Recipient of the
2012 American Theatre Wing
National Theatre Company Award

Press

Rogue Theatre’s Shakespeare production measures up

Review of Measure for Measure by Kathleen Allen in the November 14 Arizona Daily Star

Old School Measure for Measure feels new

Review of Measure for Measure by Chuck Graham on November 12 in Let The Show Begin! at TucsonStage.com

Rogue stays true to Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure

Preview of Measure for Measure by Kathleen Allen in the October 31 Arizona Daily Star

Direction

	David Morden (Director) directed The Rogue’s productions of Major Barbara, Ghosts, A Delicate Balance, The Goat (2008 Arizona Daily Star Mac Award), Six Characters in Search of an Author and Krapp’s Last Tape, Not I and Act Without Words. Last season, David directed Inspecting Carol for Arizona Repertory Theatre and directed three one-act adaptations of Medea for the Studio Series at the University of Arizona, where he is an Assistant Professor in the School of Theatre, Film and Television. David has appeared with The Rogue Theatre as the Actor in Mistake of the Goddess (Hayavadana), Buckingham in Richard III, The Chaplain in Mother Courage and Her Children, the Dragon King in Journey to the West, Polixenes in The Winter’s Tale, Louis de Rougemont in Shipwrecked!, Rinieri in The Decameron, Stephano in The Tempest, Brabantio and Montano in Othello, Editor Webb in Our Town, in the ensembles of Animal Farm and Orlando, as Madame Pace in Six Characters in Search of an Author, The Pope in Red Noses, Yephikhov in The Cherry Orchard, The Man in the Silver Dress in the preshow to The Maids and Glaucus in Endymion. He has acted locally with Arizona Opera (The Pirates of Penzance, The Threepenny Opera), Arizona Onstage Productions (Assassins), Actors Theatre (The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abridged)) and Green Thursday Theatre Project (Anger Box, Rain), of which he was a co-founder.

Notes from the Director

Synopsis of Measure for Measure

Marissa Garcia as Isabella and Matt Bowdren as Angelo

Cynthia Meier as Mistress Overdone and Ryan Parker Knox as Pompey

Jenny Hijazi as Mariana

Photos by Tim Fuller

Cast
Duke Vincentio		Joseph McGrath*
Isabella		Marissa Garcia
Angelo		Matt Bowdren
Lucio		Lee Rayment
Claudio		Connor Foster
Escalus		James Henriksen*
Provost		David Greenwood
Pompey		Ryan Parker Knox
Mariana		Jenny Hijazi
Juliet		Kayla Bernays
Gentleman/Elbow/Barnardine		Steve McKee
Froth/Messenger		Kendrick Stallings
Friar Peter/Abhorson		Rich Miller
Mistress Overdone/Francisca		Cynthia Meier
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, appearing under a Special Appearance Contract

 

	Kayla Bernays (Juliet) is pumped to be making her professional debut at The Rogue Theatre.  She has most recently been seen at Arizona Repertory Theatre in Nine (Sofia; Necrophorous u/s) and has understudied there several times (Inspecting Carol, Julius Caesar, The Voice of the Prairie). Kayla was also seen at Arizona Rose Theatre Company in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown! (Sally), and was featured in a couple short films. As a current junior at The University of Arizona, she is pursuing a major in Anthropology and minors in French and in Theatre.
Matt Bowdren (Angelo) has appeared at the Rogue in Mistake of the Goddess (Hayavadana), after the quake, Richard III, Metamorphosis, Mother Courage and Her Children, The Night Heron, Journey to the West, As I lay Dying, Major Barbara, The Real Inspector Hound, New-Found-Land, The Four of Us, Six Characters in Search of an Author and The Goat. Other Arizona credits include The Pillowman with The Now Theatre and Romeo and Juliet with Southwest Shakespeare. Matt has worked regionally in Georgia and New York City performing with The Rose of Athens, Hudson Shakespeare Company, and Collaborative Stages. Matt holds an M.F.A in Performance from the University of Georgia, and teaches acting at Pima College and The University of Arizona. Matt Bowdren’s performance is supported in part by a generous gift from John & Pat Hemann.
	Connor Foster (Claudio) is performing in his third show with The Rogue Theater. He first worked with The Rogue in 2008 when he appeared as The Boy in Six Characters in Search of an Author, and he was seen last season as Young Soldier in Mother Courage and Her Children. Connor is currently attending the University of Arizona as a Theater major.
Marissa Garcia (Isabella) celebrates her third season with The Rogue, having in that time played many roles. Favorites include Bodhisattva Guanyin in Journey to the West, Lady Anne Neville in Richard III, and the title character in Major Barbara. Marissa has been seen on Rogue stages as a musician as well, contributing flute, mandolin and voice to the company’s always-live music tradition. She has been honored to work for troupes in Colorado and California and graced with the talents of band mates throughout the country. A homegrown export, Marissa is a native Tucsonan and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and Directing from the University of Arizona. Other local roles include: Ann Deever in All My Sons (Live Theatre Workshop), Thomasina Coverly in Arcadia (Arizona Repertory Theatre) and Ana Hernandez in Living Out (Borderlands Theater—Mac Award Nominee, Best Actress).  Marissa would like to dedicate this performance to C.P.E. and extend her thanks to all who come to watch and learn with us. Marissa Garcia’s performance is supported in part by a generous gift from Susan Collinet and Bill Sandel & Karen DeLay.
	David Greenwood (Provost) was a member of the cast of The Rogue Theatre’s first production, The Balcony, and has recently appeared in Mistake of the Goddess (Hayavadana), Richard III, Metamorphosis, Mother Courage and Her Children, The Night Heron, Journey to the West, The Decameron, The Real Inspector Hound, Major Barbara, As I Lay Dying and The Winter’s Tale. He has appeared locally in Shining City and The Birthday Party at Beowulf Alley Theatre and The One-Armed Man, The Disposal and The Glass Menagerie at Tucson Art Theatre. David Greenwood’s performance is supported in part by a generous gift from Ruth Kosakowsky.
James Henriksen (Escalus) is very excited to be appearing on the boards of The Rogue! Appearances at other Tucson venues include Invisible Theatre, Arizona Onstage, Café Bohemia, and Old Pueblo Playwrights. Los Angeles credits include Glengarry Glen Ross at Third Stage, Born Yesterday at the Pasadena Playhouse, Tent Show at the Cast Theater, Elephant Sighs at Theatre/Theater, and Fog of War at the Ventura Court. “Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, than fall, and bruise to death.” James is an alumnus of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and a proud member of Actors’ Equity.
	Jennifer Rose Hijazi (Mariana) graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre and a BA in Art History from the University of Arizona in May 2012. She has performed with The Rogue Theatre as a singer in Mistake of the Goddess (Hayavadana), Sarah Undershaft in Major Barbara and with The Now Theatre in its production of Overruled. Local credits include Olive Ostrovsky in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Cinderella in Into the Woods, and Shy in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Jennifer is currently pursuing dual masters degrees in journalism and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Arizona.
Ryan Parker Knox (Pompey) is a native of South Dakota and has lived in Tucson for two years. A BFA graduate of the University of South Dakota, “RPK” called Minneapolis/St. Paul home for over a decade before relocating to the Southwest on a whim, and good thing he did. This marks his second season as a Rogue Acting Company Member, having previously appeared in Mistake of the Goddess (Hayavadana) as Devadatta, Richard III as Hastings/Blunt, Metamorphosis as Clerk/Charwoman/Three Gentlemen, Mother Courage and Her Children as Lieutenant/various other soldiers, The Night Heron as Neddy Beagle, and Journey to the West as Sha Monk. Some of his favorite past roles include Jerry in The Full Monty, and title roles in Picasso at the Lapin Agile and The Who’s Tommy, all for Paul Bunyan Playhouse in Bemidji, MN as well as Henry in Henry V, Tesman in Hedda Gabler, and Phillip in Orphans. Ryan sends humble thanks out to all his previous and current Rogue sponsors, to his four biggest little fans O, D, A, and P back in South Dakota, and especially to his beautiful girlfriend Shayna. Please enjoy the season! Ryan Parker Knox’s performance is supported in part by a generous gift from Sheldon Trubatch & Katharina Phillips.
	Joseph McGrath (Duke Vincentio) is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Drama and is the Artistic Director for The Rogue Theatre for which he has directed and performed in many plays.  Joe was most recently seen at The Rogue Theatre in the title role of Richard III, as Griffin in The Night Heron, the Jade Emperor in Journey to the West, Leontes in The Winter’s Tale, Patsy in The New Electric Ballroom, in the ensemble of Shipwrecked! and as Andrew Undershaft in Major Barbara. In 2009 Joe won the Arizona Daily Star Mac Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Tobias in A Delicate Balance. He has toured with John Houseman’s Acting Company, performed with the Utah Shakespearean Festival, and he is a frequent performer with Ballet Tucson appearing in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Cinderella, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dracula and The Nutcracker. He has also performed with Arizona Theatre Company, Arizona Opera, Tucson Art Theatre, and Arizona Onstage. Joe owns, with his wife Regina Gagliano, Sonora Theatre Works, which produces theatrical scenery and draperies. Joseph McGrath’s performance is supported in part by a generous gift from John & Joyce Ambruster.
Steve McKee (Gentleman, Elbow, Barnardine) appeared with The Rogue Theatre as Lord Stanley and Sir Robert Brackenbury in Richard III, part of the ensemble in Mother Courage and Her Children, and as Camillo in The Winter’s Tale. He was also featured in Passionately, Piazzolla!, Chamber Music Plus’ collaboration with Ballet Tucson as part of the Inaugural Tucson Desert Song Festival earlier this year. Steve has worked with many local theatre companies and been featured in independent and student films. Favorite roles include Harpagon in The Miser, Halder in Good, Terrence in Breaking Legs, A.C. in Beowulf Alley Theatre's Death of Zukasky and Panch in Arizona Onstage Productions' 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Ensemble work includes Sweeney Todd and The Full Monty with Arizona Onstage Productions. Steve has also appeared locally with Live Theatre Workshop and Borderlands Theatre.
	Cynthia Meier (Mistress Overdone, Francisca) is the Managing and Associate Artistic Director for The Rogue Theatre, where she most recently played The Bhagavata in Mistake of the Goddess (Hayavadana), the title role in Mother Courage and Her Children, Bolla in The Night Heron, Clara in The New Electric Ballroom and Addie Bundren in As I Lay Dying. Cynthia has been nominated for six Mac Awards for Best Actress from the Arizona Daily Star. In 2008, she received the Mac Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Rogue’s production of The Goat. She has also performed in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Arizona Repertory Theatre), A Streetcar Named Desire (Arizona Theatre Company), Blithe Spirit and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Michigan Repertory Theatre), Romeo & Juliet and Chicago Milagro (Borderlands Theatre) and A Namib Spring (1999 National Play Award winner). Cynthia co-founded Bloodhut Productions, a company performing original monologues and comedy improvisation, which toured throughout the western United States. Last season, she directed Journey to the West, Metamorphosis and Richard III for The Rogue Theatre. Cynthia holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from the University of Arizona. Cynthia Meier’s performance is supported in part by a generous gift from Sumner Milender & Edie Michelson.
Rich Miller (Friar Peter, Abhorson) is very pleased to be making his Tucson stage debut at The Rogue. Before moving to Tucson last year, Rich was seen on several stages in the San Francisco Bay Area. Some favorite past roles include Baptista in Taming of the Shrew, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Bill in August: Osage County, Ezra Chater in Arcadia, Peter in First Day of School, Pato in The Beauty Queen of Leenane, and Frank in Lend Me A Tenor.
	Lee Rayment (Lucio) is a graduate from the University of Northern Colorado. When not performing he can be found swinging on the trapeze at the Zuzi Theatre or saving Corporate America from utter destruction. He has performed in several shows at The Rogue: Richard III (Sir William Catesby, Second Murderer), Mother Courage and Her Children (Regimental Clerk), Journey to the West (Moksa), The Winter’s Tale (Archidamus), As I Lay Dying (ensemble), and in Major Barbara (Stephen Undershaft). He has also assistant directed The Night Heron and The New Electric Ballroom. In Tucson he has appeared as Katurian in The Pillowman for The Now Theatre (for which he received the 2011 Mac Award for Best Actor from the Arizona Daily Star). At the University of Northern Colorado he performed in Amadeus (Salieri), The Servant of Two Masters (Pantalone), and Urinetown (Mr. Caldwell). Lee Rayment’s performance is supported in part by a generous gift from Ed & Nancy Landes.
Kendrick Stallings (Froth, Messenger) is thrilled to be making his debut with The Rogue Theatre this season! He was last seen in Arizona Repertory Theatre’s production of Cymbeline (1st Captain/Ensemble). Previous credits include Inspecting Carol (Walter) at Arizona Repertory Theatre and All Shook Up (Ensemble) at Arizona Broadway Theatre. A junior at the University of Arizona, Kendrick is pursuing a degree in Theatre Art as well as co-managing a small business (Sheets & Giggles). Thanks to David for this awesome opportunity and to the entire cast, crew, and creative team for making this a wonderful experience. Enjoy!

Joseph McGrath as Duke Vincentio and Marissa Garcia as Isabella

 

Kendrick Stallings, Ryan Parker Knox, James Henriksen, Matt Bowdren and Steve McKee

 

Lee Rayment as Lucio and Connor Foster as Claudio

Photos by Tim Fuller

 

Musician Biographies

	Paul Amiel (Music Director and Composer) is a musician/composer passionate about traditional music and instruments of the world, with an emphasis on Turkish, Medieval, Chinese, Japanese, Mediterranean, and ancient music. Paul has performed on gothic harp, kaval, saz, ney, banjo, flute, piano, guitar, dizi, shakuhachi, and accordéon for his groups Summer Thunder, Muso, Seyyah, Zambuka, and Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Theatre 3) as well as Musica Sonora, the Arizona Early Music Society, and Odaiko Sonora. Paul, an Artistic Associate of The Rogue, was Music Director for Mistake of the Goddess, Richard III, Kafka’s Monkey and Metamorphosis, The Night Heron, Journey to the West, As I Lay Dying and The Winter’s Tale. Measure for Measure is his 17th production with The Rogue Theatre. Paul Amiel’s music direction and composition is supported in part by a generous gift from Bill Sandel & Karen DeLay.

Notes from the Music Director

The creation of the musical soundscape for Measure For Measure was quite challenging and enjoyable. While Shakespeare gives only one cue in his play for music (that being the lyrics for the song “Take, O, Take Those Lips Away,” sung by Mariana at the top of Act IV, which I loved setting to music), the rest is, as someone said, silence. The musical scenario came from discussions with David and my own reactions to the script, rather than from the Elizabethan time period. Strangely, what came to my mind as best expressing the narrative of the play was, of all places, the Ottoman court. Vienna, where the play takes place, had a very intimate relationship with the Ottomans, almost falling to them in a siege a mere 30 years before Shakespeare was born. Later on, a Moldavan nobleman/intellectual Dimitri Cantemir (Kantemiroglu), who lived in forced exile in the Ottoman court from the age of 15 to 23, compiled an extensive book of Ottoman Turkish music of over 350 melodies, composing several pieces himself (along with treatises on science, history, Islam, etc.). The beauty of these Turkish melodies and their use of unfamiliar meters seemed to fit the slightly off-kilter, ambiguous world of Measure For Measure. Using several of these melodies as a starting point, I recomposed them to create the various themes for the play. Nevertheless, the instruments are clearly and recognizably western, and I’m playing a combination of them for a variety of textures: harp, tabor pipe, double ocarina, and Irish flute. Thanks are always gratefully given: to The Rogue, to David and his faith in his music director, to Jenny (Nightingale) Hijazi, to the magnificent cast, and to Prince Dimitri Cantemir, who turned his life’s terrible situation into the blessing of music. —Paul Amiel, Music Director

Designers
Costume Design		Cynthia Meier
Scenic Design		Joseph McGrath
Lighting Design		Don Fox
Production Staff
Musical Director and Composer		Paul Amiel
Assistant Director		Leah Taylor
Stage Manager		Wesley Creigh
Dramaturg		Holly Griffith
Costume Construction		Karen DeLay, Cynthia Meier & Zohreh Saunders
Lighting Crew		Peter Bleasby, Josh Hemmo, Mitch Van Dyke & Javier Martinez
Scenic Artist		Wesley Creigh
House Manager		Susan Collinet
Box Office Manager		Thomas Wentzel
Box Office Assistants		Kara Clauser, Holly Griffith, Caroline Ragano & Latifah Street
Poster, Program & Website		Thomas Wentzel

 

	Don Fox (Lighting Design) holds a B.A. in Theatre Administration from St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX and in May 2014 will complete his M.F.A in Lighting Design at the University of Arizona. Prior to returning to grad school in 2011 Don was the Technical Director and Facilities Manager at the high-tech Performing Arts Center of Wenatchee, in Washington’s Cascade Mountains. He has served as lighting and sound consultant for Silversea Cruises, has twice designed Shakespeare in the Park for the San Antonio Botanical Gardens, and is resident lighting designer for Tucson’s Artifact Dance Project for whom he recently designed I Wonder if My Name is Alice, and The Great American Dance Tour which toured for a month to the great opera houses of China. Favorite designs include Bat Boy—The Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, and SAAF’s Moda Provacateur fashion show/fundraiser. Don recently designed Mistake of the Goddess for The Rogue and The Fantasticks for the University of Arizona. His complete portfolio is at www.djfox.biz.
Leah Taylor (Assistant Director) was Resident Stage Manager for The Rogue Theatre’s 2011–12 and 2012–13 seasons, and Stage Manager for The Rogue’s recent production of Mistake of the Goddess (Hayavadana). She was Assistant to the Stage Manager for The Rogue Theatre’s 2011 production of The Decameron, and has stage managed for several theatre companies in Tucson including the Now Theatre and Winding Road Theatre Ensemble. Leah received her BA in Classics and Anthropology from the University of Arizona. Measure for Measure is her 14th production with the Rogue, and her first production as Assistant Director.
	Wesley Creigh (Stage Manager) graduated with a BA in Public Art from the Prescott College Adult Degree Program in 2008. She has worked throughout the country creating and restoring works of public art. Her murals can be seen around Tucson at the Xerocraft Hackerspace, the Center for Global Justice, and the Whistle Stop Depot. Wesley has collaborated on various guerilla theatre performances throughout the city over the past nine years. She worked as an assistant to the stage manager on this season’s Mistake of the Goddess and is pleased to be making her debut as stage manager on Measure for Measure.
Holly Griffith (Dramaturg) is a Master’s student of English Literature at the University of Arizona where she also teaches Freshman Composition. Holly’s academic interests include multi-cultural American Literature, folklore, Irish literature, and of course, drama and theatre studies. In addition to her scholarly pursuits, Holly has worn many hats as a performing artist. She most recently served as the President of Emerson Dance Company in Boston, MA, and choreographed a Student Dance Showcase at The Miami Valley School in Dayton, Ohio. Holly also directed Marina Carr’s By the Bog of Cats, and co-directed Brian Friel’s Lovers for Rareworks Theatre Company in Boston, MA.
	Susan Collinet (House Manager) earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Creative Writing and English Literature from the University of Arizona in 2008. Decades before returning to college as a non-traditional student, Susan spent twenty years in amateur theater, mostly on the East coast, as well as in Brussels, Belgium in the American Theater of Brussels, and the Theatre de Chenois in Waterloo. She has worked in such positions as a volunteer bi-lingual guide in the Children’s Museum of Brussels, the Bursar of a Naturopathic Medical school in Tempe, Arizona, an entrepreneur with two “Susan’s of Scottsdale” hotel gift shops in Scottsdale, Arizona, and as the volunteer assistant Director of Development of the Arizona Aids Project in Phoenix. Susan continues to work on collections of poetry and non-fiction. Her writing has won awards from Sandscript Magazine, the John Hearst Poetry Contest, the Salem College for Women’s Center for Writing, and was published in a Norton Anthology of Student’s Writing. In addition to being House Manager, Susan serves on the Board of Directors and acts as Volunteer Coordinator for the Rogue.

Lee Rayment as Lucio

 

Ryan Parker Knox as Pompey and Rich Miller as Abhorson

 

Marissa Garcia as Isabella

Photos by Tim Fuller

 

 

Our Thanks
Tim Fuller		Tucson Weekly
Chuck Graham		Herb Stratford
Shawn Burke		Jesse Greenberg
Arizona Daily Star		Dr. Meg Lota Brown
Dr. Peter Medine		Our Advertisers

 

Performance Schedule for Measure for Measure

Location: The Rogue Theatre at The Historic Y, 300 East University Boulevard
Click here for information on free off-street parking

Performance run time is 2 hours and 20 minutes, including one ten-minute intermission, and not including music preshow or post-show discussion.

Thursday, November 7, 2013, 7:30 pm DISCOUNT PREVIEW
Friday, November 8, 2013, 7:30 pm DISCOUNT PREVIEW
Saturday, November 9, 2013, 7:30pm DISCOUNT PREVIEW
Sunday, November 10, 2013, 2:00 pm matinee OPENING PERFORMANCE

Thursday, November 14, 2013, 7:30 pm
Friday, November 15, 2013, 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 16, 2013, 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 17, 2013, 2:00 pm matinee

Thursday, November 21, 2013, 7:30 pm
Friday, November 22, 2013, 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 23, 2013, 2:00 pm matinee
Saturday, November 23, 2013, 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 24, 2013, 2:00 pm matinee

 

 

Joseph McGrath as Duke Vincentio and Connor Foster as Claudio

 

Matt Bowdren as Angelo

Photos by Tim Fuller