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Program

Little Women: the Broadway Musical
Book by Allan Knee
Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein
Music by Jason Howland
Based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott

Directors: Alvin Mayes and Scot Reese
Musical Director: Marci Shegogue
Scenic Designer: Sarah Beth Hall
Costume Designer: Ashlynne Ludwig
Lighting Designer: Michael Winston
Sound Designer: Sam Crawford
Stage Manager: Keta Newborn
Fight Captain: Kiefer Cure

OCTOBER 28-31, 2021
KAY THEATRE

This performance will last approximately 2 hours 15 minutes, which includes one 15-minute intermission.

VIDEO OR AUDIO RECORDING OF THIS PRODUCTION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

Little Women is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com.

CAST
Mr. Brooke: Marcus Campbell
Jo March: Leilani Clendenin
Marmee March: Jordan Embrack
Amy March: Karenna Foley
Mrs. Kirk: Katie Rees
Professor Bhaer: Jake Schwartz
Aunt March: Allyson Sweiderk
Mr. Laurence: Evan Thanicatt
Meg March: Carolina Tomasi
Laurie Laurence: Anton Van De Motter
Beth March: Amelia Yasuda

UNDERSTUDIES
Aunt March, Mrs. Kirk: Taryn Carone
Mr. Laurence: Kiefer Cure
Professor Bhaer: Robert Duncan
Marmee March: Kayleigh Gallagher
Mr. Brooke: Sam Intrater
Amy March: Grace Guzman
Beth March: Annabel Lee
Jo March: Katie Rees
Laurie Laurence: Davis Stack
Meg March: Allyson Sweiderk

ORCHESTRA
Mark Allred: Trumpet
Brian Bera: Bass
Tionne Blackwell: Trombone
Claire Bradfuhrer: Viola
Mark Deal: French Horn
Joe Ichniowski: Cello
Gwyn Jones: Reeds
Jaclyn Kitcoff: Violin
Emilie Mitchell: Percussion
Marci Shegogue: Piano

TIME AND SETTING
Concord, Massachusetts and New York City. Christmas 1863 - Spring 1867.

ASSISTANT DIRECTORS, DESIGNERS AND STAGE MANAGERS
Assistant Directors: Virginia Coldren and Abigail Landesman
Associate Musical Director: Matré Grant
Assistant Costume Designers: Layali Aljirafi, Fionna Clark, Cody Von Ruden
Associate Lighting Designer: Eric Pitney
Assistant Lighting Designer: Jisu Han, Christina Smith
Assistant Stage Managers: Matt Haggerty, Jillian Harvey

PRODUCTION STAFF

COSTUMES
Drapers: Lisa Parkel Burgess, Susan Chiang, Tessa Lew, Steven Simon
First Hand: Amy Vander Staay
Wardrobe Crew Head: Macaley Fields
Graduate Assistants: Clare Lillig, Connor Locke
Stitchers: Katy Cawley, Leilani Clendenin, Ariella Cohn, Robbi Duncan, Jade Hull, Annabel Lee, Mel Mader, Nicholas McQuain, Lisa Myerovich, Nicole Panebianco, Katie Rees, Celia Richardson, Tien Tran, Amelia Yasuda          

TECHNOLOGY
Technology Graduate Assistants: Christian Henrriquez, Christina Smith
Lighting Supervisors: Malory Hartman, Cassaundra Saulski, Cameron Smith
Electricians: Samuel Biuk, Matt Brehm, Grant Hill, Jonah Pereyra, Zachary Rupp, Miguel Sarmiento, Erin Taylor, Lelia Vetter, Hanna Zakharenko
Production Technology Student Crew: Max Abramovitz, Taryn Carone, Alie Karambash, Elizabeth Raney, Evan Thanicatt

PAINTS
Scenic Artists: Andrea Ball, Kristin Brain-Tanman, Bobbie Carter Dewhurst, Sarah Beth Hall, James Raymond, Stephanie Warrington
Student Scenic Painters: Isabella Benning, Josie Danckaert, Nicole Panebianco, Kira Peck, Jalen Wilhite

Show Crew
Dressers: Viola Costen, Nicholas Lee McQuain, Kiana Malak Motiei, Mirsa Oporta Hernandez
Light Board Operator: Tien Tran
Audio Engineer: Emily Pan
Audio Technician: Madeline Redding
Follow Spots: Nelson Chen, Alana Isaac
Run Crew: Jade Hull, Logan Stevens

Program Notes

Directors’ Note

This production is dedicated to the memory of Carmen Balthrop, Herb Burgess, Walter Dallas, David Driskell and Sandy Jackson. Like Beth March, they all had charitable hearts that impacted the lives of all they touched. And like Jo, who resolved to live her life with more consideration and care for others, we hope others will do the same.

--ALVIN MAYES AND SCOT REESE, directors

Dramaturgy Note

The Feminist Sisters of Concord

Set during the U.S. Civil War, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women shows us different archetypes of women in that era through the five March women, all of whom were based on women from Alcott’s life. Jo, our protagonist, doesn’t give “two figs” about society, and goes against every assumption of what a lady should be in the late 1800s. She dreams of being a writer and financially independent, and she puts her relationship with her sisters above any man. Jo’s dreams shift slightly throughout the course of the play, but her choices never dim her independence, and never undermine the characterization that Alcott so strongly believed in. Amy, the youngest March sister, is practically the opposite of Jo. She values the finer things in life, consistently shows her admiration for boys, and dreams of being part of higher society. Meg, the oldest March sister, yearns to feel appreciated and wishes to keep her family together through hard times, ultimately marrying for love, not status. Beth is there to unite them all, finding the good in people and focusing on the present instead of making dreams for the future. Their mother, who they affectionately call “Marmee,” struggles to keep her family afloat while her husband is at war.

The writing and publishing of Little Women was a feminist act. In Alcott’s era, women’s stories were not seen as worthy. Even if the March women’s choices are not all seen as feminist, Alcott’s intentions were. It is clear that her main vision of a feminist is Jo (based on Alcott herself): a passionate, white, lower-middle class woman who refuses to marry and insists on providing for herself. We also know that the mainstream feminism of Alcott’s time ignored the needs of women of color and other marginalized women, in part due to the pervasive view that these women were unfeminine and not deserving of respect. Today, the concept of femininity is being deeply explored: many young people are refuting the gender binary and arguing that there is nothing that makes a woman a woman. Even still, women and feminine-presenting people are judged on their choices and their bodies, and people with uteri (an organ associated with femininity) are regulated and restricted. Black women are often described as too manly and aggressive, Asian women are treated as helpless and different body types are regarded as more or less likely to deserve “feminine” treatment. These are just a few examples of how society treats women and how important it is to tell the story of Little Women in the 21st century.

The characters of Jo, Amy, Meg, Beth and Marmee do not share one trait that makes them specifically feminine; we see their label of “little women” shown through their complex, close and caring relationships with each other. The March women of our production are diverse; they do not all look alike and they all experience the world differently. The actors in this production have worked hard to find themselves in their characters and to play them with truth. In showing Little Women here at TDPS, we are telling not only Louisa May Alcott’s story, but the stories of the little women in our cast and in our lives.

--Virginia Coldren and Abigail Landesman, assistant directors

For more exploration of the above concepts and thoughts, please see the following articles:

“As a Black Woman, I’m Tired of Having to Prove My Womanhood” by Hannah Eko and “Yes, Little Women is a Feminist Novel - And Here’s Why” by Kathleen Keenan.

About the Artists

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

Marcus Campbell (Mr. Brooke/Braxton) senior theatre performance major. UMD credits: Martius (Citizen 3) and Fearless New Play Festival (stage directions). Outside credits: Heathers (Ram Sweeney), Mr. Burns (Homer Simpson), In The Heights (Piragua Guy) and many more.

Taryn Carone (Aunt March u/s, Mrs. Kirk u/s) senior theatre performance major and general business minor at the University of Maryland. UMD credits: The Revolutionists (Charlotte Corday), A Doll House (Nora u/s), Hamlet Replayed (House Ghost).

Virginia Coldren (assistant director) senior theatre major and arts leadership minor. The Muses President, Sigma Kappa member. UMD credits: Machinal (assistant director), Noises Off! (wardrobe crew), Hookman (running crew), multiple Muses Original Works Projects (director and actor).

Leilani Clendenin (Jo March) fourth-year voice and theater dual degree student. Robert H. Smith Music Scholarship and Suzanne Beicken Memorial Scholarship recipient. National Society of Leadership and Success member. UMD credits: Machinal (Mother of Boy/Clerk/Barber), Flyin’ West (Minnie u/s). Outside credits: Mama Anacostia (Prince George’s Children’s Theater).

Sam Crawford (sound designer)

Kiefer Cure (Mr. Laurence u/s, fight captain) second-year theatre and neuroscience major. Banneker/Key Scholar. Outside credits: Little Shop of Horrors (Orin Scrivello, DDS.), No Exit (Vincent Cradeau), Shakespeare’s R+J (Juliet), The Secret Garden (Dr. Craven).    

Robert Duncan (Professor Bhaer u/s)

Jordan Embrack (Marmee March) first-year theatre performance major. Outside credits: Dancing on the Air: The Teenarama Story (Lita), Dir. Jiiko Townsend, The BoardRoom Stage Play, R.A.R.E Soul Productions (Niecy).

Karenna Foley (Amy March) junior theatre performance major. College Park Arts Scholars alum. UMD credit: New Beginnings (Performer). Outside credits: Fools (Sophia), The Music Man (Zaneeta Shinn), Cinderella (Marie), The Diary of Anne Frank (Anne). 

Kayleigh Gallagher (Marmee March u/s, Little Women) junior theatre major. Gemstone team RECYCLOTH. UMD credits: Machinal (Young girl, Nurse 2), Fearless New Play Festival: The Ice Box (Stage Directions). Outside credits: Wizard of Oz (Dorothy), Beauty and the Beast (Belle). 

Matré Grant (associate musical director) first-year Ph.D. student in theatre and performance studies and researcher of Blackness in Broadway musicals from 1990 to the present. M.A. Musicology (Princeton University); B.A. Music (University of Pennsylvania). Outside directing credits: Dido & Aeneas, The Old Maid & The Thief, Once On This Island. Outside music directing credits: Pauline Viardot's Cendrillon, Once On This Island, Memphis (assistant). Outside makeup design credits: Sweeney Todd, Chess, Le Nozze di Figaro, Monteverdi's L'Orfeo. Outside performing: Gianni chicchi (Zita); Humperdinck's Hansel & Gretel (Mother); How to Succeed... (Miss Krumholtz); The Old Maid & The Thief (Miss Todd cover); Le Nozze di Figaro (Cherubino cover, in English). 

Grace Guzman (Amy March u/s) sophomore theatre and dance major at the University of Maryland. Second-year College Park Arts Scholar. UMD credits: The Revolutionists (Charlotte Corday u/s).

Sarah Beth Hall (scenic designer)

Matthew Haggerty (assistant stage manager) junior theatre and government and politics double major. Chi Phi Fraternity President, It’s On Us chapter co-founder. UMD credits: Musical Revue (assistant stage manager), I Am Womb/Champagne Party for Time Travelers (lighting board operator).

Jillian Harvey (assistant stage manager) junior theatre major and arts leadership minor. Outside stage management credits: Little Shop of Horrors (Anne Arundel County, Performing and Visual Arts Program), Everybody (Howard Community College), I Love Luci (Howard Community College).

Sam Intrater (Mr. Brooke u/s) fourth-year theatre and government/politics major. UMD credits: Machinal (Adding Clerk/Judge/Husband/Second Man), Noises Off (Selsdon), The Visit (Anton Schill), Maryland Night Live (Sketch Player). Outside credits: Side Show (Sir), Seussical (Horton). 

Abigail Landesman (assistant director) senior government & politics and theatre performance major. UMD credits: Machinal (Wife/Reporter), Someway Somehow (Kreativity Diversity Troupe), Spring Cabaret 2019.

Annabel Lee (Beth March u/s) senior theatre performance and psychology double major, and vocal music performance minor. Soprano in UMD Treble Choir. Board member of the Multicultural Association for Psychology Students. UMD credits: Second Season: The Triumph of Horus (Chorus).

Ashlynne Ludwig (costume designer) third-year M.F.A. candidate in costume design. UMD credits include Noises Off (2019) and Responsive Wild (2020). DC credits include designer for P.Nokio at Imagination Stage (upcoming), Associate costume designer for Quixote Nuevo at Round House Theatre, as well as positions at Wolf Trap Opera and Studio Theatre. Other professional credits include The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Addams Family at the Cumberland County Playhouse.

Keta Newborn (stage manager) entered the world of theater in 2006 after previously spending 12 years as a computer engineer. Keta's involvement within the theatrical world has allowed her to hold many different titles on many different levels for almost two decades now. Keta is recognized for being a detailed-oriented person who is deeply committed to her work. Highly skilled at working with a diverse group of people to build effective creative solutions by using well-developed interpersonal communication skills, Keta would like to thank her Father above for the opportunity to be used as one of HIS vessels, working to bring HIS work of art into the hearts of many. To learn more about Keta and her work, please visit www.newbornketa.com.

Alvin Mayes (director) has worked collaboratively with Scot Reese for a number of productions: this season’s Little Women: the Broadway Musical, Flyin’ West in 2019 and others. In his tenure at the University of Maryland, he has created more than 150 dance works on students. Some of these works were performed at V Festival de la Cultura de Origen Caribeño in Santiago de Cuba, at the Port Sisters City Festival in Nagoya, Japan, many festivals in the mid-Atlantic region of American College Dance Association and the Choreographers’ Showcase. In spring 2021, he received a grant from Greenbaum Charitable Foundation to create Chasing the Moon/Crossing Jordan, a short dance film for dance alumnus Atlas Hill. Other Greenbaum Charitable Foundation grants have supported him to make Los Ojos Sobre Manabí for Compañía Ceibadanza in Manta, Ecuador, which was accepted in XI Festival Internacional “Fragmentos de Junio” 2013 in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Katie Rees (Mrs. Kirk, Jo March u/s) junior theatre performance and government and politics double major. Creative and Performing Arts Scholar, The Muses’ treasurer. UMD credits: Machinal (Nurse), Fearless New Play Festival (Ghost Story), UMD Pandemic Players (Cepheus), The Muses Original Works Project (Quiet Cacophony). 

Scot Reese (director) Professional theatre credits include productions from Los Angeles to New York. Television credits include daytime dramas, situation comedies, variety specials, commercials and an Emmy Award in performance. Recent credits include world premieres of Oliver du Brasil, A Cricket in Times Square and Blues Journey at the Kennedy Center, and the Waiter at Arena Stage. Additional recent credits include the opera Dr. of Alcantara at Strathmore Music Center, Once On This Island at the Round House Theatre, Pretty Fire for the African Continuum Theatre Company and Barefoot in the Park (with Laura Linney and Eric Stoltz) at LA Theatre Works. In 2019, he was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre. 

Jake Schwartz (Professor Bhaer) senior theatre education major. UMD credits: The Visit (Police Chief). Outside credits: Romeo and Juliet (Romeo), The Addams Family Musical (Lucas), 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Leaf).

Marci Shegogue (music director) has music directed hundreds of professional, community and educational productions over the past 40 years. She is president and music director of The Free Theatre, a tuition-free student-led teen theatre company and resident music director for Free Range Humans. Marci has worked extensively with educational theatre and music programs, including Montgomery County Public Schools, Imagination Stage, Act Two and BlackRock Center for the Arts. As a UMD theatre alumna, she is excited to return to the community where her music directing career began. Marci is a collaborative accompanist, audition coach and freelance musician.

Davis Stack (Laurie Laurence u/s) senior theatre major. UMD credits: The Visit (Painter), She Kills Monsters (Steve). Outside credits: Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens, Brighton Fringe Festival, (Brian), ‪Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (soloist performer), Baltimore School for the Arts (theatre graduate). 

Allyson Sweiderk (Aunt March, Meg March u/s) senior theatre performance major and grateful to be performing again! UMD credits: New Beginnings (Performer). Outside credits: The Music Man (Marian), Cinderella (Ella), The Phantom of the Opera (Meg).

Evan Thanicatt (Mr. Laurence) senior theatre major. UMD Credits: Please Like Me, Fearless New Play Festival, (Male Glamazon), She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms (Chuck), The Visit (Pedro) The Heidi Chronicles (Chris). Outside Credits: Soul Redeemer (Jake) at Capital Fringe Festival, Sister Act (TJ) at Montgomery College SDT.

Carolina Tomasi (Meg March) senior Spanish and theatre performance double major. Creative and Performing Arts Scholar. UMD credits: Orlando (ensemble), I Have an Idea For a Play (Character A), She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms (Magic #1), Martius (Caius Martius). 

Anton Van De Motter (Laurie Laurence) senior voice performance and journalism dual degree student. Erwin L. Ocker Vocal Scholarship recipient. Ethnobeat a cappella music director. Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Eta Psi vice president. UMD credits: Martius (Sicinius), Signor Deluso (Leon), Down in the Valley (ensemble), Can You Keep a Secret? (Peter). Outside credits: Captain Walton (Frankenstein).

Michael Winston (lighting designer) recently graduated from the University of Maryland with his M.F.A. in lighting design. He currently designs in the DMV area. You can find more of his work at michaeldwinston.com.

Amelia Yasuda (Beth March) senior English and theatre performance double major. Presidential Scholar, Honors Humanities. UMD credits: Field Glass: FNPF 2019 (Cricket), The Tao Island: FNPF 2020 (Lucinda), The Revolutionists (Olympe u/s). Outside credits: The Addams Family (Morticia), Heathers (Heather McNamara), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Marcy Park).