Assistant DirectorChris CollierDramaturg

Vicki HoskinsScenic DesignGianni Downs

Costume DesignAyushi Dwivedi

Assistant Costume DesignKayla Meyer

Lighting DesignAnnmarie Duggan

Assistant Lighting DesignMegan Bresser

Sound DesignAngela Baughman

Scenic ArtistStephanie Shulman

Assistant Scenic ArtistLindsey Ericson

Assistant Puppet SupervisorAlathia Joy Campbell

Vocal CoachKim Griffin

Puppet CoachSam Turich

Projection DesignJoe Spinogatti

DOG IN THE MANGER ADVERTISEMENT WITH LABS AT BOTTOM?

Book By Jeff WhittyMusic and Lyrics By RobeRt Lopez and Jeff MaRx

Based on an originaL concept By RobeRt Lopez and Jeff MaRxdirected By bRia WaLkeR

MusicaL direction By JaMes Rushin

The world premiere of Avenue Q was presented by the Vineyard Theatre and The New Group, New York City, February 2003. Avenue Q premiered on Broadway at the Golden Teater on July 31, 2003, produced by Kevin McCollum, Robyn

Goodman, Jeffrey Seller, Vineyard Theatre and The New Group. Avenue Q is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 421 West 54th Street,

New York, NY 10019, Phone 212-541-4684, Fax 212-397-4684, www.mtishows.com.

The use of cameras and recording equipment during performances is prohibited. Please silence all electronic paging devices, beepers, and cellular phones.

Restrooms are located to the left and right of the stairwell.Smoking, eating, and drinking are not permitted in the theatre.

Avenue Q is 2 hour and 15 minutes longWith a 15 minute intermission

Studio Theatre, Oakland

Stage ManagerMonica Meyer

Assistant Stage ManagersValerie HuangStefanie MaierPuppet Design

Rick Lyon

Lucy T. Slut........................................................Molly BalkChristmas Eve....................................Chih-hsuan ChangPrinceton.......................................................Alex Dittmar Trekkie Monster/ Boy Bad Idea Bear..............Jay GarciaRod................................................................Tim KanieckiNicky...........................................................Charles KronkGary Coleman.............................................Daria SullivanKate Monster.............................................Lauryn ThomasMrs. Thistletwat/Girl Bad Idea Bear........Madrid VinarskiBrian......................................................James Williamson

Music Director, Keyboards........................James Rushin Drums.................................................................CJ Young Reeds.............................................................Collin PhillipBass............................................................Ben Rossman

Cast List

Musicians

Hello Friend,

Welcome to Avenue Q! Avenue Q isn’t your typical New York City block. Well, I take that back. It sort of is. It’s small, cramped, and filled with lots of different creatures from all walks of life intermingling and creating a community. A community of puppets and humans. Puppets live here. Puppet monsters live here too. Or, excuse me, the politically correct term would be “People of Fur.” That brings me to another point. This show is not politically correct. I repeat, it is not politically correct.

If you are one who is easily offended, you should leave. Now. Go! Get up, walk out and exit the theatre, because during the duration of the show, you will be offended at some point. Something we say or do will make you bust out laughing and at the drop of hat may make you cringe. Either way, you’ll have a good time! You will also come to love these puppets and root for them. You may find yourself getting caught up in emotions that you never thought you could have for a puppet. That is the power and beauty of this work. It has the ability to uplift our spirits and make us connect with one another on a different level.

I must let you know that not one of the actors you see tonight had any experience with puppetry before rehearsals began. They all came in to the process ready and willing to challenge themselves. To be able to sing, act, do choreography, and lip sync with a puppet on your hand (and all at the same time, mind you) is a feat. My actors rose to the challenge. Get ready to be impressed.

I grew up in the generation of Sesame Street, The Muppets, and MTV. So, the intermingling of pop culture, media, educational tools and music make complete sense to me as an artist. Art must stay relevant. It must comment on what is happening now. It should break the fourth wall whenever necessary. It should not be afraid to offend. Art should also make you ask yourself questions. For example, “What am I a little bit racist about?” Notice I didn’t say, “Am I a little bit racist?” Cause, face it…you are. Racist. A little bit. About something. I bet you are sitting in your seat right now thinking to yourself, “Pssh. I’m not.” Sorry to break it to you but you are. Just own up to it, giggle about whatever it is, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

Sincerely,Bria Walker

Director

Director's Notes

Lauryn Thomas (Kate Monster) is ecstatic to make her UP Stages debut! A sophomore theatre and English major and Spanish minor, Lauryn had a blast working with the cast and crew. Most recent credits include Bell in Alarum Theatre's Slowly and Female 1 in Pitt Musical Theatre Club’s Love is Love. Enjoy the show!

Madrid Vinarski (Mrs. Thistletwat/Girl Bad Idea Bear) is very excited to be in her first Pitt Stages production! She is a junior Theatre Arts and Chinese double major. She is also the department liaison for the Pitt Musical Theatre Club. Previous credits: Ata Windust in Criminal Hearts (Performance Collaborative) and Jenny in Company (MTC).

James Williamson (Brian) is very excited to make his debut in a University of Pittsburgh Stages' show. He is a junior theatre arts major. James was most recently in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Les Miserables, and Spamalot.

CONTINUING A LEGACYThe Richard McMillan Fund is new fund for undergraduate theatre students at the University of PIttsburgh named in honor of Richard McMillan, a long time friend of the Department of Theatre Arts. The Richard McMillian Fund continues Rick's legacy and deidacition to excellence as the Department of Theatre Arts teaches the next generation of theatre artists.

To make a donation by check, designate "MCMILL" in the memo section and send to the following address:

University of Pittsburgh RecordsManagement Park Plaza128 North Craig StreetPittsburgh, PA 15260

Donate online atplay.pitt.edu/support

Molly Balk (Lucy T. Slut) is ecstatic to be in her second mainstage Pitt Stages production! Last semester, she could be seen as Daniela in In the Heights. Other favorite roles include Tracy in Hairspray and recently, director of Little Shop of Horrors. She is a sophomore communication sciences and disorders major and theatre minor.

Chih-hsuan Chang (Christmas Eve) can’t be more excited to make her debut in a University of Pittsburgh main-stage musical. She is a sophomore psychology and business duel major with a theatre minor. Her previous (only) acting performance was in a TV drama, and she was a band member (keyboard) for MTC’s musical Spamalot.

Alex Dittmar (Princeton) is excited to perform in his first mainstage role at the University of Pittsburgh. He is a freshman political science and theater double major.

Jay Garcia (Trekkie Monster/Boy Bad Idea Bear) is honored to be part of another University of Pittsburgh mainstage production. Jay is a junior biology major and theatre arts minor. Past UP Stages credits include In the Heights (Ensemble, u/s Sonny), and Zanna, Don’t! (Tank). Jay will be the dramaturg in the upcoming production of “The God Committee”.

Tim Kaniecki (Rod) is a senior chemistry/theatre arts double major who is excited to be returning for his third Pitt Stages show, following In the Heights and Zanna, Don't. He has also been seen in numerous MTC productions, and will be directing the regional premiere of Big Fish with them this spring.

Charles Kronk (Nicky) is excited to make his debut in a University of Pittsburgh Stages show. He is a sophomore majoring in bioinformatics with a double minor in neuroscience and German studies, with a focus in Eurozone studies and health policy. Charles hopes to work again with Pittsburgh Stages in the near future.

Daria Sullivan (Gary Coleman) is ecstatic to make her debut in a University of Pittsburgh Mainstage production. She is a sophomore pursuing a double major in theatre and communications and hopes to also minor in creative writing. Her credits include motormouth ensemble in Hairspray and the loudspeaker in David Ives's "English Made Simple."

The Company

honored with The Bellet Teaching Excellence Award. Professionally her work has been seen Off Broadway and Regionally at such theatres as Cumberland County Playhouse, Orlando Rep, Capital Repertory Theatre, Skylight Music Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare, St. Michaels Playhouse, Stoneham Theatre, Florida Repertory Theatre, American Stage, Utah Musical Theatre, Theatrefest, Merrimack Repertory, Hampton Playhouse, New Victory Theatre, Seacoast Rep. to name a few.

Ayushi Dwivedi (Costume Designer) is excited for her first big role with the University of Pittsburgh stages. Ayushi is a sophomore double majoring in theatre arts and neuroscience. She worked as the sound board operator for Agamemnon last semester.

Kim Griffin (Vocal Coach) is an actor and educator Regionally, she has performed at Quantum Theatre, Round House Theatre, Olney Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, The Old Globe, Boston Playwrights Theatre, and The Humana Festival. As an educator, she has been fortunate to work with The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, Actor’s Theatre Louisville, San Diego Junior Theatre, Boston University’s Summer Theatre Institute, and the California Young Playwright’s Festival.

Vicki Hoskins (Dramaturg) is a second year Ph.D. student in theatre and performance studies here at Pitt. She has worked as a dramaturg for roughly ten years, in both new play development and in production dramaturgy. She has experience working on plays, musicals, devised pieces, and dance performances.

Valerie Huang (Assistant Stage Manager) is excited to work on her first University of Pittsburgh Stages musical. She is a sophomore theatre arts major. Past productions for the University of Pittsburgh include Venus, and “The Fever Chart.” Valerie will also be a stage manager in the upcoming production of God Committee in the spring.

Stephen Kromka (Technical Director) is a senior at Pitt with a double major in theatrical engineering and communications and rhetoric. Stephen is the first student to technical direct a Pitt Stages Mainstage musical and was the first student TD for last spring's play Agamemnon. He has previously worked on many other Pitt productions and looks forward to graduating this December to broaden his horizons with new theaters.

Stefanie Maier (Assistant Stage Manager) is a freshman theatre arts major and economics and studio arts minor. She is excited to work on her first University of Pittsburgh show. Past experience include acting as Miranda in The Tempest with Garfield Park Shakespeare Company in Indianapolis and crew for Buck Creek Players in Acton, IN.

The Production Team

Angela Baughman (Sound Designer) is thrilled to be part of Pitt’s production of Avenue Q. Her design credits include Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Toward the Somme and Blithe Spirit at PICT Classic Theatre, and parts of Bricolage’s STRATA. She is the resident sound designer at Prime Stage Theater and the executive producer of The Union Edge, a progressive talk radio show. Angela made her way to Pittsburgh after earning a degree from Berklee College of Music.

Megan Bresser (Assistant Lighting Designer) is a freshman theater arts major. She is excited to work on her second University of Pittsburgh Stages show. Megan was the light board operator for Stop Kiss in October. She was also the lighting designer for Performance Collaborative’s production of Criminal Hearts earlier this semester.

Alathia Joy Campbell (Puppet Wrangler) is a senior arts major with a certificate in gender studies. Their work as a costume designer has been seen in several student lab productions and will be seen on Pitt Stage’s mainstage production of Curse of the Starving Class in the spring.

Chris Collier (Assistant Director) is a senior theatre arts major who is very happy to have been given the opportunity to work on his second mainstage show. Last fall he was in Venus, which was his first show ever. This semester in addition to assistant directing Avenue Q, he co-directed the Performance Collaborative's production of Criminal Hearts. He is also excited to direct his lab The God Committee next semester.

Gianni Downs (Scenic Designer) is a nationally recognized scenic designer with a Kevin Kline Award for In the Next Room, or the vibrator play at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, two Kevin Kline nominations for Crime and Punishment and The Lieutenant of Inishmore at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and an Irene Ryan nomination for his design for The Dazzle at Stoneham Theatre. His portfolio can be viewed at his website www.giannidesigns.net.

Annmarie Duggan (Lighting Designer) serves as the chair of the theatre arts department and teaches in the areas of Stage Management, Lighting Design, and Computer Aided Drafting. Professor Duggan was recently

Monica Meyer (Stage Manager) is a senior theatre arts, English literature, and psychology major with an emphasis in stage management. She’s held a variety of roles for University of Pittsburgh Stages, primarily stage management (Company, Matt & Ben) and assisting (In the Heights, Machinal). Professionally, she’s stage managed at Cortland Repertory Theatre, Theater Works, and with MTAP. This spring she will sound design Pitt’s Dog in the Manger.

James Rushin (Music Director) is excited to once again work with Bria Walker, this time on the Pitt stage. He is currently working on his own puppet webseries, tentatively titled The PIYL Project. You can hear him elsewhere with his band (performing as Avenue Q's pit orchestra), Soul Distribution.

Joe Spinogatti (Projection Designer) is thrilled to be working on Avenue Q. Joe is a sophomore theatre arts and information sciences dual degree student. Joe is currently researching Google Glass in theatre and is looking forward to sound designing the University of Pittsburgh Stages’ production of Curse of the Starving Class this spring.

Sam Turich (Puppet Coach) returns to University of Pittsburgh Stages after directing As You Like It in the Charity Randall, Shakespeare's Lovers & Fighters in the Heymann and Alice (featuring many wonderful puppets) in the Studio. Other puppetry experience includes Intoxication and the New York premiere of Sockpuppet Showgirls.

Bria Walker (Director) is an actress, singer, writer, director and guest lecturer in the theatre arts department. Directing credits include Ten by Ten by Ten (Virginia Governor’s School for the Arts), “Got Love?” (The Neighborhood Academy), a staged reading of Off With Her Maidenhead, which was cowritten by her good buddy James Rushin (Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival at Merry-Go-Round-Playhouse). www.briawalker.com

Robert Lopez (Music and Lyrics) Robert Lopez shared a Tony Award and Grammy nomination for Avenue Q, the 20th longest running Broadway musical, which he co-wrote and conceived. More recently he collaborated with South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker to write and compose the smash Broadway comedy The Book Of Mormon. With his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez, he wrote Finding Nemo: The Musical (playing in Orlando since 2006), the Broadway-bound original musical Up Here, and songs for Winnie The Pooh (Disney Feature Animation 2011). He shared two Emmy awards for his music for The Wonder Pets, and an Emmy nomination for the SCRUBS musical episode. Member BMI Workshop, Dramatists Guild, WGA, AEA, Yale grad, native NY'er.

Love LettersWritten By

A.R. GurneyDirected By David HoganStarring Richard McMillan and Anne Louise Bannon NOVEMBER 7-9, 2014

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Jeff Marx (Music and Lyrics) met Robert Lopez at the the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. It was there that Avenue Q was born. Originally from Hollywood, FL, Jeff attended the workshop as a as a young lawyer, looking for clients, and ended up leaving law and becoming a songwriter. Forever grateful to the BMI Workshop, he has worked on such projects as NBC's SCRUBS and Disney's Bear In The Big Blue House.

Jeff Whitty (Book) won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Avenue Q. Plays include The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler, The Hiding Place, The Plank Project, Suicide Weather, and Balls. Theaters presenting his work include the Atlantic Theater Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory, and the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. Upcoming: Tales of the City: The Musical with music by Jake Shears and John Garden of the pop group Scissor Sisters, as well as Bring It On: The Musical with music by Tom Kitt, Amanda Green, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. As an actor, Jeff has appeared Off-Broadway, regionally, and in films and TV.

FacultyChair............................................................................................Annmarie DugganDirector of Graduate Studies......................................................Bruce McConachieHead of Performance..........................................................................Cynthia CrootHead of MFA Performance Pedagogy............................................Dennis SchebettaFull Time Faculty...............................................Gianni Downs, Kathleen George

Karen Gilmer, Michelle Granshaw, Lisa Jackson-SchebettaChosky Teacher Artists-in-Residence.............................................Kimberly GriffinRichard E. Rauh Teaching Artist-In-Residence............................Ricardo Vila-RogerGuest Artists/Lecturers............................................................................Bria Walker

Administrative StaffDepartment Administrator....................................................................Pamela WeidOperations Manager...............................................................Laura McCarthy-BlattDepartment & Graduate Secretary....................................................Connie MarkiwMarketing Coordinator..............................................................................Josh StoreyPatron Services Specialist....................................................................Andy Meholick

Production StaffMaster Electrician/ Shop Foreman............................................................JC BardzilStaff Technical Director...............................................................................Jon WestCostume Shop Foreman........................................................................Cindy AlbertAssistant Costume Shop Supervisor.....................................................Venise St. PierreProp Shop Supervisor.................................................................Johnmichael BohachMarketing..............................................................Christiana Molldrem Harkulich

Amanda Olmstead, Miranda Saralyn ScharfBox Office & House Management...............................Shelly Burke, Ellen Connally

Hayden Doty, Jay Garcia, Rachel Golden, Steve KrhovskyAndie Markijohn, Heidi Baldt Matthews, Ben McClymont

Amber Montgomery, Samantha Nuttall, Taylor Staiger, Lauryn Thomas

Production CrewAssostamt Master Electrician.................................................................Amy WoolerScenic Artist...............................................................................Stephanie ShulmanAssistant Scenic Artist........................................................................Lindsey EricsonSpot Ops................................................................Davis Caramanico, Mel VittuloA2......................................................................................................Austin Nebbia

Stage Hand.......................................................................................Lauren SundayPuppet Wrangler.........................................................................Kevin McConville

Light Board Operator............................................................................Jessica SchatzProjections Board Operator................................................................Laura Kweller

Student Master Electrician.................................................................Lauryn ThomasShop Crew.............................................Megan Bresser, Chad Howard, Kaitie Hughes

Micky Krenek, Monica Meyer, Miranda ScharfKristin O'Malley, and the Stagecraft students

Costume Crew.................................................................Denise Chow, Erin Burruto Kelia Morrison, Jenna Simmons, Claire Werkiser

and the students in Costume Crafts ClassDressers................................................................................................Kaleigh Ruiz

Special Thanks

William Brown, the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, Hayden M. GilmerKaren Gilmer, Hunter Kloss, Kristina Kloss, Mary Koller, Robert Perkoski

Ricardo Vila-Roger, and you for supporting the arts!

University of Pittsburgh Department of Theatre Arts

University of Pittsburgh Department of Theatre Arts

The Department of Theatre Arts in the School of Arts and Sciences is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre and offers BA, MA, MFA, and PhD degrees in Theatre Arts. The Department maintains a philosophy of theatre education based on the firm conviction that theory and practice, academic and creative work, and educational and professional theatre must be fully integrated for a successful program of theatre education.

auditionsspring semester

December 1 and 2, 2014Auditions are open to the entire campus.