Kathy Treftz Fred Jackes & Judy Adamson David and Renee Weisband Justine Kalas Reeves

CAST

Dexter Anderson (Radio Announcer, Jim Lucas, Doctor, Mariachi Band Leader, Usher, Salarino, Chauffeur) is a Philly-based actor, whose past credits include The Shadow of a Gunman, Juno and the Paycock, and The Plough and the Stars (all with Irish Heritage Theatre), ...Till Birnam Wood (as part of FringeArts), Stairs to the Roof (EgoPo Classic Theatre), the U.S. premiere of Splatter (Manayunk Theatre Company), Clive Barker's Crazyface (BrainSpunk Theatre), Psycho

Beach Party (Touch Me Philly Productions), Rodeo, The Homosexuals, and the world-premiere of Someone Brought Me (latter three with Quince Productions). Dexter holds a B.A. in Theatre from Rowan University.

Tina Brock (Lucy Allerton, Nurse, Sound Design, Stage Interiors & Settings, IRC Producing Artistic Director) is a co-founder of The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. Since 1991, Tina has directed and produced 50+ stage productions in Philadelphia, and has appeared as a performer on stage and in regional and national commercials, television and film in the Philadelphia/New York markets, including hoisting the fundraising flag at local PBS affiliate WHYY-

TV12/91FM. Much appreciation to Rev. Mariclair Partee, Scott Wilds, St. Mary’s Hamilton Village for providing a home for Dream Girl. 2018 Barrymore Award, Supporting Performance, By the Bog of Cats, Irish Heritage Theater. For IRC: Broad Street Review: Best Philadelphia-area Theater of 2018: The Eccentricities of a Nightingale; Philadelphia Theatre Critic’s Awards 2018: Honorable Mention, Supporting Actress, Time Remembered; Philadelphia Theatre Critic’s Awards 2017: Honorable Mention: Actress, The Bald Soprano; Supporting Actress, By the Bog of Cats. 2016: Honorable Mention, Actress, Director – Ionesco’s The Chairs. Phindie Best of 2016: Honorable Mention: Ionesco’s The Chairs: Direction, Female Performance, Best Production. DC Metro Arts Best of 2016: Direction, Ionesco’s The Chairs; Performance, Ionesco’s The Chairs. Celebrating the daydreamer in all of us.

Kyle Fennie (Clark Redfield, Mariachi Band) earned his MA from Villanova University, and his BFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Previous credits include: William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (Macduff); Timothy Kolman’s The Roses in June (Colin Davies); Nicky Silver’s The Lyons (Curtis); Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire (Stanley); Brian Friel’s Translations (Doalty); Micheal Hollinger’s A Wonderful Noise (Chester, Pettigrew, and the Conductor); William

Shakespeare’s Macbeth (Macbeth); Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera (Smith); Rachel Bonds’ Michael and Edie (Ben); Charles Mee’s Big Love (Constantine); Noel Coward’s Fallen Angels (Willie); John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt (Father Flynn); Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap (Sergeant Trotter u/s).

Brittany Holdahl (Georgina Allerton) is absolutely thrilled to perform for the first time with IRC! Previously, she had the pleasure to collaborate with several other fine Philadelphia companies and organizations: CSz Philadelphia, Hedgerow Theatre, Zacherle Project, Luna Theatre Co., GDP Productions, Represented Theatre Co., Automatic Arts, Save the Day! Productions, otherWORDS Theatre, and Philadelphia Dramatists Center. Special thanks go to the cast and crew of Dream Girl,

family and friends, Oliver, and the wonderful folks of St. Mary's for their radical hospitality.

Paul McElwee (George Allerton, Obstetrician, Woman, Judge, French Waiter, Bert, Mariachi Band, Cop, Luigi, Antonio, Theater Manager, Jazz Waiter, Justice of the Peace Billings) is absurdly thrilled to be livin' the dream again with the IRC, having portrayed Ferdinand in Time Remembered last season. Other recent credits include Mr. Maraczek in She Loves Me with Candlelight Theatre; Dan in Next to Normal with St. Joseph's University Theatre; Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins with

the Ritz Theatre Company; Jules/Bob Greenberg in Sunday in the Park with George with City Theatre Company; and Drake/Greylag in Honk with Limelight Performing Arts Center. By day, Paul is a Project Manager for theatre-based community outreach programs with Public Health Management Corporation.

CONTRIBUTORS

All-Pervading Spiritual Energy $1000.00 & above

Wyncote Foundation Tina Brock

Victor Keen and Jeanne Ruddy The Philadelphia Cultural Fund

The Philo Project Anonymous

The Charlotte Cushman Foundation Pennsylvania Council on the Arts

The Virginia Brown Martin Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia

PECO Andy Lamas & Ginny Vanderslice

Bob Schmidt Erica Hoelscher

Barton & Jessica McBride The William Penn Foundation Matching Gift Program

Ed and Anne Koper Wagner Mary Ashley

The Todd B. and Barabara C. Hilsee Foundation

Altruism and Engagement $500.00 - $999.99

Pat and Stacey Bishop Stephen Platt & Robin Schaufler Benjamin Doranz Robin and Joseph Rodriguez Andy Lamas & Ginny Vanderslice Judith Wooldridge Steven Peitzman Askold Zagars & Marie Feehan

Appreciation and Curiosity

$250.00 - $499.99

Philip Alperson & Mary Hawkesworth Susan Feagin Fred Allen Barfoot Jeanne George Louis Bluver Erica Hoelscher Noel Carroll & Sally Banes Mark Mendenhall Stephen Duskin & Jennifer Berke Levin Michael Nailor Norman and Carolyn Ellman Bob and Pat Schmidt

Full Moon Rallye 68 Scavenger Hunt

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Part scavenger hunt, part walking tour of the city: feed your curiosity, get in your daily steps,

and help raise funds for the IRC!

Proceeds from the event will support the IRC’s upcoming production of Christopher Durang’s

Betty’s Summer Vacation at The Walnut Street Theatre, Independence Studio on 3, June 11 – 30.

Tickets and More Info: www.ClubEdventures.com

Presented by Ed Wagner/ClubEdventures

Brian McManus (Dr. J. Gilmore Percival, Policeman, District Attorney, George Hand) last worked in Philadelphia with Irish Heritage Theater in their Women Of Ireland series of one act plays. Previously he worked with REV Theater Company on their outdoor production of Hamlet at Laurel Hill Cemetery and Cape May Shakespeare Festival. In the San Francisco Bay Area he worked with Impact Theater, Actors Ensemble of Berkeley and Subterranean Shakespeare. Much love to his

family for their continual support and understanding. A million thanks to Tina, Bob and co for giving me this wonderful opportunity to work on this production.

Anna Pysher (Miriam Allerton Lucas, Claire Blakely, Arabella, Miss Delehanty) is very excited to be making her debut with The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium! A graduate from Lycoming College with a B.A. in Theatre Performance she now calls Philadelphia home. Over the past few years here she has had the opportunity to be a part of many local theatre and film productions. Some of her favorite local performances include Becca in the Philadelphia

Fringe production The Churchbells All Were Broken, Lydia in Shakespeare in Hollywood at the Stagecrafters Theatre, and Deirdre in I Hate Hamlet at Allens Lane Art Center. She also recently had the honor of portraying renown activist Angelina Grimke in the film Sisters in Freedom with History Making Productions. A big Thank You to this fabulous cast and crew for making this a fun and memorable experience!

CREW Madison Caudullo (Stage Manager, Board Operator) is a Philadelphia-based actor, improviser, and general manager of mischief with a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Arcadia University. Upcoming:. Recent credits include Susan, [title of show] (Raw Street Productions) CB's Sister, Dog Sees God, Dana, Right Behind (Raw Street Productions), Petite, Midway, and Cathy, a brief theory of the cosmos (Arcadia University). Thanks to Tina, Bob, cast, and production team for their hard work and dedication.

Erica Hoelscher (Costume Design) has designed costumes and scenery for various theatres in Philadelphia, NY, Chicago, and at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, where she has been on the faculty since 1995. Erica is the Associate Artistic Director and a member of the board for the Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. Representative productions include designing scenery and costumes for Tennessee Williams’s The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, Anouilh’s Time Remembered, Giraudoux’s The Enchanted, Ionesco’s Rhinoceros and Exit the King, (IRC) and for A Moon for the Misbegotten, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Twelfth Night, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Euripides’ Medea, Gem of the Ocean, and Tartuffe at Lehigh University. Erica designed costumes for a number of IRC productions, as well as Spunk for the Kaleidoscope Cultural Arts Collective, and The America Play, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and A New Brain at Plays and Players Theatre, Philadelphia. She designed Anne, The Sound of Music, and Hairspray for Media Theatre in Media, PA. MFA in stage design from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. Chairperson of the Department of Theatre at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, where she has designed over fifty productions. Bob Schmidt (IRC Ways and Means Coordinator) is a co-founder of The IRC, and has appeared in many productions since the company's inception in 2006. Many thanks to the cast and crew for their time, talent and dedication, and to you for supporting The IRC! Joshua L. Schulman (Lighting Design) was the 2008 winner of the Barrymore Award for his lighting of Art at Delaware Theatre Company. He was also a 2009 Barrymore Award nominee for his lighting of Rock ‘N’ Roll at the Wilma Theatre. Regionally Joshua has designed at People’s Light and Theatre, Wilma Theatre, Arden Theatre Company, Delaware Theatre Company. Joshua was also the lighting director for the Hidden City Festival in 2009. Other companies that Joshua has worked for include Azuka Theatre, InterAct Theatre Company, Theatre Exile, Flashpoint Theatre Company, Media Theatre Company, Theatre West Virginia, Seven Stages (Atlanta), Rebecca Davis Dance Company, in addition to many others. Joshua was also the programmer for both the relighting of Boat House Row along the Schuylkill River as well as the Cira Centre. Joshua lives in South Philadelphia with his wife, Karen and their son, Elijah. Education: MFA Boston University, BA Washington College. www.jlsld.com Mark Williams (Properties Master, Stage Interiors & Settings) is a local Props Master in the Philadelphia area, and IRC veteran. This will be Mark's 9th show with the company. He would like to thank all his friends in The IRC, and those who support the show.

The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium

presents

Come Back, Little Sheba

by

William Inge

The Philadelphia Fringe Festival September 3-22, 2019

The Bethany Mission Gallery

Tickets: LittleSheba.bpt.me

The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium

presents

Betty's Summer Vacation by

Christopher Durang

Take a group of wildly incompatible people, mix them together in a vacation setting under

one small roof, and watch the fur fly!

Amanda Schoonover Kassy Bradford Anthony Crosby

Chris Fluck Carlos Forbes Josh Hitchens Kirsten Quinn

Bill Rayhill Tina Brock

June 11-30, 2019

Walnut Street Theatre, Independence Studio on 3

Tickets: BettySummerVacation.bpt.me

AUTHOR

Elmer Rice (1892 - 1967) was an American playwright, director, and novelist noted for his innovative and controversial plays. Rice graduated from the New York Law School in 1912 but soon turned to writing plays. His first work, the melodramatic On Trial (1914), was the first play to employ on stage the motion-picture technique of flashbacks, in this case to present the recollections of witnesses at a trial. In The Adding Machine (1923) Rice adapted techniques from German Expressionist theatre to depict the dehumanization of man in the 20th century. His most important play, Street Scene (1929), was a starkly realistic tragedy set outside a New York City slum tenement building. The play won a Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into a highly popular musical (1947) with lyrics by Langston Hs and music by Kurt Weill. Counsellor-at-Law (1931) was a rather critical look at the legal profession. In We, the People (1933), Judgment Day (1934), and several other polemical plays of the 1930s, Rice treated the evils of Nazism, the poverty of the Great Depression, and racism. He continued to write for the stage after 1945, but without much acclaim. Rice was active in the WPA Federal Theatre Project for a short time in the mid-1930s. He also championed the American Civil Liberties Union and the cause of free speech, and in the 1950s he was an opponent of U.S. Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy. Rice also wrote several novels and an autobiography, Minority Report (1963)

St. Mary’s Church, Hamilton Village, is a parish of the Episcopal Church and the Episcopal chaplaincy to the University of Pennsylvania. We are a loving, inclusive, diverse community doing our best to follow God's call to love our neighbor. We are committed to the full respect for and inclusion of all people in every aspect of our common life and worship. Single or coupled, of every race or ethnicity, every gender, every sexual orientation, every age, every “station” and class: everyone at St. Mary’s is engaged in praising and serving God together, inside and outside our walls. We strive in all things to live out our faith with our hands, feet, and hearts. Our parish was in the forefront of racial integration in the Episcopal Church and in Philadelphia, advocated early and strongly for the inclusion and ordination of women, was an early home in the city for lesbian and gay religious advocacy organizations as well as being a safe gathering place for lesbian, gay, and transgender youth in the city. For four years, our bell tower provided sanctuary to Vietnam War resisters, and as an early response to the AIDS epidemic, we founded a respite center for children and families affected by HIV/AIDS. We also have a history of serving newly arrived immigrants and refugees. Today, we partner with the Nationalities Service Center to support newly arrived asylum seekers in our city. St. Mary’s Church proudly hosts several groups that live out their mission under our roof: St. Mary’s Nursery School, the University City Hospitality Coalition, the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, and the IRC. Dating as far back as the 1970’s, we have opened our doors to many musical artists and community gatherings and now have the pleasure to have Dream Girl, a full theatrical production, staged in our sanctuary! If you would like to explore hosting a performance, workshop, or reception in any of our spaces, please contact Brittany: administrator@stmarysatpenn.org or 215-386-3916. Radical hospitality is central to our identity and community. A radical welcome means that all people are joyfully invited into our fellowship. We invite you to join us at mass on Sunday mornings at 11 AM, Tuesdays at 12:15 PM, and Compline (sung night prayers) Thursdays at 8PM, and to find out more about us at stmarysatpenn.org!

A Concise History of St. Mary’s St. Mary’s owes part of its name and its location to William Hamilton, a member of an 18th century Philadelphia family that owned a large tract of land in the open country west of the Schuylkill River. In 1808, Hamilton set aside two pieces of land in the newly-developed “Hamilton Village” to provide sites for an Episcopal and a Presbyterian church. On July 6, 1824, the cornerstone for our original Episcopal church building was laid by Bishop William White, and on June 16, 1827, Bishop White came back for the consecration of the completed church. By 1871 the congregation had grown so much that it needed a much larger building. At about the same time, the University of Pennsylvania moved west of the Schuylkill River to 34th Street and beyond, encompassing Hamilton Village and St. Mary’s. The present church building was completed in 1874. The architect was the University of Pennsylvania’s first Professor of Drawing and Architecture, Thomas W. Richards. Richards also designed most of the oldest buildings on the Penn campus. The University of Pennsylvania and St. Mary’s are interconnected in many ways. The church as designed by Richards is cruciform in shape, and the High Altar faces east, towards Jerusalem. It is an excellent late Victorian example of the neo-Gothic standard that dominated American church architecture for the last half of the 19th and first half of the 20th century. At St. Mary’s, the sanctuary is designed to engage all the senses, specifically to contain and amplify the Anglo-Catholic liturgy of which St. Mary’s and its then Rector were American pioneers. If you’re visiting: Welcome! Please leave your information in the Visitor’s Book in the back of the sanctuary so that our clergy can be in touch with you. If you’d like to make a donation to support the outreach ministries of St. Mary’s, there is an alms box in the back of our sanctuary. Thank you for your generosity!

St. Mary’s Church, Hamilton Village, is a parish of the Episcopal Church and the Episcopal chaplaincy to the University of Pennsylvania. We are a loving, inclusive, diverse community doing our best to follow God's call to love our neighbor. We are committed to the full respect for and inclusion of all people in every aspect of our common life and worship. Single or coupled, of every race or ethnicity, every gender, every sexual orientation, every age, every “station” and class: everyone at St. Mary’s is engaged in praising and serving God together, inside and outside our walls. We strive in all things to live out our faith with our hands, feet, and hearts. Our parish was in the forefront of racial integration in the Episcopal Church and in Philadelphia, advocated early and strongly for the inclusion and ordination of women, was an early home in the city for lesbian and gay religious advocacy organizations as well as being a safe gathering place for lesbian, gay, and transgender youth in the city. For four years, our bell tower provided sanctuary to Vietnam War resisters, and as an early response to the AIDS epidemic, we founded a respite center for children and families affected by HIV/AIDS. We also have a history of serving newly arrived immigrants and refugees. Today, we partner with the Nationalities Service Center to support newly arrived asylum seekers in our city. St. Mary’s Church proudly hosts several groups that live out their mission under our roof: St. Mary’s Nursery School, the University City Hospitality Coalition, the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, and the IRC. Dating as far back as the 1970’s, we have opened our doors to many musical artists and community gatherings and now have the pleasure to have Dream Girl, a full theatrical production, staged in our sanctuary! If you would like to explore hosting a performance, workshop, or reception in any of our spaces, please contact Brittany: administrator@stmarysatpenn.org or 215-386-3916. Radical hospitality is central to our identity and community. A radical welcome means that all people are joyfully invited into our fellowship. We invite you to join us at mass on Sunday mornings at 11 AM, Tuesdays at 12:15 PM, and Compline (sung night prayers) Thursdays at 8PM, and to find out more about us at stmarysatpenn.org!

A Concise History of St. Mary’s St. Mary’s owes part of its name and its location to William Hamilton, a member of an 18th century Philadelphia family that owned a large tract of land in the open country west of the Schuylkill River. In 1808, Hamilton set aside two pieces of land in the newly-developed “Hamilton Village” to provide sites for an Episcopal and a Presbyterian church. On July 6, 1824, the cornerstone for our original Episcopal church building was laid by Bishop William White, and on June 16, 1827, Bishop White came back for the consecration of the completed church. By 1871 the congregation had grown so much that it needed a much larger building. At about the same time, the University of Pennsylvania moved west of the Schuylkill River to 34th Street and beyond, encompassing Hamilton Village and St. Mary’s. The present church building was completed in 1874. The architect was the University of Pennsylvania’s first Professor of Drawing and Architecture, Thomas W. Richards. Richards also designed most of the oldest buildings on the Penn campus. The University of Pennsylvania and St. Mary’s are interconnected in many ways. The church as designed by Richards is cruciform in shape, and the High Altar faces east, towards Jerusalem. It is an excellent late Victorian example of the neo-Gothic standard that dominated American church architecture for the last half of the 19th and first half of the 20th century. At St. Mary’s, the sanctuary is designed to engage all the senses, specifically to contain and amplify the Anglo-Catholic liturgy of which St. Mary’s and its then Rector were American pioneers. If you’re visiting: Welcome! Please leave your information in the Visitor’s Book in the back of the sanctuary so that our clergy can be in touch with you. If you’d like to make a donation to support the outreach ministries of St. Mary’s, there is an alms box in the back of our sanctuary. Thank you for your generosity!

The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium

presents

Betty's Summer Vacation by

Christopher Durang

Take a group of wildly incompatible people, mix them together in a vacation setting under

one small roof, and watch the fur fly!

Amanda Schoonover Kassy Bradford Anthony Crosby

Chris Fluck Carlos Forbes Josh Hitchens Kirsten Quinn

Bill Rayhill Tina Brock

June 11-30, 2019

Walnut Street Theatre, Independence Studio on 3

Tickets: BettySummerVacation.bpt.me

AUTHOR

Elmer Rice (1892 - 1967) was an American playwright, director, and novelist noted for his innovative and controversial plays. Rice graduated from the New York Law School in 1912 but soon turned to writing plays. His first work, the melodramatic On Trial (1914), was the first play to employ on stage the motion-picture technique of flashbacks, in this case to present the recollections of witnesses at a trial. In The Adding Machine (1923) Rice adapted techniques from German Expressionist theatre to depict the dehumanization of man in the 20th century. His most important play, Street Scene (1929), was a starkly realistic tragedy set outside a New York City slum tenement building. The play won a Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into a highly popular musical (1947) with lyrics by Langston Hs and music by Kurt Weill. Counsellor-at-Law (1931) was a rather critical look at the legal profession. In We, the People (1933), Judgment Day (1934), and several other polemical plays of the 1930s, Rice treated the evils of Nazism, the poverty of the Great Depression, and racism. He continued to write for the stage after 1945, but without much acclaim. Rice was active in the WPA Federal Theatre Project for a short time in the mid-1930s. He also championed the American Civil Liberties Union and the cause of free speech, and in the 1950s he was an opponent of U.S. Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy. Rice also wrote several novels and an autobiography, Minority Report (1963)

Erica Hoelscher (Costume Design) has designed costumes and scenery for various theatres in Philadelphia, NY, Chicago, and at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, where she has been on the faculty since 1995. Erica is the Associate Artistic Director and a member of the board for the Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. Representative productions include designing scenery and costumes for Tennessee Williams’s The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, Anouilh’s Time Remembered, Giraudoux’s The Enchanted, Ionesco’s Rhinoceros and Exit the King, (IRC) and for A Moon for the Misbegotten, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Twelfth Night, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Euripides’ Medea, Gem of the Ocean, and Tartuffe at Lehigh University. Erica designed costumes for a number of IRC productions, as well as Spunk for the Kaleidoscope Cultural Arts Collective, and The America Play, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and A New Brain at Plays and Players Theatre, Philadelphia. She designed Anne, The Sound of Music, and Hairspray for Media Theatre in Media, PA. MFA in stage design from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. Chairperson of the Department of Theatre at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, where she has designed over fifty productions. Bob Schmidt (IRC Ways and Means Coordinator) is a co-founder of The IRC, and has appeared in many productions since the company's inception in 2006. Many thanks to the cast and crew for their time, talent and dedication, and to you for supporting The IRC! Joshua L. Schulman (Lighting Design) was the 2008 winner of the Barrymore Award for his lighting of Art at Delaware Theatre Company. He was also a 2009 Barrymore Award nominee for his lighting of Rock ‘N’ Roll at the Wilma Theatre. Regionally Joshua has designed at People’s Light and Theatre, Wilma Theatre, Arden Theatre Company, Delaware Theatre Company. Joshua was also the lighting director for the Hidden City Festival in 2009. Other companies that Joshua has worked for include Azuka Theatre, InterAct Theatre Company, Theatre Exile, Flashpoint Theatre Company, Media Theatre Company, Theatre West Virginia, Seven Stages (Atlanta), Rebecca Davis Dance Company, in addition to many others. Joshua was also the programmer for both the relighting of Boat House Row along the Schuylkill River as well as the Cira Centre. Joshua lives in South Philadelphia with his wife, Karen and their son, Elijah. Education: MFA Boston University, BA Washington College. www.jlsld.com Mark Williams (Properties Master, Stage Interiors & Settings) is a local Props Master in the Philadelphia area, and IRC veteran. This will be Mark's 9th show with the company. He would like to thank all his friends in The IRC, and those who support the show.

The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium

presents

Come Back, Little Sheba

by

William Inge

The Philadelphia Fringe Festival September 3-22, 2019

The Bethany Mission Gallery

Tickets: LittleSheba.bpt.me

Full Moon Rallye 68 Scavenger Hunt

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Part scavenger hunt, part walking tour of the city: feed your curiosity, get in your daily steps,

and help raise funds for the IRC!

Proceeds from the event will support the IRC’s upcoming production of Christopher Durang’s

Betty’s Summer Vacation at The Walnut Street Theatre, Independence Studio on 3, June 11 – 30.

Tickets and More Info: www.ClubEdventures.com

Presented by Ed Wagner/ClubEdventures

Brian McManus (Dr. J. Gilmore Percival, Policeman, District Attorney, George Hand) last worked in Philadelphia with Irish Heritage Theater in their Women Of Ireland series of one act plays. Previously he worked with REV Theater Company on their outdoor production of Hamlet at Laurel Hill Cemetery and Cape May Shakespeare Festival. In the San Francisco Bay Area he worked with Impact Theater, Actors Ensemble of Berkeley and Subterranean Shakespeare. Much love to his

family for their continual support and understanding. A million thanks to Tina, Bob and co for giving me this wonderful opportunity to work on this production.

Anna Pysher (Miriam Allerton Lucas, Claire Blakely, Arabella, Miss Delehanty) is very excited to be making her debut with The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium! A graduate from Lycoming College with a B.A. in Theatre Performance she now calls Philadelphia home. Over the past few years here she has had the opportunity to be a part of many local theatre and film productions. Some of her favorite local performances include Becca in the Philadelphia

Fringe production The Churchbells All Were Broken, Lydia in Shakespeare in Hollywood at the Stagecrafters Theatre, and Deirdre in I Hate Hamlet at Allens Lane Art Center. She also recently had the honor of portraying renown activist Angelina Grimke in the film Sisters in Freedom with History Making Productions. A big Thank You to this fabulous cast and crew for making this a fun and memorable experience!

CREW Madison Caudullo (Stage Manager, Board Operator) is a Philadelphia-based actor, improviser, and general manager of mischief with a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Arcadia University. Upcoming:. Recent credits include Susan, [title of show] (Raw Street Productions) CB's Sister, Dog Sees God, Dana, Right Behind (Raw Street Productions), Petite, Midway, and Cathy, a brief theory of the cosmos (Arcadia University). Thanks to Tina, Bob, cast, and production team for their hard work and dedication.

Kyle Fennie (Clark Redfield, Mariachi Band) earned his MA from Villanova University, and his BFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Previous credits include: William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (Macduff); Timothy Kolman’s The Roses in June (Colin Davies); Nicky Silver’s The Lyons (Curtis); Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire (Stanley); Brian Friel’s Translations (Doalty); Micheal Hollinger’s A Wonderful Noise (Chester, Pettigrew, and the Conductor); William

Shakespeare’s Macbeth (Macbeth); Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera (Smith); Rachel Bonds’ Michael and Edie (Ben); Charles Mee’s Big Love (Constantine); Noel Coward’s Fallen Angels (Willie); John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt (Father Flynn); Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap (Sergeant Trotter u/s).

Brittany Holdahl (Georgina Allerton) is absolutely thrilled to perform for the first time with IRC! Previously, she had the pleasure to collaborate with several other fine Philadelphia companies and organizations: CSz Philadelphia, Hedgerow Theatre, Zacherle Project, Luna Theatre Co., GDP Productions, Represented Theatre Co., Automatic Arts, Save the Day! Productions, otherWORDS Theatre, and Philadelphia Dramatists Center. Special thanks go to the cast and crew of Dream Girl,

family and friends, Oliver, and the wonderful folks of St. Mary's for their radical hospitality.

Paul McElwee (George Allerton, Obstetrician, Woman, Judge, French Waiter, Bert, Mariachi Band, Cop, Luigi, Antonio, Theater Manager, Jazz Waiter, Justice of the Peace Billings) is absurdly thrilled to be livin' the dream again with the IRC, having portrayed Ferdinand in Time Remembered last season. Other recent credits include Mr. Maraczek in She Loves Me with Candlelight Theatre; Dan in Next to Normal with St. Joseph's University Theatre; Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins with

the Ritz Theatre Company; Jules/Bob Greenberg in Sunday in the Park with George with City Theatre Company; and Drake/Greylag in Honk with Limelight Performing Arts Center. By day, Paul is a Project Manager for theatre-based community outreach programs with Public Health Management Corporation.

CONTRIBUTORS

All-Pervading Spiritual Energy $1000.00 & above

Wyncote Foundation Tina Brock

Victor Keen and Jeanne Ruddy The Philadelphia Cultural Fund

The Philo Project Anonymous

The Charlotte Cushman Foundation Pennsylvania Council on the Arts

The Virginia Brown Martin Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia

PECO Andy Lamas & Ginny Vanderslice

Bob Schmidt Erica Hoelscher

Barton & Jessica McBride The William Penn Foundation Matching Gift Program

Ed and Anne Koper Wagner Mary Ashley

The Todd B. and Barabara C. Hilsee Foundation

Altruism and Engagement $500.00 - $999.99

Pat and Stacey Bishop Stephen Platt & Robin Schaufler Benjamin Doranz Robin and Joseph Rodriguez Andy Lamas & Ginny Vanderslice Judith Wooldridge Steven Peitzman Askold Zagars & Marie Feehan

Appreciation and Curiosity

$250.00 - $499.99

Philip Alperson & Mary Hawkesworth Susan Feagin Fred Allen Barfoot Jeanne George Louis Bluver Erica Hoelscher Noel Carroll & Sally Banes Mark Mendenhall Stephen Duskin & Jennifer Berke Levin Michael Nailor Norman and Carolyn Ellman Bob and Pat Schmidt

CONTRIBUTORS

Empathy and Compassion $100.00 - $249.99

Eliud Alvarado Rodriguez Michael and Barbara Lefkoe Herman and Madeline Axelrod Michael Lynch Harry F. Bambrick Peggy Mecham Robert and Donna Castle Bill and Vikki Monaghan John D'Alonzo & Theresa Leahy Jane Moore Elizabeth Denton Phyllis Priester Donald & Geraldine Duclow James Pritchett & Frances White Neil and Mercedez Durkin Philip Reeves James Frazier Christopher and Jennifer Rule Gail Furman Marc Scheiner Andrew and Myrna Gentsch Anita Schmukler Michael Golden & Shelley Green Albert Them & Jane Rutledge Mary L. Goldman & Debbie Weiner Stephen and Mrs. Johnne Tint Anna Goldstein Robert J. Wallner Margaret Harris David Wierz Roberta Kangilaski Ekaterina Zalenskaya Peter Katsufrakis Susan Zawislak Marta Kiesling

Inner Quietness $50.00 - $99.99

Charles & Donna Barksdale Denise La Marra & Mark Wilhelm Nancy Berenson Joan Lapayowker Alan and Ronnie Bronstein Ruth Levikoff John and Alberta Chiaravalloti Nadine Lomakin Cynthia D'Ambrosio & John Ianacone Margaret Lonzetta Thomas and Deborah Davis Bob and Nancy Megley Jesse Delaney Antonio Merenda Mary Frantz James Perretta Gertrude D. Furman Kathleen Quinn Roseann Gill Kirsten Quinn & Ari Bank Julia Baylor Harton Ismail & Sara Rabinovic Jean R. Haskell Nanette Steffenhagen Charlotte Humenuk Gary Swisher A. Ron Hunter Kathy Treftz Fred Jackes & Judy Adamson David and Renee Weisband Justine Kalas Reeves

CAST

Dexter Anderson (Radio Announcer, Jim Lucas, Doctor, Mariachi Band Leader, Usher, Salarino, Chauffeur) is a Philly-based actor, whose past credits include The Shadow of a Gunman, Juno and the Paycock, and The Plough and the Stars (all with Irish Heritage Theatre), ...Till Birnam Wood (as part of FringeArts), Stairs to the Roof (EgoPo Classic Theatre), the U.S. premiere of Splatter (Manayunk Theatre Company), Clive Barker's Crazyface (BrainSpunk Theatre), Psycho

Beach Party (Touch Me Philly Productions), Rodeo, The Homosexuals, and the world-premiere of Someone Brought Me (latter three with Quince Productions). Dexter holds a B.A. in Theatre from Rowan University.

Tina Brock (Lucy Allerton, Nurse, Sound Design, Stage Interiors & Settings, IRC Producing Artistic Director) is a co-founder of The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. Since 1991, Tina has directed and produced 50+ stage productions in Philadelphia, and has appeared as a performer on stage and in regional and national commercials, television and film in the Philadelphia/New York markets, including hoisting the fundraising flag at local PBS affiliate WHYY-

TV12/91FM. Much appreciation to Rev. Mariclair Partee, Scott Wilds, St. Mary’s Hamilton Village for providing a home for Dream Girl. 2018 Barrymore Award, Supporting Performance, By the Bog of Cats, Irish Heritage Theater. For IRC: Broad Street Review: Best Philadelphia-area Theater of 2018: The Eccentricities of a Nightingale; Philadelphia Theatre Critic’s Awards 2018: Honorable Mention, Supporting Actress, Time Remembered; Philadelphia Theatre Critic’s Awards 2017: Honorable Mention: Actress, The Bald Soprano; Supporting Actress, By the Bog of Cats. 2016: Honorable Mention, Actress, Director – Ionesco’s The Chairs. Phindie Best of 2016: Honorable Mention: Ionesco’s The Chairs: Direction, Female Performance, Best Production. DC Metro Arts Best of 2016: Direction, Ionesco’s The Chairs; Performance, Ionesco’s The Chairs. Celebrating the daydreamer in all of us.

Dream Girl by

Elmer Rice

Cast of Characters Brittany Holdahl……………………………..…..............Georgina Allerton

Tina Brock………………………………………………...Lucy Allerton/Nurse

Paul McElwee…………………George Allerton/Obstetrician/Woman/ Judge/French Waiter/Bert/Mariachi Band/Cop/Luigi/Antonio/ Theater Manager/Jazz Waiter/Justice of the Peace Billings

Dexter Anderson………………………..…Radio Announcer/Jim Lucas/ Doctor/Mariachi Band Leader/Usher/Salarino/Chauffeur

Brian McManus………………………..…………..Dr. J. Gilmore Percival/ Policeman/District Attorney/George Hand

Anna Pysher……..…………………………………..Miriam Allerton Lucas/ Claire Blakely/Arabella/Miss Delehanty

Kyle Fennie………………………………….Clark Redfield/Mariachi Band

Setting New York City, 1945 8:00 am – 3:30 am

One Day in the Life of Georgina Allerton

Running time is approximately 93 minutes, with no intermission.

Dream Girl is made possible, in part, by generous support from Wyncote Foundation; The Philadelphia Cultural Fund; The Charlotte Cushman

Foundation; The Virginia Brown Martin Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation; The Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts program of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, funded by the Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, with support also provided by PECO and administered regionally by the Greater Philadelphia

Cultural Alliance; Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, and by the generosity of you, our loyal and growing audience -- over 70% of our annual

budget is generated through ticket sales and individual donations.

Restrooms are located in the parish hall:

Exit the sanctuary through the rear double doors and continue up through the cloisters ramp and enter the hall through the red doors; restrooms are on the far left side.

CONTRIBUTORS

Increased Presentness $1.00 - $49.99

Oleg Brovender Fred and Carol Kueppers Donald Carter Moe and Sandy Lebo Sandra Chaff William Mulherin Marcia Ferguson Lee Saldinger Stephen Geraci Lois Shestack Robert Gorchov Bertram and Lynne Strieb Jeanette Hartunian Diane Zilka Thomas and Maureen Herninko Michael Zuckerman E Ashley Izard

The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium Board of Directors

Tina Brock

Norman Ellman Melissa Feliciani Erica Hoelscher

Bob Schmidt

Advisory Committee Ben Doranz

Susan Feagin (Ex Officio) Gail Furman Greg Nanni

Robin Rodriguez Larry Wilkins (Ex Officio)

PO Box 63872 Philadelphia, PA 19147

www.IdiopathicRidiculopathyConsortium.org

Facebook: Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium

Twitter: IRCTheaterCo

SPECIAL THANKS Brittany Holdahl

The Reverend Mariclair Partee Carlsen, Scott Wilds and the Congregation of St. Mary’s

Mark Williams Victor Keen and Jeanne Ruddy

Delaware Theatre Company Lehigh University Department of Theater

Bill Brock Robin Rodriguez Marcia Ferguson

Cyndi Jansen Rose Ben Doranz

Avista Custom Theatrical Services Gerald Kolpan - The Philo Project

MUSIC/COMPOSER ATTRIBUTION Our special thanks to the following artists:

George Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, The Five O’Clock Whistle

Dizzy Gillespie, Bebop Art Blakey, A Night at Birdland

The Lounge Lizards, The Voice of Chunk Henry Purcel, 10 Sonatas in Four Parts

John Coltrane, My Favorite Things Leroy Anderson, The Typewriter

John Zorn: Filmworks XXIII, Besos De Sangre Three Leg Torso, Animals and Cannibals

Jazz Passengers Featuring Deborah Harry/Elvis Costello, Individually Twisted

Bill Frisell, Good Dog, Happy Man The Mexican Mariachi Band from Adelaide (with Trumpet)

John Zorn, John Zorn@60

Dream Girl by

Elmer Rice

Directed by Tina Brock

Costume Design

Erica Hoelscher

Lighting Design Joshua L. Schulman

Sound Design Tina Brock

Stage Manager/Board Operator Madison Caudullo

Properties Master Mark Williams

Stage Interiors and Settings Tina Brock & Mark Williams

Ways and Means Coordinator Bob Schmidt

Assistant Costume Designer Mary Ann Swords-Greene

Photoshop Magic Bill Brock

Photography Johanna Austin / AustinArt.org

Cover Art Based on Metro Goldwyn Mayer’s The Thin Man

The IRC is a proud participant in the Barrymore Awards for

Excellence in Theatre, a program of Theatre Philadelphia www.theatrephiladelphia.org

Dream Girl is presented by

special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

February 2019

Welcome! Recently the question was posed as to how play selection works at the IRC. I’m guessing like most theaters, I keep a list of must do stories that seem right for the IRC’s aesthetic and sensibility given our mission. About a year out, we consider which plays work for the season, the current mood of the country and availability of the proper setting within which to tell the story. Since 2010, the IRC had performed out of the Walnut Street Studio’s Studio 5 space, a 53-seat black box that allowed us to grow our audience and our aesthetic over the years. The dedication last year of the space as a teaching-only facility found us scouting a new home for this show. It was suggested that the St. Mary’s Sanctuary might be a fit, and we know and love the space already as we rehearse in the Bearded Ladies Cabaret in the basement of the church. The beauty of the Neo-Gothic architecture suggests the vastness and scope of Manhattan; the questions raised in the play about a life well-considered seem to fit snugly in the walls surrounding us now. Producing in found spaces presents many opportunities and challenges that you will see and experience during the show. As we worked through the placement of the differing locations in the play among the nooks and crannies of this magnificent structure, it was hard not to be awed by the creation of this space, the many communities it serves, and the many gatherings over the years it has hosted. Circling back to the reason for the play’s selection and the idea of what we consider our sanctuaries in difficult times; conversations over the last couple years have inevitably lead to the particular ways people are coping with life, the methods they are using to refuel, hideaway, and find the space to think and breathe in what seems like an abnormally surreal, difficult to navigate day to day existence. Remembering the directive to “stop daydreaming and get moving” when I was a child, I wondered then how and if daydreaming gives us the space and the courage to give our dreams a practice run, if they in fact aren’t the first step in the process of bringing those dreams to life. Instead of considering daydreaming as only a diversion, what if it becomes a necessary diversion to moving one’s life forward one fantasy at a time -- a practice that perhaps has been frowned upon in recent years when productivity and efficiency are valued measurements for validity.

(continued on inside back cover)

These reasons, plus a love of anything New York City in the 1940’s, a love of two gals fighting to save the thing they care about most, and a soft spot for getting lost in the stacks of book stores for hours, brought me to this combination of story and space. Thank you for joining us tonight, we hope you will share the IRC story with 10 friends and join our mailing list to see how this detective story of small company searching for home base continues. We are thankful to each and every audience member for their generosity over the years which has brought us to our first three -show season in the company’s history. We are Dreaming Big for the years to come and look forward to seeing you in the audience as we forge our way to save this bookstore together. A hearty thanks to the staff at St. Mary’s for their flexibility in this first ever full run theater collaboration, and to this cast for their adventurous spirit in bringing this quirky little story to the stage. It’s been an illuminating experience for me and one I will always remember.

Tina Brock Producing Artistic Director The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy

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…join Our Mailing List!

VISIT:

www.IdiopathicRidiculopathyConsortium.org

The IRC’s Mission is to bring classic absurdist theatre to an international audience in the Philadelphia region. These rarely-produced, renowned plays explore and illuminate the human purpose and meaning, promoting reflection about the human condition in a contemporary world. Our dedicated group of artists invites you to explore with us these questions and share the word with friends; since 2006, a loyal IRC audience has been built largely through word of mouth.

PRODUCTIONS 2019

Dream Girl by Elmer Rice Betty’s Summer Vacation by Christopher Durang

Come Back, Little Sheba by William Inge 2018

Time Remembered (Leocadia) by Jean Anouilh The Eccentricities of a Nightingale by Tennessee Williams

2017 The Enchanted by Jean Giraudoux

Into the Absurd: Reading of The Witnesses by Tadeusz Różewicz Into the Absurd: Reading of A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur by Tennessee Williams

The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco 2016

The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol Into the Absurd: Reading of The American Dream by Edward Albee Into the Absurd: Readings of The Radio Plays of Beckett and Pinter

The Chairs by Eugène Ionesco 2015

Misalliance by George Bernard Shaw Exit the King by Eugène Ionesco All in the Timing by David Ives

2014 Ondine by Jean Giraudoux

Rhinoceros by Eugène Ionesco A Streetcar Named Durang by Christopher Durang

2013 Paradise Park by Charles L. Mee

The Castle by Franz Kafka 2012

Marriage: An Utterly Improbable Occurrence by Nikolai Gogol Ivona, Princess of Burgundia by Witold Gombrowicz

2011 The Empire Builders by Boris Vian

The Arsonists (The Firebugs) by Max Frisch 2010

The Gnädiges Fraulien by Tennessee Williams The Madwoman of Chaillot by Jean Giraudoux

2009 The Lesson by Eugène Ionesco The Chairs by Eugène Ionesco

2008 Oh! For the Love of Love!: Durang, Beckett & Ionesco

A Streetcar Named Durang: The Parodies of Christopher Durang 2007

Victims of Duty by Eugène Ionesco Four of a Kind: Pinter, Durang, Beckett & Ionesco

2006 Three One Acts: Albee, Beckett & Ionesco