August 18-26, 2017The Rockwell255 Elm St., Somerville, MA

Theatre@First extends its heartfelt thanks to the following wonderful folks:

To the Festival Reading Committee members, for helping to select this year’s festival line-up.

To Betty Walker and Unity Somerville for hosting our rehearsals and work days.

To Damon Leibert, Laura Sullivan, and The Rockwell for our performance space.

To Stan Boliver at Fleming Printing for our beautiful programs.

To Tegan Sutherland for assistance with making costumes.

To Ball Square Fine Wines, for keeping the Cocoanut Grove stocked.

To the Longwood Players, for the loan of props.

To Eric Mumpower, for recording the wedding march for “Reverse the Curse.”

To all other volunteers and contributors who do so much to make this show happen, and to our friends, family, and loyal audience…

WE COULDN’T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU!

The mission of Theatre@First is to work together to provide a fun, friendly, and creative theatre experience for cast, crew, and audience alike. We welcome volunteers at all levels of experience and offer a supportive environment in which to work, play, grow, and explore new areas of the theatre arts. We offer affordable and eclectic entertainment to the community, aiming to surprise, delight, entertain, and educate our audiences.

Theatre@First is a Somerville-based community theatre project, part of the Massachusetts Community Theatre Corporation, a non-profit 501(c)3 arts organization.

We fill an important niche in the vibrant Davis Square arts scene, drawing upon the talents and contributions of individuals and organizations throughout the community to provide a venue for affordable, thoughtprovoking and entertaining performing arts for all those who love to be on either side of the curtain.

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$1000* provides the lights for a show *amounts are approximate and vary by production

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This program is supported in part by the Somerville Arts Council,

a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

This performance is approximately 90 minutes long

and will be presented without intermission.

by Stephanie Haddad

Directed by Ryan Walsh

Dave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andy HicksCaroline . . . . . . . . . . . Margretta BeatyTessie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vickie Wu

by Jenn Dlugos & Charlie Hatton

Directed by Stephanie Haddad

Jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andy LebrunSeamus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike HaddadCharlie . . . . . . . . . . . . .Leslie DrescherRehearsal Assistant . . . Katie Aasland

by Amy Roeder

Directed by Shelley MacAskill

Wendy . . . . . . . . . . . . Katie ArmstrongBob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dennis MalerTrumpeter . . . . Adam Schofield-BodtJune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary ParkerPanicked Man . . . . . . . . . Joev DubachRehearsal Assistant . . . Katie Aasland

by Amy Bennett-Zendzian

Directed by Sue Downing

Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sara DionMrs. Ball . . . . . . . . . . .Jackie FreymanRevenants . . . . . . . . . . .Tomo Lazovich & Elizabeth McIntyre

by Michael Lin

Directed by Amy Bennett-Zendzian & Jess Viator

Ludington . . . . . . Elizabeth McIntyreHancock . . . . . . . . . Megan HennesseyHutchinson . . . . . . . . .Tomo LazovichHunchback . . . . Adam Schofield-Bodt

by Erika L. Reinfeld

Directed by Ben Cordes

Janet . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marleigh NortonMolly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Finley SmithLucy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shannon KeaneSusan . . . . . . . . . . . . Elizabeth LeonardRehearsal Assistant . . .Johanna Bobrow

Amy Bennett-Zendzian (Mother Goose’s Grave) is a writer and teacher of writing who loves to help bring new plays to Boston. She began writing plays in high school; her first was produced in 1998, and her most recent was 2016 (pay no mind to the 18-year gap). Locally, she has worked with Unreliable Narrator as a director; with T@F as a director, actor, and dramaturg; and with the PMRP as writer, director, and voice actor.

Jenn Dlugos & Charlie Hatton (Masshole Transit) met while doing stand-up comedy. They produce the award-winning webseries Magicland, which is set in a rundown amusement park. They also write funny science books for kids. Their Things That Make You Go Yuck! series is available in book stores now, and their book Bizarre Space: A Kid’s Guide to Our Strange, Unusual Universe will be available in Fall 2017. Their comedy plays have been produced by T@F, Taboo Theatre (Halifax, Nova Scotia), the Take Ten Festival (NYC), Snowdance Comedy Festival (Racine, WI), and Everyone’s Theater Company (Rochester, NY). You can keep up with them on their website: drinkstormstudios.com

Stephanie Haddad (Swing & Miss) is a Boston-area author, a proud mother of two, and the Publicity Coordinator for T@F. Once in a while, she writes some one-act plays, too. In recent years, Stephanie’s focus has been on writing novels, but she is thrilled to have the chance to see her work take the stage once again! Thank you to T@F for being such an amazing theatre family.

Michael Lin (The Hunchback of Boston Common) is an actor and playwright living in Cambridge, performing primarily with T@F’s sister group, PMRP. By day, he’s a level designer for a Boston-based game development studio. Most recent projects include writing PMRP’s Spring 2017 adaptation of Peter Pan, as well as acting in Hub Theatre’s IRNE-nominated production of Wit and T@F’s 2016 production of Stop Kiss.

Erika L. Reinfeld (Reverse the Curse) is a once-upon-a-time actor and director, the former Festival Director of F@F 1, 4, and 7. The last two plays she wrote were performed by children and designed to teach the audience about science. By day, Erika runs the public outreach program at MIT’s cancer research center. She lives in Medford with her wife and two children. She has never watched a game at Fenway Park.

Amy Roeder (The Song Is You) is a journalist living in Lowell, Massachusetts, with a passion for ghosts and New England history. Her work has been published in Harvard Public Health and the Boston Globe.

Finley Smith (Molly, “Reverse the Curse”) works as a teacher/tutor and voice actor, specializing in young voices. In her spare time, she enjoys gymnastics, sailing, hiking, and reading. She would like to thank her real family and her theater family for their support. T@F debut. She has previously worked with The Gazebo Players of Medfield, Vokes Players, FCT Radio Actors, and Dragonfly Theater.

Julia Tenney (Graphic Designer – Program) has been making art since forever. She dyes pysanky. She paints coffee mandalas. She reads British pub coasters, CAH, & even traditional Tarot (including decks she’s designed). She first joined T@F after a mix-up involving an Adult Toy. The fantastic faux bio Shelley wrote for her felt too risque, even compared to that last sentence. No, really. Don’t ask for the sordid details unless you can immediately offer her booze, chocolate, or kittens.

Jess Viator (Co-Director, “The Hunchback of Boston Common”) was one of the two thieves whom, dressed as police officers, gained entry to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in the early morning of March 18, 1990 and subdued the two guards on duty. The thieves were then able to steal artworks by masters such as Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Degas, which are today valued at over $500 million. Her true identity, and the whereabouts of the artwork, are currently unknown.

Renée Johnson Walsh (Stage Manager) has been with T@F since 2005 and has been involved with almost 20 of the group’s productions, both on stage and off. Renee would like to thank Shelley for bringing her along on this wild ride through Boston’s history, and her husband, Ryan, for accepting her hobbies and joining in, wholeheartedly.

Ryan Walsh (Director, “Swing & Miss”) is excited to be directing for the first time! Many thanks to his fantastic wife, and amazing cast for making this easier than it has any right to be. That’s it, nothing funny this time.

Vickie Wu (Costume Coordinator/Tessie, “Swing & Miss”) is apparently a Jill-Of-All-Trades, though she firmly maintains that she actually rarely knows what she’s doing. Past audiences have seen her on stage with T@F as Jacquenetta in Love’s Labours Lost (In Space) and the squires Tim and George (Knight of the Burning Pestle) as well as other roles. She has also directed (Tartuffe), produced (The Importance of Being Earnest) and is the new Social Media Director for T@F. By day, she is the kitchen manager and chef at Beacon Hill Friends House.

You can blame my fifth grade social studies teacher for all of this.

Mrs. Barker was also the president of our town’s historical society. She taught early American history through the lens of the town’s own past, throwing quirky bits of local lore into larger discussions of the colonization by white settlers, the American Revolution, and the start of the Industrial Revolution. At the end of the year we took a field trip around town and she showed us the sites of all those stories–“Here you can still see the foundation stones of the first settler’s house; there’s Col. Bailey’s home–he served with George Washington; here, bounce on the ground of the former rubber factory.” (Yes, the factory dumped so much rubber waste into the ground in the 19th century that it is still springy today. In retrospect, I realize this is an environmental disaster that needs to be remediated, but to a 10-year-old it was lots of fun.)

There are places like that all over the Boston area. Little bits of history lurk on every corner–plaques, statues, trails, reenactors, all telling stories–big ones and little, public and personal, familiar and not–that make Boston the city it is. That’s what I wanted to capture with this Festival–the personal stories within larger, well-known tales. Some are funny, some tragic, some bittersweet.

I learned that Mrs. Barker died late last year, shortly after Theatre@First approved this festival. Wicked Boston! is dedicated to her memory, with thanks for that wonderful year of learning, and never-ending love of history it inspired. I know she’d gladly take the blame.

Shelley MacAskill, August 2017

Festival Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chris DeKalbFestival Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shelley MacAskillStage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Renée Johnson WalshStage Crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Peter DeGlopperTechnical Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kay CoughlinSet Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brie FrameSound Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adam Schofield-BodtLighting Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kay CoughlinCostume Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vickie WuProps Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hannah BakerMake-Up/Hair Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Meg BoeniMake-Up/Hair Assistant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary ParkerHouse Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chris DeKalbPublicity Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephanie HaddadGraphic Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gilly RosentholGraphic Designer – Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julia Tenney

Andy Lebrun (Jack O’Faltrayds, “Masshole Transit”) is a proud Irish construction worker. Recent completed projects include the Adams Courthouse and the Boston Public Library. He’d like to thank Mayor Josiah Quincy for this grand opportunity to show New York what for! In his spare time, he’s training for the first ever Boston Marathon, next April.

Elizabeth Leonard (Susan, “Reverse the Curse”) previously appeared in T@F productions of The Importance of Being Earnest (Miss Prism) and Festival@First 8: Fractured Fairy Tales (Aurora, in “Losing It”). Big thanks to her family, castmates, team SusanLucci, Johanna, and Ben.

Shelley MacAskill (Festival Director & Director, “The Song Is You”) has been involved in twenty T@F productions, including five Festivals. They keep changing the locks, but she keeps finding a way in. When not telling tragic stories from Boston’s past, she fully embraces the modern spinster lifestyle by doing crafts while watching Netflix with her roommate’s cat.

Deadair Dennis Maler (Bob, “The Song is You”) is a Baltimore born, Boston-based comedian, actor, & podcaster that has been heard on radio stations throughout the country, including DC101, SiriusXM, The Party Playhouse with Jackson Blue and more. He’s performed in Austin, TX during SXSW, the Charm City Comedy Festival, and regularly throughout New England. He is the creator of BostonComedyShows.com and hosts the iTunes podcast So What Do You Really Do? interviewing artists and entertainers about their day jobs. He’s funny, loud, abrasively social, and allergy free since 1981.

Elizabeth McIntyre (Ludington, “The Hunchback of Boston Common” & Revenant, “Mother Goose’s Grave”) Elizabeth McIntyre is delighted to return to T@F for her second festival. Previously, she appeared in T@F productions as a Unicorn (Festival@First 8: Fractured Fairy Tales) and an Ambassador (Spanish Tragedy). When not playing pretend onstage, she is an attorney (the good kind).

Marleigh Norton (Janet, “Reverse the Curse”) is not a blue puppet version of William Shakespeare, though past T@F shows might indicate otherwise. She now undertakes her greatest acting challenge yet: pretending to have opinions about baseball.

Mary Parker (June Lively, “The Song is You”) was an American jazz singer who rose to semi-prominence during the Big Band era. After failing an audition with Benny Goodman’s band, she began touring smaller clubs along the East Coast. She is glad to be back playing at the Cocoanut Grove.

Gilly Rosenthol (Graphic Design) has been with T@F since 2004 as an actor, director, and graphic designer. She last appeared on stage as Gertie in the 2016 FirstWorks production of You’re Killing Me Already! A professional graphic designer by day, she also edits her husband’s Disney blog (magicandmisadventures.com) and is usually busy planning her next trip to Walt Disney World.

Adam Schofield-Bodt (Sound Designer, Trumpeter, “The Song is You” & Hunchback, “The Hunchback of Boston Common”) serves as Creative Director for Trademark Tours by day. Previous T@F Credits include Alan (Equus), Silvius (As You Like It), and An Officer (Tartuffe). Other favorite roles include Austin (True West – RIP Sam Shepard) and Ferdinand (The Tempest).

Katie Aasland (Rehearsal Assistant, “Masshole Transit” & “The Song Is You”) was known as the “Angel of Death” by colleagues, due to the high number of patients who died under her care as a nurse in local hospitals. She committed at least twelve murders (although she confessed to thirty-one), usually by injecting overdoses of morphine. Other victims include families for whom she served as a private caregiver, her landlords, and even her own foster sister. She was found not guilty by reason of insanity for her crimes, and committed to Taunton State Hospital until her death in 1938.

Katie Armstrong (Wendy, “The Song Is You”) is thrilled to be a part of her first production with T@F! Katie is still new to Boston, having recently moved here from New York City. She is a graduate of Western Connecticut State University with a BA in Musical Theatre, where she received opportunities to perform both off-Broadway, as well as internationally as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Favorite credits include The Witch (Into the Woods), Kim MacAfee (Bye Bye Birdie), and Cleonice (Lysistrata).

Hannah Baker (Props Mistress) previously worked with T@F as Makeup Team Lead on Mourning Becomes Electra. Originally from the west coast of Canada, she moved to Somerville two years ago and is excited to get involved with the community and get back into theatre. Hannah works as a public defender.

Margretta Beaty (Caroline, “Swing & Miss”) is excited to be in her first show with T@F. She has most recently been seen performing around town with Opera on Tap and as Billie in Born Yesterday and Flute/Thisbe in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Verse & Vodka Theater. Yay sportsball!

Amy Bennett-Zendzian (Co-Director, “The Hunchback of Boston Common” & Playwright, “Mother Goose’s Grave”) loves bringing short plays and new works to the stage, and is thrilled to return to T@F after directing Festival@First 8: Fractured Fairy Tales. Locally, she has worked with Unreliable Narrator, Arlington Friends of the Drama, and the Post-Meridian Radio Players as director, playwright, and voice actor.

Johanna Bobrow (Rehearsal Assistant, “Reverse the Curse”) was a professor of chemistry and geology at Harvard Medical School, until charged with murdering Dr. George Parkman, a colleague to whom she owed a debt of $2432. The crime was notable both for being one of the earliest uses of forensic evidence to identify a body, and for the elite social status of both victim and accused, which caused a tabloid sensation in the city. Ultimately convicted of the crime, she was publicly hanged on August 30, 1850.

Meg Boeni (Make-Up/Hair Designer) was part of the 11-member gang that robbed the Brink’s Building of $2.775 million in 1950, at the time the largest robbery in US history. The case was unsolved until 1956, when she confessed to the FBI following a fellow gang member’s attempt to kill her over a dispute in distributing the stolen wealth. After testifying against her cohorts and serving four years in prison, she told her story in the best-selling book The Men Who Robbed Brink’s. In later life, she changed her name, moved to California, and allegedly worked as a chauffeur for Cary Grant.

Mike Haddad (Seamus, “Masshole Transit”) is happy to be returning to the stage after directing T@F’s Mourning Becomes Electra. Prior to this he was in T@F’s production of Metamorphoses. He sends love to his two children and his wonderful wife/director.

Stephanie Haddad (Publicity Director/Director, “Masshole Transit” & Playwright, “Swing & Miss”) spent two years hiding behind the scenes as the publicity chair for over a dozen T@F productions in a row, before jumping in as Producer of this spring’s Mourning Becomes Electra. This show marks her return to the director’s chair after a *cough* 13-year *cough* hiatus. Thanks to her cast and amazing rehearsal assistant for making this such an enjoyable experience!

Megan Hennessey (Hancock, “The Hunchback of Boston Common”) first joined T@F in May 2017’s production of Mourning Becomes Electra, playing Lavinia. She adored the people and is back again for Festival. Other favorite roles include Titania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Tessie (The Sisters Rosensweig). When she’s not donning Civil War-era costumes, you can catch her working as a writer or baking liquor-infused baked goods.

Andy Hicks (Dave, “Swing & Miss”) is thrilled to be back home with T@F! He’s appeared in a ton of PMRP radio plays (Cage of Light, Alice In Wonderland, Star Trek), and the IRNE-award winning cast of The Farnsworth Invention (Flat Earth), as well as voice overs for a bunch of WGBH radio and TV spots. He co-hosts and produces the Coal Hill AV Club podcast, and equally supports the Boston Red Sox and the Gallifreyan Blue Box.

Shannon Keane (Lucy, “Reverse the Curse”) is so excited to be part of Festival@First: Wicked Boston! and to have found T@F after a far-too-long hiatus from theater! In her spare time, Shannon can be found finding too many recipes and restaurants/cafés she wants to try, or probably making a list of some kind.

Tomo Lazovich (Hutchinson, “The Hunchback of Boston Common” & Revenant, “Mother Goose’s Grave”) returns to the stage after a long hiatus. You may recognize him from his riveting delivery of the Gettysburg Address as Abraham Lincoln in the 4th grade (which is said to have inspired Daniel Day Lewis’ performance in Lincoln). When not on stage, Tomo spends his time teaching computers how to learn.

Ben Cordes (Director, “Reverse the Curse”) is honored to make his directorial debut, after working both on stage (Dr Chasuble, Importance of Being Earnest) and behind the scenes (Lighting Designer, Mourning Becomes Electra) for T@F over the last two years. He hopes he’s been able to bring some of the spirit of City Hall Plaza from May 17, 2004 to share with you tonight. Thanks to Erika, Johanna, his incredible cast, and everyone on the Festival@First crew.

Kay Coughlin (Technical Director/Lighting Designer) has worked with T@F as a technician on 8 main-stage productions including As You Like It and Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses. She portrayed Maine-iac One in the local cult hit 2010: Our Hideous Future - the Musical! and is the stage manager of The Slutcracker. When she is not with her amazing partner, Ian, or working at The Bridgespan Group, she is also a spotlight operator and stage manager at OBERON

Peter DeGlopper (Stage Crew) has carried heavy things for several previous T@F productions, most recently The Importance of Being Earnest. By day, he teaches robots to be DJs.

Chris DeKalb (Producer/House Manager) is happy to be back with the Summer Festival celebrating Boston’s history. When he’s not selling tickets he’s a project manager at Skillsoft Books. He thanks Z for putting up with all of his silliness.

Sara Dion (Mary, “Mother Goose’s Grave”) is excited to be making her T@F debut! She has previously been in shows such as Campfire Tales and The Four Chaplains with T@F’s sister group, the Post-Meridian Radio Players. Having just moved to Somerville, Sara is looking forward to doing more projects with these groups. Other recent credits include work with Chameleon’s Dish and Hovey Players. Sara is 28 years old and teaches English Language Learners at the Medford Public Schools. She likes cats.

Sue Downing (Director, “Mother Goose’s Grave”) appeared at T@F as Mrs. Pernelle (Tartuffe) last spring and is psyched to be directing again this summer after a twenty-plus-year hiatus. Many thanks to Amy for a delightful script and to Shelley for a fabulous festival!

Leslie Drescher (Charlie, “Masshole Transit”) was most recently on stage in T@F’s Tartuffe. She performs with the group regularly and is also a part of The Penumbra Podcast.

Joev Dubach (Panicked Man, “The Song Is You”) last appeared at T@F behind the sound board in Festival@First: Fractured Fairy Tales. You may remember him from such Post-Meridian Radio Players shows as “Ghost Hunt,” “The Mysterious Traveler,” and “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” or from such free fitness communities as November Project (november-project.com). (Just show up!)

Brie Frame (Set Designer) was one of the earliest organized crime figures in Boston’s history, controlling most of the illegal gambling, bootlegging and narcotics operations in the city by the 1920s. She was also the original owner of the Cocoanut Grove; after her murder at the Cotton Club in 1933, the club’s ownership transferred to her lawyer, Barney Welansky.

Jackie Freyman (Mrs. Ball, “Mother Goose’s Grave”) is thrilled to be back for her third Festival@First! She was last seen playing Clara Hawking in Mrs. Hawking: Vivat Regina and Base Instruments and as Tinker Bell in PMRP’s Peter Pan. Jackie began performing at the age of six and studied acting, creative writing, and directing at Emerson College. Love and thanks to friends and family for their support!