*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United StatesThe Scenic and Lighting Designers are members of United Scenic Artists UnionThe Director is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

Center REP is a member of Theatre Bay Area and Theatre Communications Group (TCG), The National Organization for the American Theatre

CENTER REPERTORY COMPANY Michael Butler, Artistic Director Scott Denison, Managing Director

Season Partner Foundation Sponsor Season Sponsor

Margaret Lesher TheatreOctober 18 - November 16, 2019

Lesher Center for the Arts

Scenic DesignerSean Fanning

Cast

Raúl Ramón Bencomo*

Livia Gomes Demarchi*

Justin P. Lopez

Costume DesignerMichael A. Berg

Directed by Michael ButlerNATIVE GARDENS was commissioned and first produced by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park under Blake Robison (Artistic Director) and Buzz Ward (Managing Director)

NATIVE GARDENS is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC

Lighting DesignerWen-Ling LiaoStage Manager

Anastasia O. Wirth*

By Karen Zacarías

Joe Coe

J. Michael Flynn*

Domenique Lozano*

ChoreographerKevin Gruwell

Sound DesignerJames Goode

Glenn Delos Santos

Miranda Ketchum

Carleena Manzi

Center REP and the Lesher Center since the Center opened in 1990. Their support has had a profound impact on the quality of Center REP’s productions and has greatly enhanced the experience for Center REP’s audiences. Grant-making decisions are based on the vision of Dean and Margaret Lesher who felt quality education, diverse art programs, and healthy children and families are the building blocks of a strong and vibrant community.

ABOUT CENTER REPERTORY COMPANY

Center REP is the resident, professional theatre company of the Lesher Center for the Arts. Our season consists of six productions a year – a variety of musicals, dramas and comedies, both classic and contemporary, that continually strive to reach new levels of artistic excellence and professional standards.

Our mission is to celebrate the power of the human imagination by producing emotionally engaging, intellectually involving, and visually astonishing live theatre, and through Outreach and Education programs, to enrich and advance the cultural life of the communities we serve.

What does it mean to be a producing theatre? We hire the finest professional directors, actors and designers to create our productions at Center REP. These are not touring productions – they’re conceived and developed here, the sets and costumes are built in our shops, and the actors rehearse in our rehearsal hall. Whether the production is a Bay Area premiere or a Shakespearean classic, each is devised to be a one of a kind, artistic creation that will be a unique theatre experience for our audience.

What does it mean to be a professional theatre? It means that all our artists and artisans are career theatre-practitioners. The actors in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association; our directors and designers are members of professional unions. All do theatre because it is their profession and their passion.

We are very proud to have the opportunity to produce professional theatre for our community in the beautiful theatres here at the Lesher Center for the Arts. Thank you for your support.

SCOTT DENISON (Managing Director) has been the General Manager for the Lesher Center for the Arts since it opened almost 30 years ago and has worked for the Arts in this area for over 45 years. Scott has directed over 150 productions, including The Wizard of Oz, the musical hit Cinderella, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Hairspray, The Music Man, Les Misérables and for the past 21 seasons Center REP’s A Christmas Carol as well as all Fantasy Forum productions since 1970. He created and produces the annual Shellie Awards now celebrating 41 years. Scott has also designed lights for over 250 productions, including the national touring production of Sylvia. Under Denison’s guidance the Lesher Center for the Arts presents over 850 public events each year. He coordinates performing arts activities with over 100 producers and producing organizations. Scott created the Chevron Family Theatre Festival which hosts over 7,000 guests each year. He is also the Managing Director of the Center REPertory Company producing professional productions each season and is the director and co-founder of Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble, an adult family performing arts company which presents programs for the young and Young at Heart.

OUR SPONSORS

Chevron (Season Sponsor) has been the leading corporate sponsor of Center REP and the Lesher Center for the Arts for the past twelve years. In fact, Chevron has been a partner of the LCA since the beginning, providing funding for capital improvements, event sponsorships and more. Chevron generously supports every Center REP show throughout the season, and is the primary sponsor for events including the Chevron Family Theatre Festival in July. Chevron has proven itself not just as a generous supporter, but also a valued friend of the arts.

Diablo Regional Arts Association (DRAA) (Season Partner) is both the primary fundraising organization of the Lesher Center for the Arts (LCA) and the City of Walnut Creek’s appointed curator for the LCA’s audience outreach. DRAA’s role in the community is all about building partnerships with the focused goal of enhancing artistic quality at the LCA and providing opportunities for everyone to enjoy the arts. Through partnerships with the LCA and its producers, individual donors, corporate and foundation sponsors and the City of Walnut Creek, DRAA plays a vital role in advancing the arts for the betterment of the community. Please visit us online at www.draa.org.

Lesher Foundation (Foundation Sponsor) As the namesake family for the Lesher Center for the Arts, the Lesher Foundation has provided funding to

KEVIN GRUWELL (Choreographer) is excited to be making his Center REP choreography debut with this production of Native Gardens! He just finished his third summer teaching and choreographing for the Young REP musical theatre swing program, and he was also featured in Center REP’s production of Mamma Mia! Recent choreography and co-choreography credits include Hair (Missouri Street Theatre), Footloose (Woodland Opera House), Billy Elliot (Contra Costa Musical Theatre), Bright Star (Las Lomas High School), and Mamma Mia! (Benicia High School).

ALYSSA TRYON (Props Designer) is a Properties Designer who recently relocated to San Jose, CA from New York, NY. Her most recent work was seen in Shrek The Musical, The Drowsy Chaperone and The Wiz at Broadway at Music Circus 2019. Past credits include: We Are The Tigers (Off-Broadway: Theatre 80), Lewiston/Clarkston (Off-Broadway: Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre), The Who’s Tommy (MMC), Blues For Mister Charlie (MMC), 10/12 (MMC), The Santa Fe Opera 2018 Season, The Servant of Two Masters (MMC), and Machinal (MMC). She obtained her Bachelors Degree from Marymount Manhattan College. A huge thank you to all of my family and friends for supporting me along this amazing journey! www.AlyssaTryon.com

ANASTASIA O. WIRTH* (Stage Manager) is excited to be making her debut at Center REP! Some theatre credits include stage managing at Northside Theatre, Dragon Productions, Silicon Valley Shakespeare, Livermore Shakespeare Festival, Woodminster Summer Musicals, and being the Resident Stage Manager at Pacific Coast Repertory Theatre. She graduated from California State University East Bay with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Anastasia is a proud member of AEA. She would like to thank her friends and family for all their love and support.

ARTS COMMISSIONJane Emanuel, Chair

Glynnis Cowdery, Vice Chair

Iasmine KlauberAnn Merideth

Anita Sagástegui

CITY COUNCILCindy Silva, Mayor

Matt FrancoisLoella HaskewJustin WedelKevin Wilk

CITY MANAGERDan Buckshi

DIRECTOR, Arts + RecKevin Safine

Center REPertory Company

Production ManagerJeff Collister

Technical DirectorJoshua Lipps

Master ElectricianDel MedoffCarpenters

Kevin BennettTrevor Frey

Arian GrimsrudGabriel JohnsonBrennan Shreves

Asst. Stage ManagerJoe Coe

Deck CrewScout Del Real

Miranda KetchumCostume Shop Manager

Michelle KincaidWardrobe SupervisorKiara Montgomery

TailorAlea Gonzales

DresserSarah MendezProps Designer

Alyssa TryonMarketing

Marketing AssociateTatiana Kelly

EducationEducation Directors

Jeff DraperKerri Shawn

Casting DirectorJennifer Perry

Asst. to the Managing Director

Gail PfeiferProgram/Webmaster

Linda Nomura

Audience ServicesCoordinator

Courtney EggTicket Office StaffJeremiah Vierling

Rami KimRobert NolanBailey Ferris

Jennifer HagaBrandon Lawrence

Hali LoydShannon Taylor

Usher CoordinatorPat Mitchell

Production ServicesCoordinator

Toni KilcoyneTechnical Staff

Steve PinoAlex Bull

Chris CurrieJacqualynn Metcalf

John Owens IIGarrick Schuster

Josh StoufferJosh YarnellSteve Young

SecurityNick DowdBen Garcia

Johnny Silveira

THANK YOU TO THE STAFF OF THE LESHER CENTER FOR THE ARTS

THANK YOU TO:Carlton Thompson

Walnut Creek Senior Civil Engineer

Massimo’s Ristorante

Michael Butler Artistic DirectorScott Denison Managing Director

PROFILES

RAÚL RAMÓN BENCOMO* (Pablo Del Valle) is thrilled to be in Native Gardens with Center REP. Previous Credits include: NYC…Julius Caesar (The Public), All The President’s Men? Scene’s From The Senate Confirmation Hearing’s of President Trump’s Cabinet (The Public) LA….To Kill a Mockingbird (Theatricum Botanicum), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theatricum Botanicum), Titus Andronicus (Theatricum Botanicum), Anna In The Tropics (Open Fist), Love’s Labours Lost (Downtown Rep.), As You Like It (Culver City Public Theater), Orphans (Kentwood Players). Special Thanks to Michael Butler, and Karen Zacarías for this incredible opportunity. The Lesher Center for the Arts. My mom y my Papí, quien vino de Cuba cuando era niño en la operación Pedro Pan porque el comemierda Castro. Thanks to Romeo (my dog), Jeanie Hackett and Susan Angelo (teachers), my insanely talented cast mates, and everyone involved in this production. Special thanks to the theater community of the Bay Area. I started my “career” here taking acting 101 for adults at ACT once a week. Thanks to Steph Demott, W.D. Keith, Drew Khalouf, John Fisher, and Theatre Rhino for starting me off. And thank you Walnut Creek and the East Bay for supporting live theater. Laugh Hard! Enjoy the show!!! Insta: raoulieb

GLENN DELOS SANTOS (Landscaper) An aspiring Film and TV producer. Born in Dubai, U.A.E, raised in the Philippines, and migrated to United States at the age of 14. Since moving to this country, Glenn has performed in numerous plays. Past roles include: Simon Zealotes in Jesus Christ Superstar, Aldolpho in The Drowsy Chaperone, Morrow McCarthy in An American Daughter and many more. He will also be appearing as Sonny in Center REP's production of In the Heights this upcoming spring. In his spare time, he enjoys dancing, watching films, and spending time with his tuxedo cat named Dixie. One of his goals is to one day be an advocate for animal rights, as well as LGBTQ rights. He hopes you enjoy the show and is sending all of you much love from the stage.

LIVIA GOMES DEMARCHI* (Tania Del Valle) is thrilled to perform with Center REP for the first time in this incredibly timely and funny play. Recent credits: How to Make an American Son with the Playwright’s Foundation, Titania/Hyppolita in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival and Olivia/Maria in Twelfth Night for Arabian Shakespeare. She has also worked with SF Playhouse (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo), AlterTheater (original production of The River Bride) and with 3Girls Theater (Low Hanging

CAST

Pablo Del Valle .................. Raúl Ramón Bencomo*Tania Del Valle ..................Livia Gomes Demarchi*Frank Butley................................ J. Michael Flynn*Virginia Butley .......................Domenique Lozano*Surveyor ....................................Miranda KetchumLandscaper ............................. Glenn Delos SantosLandscaper ......................................Justin P. LopezLandscaper ................................... Carleena ManziInspector ................................................... Joe Coe

TIME AND PLACE

The PresentGeorgetown neighborhood of Washington DC

Native Gardens will be performed without an intermission.

NOTES FROM THE DIRECTOR

So, a playwright walks into a party. Someone’s talking about a fight with a neighbor. Others bring up their neighbor stories. Fights about property, about taste and culture. The playwright is struck by the passion and absurdity of

these fights, how they “got big very quickly, and contentious.” If the playwright is Karen Zacarías, she decides to write a play that “investigates that with humor.” She writes Native Gardens, a comedy which quickly goes on to be one of the Top Ten Most Produced Plays in America. I guess she hit a nerve.

If the name Karen Zacarías is familiar to you, you may be remembering Center REP’s 2015 production of The Book Club Play, another hit comedy of hers that found hilarity in anxiety. Ms. Zacarías has a gift for the hot button comedy, and Native Gardens is bursting with those buttons, touching on property, taste, culture, age, class, race and privilege. I love that she’s able to explore all that and wrap it in a joyous, brisk and exuberant comedy. As Ms. Zacarías says, “I want people who disagree to watch this play and be able to laugh at themselves.” What better gift for all of us now? It certainly seems like we’re living in especially contentious times, and that arguments get big very quickly. Arguments with neighbors become fights within communities, in the country, in the world. It’s good to look at it of course, but it’s good to have a laugh about it too! Native Gardens lets us do both.

Michael ButlerArtistic Director

Fruit, BATCC Best Ensemble nomination). Other companies: Crowded Fire, Magic Theater, Playground, Shotgun Players, BRAVA and Theater Rhinoceros. She holds a BA from UC Berkeley in Theater and Performance Studies, where she developed her first bilingual solo piece Quem Eu?. She has also trained at A.C.T., Seydways Studios and at Macunaíma School of Theater in her home country of Brasil. Obrigada familia, amo vocês!

J. MICHAEL FLYNN* (Frank Butley) is pleased to be returning to Center REP. He was seen here last as Marc in ART. His most recent regional appearance was as John in Coming of Age at the Jewel in Santa Cruz. Previously, during more than four decades in the theater, Mr. Flynn has worked with – among others – A Contemporary Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, American Conservatory Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Baltimore CenterStage, Berkeley Rep, Boise Contemporary, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Center Rep, Cleveland Play House, Geva, The Goodman, The Huntington, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Jewel Theatre, The Long Wharf, The Magic, North Coast Rep, The Old Globe, Oregon Shakespearean Festival, P.C.P.A., Pittsburgh Public, Portland Center Stage, San Jose Rep, Seattle Rep, Syracuse Stage and The Sundance Institute. His Hollywood career can be traced on the IMDb. Moreover, Mr. Flynn is continually in wonder of and deeply grateful for Mrs. Flynn.

MIRANDA KETCHUM (Surveyor) is an actress and stage hand who has been working in theater throughout the Bay Area since she was very young. In 2016, Miranda earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Technical Theater at Central Washington University. She has starred in productions of The Government Inspector, Scapin the Schemer, Treasure Island, Anna in the Tropics, and many others. Currently, Miranda works as a stage hand at the Lesher Center. When not working on shows, Miranda likes to spend her spare time with her 18 cats! Her favorite and biggest cat is named Babbums. She is also in the midst of writing the next great American novel, tentatively titled "He Bark, He Howl!"

JUSTIN P. LOPEZ (Landscaper) Justin is incredibly excited to make his Center REP debut and is thrilled to join this remarkable cast and creative team! Recent credits include the world-premiere musical Kiss My Aztec! by John Leguizamo and Tony Taccone at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Titanic the Musical in Concert at 42nd Street Moon, the world-premiere musical Unbreakable by Andrew Lippa with the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (SFGMC), and Flower Drum Song (David Henry Hwang revival) at Palo Alto Players, which featured an all-API cast and creative team. Other favorite roles include Juan Perón in Evita (Landmark Musicals) and Greg Connell in The Boy From Oz (Theatre

as a Young REP student and carpentry intern. He’s pleased to return as a designer to one of the places that inspired him to pursue his career. Sean holds an M.F.A. in Scene Design from San Diego State University. www.seanfanningdesigns.com

MICHAEL A. BERG (Costume Designer) has created costumes for many Bay Area theatre companies including Center REP, The Mountain Play, Marin Shakespeare Company and the College of Marin. He is pleased to be working with Center REP again and considers it "like coming home."

WEN-LING LIAO (Lighting Designer) makes her Center REP debut with Native Gardens. Her selected credits include: The Chinese Lady, Oedipus El Rey, The Resting Place, Reel to Reel with Magic Theater. House of Joy, Quixote Nuevo with Calshakes, Dance Nation, Significant Other, King of the Yees, Barbecue with San Francisco Playhouse The Who and The What, The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley, I and You with Marin Theater Company, The Importance of Being Earnest with Aurora Theater Company, Vietgone with A.C.T, The Boy Who Danced on Air with Abingdon Theater Company, Chill with Merrimack Repertory Theater, Milk Like Sugar with Huntington Theatre Company, Sense and Sensibility with Dallas Theater Center, Precious Little, Marjorie Prime and Grounded with Nora Theater Company, Mr. Burns, a post-electric play with Lyric Stage company, Appropriate with SpeakEasy Stage Company, Luna Gale with Stoneham Theater, A Nice Indian Boy with East West Players. She earned her MFA from University of California, San Diego and BA from National Taiwan University. Website: wenlingliao.com

JAMES GOODE (Sound Designer) is an audio engineer, composer, musician, and songwriter who takes great pleasure in working in a variety of disciplines, including dance, film, gaming, installations, music production, podcasts, theater, video, and live performance. He’s excited to be working with Center REP and director Michael Butler, both for the first time, on Native Gardens. Recent productions include Much Ado About Nothing (Mucho Rudio Y Pocas Nuecas) (Symmetry Theatre); It’s Only a Play and Leading Ladies (Hillbarn Theatre); The Glass Menagerie (Role Players Ensemble); Escaped Alone, Here We Go, dirty butterfly, The Human Ear, and This Wide Night (Anton’s Well Theater Company); OUT of Site: SOMA (Eye Zen Presents); Arden of Faversham, Antigone and All’s Well That Ends Well (Theater of Others); All the Way (Palo Alto Players); Pool of Unknown Wonders: Undertow of the Soul and Hamlet (Ubuntu Theater Project); Champagne (6NewPlays); Scapegoat, Bright Shining Sea and Best of PlayGround 22 (PlayGround); Oedipus at Palm Springs, Transitions, LEAR!, and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the Musical (Theatre Rhinoceros); Bat Boy, the Musical (Young People’s Teen Musical Theatre Company); Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Altarena Playhouse); and Man of La Mancha (Custom Made Theatre Company). https://jamesgoodesound.com

Rhinoceros). Justin is a proud active member of SFGMC, and he thanks his chorus family for their continued love and support. "Thank you, Laura, Francie, Thomas, and LB!"

DOMENIQUE LOZANO* (Virginia Butley) is a Bay Area based Director, Actress and Educator. She was last seen at Center REP in The Diary of Anne Frank. Ms. Lozano was a resident artist with the American Conservatory theatre for 13 years where she was the resident director of A Christmas Carol as well as being a core faculty member and director in the MFA Program and guest director of new musicals with the Young Conservatory. Acting work includes roles with ACT, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival San Jose Stage Company and the Magic Theatre. Ms. Lozano was an Associate Artist with the California Shakespeare Theatre, where she performed leading roles in over 20 productions. Ms. Lozano is a faculty member at UC Berkeley and has taught throughout the Bay Area at such institutions as UC Davis, Saint Mary’s College, Berkeley Repertory School of Theatre, Cal Shakes, Las Positas and Solano College. She also wrote a new translation of Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle, which premiered at the American Conservatory Theatre in 2010, and completed a new translation of Don Carlos which premiered at the 2018 New Strands Festival at ACT.

CARLEENA MANZI (Landscaper) is thrilled to be making her California debut. A recent transplant from New York, Carleena is excited to make the most of her West Coast experience. Recent credits include: Little Women (Jo March), A Charlie Brown Christmas (Lucy), Sense and Sensibility (Gossip), Evita (Mistress), and Kafka’s Metamorphosis: The Musical (Mother), for which she also recorded an original cast album that is now available through Broadway Records. Education: BA in Theatre and Arts Administration from Le Moyne College. Much love and gratitude to the cast and crew!

KAREN ZACARÍAS (Playwright) was recently hailed by American Theater Magazine as one of the ten most produced playwrights in the US. Her award-winning plays include The Copper Children, Destiny of Desire, Native Gardens, The Book Club Play, Legacy of Light, Mariela in the Desert, The Sins of Sor Juana, and the adaptations of Just Like Us, Into the Beautiful North, and How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. She is the author of ten renowned TYA musicals (including Ella Enchanted: The Musical) and the librettist of several ballets. She is one of the inaugural resident playwrights at Arena Stage, a core founder of the Latinx Theatre Commons – a large national organization of artists seeking to update the American narrative with the stories of Latinos-, and she is the founder of the award-winning Young Playwrights’ Theater (YPT). YPT was cited by the Obama administration

as one of the best arts education programs on the nation. Karen was just voted 2018 Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian Magazine for her advocacy work involving the arts. She is an inaugural 2019 Sine Fellow for Policy Innovation at American University and is selected by The League of Professional Theatre Women to receive the 2019 Lee Reynolds Award, given annually to a woman in theater who has helped illuminate the possibilities for social, cultural, or political change. Karen lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and three children. www.KarenZacarias.com

MICHAEL BUTLER (Director/Artistic Director) This is Michael’s fourteenth season as Artistic Director of Center REP, where his directing credits include The Liar, Women in Jeopardy, Baskerville, ‘Art,’ Anything Goes, Clybourne Park, Real Housewives of Walnut Creek, and To Kill a Mockingbird, as well as the Shellie and BATCC Award-winning productions of Around the World in 80 Days, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Enchanted April, and Witness For The Prosecution. His directing work has also been seen at San Jose Rep, Cleveland Playhouse, Seattle Rep, Laguna Playhouse, ACT in Seattle, Marin Theatre Company, Aurora Theatre Company, San Jose Stage, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and The Juilliard School, of which he is a graduate. As an actor, Michael has worked on Broadway (Macbeth with Glenda Jackson and Christopher Plummer and Two Shakespearean Actors), Off Broadway (Roundabout, The Public Theatre), in regional theatres (The Guthrie, Arena Stage, Long Wharf), film and television, as well as in REP’s productions of The Diary of Anne Frank, Mirandolina!, The Mousetrap, Noises Off and Rumors. He is a published songwriter and the co-writer and composer of numerous music-theatre pieces, which have been produced in NY, LA, and at festivals in India and Morocco. In his career as a performer he has also danced with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company, portrayed the villainous Pierre LeChance on “The Guiding Light," and played guitar and harmonica in many rock, blues, and country western bands at all the notable dives in NYC.

SEAN FANNING (Scenic Designer) is a Southern California–based artist, making his design debut with Center REP. Regional credits include Oslo, Thomas and Sally, and My Mañana Comes (Marin Theatre Company), Full Gallop, A Doll’s House (The Old Globe), Nina Simone: Four Women (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), The Solid Life of Sugar Water (Deaf West Theatre), Bad Hombres, Good Wives, A Doll’s House Part 2, Fun Home, Manifest Destinitis, In The Heights (San Diego Rep), Straight White Men (Florida Studio Theatre), Rock of Ages, Pride and Prejudice, HIR, The Last Wife, On the Twentieth Century (Cygnet Theatre, Resident Artist), The Wizard of Oz, Beauty and the Beast (Sierra Rep), Once, Silent Sky, Equivocation (Lamb’s Player’s Theatre). He received San Diego Critics Circle Awards for Designer of the Year in 2016, and for his design of Cygnet’s On the Twentieth Century in 2017. Sean is a native of Walnut Creek and 20 years ago experienced productions at Center REP