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PORTLANDCENTERSTAGE Presents

Dreamgirls Book and Lyrics by Tom Eyen

Music by Henry Krieger

Original Broadway Production

Directed and Choreographed by Michael Bennett

Orchestrations by Harold Wheeler

Produced on Broadway by Michael Bennett, Robert Avian,

Geffen Records and The Shubert Organization

September 20 – November 2, 2014

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Artistic Director | Chris Coleman

PORTLANDCENTERSTAGE

Presents

Dreamgirls

Book and Lyrics by Tom Eyen

Music by Henry Krieger

DIRECTED BY CHRIS COLEMAN

Musical Director

Rick Lewis

Choreographer

Kent Zimmerman

Scenic Designer

G.W. Mercier

Costume Designer

Sydney Roberts

Lighting Designer

Robert M. Wierzel

Sound and Video Designer

Casi Pacilio

Stage Manager

Emily N. Wells*

Dance Captain

Jonathan Burke*

Assistant Stage Manager

Marialena DiFabbio*

Production Assistant

Bailey Anne Maxwell

Casting

Harriet Bass

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Presented by arrangement with Tams-Witmark Music Library,

Inc., 560 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10022.

The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this

production is strictly prohibited.

Performed with one intermission.

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of

Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

CAST

Antoinette Comer*………….…Stepp Sister 1/Michelle Morris

Tatianna Mott*…………………Stepp Sister 2/Ensemble

Allyson Tolbert*…………………Stepp Sister 3/Ensemble

Shalanda Sims…………………Charlene/Joann

Tyrone Robertson*…………………Marty

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Rodney Hicks*…………………Curtis Taylor, Jr.

Mary Patton*…………………Deena Jones

Lexi Rhoades*…………………Lorrell Robinson

Nattalyee Randall*…………………Effie Melody White

Gerrin Delane Mitchell…………………M.C./Ensemble

Larry Owens*…………………Tiny Joe Dixon/Stage

Manager/Ensemble

Calvin Scott Roberts*……………C.C. (Claridge Conrad) White

Terry Lavell*…………………Little Albert/Jerry Norman/

Tuxedo/Mr. Morgan/Ensemble

Don Kenneth Mason*…………………Tru-Tone 1/Tuxedo/

Wayne/Ensemble

Jonathan Burke*…………Tru-Tone 2/Frank/Tuxedo/Ensemble

David Jennings*…………………Jimmy (James Thunder) Early

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Jameson Tabor…………………Dave

Joy Martin…………………Sweetheart

Kira Batcheller…………………Sweetheart

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of

Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

ORCHESTRA

Rick Lewis…………………Conductor

Jeffrey Childs…………………Piano

Sean Vinson…………………Bass

Sam Foulger…………………Percussion

Eric Toner…………………Guitar

Tim Ribner…………………Keyboard II

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Mieke Bruggeman…………………Reeds

Anthony Percival…………………Reeds

John Kim…………………Trumpet

Levis Dragulin…………………Trumpet

Al Torres…………………Trombone

DREAMGIRLS SONG LIST

ACT I

I’m Looking for Something, Baby…………The Stepp Sisters

Goin’ Downtown…………Little Albert and The Tru-Tones

Takin’ the Long Way Home…………Tiny Joe Dixon

Move (You’re Steppin’ on My Heart)…Effie, Deena & Lorrell

Fake Your Way to the Top……Jimmy, Effie, Deena & Lorrell

On the Road – Cadillac Car ………… C.C., Jimmy, Marty,

Effie, Deena, Lorrell & Ensemble

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Movin’ Out/Recording Studio………… Jimmy, Effie, Deena,

Lorrell & Ensemble

Cadillac Car (Reprise)…………Dave & the Sweethearts

Steppin’ to the Bad Side…………Curtis, C.C., Jimmy, Wayne,

Effie, Deena, Lorrell & Ensemble

Party, Party………… Curtis, C.C., Jimmy, Effie, Lorrell &

Ensemble

Baby-Baby…………Jimmy, Effie, Deena, Lorrell

Family…………Jimmy, C.C., Curtis, Effie, Deena & Lorrell

Dreamgirls…………Deena, Effie & Lorrell

Reporters…………Deena, Effie, Lorrell & Ensemble

Heavy…………Deena, Effie & Lorrell, Curtis

Walkin’ Down the Strip…………Jimmy

It’s All Over…………Curtis, C.C., Jimmy, Effie, Deena, Lorrell

& Michelle

(And I’m Telling You) I’m Not Going…………Effie

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ACT II

Opening (Reprise: Dreamgirls)…………Deena, Lorrell,

Michelle, Jimmy, Curtis & Ensemble

I Am Changing…………Effie

I Am Changing – Vogue…………Effie, Curtis, C.C., Deena,

Lorrell, Michelle & Ensemble

You Are My Dream…………Curtis & Deena

Ain’t No Party…………Jimmy, Lorrell & Tuxedos

I Meant You No Harm…………Jimmy, Lorrell, C.C., Michelle,

Deena

The Rap…………Jimmy, Frank, Curtis, Lorrell & Ensemble

I Miss You Old Friend………Marty, C.C., Effie & Les Styles

One Night Only…………Effie

One Night Only – Disco…………Curtis, Deena, Lorrell,

Michelle & Ensemble

Chicago………… Deena, Lorrell & Michelle, C.C., Marty,

Curtis, Effie

Hard to Say Goodbye (My Love)…………Curtis, Deena,

Lorrell, Michelle & Effie

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When Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. started writing

tunes with his buddy, Smokey Robinson, he didn’t have the right

to vote. Gordy came from two generations of businessmen. His

grandfather had been a successful entrepreneur in Sandersville,

GA before moving his family to Detroit to seize the

opportunities emerging in the automotive industry. Gordy’s

father ran a successful grocery store, his mother an insurance

company. The family was taught to hustle, push hard and make

a profit. Gordy dropped out of high school to become a

professional boxer, but it was only when he turned his energy to

producing music that he started to get some traction.

And for Gordy, while getting some traction was about making a

profit, that profit was always in service of a greater need. He

didn’t have a lot of faith in the American political system, and

didn’t know if social change would come through the system,

but he - like Curtis in Dreamgirls -believed that the real way to

gain power in America was to make money. A lot of it. As

Curtis sings in Act One:

“If the big white man can make us think we need his Cadillac

To make us feel as good as him;

We can make him think he needs our music

To make him feel as good as us.”

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At its core, Dreamgirls is a play about ambition: everyone in the

story is on the make, looking for a break, looking to hit it big.

Oftentimes in the rush to win, they scrape off a piece of their

humanity before they realize the price they’ve paid. And

ultimately the tension between ambition, loyalty, and

responsibility finds a way to emerge in some kind of balance.

It’s no accident that the show (and it is a SHOW) never stops

moving, never stops singing, always leans forward.

Jonathan Burke

Tru-Tone/Frank/Tuxedo/Ensemble/Dance Captain

Jonathan is thrilled to make his Portland Center Stage debut in

this dream show (pun intended)! A Baltimore native, Jonathan

was most recently seen in the national tour of Joseph and the

Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Zebulun; Joseph u/s). Other

national tours include Mary Poppins, A Christmas Story: The

Musical and Cats (Mungojerrie). Jonathan was seen Off-

Broadway in the world premiere of Langston in Harlem (Junior

Addict) as well as in Jazz a la Carte at the Apollo Theater w/

Savion Glover. Regional favorites: Goodspeed Opera House's

Norma Terris Theatre – Amazing Grace (Tyler); Merry-Go-

Round Playhouse – Hairspray (Seaweed); Hangar Theatre –

RENT (Angel); Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center – Goddess

(Omari); Baltimore Centerstage – The Wiz; Hangar Theatre –

Hair. Video: The Broadway Warm-Up. TV: TV Land Awards

w/ Liza Minnelli. Commercials: Daffy's Dance; Joe's Crab

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Shack. Many thanks to Chris, Kent, family, DAH and DDO!

B.F.A. Ithaca College.

Antoinette Comer

Stepp Sister 1/Michelle Morris

Antoinette is excited to be performing in one of her favorite

shows again! She comes directly off of the national tour of

Mamma Mia! (Lisa). Other favorite credits include: Dreamgirls,

Hairspray and The Jungle Book. Many thanks to God, her

family (Mom, Dad, Colette, Dominique and Koby) and all of her

friends! Proverbs 16:9.

Rodney Hicks

Curtis Taylor, Jr.

Previously at PCS, Rodney played Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in

The Mountaintop and Curly in Oklahoma!. Broadway credits

include The Scottsboro Boys (Clarence Norris/OCR), RENT

(Benny/Closing Cast/Live on Broadway DVD), Jesus Christ

Superstar (Peter/2000 Revival) and RENT (Paul &

Others/Original Cast). Off-Broadway credits include The

Scottsboro Boys, Jacques Brel is Alive (2006 Revival Cast),

From My Hometown and RENT. Select regional theater credits

are Big River (Jim/Footlight & Seattle Critics Choice Award

Leading Actor), The Scottsboro Boys (Haywood

Patterson/Philadelphia Barrymore Award Leading Actor), King

Lear, Two Gentlemen of Verona and Lobby Hero. TV credits are

Leverage, GRIMM, Hope & Faith, Law & Order: C.I., Student

Affairs -Pilot (Series Regular) and NYPD Blue. Life is beautiful.

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David Jennings

Jimmy (James Thunder) Early

David Jennings is excited to return to Dreamgirls after starring

as Curtis Taylor, Jr. with Frenchie Davis (West Coast tour) and

opposite original Dreamgirl Jennifer Holliday at Atlanta’s Fox

Theater. David was most recently seen on Broadway in After

Midnight, starring Fantasia, Toni Braxton and Patti LaBelle. His

additional Broadway credits include Hands on a Hardbody,

Brooklyn the Musical (original Streetsinger), and The Genius of

Ray Charles on London’s West End. National credits include

Ragtime (Coalhouse), Miss Saigon (John), Porgy & Bess

(Porgy), Sister Act (Sgt. Eddie Souther) and as the replacement

for BeBe Winans in the concert tour of Civil War. On screen,

David guest starred on the F/X television drama The Shield, on

the CBS special Christmas at the Grove, in comedy sketches for

NBC’s The Tonight Show and in the films The Sleepless and

Burning Sands. David also received a Grammy nomination for

his performance on the 30th Anniversary recording of Ain’t

Misbehavin’ with Ruben Studdard and has performed with

Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Harry Connick, Jr. and a host of

music royalty. Additionally, David gave a special New Year’s

Eve performance before the King of Morocco at the Royal

Palace in Casablanca and entertained for 4th of July festivities at

the White House.

Terry Lavell

Little Albert/Jerry Norman/Tuxedo/Mr. Morgran/Ensemble

Terry Lavell is a native of New Orleans, LA. Broadway: La

Cage Aux Folles (Mercedes) 2010 Tony Award winning revival,

OBC and cast recording. Broadway National Tours: La Cage

Aux Folles (Mercedes) First National Tour, Hairspray

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(Seaweed) in Las Vegas, Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Adrian). Regional

Credits: Forum (Gymnasia) for Bay St. Theater, Aida at

Fullerton Civic Light Opera and Boys From Syracuse (Seress) at

Baltimore Center Stage. Terry has also been seen in

NYMF/Fringe festival productions of Castronauts, Scandalous

People and Invisible Life to name a few. TV/Film: Sex in the

City, The Dave Chappelle Show, Happy Life: The Film and

Sheena. Terry has a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern State

University, LA. Check my single Born This Way, available on

iTunes/YouTube.

@tdlavell To God be The Glory, love to GBM and mama....

BOOKED!

Don Kenneth Mason

Tru-Tone/Tuxedo/Wayne/Ensemble

Don Kenneth Mason is thrilled to return to Portland Center

Stage! His previous credits include Munkustrap (the gray cat) in

Cats (Broadway Rose Theatre), Zachariah in Blood Knot

(Profile Theatre, Drammy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor),

Dream Curly (and Fred!) in Oklahoma! (Portland Center Stage).

Regional credits: Guys & Dolls (Rusty Charlie), Camelot (Sir

Sagramore), Kiss Me, Kate (Paul), 42nd Street, Once on the

Island, Radio City Christmas Across America and Tokyo

Disney. Don has written and performed his one-man show,

Diary of an Out-of-Work Actor, as well as two one-act plays,

Waiting and Dream a Little Dream. He is both a proud member

of Actors’ Equity Association, as well as the proud Company

Manager of PCS. All my love to Bruce and Buddy.

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Gerrin Delane Mitchell

M.C./Ensemble

Gerrin Delane Mitchell has been busy with performances

through Portland Center Stage’s educational program, All's Fair

in Love and Shakespeare. Favorite recent roles include

Stevedore in Show Boat, Mowgli in Jungle Book, Seabee

Richard West in South Pacific, Oberon in A Midsummer Night's

Dream, Trash in Spaced Out: The Alien Abduction Musical and

(...) with Fuse Theatre Ensemble. You may have also seen him

in JAW 2014! Gerrin is a proud graduate of the University of

Central Oklahoma. He advanced his graduate performance study

at Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre in Blue

Lake, CA. This performance is dedicated to his Mom for her

unfailing encouragement to pursue his dreams.

Tatianna Mott

Stepp Sister 2/Ensemble

Tatianna is elated to be making her PCS debut in one of her

favorite musicals, Dreamgirls. Upon receiving her B.A. in

Theatre from Duke University, Tatianna studied at UCL in

London, UK and at the Michael Howard Studios Conservatory

in N.Y. Credits: Sophisticated Ladies (Cotton Club, N.Y.),

Hairspray (Actors Playhouse, FL. and STONC, CT.), Avenue Q

(Smithtown PAC, N.Y. - directed by OBC member Rick Lyon),

and For Vixens Who've Considered Homicide When the Video

was Too Much (Off-Broadway). www.tatiannamott.com

Larry Owens

Tiny Joe Dixon/Stage Manager/Ensemble

Larry is thrilled to bring Dreamgirls to Portland! He originated

the role of Darnell Parnell in the musical Fat Camp at NYMF

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(dir. Alex Timbers), The Cleveland Playhouse and Off-

Broadway's American Theatre of Actors. NEW YORK: Jesus

Christ Reality Star (Judas), Upright Citizen's Brigade; Three

Wishes for Sondheimas (Bass/Foxxy Sondheim), 54Below; Hit

List (Ensemble), 54Below. REGIONAL: Grease (Roger),

MUNY. READINGS: Incompetent Scumbags (Marion Barry),

dir. Alex Timbers; Fly (Lost Boy), dir. Jeffrey Seller.

CONCERT: If It Only Even Runs A Minute (Gospel at Colonus),

Rocker’s Anonymous; NYMF’S Next Broadway Sensation.

TELEVISION: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. He is a

playwright and author of The Musical Theatre Dictionary.

TRAINING: Upright Citizen’s Brigade. Special thanks to this

brilliant Creative Team, my family, and DHA. All you gotta do

is dream! Twitter: @LARRYtweeted; Instagram: @larryo;

Website: www.larryowens.net

Mary Patton

Deena Jones

Mary Patton is thrilled to be doing her favorite show again as

Deena Jones. She was last seen in the First National Tour of

Sister Act as a Deloris Van Cartier u/s and Ensemble. Mary also

played the role of Lorrell Robinson in the National Tour of

Dreamgirls. Singing has taken her to many places around the

world and she is thankful for every opportunity. Special thanks

to her husband Marcus.

Nattalyee Randall

Effie Melody White

Nattalyee is so excited to return to her dream role of Effie for

her Portland Center Stage debut. She just moved to New York

City two years ago from Springfield, IL (Land of Lincoln) and

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has a degree in Music and English Education from Western

Illinois University. Her favorite credits include: The Color

Purple (Church Lady Jarene), Hairspray (Motormouth),

Dreamgirls (Effie Melody White), Joseph and the Amazing

Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator), RENT (Joanne Jefferson),

Suessical (Sour Kangaroo), Avenue Q (Gary Coleman), HAIR

(Dionne), Ragtime (Sarah's friend), Dessa Rose (Dorcas) and

Big River (Alice's Daughter). Much love to LNT for ALWAYS

supporting my dreams and Dave for helping me land this

awesome job! @Nattalyee

Lexi Rhoades

Lorrell Robinson

PCS debut! New York: Sistas the musical (original cast, Off-

Broadway), Barefoot Persephone (New Dramatists, directed by

Kent Nicholson), Stardust Road (directed by Susan H.

Schulman), 54 - the musical Volleygirls (Equity workshop), The

Yellow Brick Road (TWUSA at the Lucille Lortel Theater),

ALKY and The ReRun Project (PIT). Regional: Smokey Joe’s

Cafe and Baby (PA Center Stage); Aida, Little Shop of Horrors

and Dreamgirls (West Virginia Public Theater). Film/TV: Black

Nativity (Fox Searchlight), Sistas the musical (DVD &

BETNetworks), Grease, You're the One That I Want! (NBC)

and Musical Theater Spotlight! (Big Ten Network). She has also

been featured on Broadway.com's Fresh Face! Lexi holds a

B.F.A. in Musical Theater from Penn State. Love and thanks to

all whom have supported me over the years and big love and

thanks to my manager, Susan Campochiaro Confrey of CBU

Management.

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Tyrone Roberson

Marty

Tyrone Roberson is excited to be returning to Portland Center

Stage for their production of Dreamgirls in the role of Marty.

Tyrone's credits include: Tom Collins in RENT (Bristol

Riverside Theater), Cord Elam in Oklahoma! (Portland Center

Stage), Urban NYC Guy in Grim, Grimmer & Grimmest

(Theater Emory, Atlanta). Tyrone's extended credits include

opera, film, television, voice overs and recordings. Tyrone is

grateful to God, his Mom and family. Special thanks to my

Manager, Susan Compochiaro Confrey (CBU Management) for

believing in me and encouraging me to move back to NYC.

Tyrone is Ready to Rock This Show.

Calvin Scott Roberts

C.C. (Claridge Conrad) White

Hello, Portland! Calvin Roberts is beyond excited to make his

debut at Portland Center Stage! Originally from Dallas, TX.,

some of Calvin’s regional credits include: Leroy/Herb, By the

Way, Meet Vera Stark (WaterTower Theatre); Joe/The Folk,

Spunk (WaterTower Theatre); Thomas Hodge, Honky

(WaterTower Theatre); Moose, Crazy For You (Theatre Three);

Sabu, The Producers (Uptown Players); Smokey Joe’s Cafe

(WaterTower Theatre); King, Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters

(DCT National Tour); The Wiz (DTC); Willy, Flora, the Red

Menace (Lyric Stage); Ensemble, Drowsy Chaperone (Theatre

Three); Labourer/Undertakers Man, A Christmas Carol (Dallas

Theater Center). Other theatrical credits include: Salerio,

Merchant of Venice and Lucius, Julius Caesar (Shakespeare

Dallas). Thank you to my family for all their love and support.

www.calvinscott-roberts.com

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Shalanda Sims

Charlene/Joann

Shalanda Sims is a vocalist, writer, director, producer and

instructor who has penned and produced nine plays within the

last eight years. She is the founder of her own theater company

and the creator of Who I Am; Celebrating Me. She studied

theater at University of Portland, English at Portland State

University and has toured the country as a lead singer in a

professional choir. Her most recent work is the original play

Vanport, which she wrote and directed in 2013. Most recently,

she was seen in Portland Opera’s Pirates of Penzance as Isabel.

Shalanda thanks God for every open door, her husband and

children for their unfailing love and encouragement and her

community village for their continued support.

Allyson Tolbert

Stepp Sister 3/Ensemble

Allyson was most recently seen on the First National Tour of

Catch Me If You Can. Originally from St. Petersburg, FL.,

Allyson received her B.F.A. in Musical Theater Performance

from the University of Florida (Go Gators!). Previous tours

include Mel Brooks’ The Producers and Disney's Beauty and

the Beast. Favorite regional productions include: Damn Yankees

(Lola); Singing in the Rain (Zelda Zanders); Smokey Joe's Cafe

(BJ). Much love and thanks to my friends for all of their

undying support. ATB and the amazing Todd E. My family and

most importantly my Mom for always believing in me and my

dreams.

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Kira Batcheller

Sweetheart

Kira Batcheller is honored and excited to be making her debut

with Portland Center Stage. She is a Portland native and a recent

graduate from Western Oregon University with a B.F.A. in

Acting. Some of her credits include The Crucible (Abigail), The

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Marcy Park), The

Liar (Lucrece) and Oliver! (Nancy). She wishes to thank her

friends and family for their continued love and support.

Joy Martin

Sweetheart

Joy Martin is beyond excited to make her debut with Portland

Center Stage! Recent regional credits include Evelyn Nesbit in

Ragtime, Anne in A Little Night Music and Leisl in Sound of

Music at Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre. Favorite Portland

credits include Amneris in Aida, Lily in The Secret Garden, and

Mabel in Pirates of Penzance. Outside of theater she enjoys

rocking out as a singer and dancer in the band Con Bro Chill!

She graduated with a B.A. in Theater/Musical Theater from

Marymount Manhattan College in New York City.

Jameson Tabor

Dave

Jameson is a Cum Laude graduate from the University of

Oregon, with a bachelor’s in theater arts and minors in business

and music. He has performed professionally in Portland for 17

years in over 35 productions and multiple film shorts. Favorite

roles: The Baker in Into the Woods, Bobby Child in Crazy for

You, Frank Schultz in Showboat and Alexander in Alexander

and the Terrible, Horrible … (Drammy Award, 2001). He has

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been recognized as an outstanding composer and music director,

with three fully produced works – Masculism: The Mantastic

Musical Experience, Annelie in the Depths of the Night and the

sound-score for a movement-based adaptation of The Tempest.

Two new works are on their way. Love to his wife Jenna for her

unending support! www.jamesontabor.com.

“When Broadway history is being made, you can feel it,”

declared The New York Times when Dreamgirls made its debut

in 1981 at the Imperial Theatre. The production ran for an

impressive 1,522 performances, swept the Tony Awards and

propelled the careers of its stars. But much like the beloved girl

group whose fate so closely parallels the story, Dreamgirls had

its own humble beginnings.

Two of the creators - Henry Krieger (music) and Tom Eyen

(Book and Lyrics) - hadn’t enjoyed any mainstream success

prior to the debut of Dreamgirls. Neither of them could have

imagined their show would later be remade into an $80 million

Hollywood film. And Jennifer Holliday, who played Effie White

in the original production, was largely unknown when she

became involved in early workshops of Dreamgirls. Her own

Broadway aspirations were still relatively new, after someone

had heard her singing in a church choir and encouraged her to

try to make it on the Great White Way. With Dreamgirls,

Holliday found instant stardom. Her recording of “(And I’m

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Telling You) I’m Not Going” became a number one single on

the Billboard R&B charts in 1982.

25 years after the Broadway debut, the film version of

Dreamgirls helped to propel the career of another rising star;

that of the American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson. With no

film experience, Hudson was the up-and-coming actress Bill

Condon (the film’s director and screenwriter) wanted to mirror

the casting of Holliday in the original Broadway production.

Hudson’s success certainly matched that of Holliday’s, when

she became one of the few actresses in history to score an Oscar

for a film debut. In 2007, Holliday and Hudson took the stage

together to perform “And I’m Telling You” at the BET Awards,

bringing together two generations of dreamgirls whose lives

were transformed by the musical.

But it all began with The Supremes and Motown Records. The

Supremes were the first African American musical act to

achieve mainstream success. At their peak, The Supremes

rivaled The Beatles in popularity. In 1966, their album The

Supremes A’ Go-Go knocked Revolver out of the number one

spot on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was the first time an

album by an all-female group reached that number one spot. The

Supremes are still one of the most successful groups in history,

with 12 singles that reached number one on the Billboard Hot

100 chart.

Started by classmates who grew up in public housing projects in

Detroit, The Supremes signed to Motown Records in 1961.

Between 1961 and 1963, they released eight singles that didn’t

chart, earning themselves the nickname “the no hit Supremes.”

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It wasn’t until Berry chose Diana Ross as the official lead that

they had their first number one hit, “Where Did Our Love Go,”

in 1964. Four more number ones followed – “Baby Love,”

“Come See About Me,” “Stop, In the Name of Love” and “Back

In My Arms Again” – and they became international stars.

Despite the massive success, it was a rough road for The

Supremes, but they paved the way for all the legendary acts that

followed, along with all the future dreamgirls who dared to

dream.

- Claudie Fisher

Public Relations and Publications Manager

Tell us what you think of the show!

Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

#pcs_dreamgirls

Henry Krieger

Music Henry Krieger began composing for Off-Off Broadway in his

twenties, a venue that led to his meeting with playwright-lyricist

Tom Eyen. Together with director-choreographer Michael

Bennett, they created the long running Broadway hit musical,

Dreamgirls, which opened at the Imperial Theatre on December

20, 1981. Dreamgirls won six Tony Awards, and Mr. Krieger

was nominated for his now-legendary score, for which he won

the Grammy Award for Best Original Cast Album. Dreamgirls

generated new success with new audiences as a Dreamworks

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film written and directed by Bill Condon. The film was

nominated for eight Academy Awards, including three

nominations for Mr. Krieger for “Love You, I Do,” “Listen” and

“Patience.” He received a Grammy Award for “Love You, I

Do.” Side Show, his most recent Broadway musical, was

directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom with book

and lyrics by Bill Russell. The musical received four Tony

nominations, including Best Score. In 2013, Side Show was

reimagined by director Bill Condon and received a co-

production at La Jolla Playhouse and the Kennedy Center.

Tom Eyen

Book and Lyrics Tom Eyen was an American playwright, lyricist, television

writer and theater director. Eyen is best known for works at

opposite ends of the theatrical spectrum. Mainstream

theatergoers became acquainted with him in 1981 when he

partnered with composer Henry Krieger and director Michael

Bennett to write the book and lyrics for Dreamgirls. Produced

on Broadway in 1981, Dreamgirls was the biggest success of

Eyen's career. It was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards,

including two for Eyen: Best Book and, as lyricist, Best Original

Score. The show won six Tonys, including Best Book. It also

earned Eyen a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding

Lyrics. The original cast album won Eyen a Grammy Award as

lyricist, and one of the show's songs, "(And I’m Telling You)

I'm Not Going," sung by Holliday, became a top hit. When a

film adaptation of Dreamgirls by writer/director Bill Condon

was released in 2006 by DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures,

the soundtrack became a number one hit, and two of Eyen's

songs from the soundtrack, "(And I’m Telling You) I'm Not

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Going," sung by Jennifer Hudson, and "One Night Only," sung

by Beyoncé Knowles, became hits again. Eyen's career started,

however, with avant garde plays and musicals that he wrote and

directed off-off Broadway in the early 1960s, which eventually

led to Off-Broadway success in the 1970s with the controversial

performance-art play The Dirtiest Show in Town and Women

Behind Bars, a camp parody of women's prison exploitation

films.

Michael Bennett

Conception/Original Director/Choreographer Michael Bennett choreographed Promises, Promises; Coco;

Company; Follies (which he co-directed with Harold Prince);

and Seesaw (which he also wrote and directed). In 1973 he made

his debut as a dramatic director with Twigs, which starred Sada

Thompson. A Chorus Line, which he conceived, choreographed

and directed, won nine Tony Awards. In 1976 he and other

authors of A Chorus Line were awarded the Pulitzer Price for

drama. In 1979 he produced, directed and choreographed

Ballroom, which was nominated for eight Tony Awards and

won Mr. Bennett his sixth Tony. He won his seventh Tony

Award in 1981’s Dreamgirls, and directed its acclaimed 1985

Broadway revival. The film adaptation of Dreamgirls was

released in December 2006.

Chris Coleman

Director Chris joined Portland Center Stage as artistic director in May

2000. Before coming to Portland, he was artistic director at

Actor’s Express in Atlanta, a company he co-founded in the

basement of an old church in 1988. Chris recently returned to

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Atlanta to direct Phylicia Rashad and Kenny Leon in Same Time

Next Year. Favorite PCS directing assignments include Othello,

Fiddler on the Roof, Clybourne Park, Sweeney Todd,

Shakespeare’s Amazing Cymbeline (which he also adapted),

Anna Karenina, Oklahoma!, Snow Falling on Cedars, Ragtime,

Crazy Enough, Beard of Avon, Cabaret, King Lear, Cat on a

Hot Tin Roof, Man and Superman, Outrage, Flesh and Blood

and The Devils. Chris has directed at theaters across the country,

including Actor’s Theater of Louisville, Oregon Shakespeare

Festival, ACT-Seattle, The Alliance, Dallas Theatre Center,

Pittsburgh Public Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop and

Center Stage in Baltimore. A native Atlantan, Chris holds a

B.F.A. from Baylor University and an M.F.A. from Carnegie

Mellon. He is currently the board president for the Cultural

Advocacy Coalition. Chris’ favorite things about Portland:

farmers markets, Timbers games, Salt & Straw ice cream, dog

parks, food carts and cars that stop for pedestrians.

Rick Lewis

Musical Director

Rick’s previous PCS shows are The Last Five Years, Fiddler on

the Roof (PAMTA nomination, Musical Direction), Somewhere

in Time, Sweeney Todd (Drammy Award, Musical Director),

Black Pearl Sings!, Oklahoma!, The Huntsmen (JAW), The

Imaginary Invalid, Sunset Boulevard, The 25th Annual Putnam

County Spelling Bee, Ragtime (Drammy Award), Grey Gardens,

A Christmas Carol (Composer), Guys and Dolls (Drammy

Award), Cabaret, West Side Story (Drammy Award), The

Fantasticks and Bat Boy. He is the creator of the hit Off-

Broadway musicals The Taffetas, Have a Nice Day! and The

Cardigans (NYC Bistro Award, “Outstanding Musical

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Review”). Rick was musical supervisor for the West Coast

regional premiere of Next to Normal (Artists Repertory Theatre).

He was assistant conductor/vocal director for the pre-Broadway

workshop of Cy Coleman’s The Life. Rick has written for

Disney Live Family Entertainment, American Hawaii Cruises,

American West Steamboat Company, American Classic

Voyages and the Portland Spirit (Cinnamon Bear Cruise). He

has served as musical director for Susan Egan, Jody Benson,

Michael Maguire, Debbie Gravitte and the late Allan Jones.

Rick is a private vocal coach, concentrating on musical theater

audition and performance. www.rlewismusic.com.

Kent Zimmerman

Choreographer “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to

the imagination and life to everything.” Kent is honored to be

back at PCS. Last season, Kent made his choreography debut

with PCS’s Fiddler on the Roof. He has been seen on stage at

PCS in Ragtime, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story and A

Christmas Carol, where he also served as associate

choreographer. Other associate choreography credits include:

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman, Cabaret, Joseph and the

Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Grease and Wizard of Oz.

Other theater credits include: Annie Get Your Gun, Thou Shalt

Not (Broadway), The Producers (First National Tour, Los

Angeles, Las Vegas), Guys and Dolls (50th Anniversary),

Footloose (First National Tour), Show Boat (Third National

Tour, London), Spamalot, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Chicago, A

Chorus Line, 42nd Street, Funny Girl, Peter Pan, White

Christmas and Randy Newman's Faust . He can also be seen in

The Shawshank Redemption, The Producers (film version) and

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My Favorite Broadway: The Love Songs. Directly after

Dreamgirls opens, Kent will direct and choreograph Young

Frankenstein for Red Mountain Theater Company, where he

made his directorial debut earlier this year with La Cage Aux

Folles. Dreams do come true! Psalms 91:11

G.W. Mercier

Scenic Design Skip’s previous Portland Center Stage shows are Fiddler on the

Roof, Anna Karenina, Sunset Boulevard, Ragtime, Grey

Gardens, Guys and Dolls, Cabaret, West Side Story and The

Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow. In New York he designed Old

Hats at Signature Theatre which is moving to Broadway; Juan

Darien: A Carnival Mass (Tony and Drama Desk nominations),

Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Miracle Brothers, Five Course Love,

People Are Wrong, Wilder, Eli’s Comin’, Dream True (Drama

Desk nomination), True History & Real Adventures, You Don’t

Miss the Water, The Waiting Room, Bed & Sofa (Drama Desk

nomination), Por Knockers, The Party, Lady Bracknell’s

Confinement, Hannah, 1939, Urban Zulu Mambo, Catch Me If I

Fall, Groundhog, The Red Sneaks, The New Americans, Winter

Man, The Loman Family Picnic, The Tempest, Taming of the

Shrew, Macbeth, Lemon Sky, Evening Sky and Judgment. Recent

regional work includes Party Come Here, Urinetown, Our

Town, Rag & Bone, Measure For Measure, A Christmas Carol,

Guys & Dolls, The Time of Your Life (Bay Area Critics Award),

The Ballad of Little Jo, Vigil, Frame 312, Theopolis North and

Fuddy Meers. G.W. thrives collaborating with amazing writers,

composers, directors, partner designers and actors creating

original work or making established shows seem new. He and

his family live in Connecticut.

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Sydney Roberts

Costume Designer Dreamgirls marks a happy return to Portland Center Stage.

Based in Atlanta, Sydney has been designing there and at

regional theaters since 1997 when she first worked on Love!

Valour! Compassion! with Chris Coleman at Actor’s Express.

Other Atlanta theater work: Alliance Theatre, Georgia

Shakespeare (Associate Artist), Aurora Theatre, Actor’s

Express, Horizon Theatre, Theatre Emory, Theatrical Outfit,

True Colors Theatre Company, among others. Regional:

Portland Center Stage, Geva Theatre (NY), Red Mountain

Theatre Company (AL) and Barking Legs Theatre (TN). Film:

Ruthie. Awards: Drammy for Best Costumes, The Devils,

Portland, OR and four Suzi Bass nominations in Atlanta. Sydney

was the Costume Designer and Shop Manager at the University

of Tennessee at Chattanooga for a million years. She has taught

costume design at Emory University and is currently teaching a

costume design class at Oglethorpe University. Sydney is a

member of United Scenic Artists-829 and a graduate of the

University of Texas. She and Chris will team up again next

spring for a new play, Edward Foote, at the Alliance Theatre in

Atlanta.

Robert Wierzel

Lighting Designer Mr. Wierzel has worked in theater, dance and opera, with artists

and directors from diverse disciplines and backgrounds, on

stages throughout the country and abroad. Currently on

Broadway, the play Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill starring

Audra McDonald. Other productions include the musical Fela!

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(2010 Tony Award nomination; and at the Royal National

Theatre/London). Robert’s dance work includes 28 years with

Bill T. Jones and the BTJ/AZ Dance Company. Other recent

dance collaborations include A.B.T. (The Tempest), Sean Curran

(Dream'd in a Dream), Heidi Latsky (Three Pieces), Liz Gerring

(Glacier) and Andrea Miller/Gallim Dance (Fold Here). Mr.

Wierzel has worked extensively in the theater, including

A.C.T./San Francisco, Goodman Theatre/Chicago, Hartford

Stage, Center Stage/Baltimore, Chicago Shakespeare, Guthrie

Theatre, YRT, Long Wharf, The Old Globe and The Mark Taper

Forum, among many others. In addition, Mr. Wierzel has

worked with many opera companies, including Glimmerglass

Festival, NYCO, Paris/Garnier, Chicago Lyric, Seattle, Tokyo,

Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, San Diego, San Francisco,

Houston, Dallas, Austin, Miami, Washington DC, Minneapolis,

Virginia and Miami. Mr. Wierzel is an adjunct faculty member

at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Currently, he is in pre-

production for the play Indian Ink, at the Roundabout Theatre

Company in NYC.

Casi Pacilio

Sound and Video Designer

Casi keeps busy with a variety of work and play in Portland and

around the country. PCS credits include The Last Five Years,

Othello, A Small Fire, Chinglish, Twist Your Dickens, The

Mountaintop, Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma!, The North Plan,

Shakespeare’s Amazing Cymbeline, Black Pearl Sings!, Opus,

futura (with composer Jana Losey), Ragtime (PAMTA Award

2010), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Alfred

Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, Snow Falling on Cedars, Crazy

Enough, The Little Dog Laughed, Sometimes a Great Notion,

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Cabaret, The Pillowman, I Am My Own Wife, West Side Story,

Celebrity Row and eight seasons of JAW. National shows:

Holcombe Waller Surfacing and Wayfinders; Hand2Mouth

Theatre credits: Left Hand of Darkness, My Mind is Like an

Open Meadow (Drammy Award 2011), Something’s Got Ahold

Of My Heart and PEP TALK. Other theatrical credits include

Squonk Opera’s Bigsmorgasbord-WunderWerk (Broadway,

PS122, national and international touring); I Am My Own Wife, I

Think I Like Girls (La Jolla Playhouse); Playland, 10 Fingers

and Lips Together, Teeth Apart (City Theatre, PA). Film credits

include Creation of Destiny, Out of Our Time and A Powerful

Thang. Recordings: Glitterfruit’s fruit snacks.

Emily N. Wells

Stage Manager

Emily is in her fourth season at PCS. Favorite shows have been

Shakespeare’s Amazing Cymbeline, Venus in Fur and Twist

Your Dickens. Proud Equity member for 18 years, spent in

NYC, on tour and regionally. Highlights on Broadway include

Electra, Swan Lake and Jersey Boys. Off-Broadway credits

include Adrift in Macao; Dedication, or the Stuff of Dreams

(with Nathan Lane and Marian Seldes); and String of Pearls at

Primary Stages. Other Off-Broadway credits are Floyd and Clea

Under the Western Sky at Playwrights Horizons and Summer of

the Swans and Sarah, Plain & Tall at the Lucille Lortel. She has

also stage managed readings and workshops for Playwrights

Horizons, NAMT and North Shore Music Theatre. She spent a

year and a half on tour as the PSM for Buddy: The Buddy Holly

Story. Regional theater work includes Ordway Center, Ogunquit

Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse and Theatreworks/USA, among

others. In June of 2014, Emily traveled to Memphis to be the

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Artistic Director for the Orpheum Theatre’s summer training

camps. She also advocates for patients with congenital heart

disease. www.achaheart.org

Marialena DiFabbio

Assistant Stage Manager

Maria is thrilled to be in Portland and working on this show.

East coast regional credits include: Satchmo At The Waldorf,

January Joiner, Ride The Tiger, Clybourne Park, My Name Is

Asher Lev, Ain’t Misbehavin’ and others at Long Wharf Theatre

in New Haven, CT. Richard II, Love’s Labour’s Lost

(Shakespeare & Co.). Portland credits include: Love’s Labour’s

Lost (Post5 Theatre), Revival (Fertile Ground), Dear Momma

and Twelfth Night (directed by the wonderful Avital Shira).

Love to family, friends and M.M.

Bailey Anne Maxwell

Production Assistant

Bailey Anne Maxwell is thrilled to be joining Portland Center

Stage this season. Bailey has most recently worked as a

Production Assistant with Artists Repertory Theatre on The

Motherf**ker with the Hat, Foxfinder, Ten Chimneys, The Lost

Boy and Seven Guitars. Bailey has recently enjoyed being the

Stage Manager on Tamer Tamed and the Assistant Stage

Manager on Taming of the Shrew with Portland Shakespeare

Project. She has also worked with Profile Theatre as a Stage

Management Apprentice on Buried Child and Eyes for

Consuela. Bailey is a Linfield College graduate and a proud

member of the EMC program.

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Scenic Painters

Shawn Mallory

Props Artisans Teresa Pilar Huarte

Shawn Mallory

Carpenters Matthew Jones

Greg Bennet

Phil Shaw

William Morfeld

Drafters Maria Gerbino

Ben Crop

Costume Design Assistant Paige Russell

Stitchers Susi Jenkins

Foggy Bell

Kat Reid

Production Electrician Conery MacRae

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Master Electrician

Alexz Eccles

Live Sound Engineer and Programmer

Em Gustason

Deck Sound Molly Gardner

Office Assistant

Kaye Blankenship

Production Intern

Casey O’Hanlan

Lead Corporate Champion Umpqua Bank

From the lead actor to the light technician, from the front seats

to the back row, we’re proud to support every inch of Portland

Center Stage. Of course we’re writing this in hope that, as a

fellow lover of the theater, you’ll come and visit us. But for

now, sit back and enjoy the show.

Benson Industries, Inc. Benson Industries, Inc. is a curtainwall contractor providing

external cladding for high rise buildings throughout the United

States and around the world, including the World Trade 1 in

New York.

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Benson is committed to our community, supporting non-profits

and the arts for over 50 years. We are sure you will enjoy the

season’s opening of Dreamgirls.

Curtis Thompson, MD & Associates We are thrilled to support Dreamgirls as the first production of

the 2014-15 PCS season. We hope you enjoy not only the music

but also this compelling story about the challenge and hardship

of evoking change.

NW Natural The theater, Thornton Wilder said, “is the most immediate way

in which a human being can share with another the sense of

what it is to be a human being.”

In that spirit, Dreamgirls takes us behind the music industry

façade to reveal the human forces that motivate, compel and

break hearts. A spectacular musical, it’s also an impressive look

at the souls behind the voices that brought joy to so many of us.

PCS – congratulations on another stellar show. You continue to

open our eyes to different truths.

-Gregg Kantor, President & CEO of NW Natural