Image from Brundibar © Maurice Sendak 2003

Tony Kushner, Librettist and Adaptor Maurice Sendak, Production Designer Kris Stone, Production and Set Designer Robin I. Shane, Costume Designer Donald Holder, Lighting Designer Rob Milburn, Sound Designer Michael Bodeen, Sound Designer Kimi Okada, Movement Director Michael Suenkel, Production Stage Manager Cynthia Cahill, Assistant Stage Manager Janet Foster, Casting Amy Potozkin, Casting Valerie Gebert, Music Director and Conductor Tony Taccone, Director Eddie Kurtz, Assistant Director MaryBeth Cavanaugh, Associate Movement Director Akiko Kosaka, Assistant Scenic Designer Kenichi Takahashi, Assistant Scenic Designer Caroline Chao, Assistant Lighting Designer John Petrafesa, Assistant Sound Designer Audry Rosales, Stilt Coach Marc Warren / On Center Productions, New York Production Manager Billy Philadelphia, Children’s Choir Director Skye Atman, Assistant to the Musical Director CAST (in order of appearance) COMEDY ON THE BRIDGE Euan Morton, The Liskovite Sentry Geoff Hoyle, The Strokopounkutnik Sentry Anjali Bhimani, Popelka Martin Vidnovic, Bedronyi Matt Farnsworth, Sykos Angelina Réaux, Eva William Youmans, Professor Ucitelli Henry DiGiovanni, Captain Ladinsky BRUNDIBAR Aaron Simon Gross, Pepicek Devynn Pedell, Aninku Henry DiGiovanni, The Ice-Cream Seller Geoff Hoyle, The Baker / The Dog Matt Farnsworth, The Milkman Martin Vidnovic, The Policeman Euan Morton, Brundibar Anjali Bhimani, The Sparrow Angelina Réaux, The Cat William Youmans, Professor Ucitelli ENSEMBLE (in alphabetical order) Faith Bowman Nikaela Bradford Misha Brooks Matia Emsellem Julia Franks Maggie Franks Lia Friedman-Salaverry Elena Garrido-Shaqfeh Elizabeth Goings Aaron Simon Gross Mason Heller Gideon Lazarus Brigette Lundy-Paine Alec Mathieson Allison McCoy Forest McMillin Amanda Neiman Evan Neiman Devynn Pedell Yael Platt Nicole Raynor Brendan Reilly Erin Reilly Michelle Roginsky Oriana Schaaf Ariele Scharff Madeline Silverman Sophia Sinsheimer Amber Solberg Gabriel Vergez Marnina Wirtschafter ALTERNATES Bebriana Cannon Sadie Hazelkorn Sabra Jaffe Kelty Morash Ariella Neckritz Alison Thvedt ORCHESTRA Yasushi Ogura, Violin 1 / Concert Master Candace Sanderson, Violin 2 Darien Cande, Viola Nancy Bien Souza, Cello Michel Taddei, Bass Leslie Chin, Flute / Piccolo Deborah Shidler, Oboe Diana Dorman, Clarinet Carla Wilson, Bassoon Stuart Gronningen, French Horn Catherine Murtagh, Trumpet Kevin Neuhoff, Timpani / Percussion Barry Koron, Piano / Accordion Valerie Gebert, Conductor TONY KUSHNER (Libretto) Tony Kushner’s plays include A Bright Room Called Day; Angels In America, Parts One and Two; Hydriotaphia, or the Death of Dr. Browne; Slavs! Thinking About The Longstanding Problems of Virtue and Happiness; Homebody/Kabul; and Caroline, or Change, a musical with composer Jeanine Tesori. He has written adaptations of Corneille’s The Illusion, S.Y. Ansky’s The Dybbuk and Brecht’s The Good Person of Sezuan. He wrote the screenplay for the Mike Nichols’ film of Angels In America, as well as the screenplay for the soon-to-be-released film, Munich, directed by Steven Spielberg. Recent books include Brundibar, with illustrations by Maurice Sendak; the text for The Art of Maurice Sendak, 1980 to the Present; and Wrestling With Zion: Progressive Jewish-American Responses to the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict, co-edited with Alisa Solomon. This is Mr. Kushner’s sixth collaboration with Tony Taccone, and his fifth show at Berkeley Rep. MAURICE SENDAK (Production Designer) is one of America’s most beloved illustrators and authors. He has illustrated over 80 children’s books, some 20 of which he also wrote, including his classic trilogy: Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There. Sendak was awarded the National Medal of the Arts by President Clinton, was the first recipient of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Literature from the Swedish government and was the first American to receive the Hans Christian Andersen International Medal for the body of his work. His other designs for musical productions include Mozart’s Magic Flute, Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges, Leo Janácek’s The Cunning Little Vixen and the Holocaust-themed A Selection. TONY TACCONE (Director) is proud to serve as the artistic director of Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where he has worked since 1988 and served in his current position since 1997. He has directed more than 25 plays for Berkeley Rep, including Honour, Continental Divide, Surface Transit, Cloud Nine, Homebody/Kabul, Culture Clash in AmeriCCa, The Oresteia, Ravenshead, Pentecost, Slavs!, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Endgame/Act Without Words, Volpone, The Convict’s Return, Major Barbara, Serious Money, Waiting for Godot, The Birthday Party and Execution of Justice. Before coming to Berkeley Rep, Mr. Taccone served as the artistic director of the Eureka Theatre in San Francisco. His directorial highlights there included Road, Boomer!, Fen, Still Life and Accidental Death of an Anarchist. His work has been frequently seen at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival where he has directed Othello, Pentecost, Coriolanus and The Cure at Troy. He has also worked at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arizona Theatre Company, San Jose Rep and Yale Rep among others. He had the great honor of co-directing the world premiere of Angels in America at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Mr. Taccone has served on the faculty of U.C. Berkeley and the board of Theatre Communications Group and has been a regional representative for the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. In addition to his two sons, Jorma and Asa, he wishes to thank and express his love for Morgan and Conner. VALERIE GEBERT (Music Director / Conductor) comes to Berkeley Rep from the touring production of Disney’s The Lion King for which she is the current associate conductor and keyboardist. She has toured North America, Japan and Europe with major musicals and has played Berlin, Bangkok and Broadway with productions of West Side Story, Hello Dolly!, A Chorus Line, I Do! I Do!, Sound of Music, The Fantasticks, Cabaret and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Regionally, Valerie has worked at St. Louis Rep, Sacramento Music Circus and North Shore Music Theater. She is delighted to be a part of the creative team for Brundibar and Comedy on the Bridge. KRIS STONE (Scenic Designer) designs have been seen throughout New York, the U.S., Scotland, England and Ireland in over 100 productions, earning her a NEA/TCG Award for Stage Design, “Best Scenic Design” by Philadelphia Weekly and a nomination for the Irish Theatre Award for Best Set Designer. Her work has been seen at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Yale Rep, Huntington Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, Edinburgh Theatre Festival, Alliance Theatre, The Magic, The Old Globe and many venues off Broadway. Upcoming productions include Iphigenia at Aulis (San Jose Rep), After Ashley (Philadelphia Theatre Company), Don Giovanni (The Florentine Opera) and the Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Kris has taught stage design at Vassar, Swarthmore and NYU’s Tisch School and is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama. ROBIN I. SHANE (Costume Designer) is thrilled to be making her West Coast debut as part of Comedy on the Bridge and Brundibar, following the 2003 Chicago Opera Theater production. New York design credits include The Bourgeois Gentleman, Triumph of Love, Dance of Death, Arms and The Man and The Importance of Being Earnest (Jean Cocteau Rep), Mac Wellman’s Cat’s-Paw (Soho Rep). Her designs have also appeared at P.S. 122, Blue Heron Arts Center, Juilliard, Manhattanville College and Bard College. Television and film credits: Cosmopolitan (PBS) and Chutney Popcorn (feature). She is most proud of her role as mother to two-year-old Cecily Ava. Robin received an M.F.A. from NYU. She is a member of the United Scenic Artists. DONALD HOLDER (Lighting Designer) Berkeley Rep audiences will remember Don Holder’s work from the Theatre’s production of George C. Wolfe’s Spunk. His recent Broadway projects include Movin’ Out (Tony, Drama Desk nominations), The Lion King (Tony, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk Awards), Gem of the Ocean (Tony nomination), Thoroughly Modern Millie, La Cage Aux Folles, A Streetcar Named Desire (Tony nomination), The Boy From Oz, Little Shop Of Horrors, The Green Bird, Juan Darien (Tony, Drama Desk nominations), and King Hedley II. Off-Broadway credits include Observe The Sons of Ulster (Lucille Lortel Award), A Man of No Importance, Glimmer, Glimmer and Shine, Three Days of Rain, Jar The Floor, Jitney, Communicating Doors, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, The Last Letter, Spunk and Jeffrey. Resident Theatre: Goodman, Center Stage, Huntington, Arena Stage, Seattle Rep, South Coast Repertory, American Conservatory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, American Repertory Theatre, Alley Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Long Wharf, Hartford Stage and many others. Mr. Holder is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama. ROB MILBURN and MICHAEL BODEEN (Sound Designers) Broadway credits include music composition and sound for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Speed of Darkness, music for My Thing of Love and sound for A Year with Frog and Toad, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Hollywood Arms, King Hedley II, Buried Child, The Song of Jacob Zulu and The Grapes of Wrath. Off-Broadway credits include music and sound for Boy Gets Girl, Red, Space and Marvin’s Room. They have created music and sound at many of America’s resident theatres (often with Chicago’s Goodman and Steppenwolf Theatres) and at several international venues. Michael Bodeen’s previous projects at Berkeley Rep include Journey to the West and The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. KIMI OKADA (Movement Director) is a founding member and associate choreographer of the dance organization ODC, for which she has choreographed some 25 works. Her work also includes commissions and collaborations with Geoff Hoyle, Bill Irwin, Julie Taymor, Robin Williams, Edward Barnes and Keith Terry. She has choreographed productions for The Children’s Theater Company of Minneapolis, Theatre for a New Audience in New York, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The American Music Theater Festival, The Santa Fe Opera, Los Angeles Music Center Opera, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Portland Center for the Performing Arts, The Pickle Family Circus and the San Francisco Mime Troupe, as well as work for television and film. She was nominated for a Tony award for the Broadway production of Largely New York, which she co-choreographed with Bill Irwin and was the recipient of a Bay Area Critics Circle Award for Best Choreography for The Caucasian Chalk Circle. JANET FOSTER (Casting) Broadway: The Light in the Piazza (six Tony Awards), Lennon, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Taking Sides (co-cast). Kennedy Center: Golden Child. Off-Broadway: Endpapers, True Love, The Dying Gaul, The Maiden’s Prayer, Dream True, Trojan Women, A Love Story. Playwrights Horizons: Floyd Collins, The Monogamist, A Cheever Evening, Later Life. Regional: Intiman Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Berkeley Rep, Pittsburgh Public, Yale Repertory, Prince Music Theater, Goodman, Steppenwolf, ART, ACT Theater, Cal Shakes (associate artist). Film/TV: Cosby, Tracey Ullman Takes on New York, The Deal, Advice from a Caterpillar. CAST ANJALI BHIMANI (Popelka, The Sparrow) has appeared on Broadway as Rani in Bombay Dreams and in Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses (also at Berkeley Rep, Seattle Rep, Mark Taper Forum and Second Stage Theatre). Her extensive stage and screen credits include the West Coast premiere of the latter show at Berkeley Rep, as well as its presentation of David Edgar’s Pentecost. Off-Broadway and regional credits include Pentecost (The Barrow Group, Berkeley Rep), Portraits (Union Square Theatre), The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (Second Stage Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), The Vagina Monologues (Apollo Theatre), The Odyssey (McCarter Theatre, Seattle Rep, the Goodman Theatre), Arabian Nights (Lookingglass Theatre at BAM, the Steppenwolf Studio) and Mirror of the Invisible World (The Goodman Studio). Her television and film credits include The Sopranos, Law & Order: SVU, All My Children and The Medicine Show. Anjali is a graduate of Northwestern University. HENRY DIGIOVANNI (The Captain, The Ice-Cream Seller) has dedicated his career to originating new work and reviving classical texts, primarily in downtown NYC. Highlights include Titus Andronicus (Target Margin Theatre inaugural production), Dose Center and Night of the Chair, all directed by David Herskovits; Richard Foreman’s City of Amateurs and Kaetchen von Heilbronn, directed by Anne Bogart; and Green Bird & Serpent Woman, directed by Andrei Serban. He has appeared regionally at the A.R.T. and Mark Taper Forum. Locally, for Thick Description, he originated the role of Sgt. Top Scanlon in Bridghe Mullins’ Dominant-Looking Males, directed by Tony Kelly, and appeared in Octavio Solis’ Dreamlandia. He portrayed Astrov in Uncle Vanya (San Jose Stage) and created a host of roles in Naomi Iizuka’s 17 Reasons Why (Campo Santo at Intersection), directed by Delia McDougall. His television credits include Brooklyn South, ER and Nash Bridges. Education: B.A. Columbia (‘86); Certificate A.R.T./Harvard (‘89). MATT FARNSWORTH (Sykos, The Milkman) has performed on Broadway in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Cats, Tommy and the Canadian production of Sunset Boulevard. His appearances in NYC theatre include the off-Broadway productions of The Wind in the Willows and the Drama Desk Award nominated The Audience. Other NYC theatre credits include the workshops of Disney’s On the Record, Marty, Dr. Doolittle and The Mancini Project. Regionally, Matt has appeared as Joe Gillis in the Jeff Award–nominated Sunset Boulevard (Marriott Lincolnshire), Captain Walker in Tommy (Pittsburgh CLO), Sky in Guys and Dolls (Missouri Rep), Buck in Betty’s Summer Vacation (Yale Rep), Floyd in Floyd Collins (Bay Area Critics Circle nomination) and Pete in Summer of ‘42 (Goodspeed). He has spent two summers at the O’Neill Playwrights Conference. Matt is a member of Actors Equity Association. AARON SIMON GROSS (Pepicek) is thrilled to be part of Brundibar and Comedy on the Bridge. His credits include playing the role of Benny in the off-Broadway, national tour and regional productions of A Stoop on Orchard Street. Regionally, Aaron has appeared in The Loman Family Picnic as Mitchell. Aaron has also been in numerous community theatre productions in his hometown of Boca Raton, Florida, including Really Rosie (Chicken Soup). Aaron is a sixth-grade student at Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Boca. He would like to thank his family, his school and everyone involved in this production for this opportunity and their support. GEOFF HOYLE (The Strokopounkutnik Sentry, The Baker, The Dog) was last seen at Berkeley Rep in For Better or Worse, which he translated and adapted from Feydeau’s late conjugal farces. He was the original Zazu in the Broadway cast of The Lion King and performed off-Broadway in his solo Feast of Fools and, most recently, in Mr. Fox by Bill Irwin. He trained with Marcel Marceau’s teacher, Etienne Decroux, and clowned with Circus Flora, Pickle Family Circus and Cirque du Soleil. His award-winning shows Boomer!, Feast of Fools, The Convict’s Return, Geni(us) and The First Hundred Years have been seen in New York, San Francisco, Paris, London, Berlin, Taiwan, England and the former Soviet Union. Regional theatre credits include Arena Stage, Seattle Rep, A.C.T., La Jolla Playhouse and American Repertory Theatre. His film credits include Popeye, Smooth Talk, Spirit of ‘76 and Valley of the Heart’s Delight. He has received several National Endowment for the Arts mime fellowships, as well as an ArtsLink grant to visit circuses in Latvia and Russia. A TCG/Pew National Theatre Artist’s Residency Program Fellowship enabled him to work with Arizona Theatre Company giving workshops in mask, clown and mime, while translating six of Georges Feydeau’s one-act plays, two of which he adapted into For Better or Worse. EUAN MORTON (The Liskovite Sentry, Brundibar) made his maiden voyage to the U.S.A. to star in the musical Taboo after a fun, hardworking career in all aspects of the acting craft in Britain. After its successful run in London’s West End, the show debuted on Broadway in the fall of 2003. It was during this time that Euan fell in love with all things American. After Taboo closed Euan took some time out to travel this beautiful country before returning to the New York stage in the lead role of the rock musical Caligula. Since then Euan has been performing in solo cabarets and as part of the Broadway Cabaret series. He is currently recording his debut album New-Clear which is due for release in the early spring of 2006. Euan is thrilled to be making his West Coast debut here in Berkeley in such a spirited and moving piece of work. Thanks go out to friends and family who have supported his ridiculous dreams! For more info see www.euanmorton.com. DEVYNN PEDELL (Aninku), a third grader from New Jersey, is thrilled to be part of this wonderful production. Off-Broadway she appeared in The People Garden and she plays ten roles in The People Garden tour. Her regional credits include Mr. Scrooge, Kids of the Arts’ Annie, Kids by Kids Kabaret, Snoopy, Peter Pan and The Wizard of Oz. She can be seen on Nick at Nite/TVLand in a Family Table Promo and the American Youth Symphony DVD, It’s a Hardbop Life. Special thanks to Generation TV, Sandcastle Kids Management, Tara Cornetto, Bob Marks and Caroline Worth-Tyrrell. Love and thanks to family and friends, especially her sister Avery! ANGELINA RÉAUX (Eva, The Cat) is a singing-actress with outstanding accomplishments in opera, theatre, concert and cabaret. She has collaborated with composers Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Ned Rorem and William Bolcom; directors Hal Prince, Richard Foreman, Christopher Alden, Stephen Wadsworth and Tony Taccone; and conductors Kurt Masur, Charles Dutoit, Kent Nagano and John Mauceri. Hailed as one of the great Kurt Weill singers of all time, she has performed The Threepenny Opera, The Seven Deadly Sins, The Tsar Has His Photograph Taken, Marie Galante and his American works in Vienna, Berlin, London, Amsterdam, New York, San Francisco and Chicago with the New York Philharmonic, the Vienna Klangforum, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the BBC Symphony and the Boston Pops. She was handpicked by Leonard Bernstein to perform and record the role of Mimi in La Bohème (Grammy nominated) and premiered R. I. Gordon’s musical setting of Hannah’s Monologue from Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. Her discography includes recordings on Deutsche Gramaphon, Teldec, Decca/London, Newport and Koch Classics. MARTIN VIDNOVIC (Bedronyi, The Policeman) has recently starred with Bebe Neuwirth in Roger Ree’s production of Here Lies Jenny. He has also played the King in the recent national tour of The King and I opposite Sandy Duncan. Martin received a Tony Nomination for the role of Tommy in Brigadoon. Other Broadway credits include Jud in Oklahoma! (L.A. Drama Critics Award), Nick in Matby and Shire’s Baby (Drama Desk Award), Antinuous in Home Sweet Home starring Yul Brynner, Lun Tha in Mr. Brynner’s revival of The King and I, Sky Masterson in Jerry Zak’s Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls, King Saul in Disney’s King David and Man One in A Grand Night for Singing (Backstage Bistro Award for its Rainbow and Stars run). Martin can be heard in the animated feature film version of The King and I as the voice of The Great Siamese Ruler, now in video and CD release. WILLIAM YOUMANS (Professor Ucitelli) may be remembered by San Francisco area audiences for his performances as Alcindoro in Baz Luhrmann’s La Bohème, Mr. Ismay in Titanic and Uncle Ernie in The Who’s Tommy. His Broadway credits include Dr. Dillamond in the original cast of Wicked, The Little Foxes with Elizabeth Taylor, Big River and La Bohème. Off-Broadway he has performed in Lincoln Center’s The Orphan of Zhao, Bombs Over Baghdad, A Glance at New York, Alan Menken’s Weird Romance, Horton Foote’s The Widow Claire at Circle In the Square, Flux and Henry V at the New York Shakespeare Festival and several others. On film he has been seen in Mrs. Soffel with Mel Gibson and Diane Keaton, Compromising Positions with Susan Sarandon, Nadine with Jeff Bridges, Fresh Horses and A League of Their Own. Television credits include The Little Match Girl, Separate but Equal, Law & Order, NYPD Blue and many others. The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. BACK TO TOP