Caroline, or Change

TONY KUSHNER (Book & Lyrics) Plays include A Bright Room Called Day; Angels In America, Parts One and Two; Slavs!; 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 and Mother Courage and Her Children; as well as the English-language libretto for the opera Brundibar by Hans Krasa. He wrote the screenplay for the Mike Nichols' film of Angels In America and for Steven Spielberg's film Munich. Recent books include Brundibar, with illustrations by Maurice Sendak; 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.

JEANINE TESORI (Composer) has written three Tony-nominated scores for Broadway; Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center, Thoroughly Modern Millie (lyrics, Dick Scanlan) at the Marquis, and Caroline, or Change (lyrics, Tony Kushner) at the Eugene O'Neill. The production of Caroline, or Change at the National Theater in London received the Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Her first off-Broadway musical, Violet, written with Brian Crawley, received the New York Drama Critics Circle Award in 1997. She has been the recipient of many other honors including Drama Desk and Obie awards, and was cited by ASCAP as being the first woman composer to have “two new musicals running concurrently on Broadway.” Ms. Tesori has composed concert material for Kristin Chenoweth, Sutton Foster, and Audra MacDonald. Her composition, The River is Wide, was hailed by the New York Times as “a remarkable interplay of music, dance and words…both requiem and celebration, reflecting the cross-currents of emotion that hang in the air of Lower Manhattan.” She composed the music for The New York Shakespeare Festival’s production of Brecht’s Mother Courage, as translated by Tony Kushner and starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline. She has written songs for the movie Shrek The Third, and is the composer for the forthcoming Dreamworks Broadway production of Shrek The Musical. Her film scores include Winds of Change for ABC, Show Business, and Wrestling With Angels. She has composed songs for Disney DVD releases Mulan II, Lilo and Stitch II, and Little Mermaid III. She has produced sixty CD's for Silver-Burdett Ginn’s Making Music and the original cast albums for Twelfth Night, Violet, and Caroline, or Change. Ms. Tesori, a graduate of Barnard College, lives in Manhattan with her husband, Michael Rafter, and daughter, Siena.

CHARLES NEWELL has been Artistic Director of Court Theatre since 1994, where he has directed over 40 productions. He made his Chicago directorial debut in 1993 with The Triumph of Love, which won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Production. Directorial highlights at Court include Porgy & Bess, Three Tall Women, The Illusion, The Year of Magical Thinking, The Wild Duck, Caroline, Or Change, Titus Andronicus, Arcadia, Man of La Mancha, Uncle Vanya, Raisin, The Glass Menagerie, Travesties, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Hamlet, The Invention of Love, The Little Foxes, Nora, and The Misanthrope. Charlie has also directed at the Goodman Theatre (Rock ‘n’ Roll), the Guthrie Theater (Resident Director: The History Cycle, Cymbeline), Arena Stage, John Houseman’s The Acting Company (Staff Repertory Director), the California and Alabama Shakespeare Festivals, Juilliard, and New York University. He is the recipient of the 1992 TCG Alan Schneider Director Award and has served on the Board of Theatre Communications Group, as well as on several panels for the National Endowment for the Arts. Opera directing credits include Marc Blitzstein’s Regina at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Rigoletto at Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Charlie is a multiple Joseph Jefferson Award nominee and recipient. His production of Caroline, or Change at Court was the recipient of 4 Joseph Jefferson Awards, including Best Production and Best Director. This spring at Court Theatre, he will direct both parts of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America.

DOUG PECK is always happy to come home to Court Theatre. The winner of four Jeff Awards for Best Musical Direction, his work has also been heard at Goodman Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre DC, Long Wharf Theatre, Writers’ Theatre, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, Northlight Theatre, TimeLine Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Porchlight Music Theatre, Peninsula Players Theatre, and Ravinia Festival. Favorite productions include Caroline, or Change; Carousel; Man of La Mancha; Animal Crackers; Candide, Fiorello!; Oh, Coward!; Fiddler on the Roof; Shenandoah; Cabaret; Wings; Hello Again; Guys and Dolls; Grey Gardens; The Most Happy Fella; and Into the Woods. Peck can be heard on the following CDs: Bright Young People: The Songs of Noël Coward, Foiled Again: Live and Frank Galati and Stephen Flaherty’s Loving Repeating: A Musical of Gertrude Stein. A graduate of Northwestern University, Peck also trained at Interlochen Center for the Arts.

SEAN BLAKE (Movement Consultant) is honored to be a part of this production.  Previous Court Theatre credits include Raisin and Carousel.  Nationally he has toured with Hal Prince’s Showboat (Dance Captain/Swing).  He was the Associate Choreographer of Showboat (Australia).  Regionally he has performed at the Goodman Theatre, Seattle Rep and the Long Wharf Theatre to name a few.  Sean has received two Jeff Nominations and two Black Theatre Alliance Nominations.

JOHN CULBERT recently designed Court Theatre’s productions of Porgy and Bess, The Illusion (for which he received a Joseph Jefferson award), The Year of Magical Thinking, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Caroline, or Change, Man of La Mancha, and Carousel, Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Romeo and Juliet, Timeline Theatre Company’s The Farnsworth Invention, Northlight Theatre’s Civil War Christmas, and Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Regina. He also designed Lookingglass Theatre Company’s Argonautika, Goodman Theatre’s Rock ‘n’ Roll and Mirror of the Invisible World, and Long Wharf Theatre’s Hughie. He has designed productions for the Singapore Repertory Theatre, Opera National du Rhin, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, McCarter Theatre, and the Shakespeare Theatre. He serves as the dean of The Theatre School at DePaul University.

JOSHUA HORVATH Court: Spunk, Porgy and Bess, The Illusion, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Wait Until Dark, Caroline, or Change, First Breeze of Summer, Carousel, Titus Andronicus, Arcadia, Flyin’ West, Raisin, Lettice and Lovage, Fences, Man of La Mancha, and Endgame.  Chicago credits: Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Northlight Theatre, Next Theater, TimeLine Theatre Company, The House Theatre of Chicago, Eclipse Theatre Company Chicago, Lifeline Theatre, and Shattered Globe Theatre.  Regional: Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Hartford Stage, Long Wharf Theatre (New Haven), Baltimore Center Stage, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, First Stage Children’s Theater (Milwaukee), Milwaukee Shakespeare, Madison Repertory Theatre (WI), Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Great River Shakespeare Festival (MN), California Shakespeare Theater (Berkeley), and Center Theatre Group (LA). Mr. Horvath is a four-time Jeff award winner and eleven-time nominee. He teaches sound design for theatre and film at Northwestern University, and is an artistic associate at Lookingglass Theatre Company. Current and upcoming shows: The Pitmen Players (TimeLine), The Great Fire, Mr. Ricky Calls a Meeting, and Eastland (Lookingglass Theatre Company), Follies (Chicago Shakespeare), and Angels in America (Court Theatre).

ELLEN HAY has had the pleasure of stage managing more than 20 productions at Court Theatre over the past decade.  Favorites include Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, Caroline, or Change, Arcadia, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, My Fair Lady, The Invention of Love, and Nora.  Other credits include work at the Goodman Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Hartford Stage Company, and The Public Theater.

RICK SIMS (Sound Design) Sound design: Sweet Charity (Drury Lane), The Attempters and The Magnificents (House Theatre), Talented Tenth and Black Nativity (Congo Square), Be More Chill (Griffin), Wedding Play (About Face), Four Places (Victory Gardens) and Wooden Breeks (Lookingglass).  Composer:  Gary (Boston Playwrights/Steppenwolf), Huck Finn (Steppenwolf) and Hamlet (DePaul).  Rick is an artistic associate of Lookingglass Theatre Company and wrote the book, music and lyrics for Lookingglass’s Hillbilly Antigone.

JACQUELINE FIRKINS is pleased to return for her seventh season at Court Theatre. She also designed costumes for last season’s production of Porgy and Bess. Design work includes: sets and/or costumes for Victory Gardens Theater, TimeLine Theatre Company, House Theatre of Chicago, Marin Theatre Company, Hartford Stage, Dallas Theater Center, Portland Center Stage, Goodman Theatre, Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Westport Playhouse, Shakespeare & Company, Shakespeare Festival of Tulane, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Yale Repertory Theater, New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, Brave New Repertory, About Face Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Yale School of Drama, and Dorset Theatre Festival. Jacqueline is a recipient of a 2001 Princess Grace Award and heads the design program at Loyola University Chicago.

ROBERT DENTON (Lighting Design) has worked on lighting design for opera and theatre across the United States. Recent lighting design credits include Madama Butterfly (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis), Samson et Dalila (Florida Grand Opera), and Madama Butterfly (Arizona Opera).  Recent company design and associate design credits include Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Florida Grand Opera, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Long Wharf Theatre.

WENDY WOODWARD (Assistant Stage Manager) is honored to be making her debut at Court Theatre!  Other Chicagoland credits include Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Writers' Theatre, Congo Square, Piven Theatre Workshop, A Red Orchid, and Steppenwolf. Other theatre credits include work with Great Plains Theatre (Abilene, KS), Merry-Go-Round Playhouse (Auburn, NY), Penobscot Theatre (Bangor, ME), Centennial Theatre Festival (Hartford, CT), The Broadway Rose (Portland, OR) and the A.D. Players (Houston, TX).  Ms. Woodward graduated from the University of Houston theatre program and earned a Masters in Management in Portland, Oregon.