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Ross Valley Players Presents…

Maureen O'DonoghueMaureen (Maria) is happy to be onstage at the Barn after last appearing as Penny in You Can't Take it With You.

She's also been seen here in Rabbit Hole, She Stoops to Conquer, Sly Fox, The Underpants, 45 Seconds From Broadway and My Three Angels, and has produced 19 or so plays at the Barn, most recently Impressionism.

In addition to playing at College of Marin, Shakespeare at Stinson, Marin Shakespeare and long-departed SF venues; she most recently played The Heiress's indefatigable Aunt Penniman in the enchanting Dance Palace, Pt. Reyes Station.

Daniel MorganDaniel (Cosme McMoon) is thrilled to be making his debut here at RVP and is humbled at getting to perform with such an amazing and talented cast.

Daniel has played many a character in the bay area including such roles as "Fagin" in Oliver and "Carmen Ghia" in Pinole Community Players  The Producers.

Daniel would like to thank his angels Art and Dianne Reardon as he awaits a kidney transplant.

Laughter and Love is really the "Best Medicine".               

Ellen BrooksEllen Brooks (Florence Foster Jenkins) is an actress, director and designer with an extensive background in physical theater in companies like the San Francisco Mime Troupe (commedia dell arte) and Theatre of Yugen (classical Japanese Kyogen and Noh), an ensemble with whom she spent 21 years training and performing under Japanese masters. Her recent roles in the Western repertory include Polly Wyeth in Other Desert Cities for the Barn, Carla in Scapino for Porchlight, Berthe in Boeing, Boeing at 6th Street Playhouse, Sophy in Persuasion, Fioria in Do I Hear a Waltz, Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret and Countess de Lage in The Women as well as Edith Piaf in La Chanson Intime and Lady Faulconbridge in King John. Last season she directed Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill for Masquers and will direct a new production of The Mikado for the Lamplighters in 2016.Ms. Brooks holds a Masters from San Francisco State University in Theater.

Mitchell FieldMitchell (St. Clair) has performed on stage with marvelous actors all around the Bay Area and is delighted to be back at RVP with this wonderfully talented cast and crew.

Thank you for supporting live theater!For Jackie and Daisy.

Eileen FisherEileen Fisher (Dorothy) last appeared on the Ross Valley Players stage as Pamela in The Fox on the Fairway.

Her past favorite roles include Adriana in Comedy of Errors, Elmire in Tartuffe and Elizabeth in '59 Pink Thunderbird at the College of Marin; Cora in Dark at the Top of the Stairs for Marin Classic Theater; Sarah in The Bus at the New Conservatory (also part of the Pride tour);

Kissin' Kate Barlow in Holes and Chick Boyle in Crimes of the Heart at Hillbarn Theater; and Romaine Patterson (et al) in The Laramie Project for Theater-At-Large.

Jackie BlueJackie Blue (Mrs. Verrinder-Gedge) is tickled pink to be making her RVP debut among such a talented, wacky cast of characters. She sends heartfelt thanks for the opportunity to the ever patient, kind, and keen-eyed director, Billie Cox.Recently Jackie has performed as “Fonsia Dorsey” in The Gin Game and “Sophie Greengrass” in Social Security at Pacifica Spindrift Players; “Mrs. Lily Mortar” and “Agatha” in The Children’s Hour, “Mrs. Warwick” in The Unexpected Guest, and “Sophie Greengrass” in Social Security at Broadway West; and “Mrs. Dudley” in The Haunting of Hill House at San Leandro Players.Florence’s zany story rekindled Jackie’s childhood memory of her brother David screaming, “Ma, make her shut up!” For Jackie the through line of this bizarre story is simply to do what you love. She hopes to carry forward a light from Florence’s Glorious spirit into her own blazing love of live theater.

Glorious!In Photos

www.CumulusLight.com

Dorothy and St. ClairForence (Ellen Brooks) and St. Clair (Mitchell Field) have a great time together

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Cosme and FlorenceWarm-up exercises with Florence (Ellen Brooks), as Cosme plays along (Daniel Morgan)

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Cosme and FlorenceFlorence (Ellen Brooks) discovers a higher note with Cosme (Daniel Morgan)

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Dorothy and FlorenceForence (Ellen Brooks) and Dorothy (Eileen Fisher) promote Florence’s new record

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Florence and CosmeForence (Ellen Brooks) and Cosme (Daniel Morgan) share a moment

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Dramaturgical BackgroundMeet the Director, learn about Florence!

Billie Cox (Director)Billie Cox  has been a director, playwright, composer, lyricist and designer for many years. In addition to Ross Valley Players, she has worked with SF Playhouse , Custom Made Theater, NCTC, Novato Players, College of Marin, Marin Shakespeare, Masquers and many others. 

Her work has brought her seven BATCC nominations, a Falstaff award and a Dean Goodman Award.

Her production of TWENTIETH CENTURY at RVP  garnered 5 BATCC nominations for her actors and designers. Her original play A BEARDED LADY awarded Best Play of the 2009 SF Fringe.

Director’s NotesDid no one ever tell them … or did they simply not let that get in their way? I rather envied their self confidence if not their sense of reality.

When all is said and done, I think we regret , not what we have done in life, but what we didn't do out of fear or propriety.

Florence did it, bless her.

First learning about Florence Foster Jenkins about 20 years ago, I frankly didn't know what to make of  her.

How did she get recorded? What was her history?

I knew many people like this: actors, singers, artists and musicians

who were simply not very good……but who loved what they did with a transcendent passion.

How I wish that I could throw caution to the wind – and just DO –

without the nasty inner critic holding me back.

The Dunning–Kruger effectThe Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias wherein relatively unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly assessing their ability to be much higher than is accurate.

The bias was first experimentally observed by David Dunning and Justin Kruger of Cornell University in 1999.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect

Also known as “The American Idol”

Effect

Florence’s Recordings… The only professional audio recordings of Jenkins consist of nine selections on five 78-rpm records (Melotone Recording Studio, New York City; 1941-1944).The material has been reissued in various combinations on three CDs…

Florence’s Philosophy Florence compared herself favorably to the renowned sopranos Frieda Hempel and Luisa Tetrazzini.She dismissed the abundant audience laughter during her performances as "hoodlums ... planted by her rivals." She was aware of her critics, but never let them stand in her way:

"People may say I can't sing," she said,

"but no one can ever say I didn't sing."

Florence’s Philosophy Jenkins often wore elaborate costumes that she designed for herself, sometimes appearing in wings and tinsel … while fluttering a fan and sporting more flowers in her hair.

At the age of 76 she finally yielded to public demand and

performed atCarnegie Hall

on Wednesday, October 25, 1944.

Join Florence’s Club!Support RVP!

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A Special Halloween Event at RVP!Two Performances Halloween Weekend!

Saturday, October 31, 8pmSunday, November 1, 8pm

Featuring talk backs with the Playwright!

Donation-only event (suggested $10)