Angels in America
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The Play
" I was pleased and proud as a theatre artist when my college, Arts and Sciences, chose Angels in America as the book to read in common for our centennial celebration. Bringing Tony Kushner to campus to speak on October 11 th was icing on the cake.
I couldn’t resist directing the play this year; after all, I’ve always felt that it was written just for me—an ex-Mormon, socialist, actor/director, gay rights activist, married to a wonderful Jewish man. This is my play.
When I held auditions for it last August, I was surprised by how many people showed up, hoping to be cast—students from all over campus, people in the community—and when I asked them why they had decided to audition for this, almost every one of them said that they felt the play had been written just for them, that it spoke to them that directly and that personally.
What a treat it has been to work on such an amazing play: winner of a Tony and the Pulitzer Prize. And as often happens with great literature, the play has challenged the actors to reach for their very best. What is most remarkable is that although it’s been twenty-seven years since its first production, it has the force of something torn out of today’s headlines: holes in the ozone layer, global warming, corruption in Washington, D.C., homophobia and gay rights, a health care system splintered between the haves and the have-nots, the power of the religious of right and the confusion of the left. How can this be? I was taught in school that plays about the quotidian do not age well. “Only the classics can stand the test of time.”
But somehow this play manages to bridge the gap between modern and classic. When Kushner spoke here last month, I was struck by his saying that Shakespeare had been one of the strongest influences on his writing because I had been thinking that as I worked on this piece. We have ghosts, visions, specters, plagues, angels and demons (many of us, I think, would count Roy Cohn as such). And like his classical predecessors, Kushner asks the big questions: How do we make sense of this crazy world? Who is responsible for what happens in society? Or in our own lives? How do we find justice? How can we have equality when some of us believe we are “chosen” and the “sinners” are condemned to damnation?
I think the play is about the American Dream, about its promise of Freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in “this melting pot where nothing melted,” and about its failure when that happiness is not found. As Joe says in Act I, “The failure to measure up hits people hard.” Louis points out, that freedom can also be irresponsible, terrifying and heartless, if it comes without justice, equality or responsibility to one another. “Maybe we are free. To do whatever. Children of the new morning, criminal minds. Selfish and greedy and loveless and blind. Reagan’s children. You’re scared. So am I. Everybody is in the land of the free. God help us all.”
This show is dedicated to the memory of “KT” Ken Terrill who is still deeply missed in the Theatre Arts Department.
--Rinda Frye
UOFL THEATRE ARTS PRESENTS KUSHNER’S “ANGELS IN AMERICA, PART 1”
University of Louisville’s Theatre Arts Program will present Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, Part I, “Millennium Approaches,” November 14-18.
The play will be performed at the UofL Playhouse with performances at 8 p.m. each evening with an additional 3 p.m. matinee Sunday, Nov. 18.
Kushner’s play, recognized in 1993 with a Pulitzer Prize for drama and Tony Award for best play, will be directed by Rinda Frye, acting chair of the theatre department.
Frye calls the play “an epic about politics, religion and AIDS set in New York City in the mid-1980s.
“Somehow this play manages to bridge the gap between modern and classic. And, like his classical predecessors, Kushner asks the big questions: How do we make sense of this crazy world? Who is responsible for what happens in society? Or in our own lives? How do we find justice? How can we find equality when some of us believe we are ‘chosen’ and the ‘sinners’ are condemned to damnation?” Frye says.
Kushner visited the university last month as part of the College of Arts & Science’s Centennial Celebration and its “Life of the Mind” series.
UofL’s Playhouse, built in 1874 as a chapel, is located between Second and Third streets at Cardinal Avenue on the west edge of Belknap Campus.
Ticket prices are $12 for the general public, $8 for UofL employees, senior citizens and students. Call the box office at (502) 852-6814 for individual or group tickets.
For more information, call Debbie Hudson at 852-7682.
The Players
Amy Cotterill (Hannah Pitt), Louisville , KY , is a first-year MFA student in Performance. Past credits at UofL include Ruth in Blithe Spirit, Toni in The Katrina Chronicles: Hurricane and Anne Braden in Champions of the Civil Rights Movement. Other credits elsewhere include Penny in You Can’t Take It with You and writer and director of The Gift and Reflections of the Past, Windows to the Future.
Robert O. Greene ( Belize, Mr. Lies), Laurens, S.C, earned his MFA in Performance from the University of Louisville in 2006. Past UofL productions include King Hedley II, The Winter’s Tale, In the Blood, The Face of Emmett Till, All in the Timing and School Play. Other Credits include: Fighting for a Principle: Ali vs. the United States, A Raisin in the Sun, The Mighty Gents, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Before it Hits Home and Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters. He is currently teaching at the Ursuline School for the Performing Arts and at UofL. Recently he completed a summer workshop at the Circle in the Square Theatre in New York.
Jared Hanlin (Louis Ironson), Crestwood, KY, is a junior Theatre Arts major. Past credits at UofL include Bitzer in Refractions and Gregory in Romeo and Juliet. Other credits elsewhere include Stranger in The American Century, Glenn Cooper in Rumors, Eugene Wright in If a Man Answers, and Alex Dennison in A Rehearsal for Murder.
Brytanie Holbrook (Henry, Emily, Prior 2), North Carolina, is a freshman Theatre Arts major. This is her debut performance at UofL. Past credits at YPAS include Sylvia in The New Works Festival, Goddess in The Tempest, Mrs. Paroo in The Music Man, and Mrs. Nevielle in She Stoops to Conquer.
Kate Holland (Martin, Sister Ella, Prior 1), Bowling Green, KY, is a senior Theatre Arts major. Past credits at UofL include Little Sally in Urinetown, Princess in Romeo and Juliet, Interpreter in Arabian Nights, Robin Starveling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Teacher in Playwriting 101. She performed in School Play with the Rep Company in Russia. Other productions elsewhere include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Once upon a Mattress, Singin’ in the Rain, and Big River. She has also performed with the Storytelling Drama Troupe in Bowling Green, KY.
Tiffany LaVoie (Angel, Crazy Woman, Man in Park), East Tawas, MI, is a first-year MFA student in Performance. This is her debut performance at UofL Past credits elsewhere include Juliet in Measure for Measure, Alice in Alice in Wonderland, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, and French Princess in Love’s Labour’s Lost.
Alaine Livingston (Harper Pitt), Fort Thomas, KY, is a senior Theatre Arts major. Past credits at UofL include Lily Wynton in Refractions, Dion in The Winter’s Tale, Pupil in The Lesson, and Cel in The Most Massive Woman Wins. She is also a member of the Costume Shop staff and a member of The Indicators comedy troupe.
Brandon Meeks (Joe Pitt), Louisville, KY, is a senior English and Humanities major. Past credits at UofL include Officer Lockstock in Urinetown, Student in Refractions, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Clown in The Winter’s Tale, and Wyler in As Bees in Honey Drown. He is a member of The Indicators comedy troupe.
Gerry Rose (Roy Cohn), Birmingham, AL, is a second-year MFA student in Performance. Past credits at UofL include Producer, Gentleman in Refractions and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. Past credits elsewhere include Lenny Ganz in Rumors, Scrooge in Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge, Owen in 36 Views, and Pa Joad in Grapes of Wrath.
Jeremy Sapp (Prior Walter), Hazard, KY, is a senior Humanities major. Past credits at UofL include Gradgrind in Refractions, Bill in All in the Timing, Bill Windsor in Woman in Mind, and Garcin in No Exit. Productions elsewhere include: The Glass Menagerie and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf at Latent Muse, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at the Frazier International History Museum.
Production Team Bios
Michael F. Hottois (Scenic & Lighting Design) has recently designed scenery for Cage Rhythm, Interrogating the Nude, My Secret Language of Wishes, Refractions, Blithe Spirit, The Winter’s Tale, In the Blood, A Doll House, The Face of Emmett Till, Night Sky, Home, School Play, and The Threepenny Opera. Last summer he designed The King and I and The Music Man and Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Always, Patsy Cline this summer for the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in New York. His credits as a scenic artist include the films Boris and Natasha and Closetland, as well as Soul of the Game for HBO. Michael is also a member of United Scenic Artists Union, Local 829.
Zhanna Goldentul (Costume Design) is the resident Costume Designer for the Theatre Arts department. Her recent designs for the department include: Cage Rhythm, Romeo and Juliet, Blithe Spirit, A Midsummer’s Nights Dream, In the Blood, The Seagull, and Musical Comedy Murders of 1940. She is a graduate of the Theatrical Art College in Moscow. Goldentul has designed costumes at The Louisville Children’s Theatre Stage Onefor Sleeping Beaut, and Hanzel and Gretel in 2002. From 2000 – 2005 Goldentul worked as the Designer/Consultant, KY Opera, “Music, Words, Opera” Showcase. Zhanna has been a member of the United Scenic Artists' Union since 1993. She is currently working on her Graduate Degree in the Fine Arts Department.
Amy Steiger (Assistant Director)is a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Theatre Arts. Born and raised in Louisville, she has spent the past two decades studying and making theatre in other parts of the country. She finished her PhD at the Performance as Public Practice program at the University of Texas at Austin in December 2006.
Jillian A. Spencer (Stage Manager), Louisville, KY, is a junior Theatre Arts major. Past Stage Managing credits at UofL include Refractions, Romeo and Juliet and Assistant Stage Manager for As Bees in Honey Drown. Other stage managing credits include Macbeth with Specific Gravity Ensemble, Little Shop of Horrors in Winchester, KY, and The Great Divorce at the University of Kentucky. She is the undergraduate coordinator for Studio Theatre and the Properties Master for the Scene Shop.
Flying Effects provided by ZFX, Inc.
Production Staff
Stage Manager : Jillian Spencer
Assistant Stage Managers: James Isaac, Corey Music
Technical Director: Garry Brown
Associate Technical Director: Charles A. Nasby
Assistant to Technical Director: Matthew Robinson
Scenic Construction: Otis Harrison, James Isaac, Kara McCoil, Margot McMillen, J.T. Smith III, Cassie Perkins, Matthew Robinson, TA 240 Stagecraft I
Set Crew: Devin Humphreys, Jeremy Ziemer
Production Buyer : Melony Tisdale
Costume Shop Manager: Melissa Shepherd
Assistant to Costume Designer: Alaine Livingston
Costume Construction: Kate Foley, Melanie Henry, Alaine Livingston, Margot McMillen, Brandon Meeks, Cassie Perkins
Wardrobe Head: Melanie Henry
Costume Buyer: Brandon Meeks
Wardrobe Crew: Ashley Beck, Sarah Imhof
Properties Managers: Ashley Merkle, Jessica Potter, Jillian Spencer
Properties Crew: Jessica Cox, Karissa Singleton
Master Electrician: Zac Gilbert, Jared Langdon
Lighting Operators: Justin Dobring, J.T. Smith III
Lighting Crew: TA 349 Stage Lighting
Sound Engineer: Eron Roy
Sound Crew: Maria Allgeier
Box Office Manager: Debbie Hudson
House Manager: Margot McMillen
Box Office Staff: Doug James, DeAldon Watson
Special Thanks to: Stu Cox, Derby Dinner Playhouse, Center Stage at the Jewish Community Center, Stage Craft Students, Professor Lee Shai Weissbach, Cantor Lipp and the Congregation Adath Jeshurun.
The Director
Rinda Frye is currently the Acting Chair for the Theatre Arts Department. A faculty director, her Ph.D. is from the University of Oregon. Recent directing credits at UofL include Romeo and Juliet, As Bees in Honey Drown, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Troilus and Cressida, Woman in Mind, Stop Kiss and Thruway Diaries. A member of the Voice and Speech Teachers Association, she coaches stage dialects at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Stage One, and Music Theatre of Louisville. She is currently vice-chair, soon to be chair, of the Voice and Speech Committee for the Southeast Theatre Conference. She has acted most recently at the Kentucky Center for the Arts and the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, and in a short film, Star Spangled Eyes. She was co-founder and past artistic director of the Utah Shakespeare Players in Salt Lake City. Her publications include scholarly articles and a book William Poel’s Hamlets: The Director as Critic. She is currently writing a book on stage dialects. She teaches acting, voice and stage speech, and theatre history.
The Stage
The UofL Playhouse
1911 S. 3rd Street
Louisville , KY 40208
Built in 1874, the current Playhouse originally served as a small, interdenominational chapel for a local orphanage. In 1923, the University of Louisville acquired the land on which the chapel stood, converted the structure into a theatre, and designated it a "temporary building" for use until a permanent theatre could be erected.
In 1977, the Playhouse was dismantled to make room for the construction of the William F. Ekstrom Library and Learning Resources Center. The building was systematically taken apart and safely put into storage.
Rebuilt in 1980 on the traffic island between 2nd and 3rd streets at Cardinal Ave., the Playhouse was expanded to include a basement and full-working scene shop. It is also the location of the offices of the Technical Director and Scene Shop Foreman.
The Playhouse is located on the corner of Cardinal Blvd. & 3rd Street. Metered street parking is available along 3rd Street and Cardinal Blvd. Free parking in the university parking lots located on 3rd St. is free after 7:30 p.m. weekdays and all day on weekends.
Click here for Map
The Ticket
Box Office
HPES / Studio Arts Building
Corner of Floyd and Warnock Streets
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
10am - 3pm
(502) 852-6814
Ticket Price
General Public - $12
Students - $8
Senior Citizens - $8
U of L Faculty/Staff - $8
Season Tickets - $35.00-$50.00 (Order Form) [DOC]
Additional Information
To make ticket reservations, please contact the Box Office Manager, Debbie Hudson, at 852-6814. Accepted methods of payment include Visa & Mastercard.