Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband 2 0 0 5   P R O D U C T I O N

The Cast THE EARL OF CAVERSHAM, K.G.   Evan Thompson BIO LORD GORING (his son)   Owen Thompson BIO SIR ROBERT CHILTERN, Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs   Warren Kelley BIO PHIPPS   Arthur Pignataro BIO LADY CHILTERN   Susan Riley Stevens BIO LADY MARKBY   Joan Shepard BIO LADY BASILDON   Erin Renee Smith BIO MRS. MARCHMONT   Daina Schatz BIO MISS MABEL CHILTERN   Vira Slywotzky BIO MRS. CHEVELEY   Jean Tafler BIO Director   Stephen Kunken BIO Set Design   Tony Andrea BIO Lighting Design   Martin E. Vreeland BIO Costume Design   Darlene Davis BIO Sound Design   Sidney Milton BIO Production Stage Manager   Rychard Curtiss BIO Evan Thompson All My Sons    The Mikado    An Ideal Husband    17th River Rep Season!    River Rep: founding company member, having played over 50 roles, most notably in: Proof (2004), The Heiress (2000), On Golden Pond (1999 - Connecticut Critics Circle Nomination); and You Can’t Take It with You (1994). Among his many River Rep directing credits, 1776 (2000) and 2003’s Sherlock Holmes stand out as favorites. Broadway: Ivanov and An American Daughter for the Tony Award-winning Lincoln Center Theatre; and the musicals 1776, City of Angels, and Jimmy. National Tour: La Cage aux Folles. Off-Broadway: Everybody Loves Ruby (New York Shakespeare Festival’s Public Theatre); Camping with Henry and Tom (Lucille Lortel); The Fantasticks (Sullivan Street Playhouse); 1984 (Joyce Theatre); The Browning Version (Wonderhorse Theatre); Horton Foote’s Land of the Astronauts (Ensemble Studio Theatre); The Lady’s Not for Burning (York Theatre); Michael Weller’s Buying Time (Hypothetical Theatre Co.); as well as the U.S. premiere of the Brecht/Weill opera Mahogany. Regional: Yale Rep; Westport Country Playhouse; Portland Stage Company; Great Lakes Theatre Festival; Cleveland Playhouse; Delaware Theatre Company; Goodspeed Opera House; Walnut Street Theatre; Capital Rep; Clarence Brown Theatre; North Shore Music Theatre; The Wilma; The Kennedy Center; Ford’s Theatre; and Riverside Theatre. Favorite roles include: Prospero in The Tempest; Dr. Rance in What the Butler Saw; Henry Drummond in Inherit the Wind; the title role in Uncle Vanya; and Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night. A veteran of many made-for-TV movies (Monday Night Mayhem, Ghost Dance, etc.) and multiple TV guest appearances (“Law & Order”; “Saturday Night Live”; “All My Children”; “Kate and Allie”; “Cheyenne”; “The Untouchables”; and “The Donna Reed Show”). Owen Thompson How the Other Half Loves    All My Sons    An Ideal Husband    Dinner with Friends    16th River Rep Season!    River Rep: founding company member, performing in over 50 productions – recent favorites include: 1776 (2000); Art (2001); and A Few Good Men (2002). He has directed several productions for River Rep – most recently, Lettice and Lovage (2002) and 2003’s The Good Doctor. Owen Thompson is an actor/director who has been professionally involved in the theatre for over 25 years. Early in his career, he toured nationally with Yul Brynner in The King & I and later received classical training in London. Some of his favorite roles include Iago in Othello, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, and Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff in The Importance of Being Earnest. Owen has appeared in New York City and around the country with such companies as: New York Shakespeare Festival’s Public Theatre; The Metropolitan Opera Guild; Tulsa Repertory Theatre; South Jersey Regional Theatre; and Connecticut’s own Long Wharf Theatre, among others. In 1996, Owen co-founded New York City’s Protean Theatre Company and remains its Artistic Director. He has produced and directed numerous productions for Protean, notably the critically-acclaimed American premiere of The London Cuckolds and his own original adaptation of Moliere’s The Doctor in Spite of Himself. Training: The London Theatre School. Warren Kelley How the Other Half Loves    The Mikado    An Ideal Husband    Dinner with Friends    19th River Rep Season!    River Rep: original company member, appearing in over 50 productions – favorites include: Peter in The Heidi Chronicles (1991); the title role in The Dresser (1988); and Applegate in Damn Yankees (2001 – Connecticut Critics Circle Nomination). Warren Kelley has one of the busiest and most varied careers in regional theatre with well over 150 productions to date. Just in this last season: Warren played Fredrik in A Little Night Music, Kit Gill, the killer, in Doug Cohen’s musical No Way To Treat A Lady, and had featured television appearances on “Chappelle’s Show” on Comedy Central and NBC’s hit series “Law & Order: SVU”. Traversing between the classics, musical theatre, and challenging contemporary plays, Warren has appeared at such theaters as: Two River Theater Company, Riverside Theatre, North Shore Music Theatre; Cape Playhouse; Goodspeed Opera House; Seven Angels Theatre; Walnut St. Theatre; Helen Hayes Theatre Co.; Theatre Virginia; Florida Stage; Orlando Shakespeare Festival; Pioneer Theatre Co.; and many more. He is now also a sought-after Director and Choreographer in theatre and cabaret, is a busy private acting coach, and teaches Master Classes in audition technique both in New York and in Professional Training Programs around the country. Warren has a BA in Drama from University of the Pacific and an MFA in Acting from Temple University. Arthur Pignataro An Ideal Husband    12th River Rep Season!    River Rep: Follies (2003), 1776 (2000), Our Town (1995), You Can’t Take It with You (1994), Pajama Game (1993) – to name but a few. A veteran of many roles on many stages, highlights include: George in Of Mice and Men, Felix in The Odd Couple, Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, Linus in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and the Rabbi’s son in Fiddlesr on the Roof. Susan Riley Stevens An Ideal Husband    Dinner with Friends    1st River Rep Season!    Regional: credits include Emily in After Play at the Walnut Street Theatre, Belinda in Noises Off, Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center, Alexandrina in The Uneasy Chair, 1812 Productions, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Delaware Theatre Company, The Pavilion, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Tracy in The Philadelphia Story, The Voysey Inheritance, I Hate Hamlet, Asolo Theatre Co., Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, A Delicate Balance, People’s Light and Theatre Co., Closer, Three Days of Rain, Arden Theatre Co., Nora, Tales From Washington Irving, Portland Stage Co., All’s Well That Ends Well, Dallas Theatre Center, The Beaux Stratagem, Uncle Vanya, Yale Rep, Twelfth Night, Titus Andronicus, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Film, TV: “Going, Going, Gone,” Movie Guy Productions, “Guiding Light.” MFA, Yale School of Drama. Susan is very happy to be making her River Rep debut! Joan Shepard All My Sons    The Mikado    An Ideal Husband    19th River Rep Season!    River Rep: founding member appearing in over 50 productions. Favorites include: Grandma Kurnitz in Lost in Yonkers (2001 – Connecticut Critics Circle nomination); the Dutchess in Me and My Girl (1991); and Hattie in Follies (2003). Ms. Shepard serves as River Rep’s Managing Director. Joan Shepard has had a long and distinguished career as an actress, beginning at age seven in Laurence Olivier’s Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet – also starring Vivien Leigh. She subsequently appeared on Broadway multiple times in plays such as Foolish Notion, playing Tallulah Bankhead’s daughter, and the original production of The Member of The Wedding, alongside theatre legends Julie Harris and Ethel Waters. Later, Ms. Shepard played opposite Ms. Waters in the West Coast premiere of the same play. Other NYC: theatre credits include productions of: Othello; Misalliance; Kennedy’s Children; The Importance of Being Earnest (starring Quentin Crisp); Richard III; Baker Street; and, most recently, the title role in The Education of Miss Ida. Regional: she has appeared across the country in theatres that include: Two Rivers (New Jersey); The Pasadena Playhouse (Los Angeles); and Connecticut’s own Goodspeed Opera House. Ms. Shepard continues to tour extensively with the nationally acclaimed children’s theatre troupe The Fanfare Theatre Ensemble – which she co-created with her husband, Evan Thompson, in 1971. She is equally proud of her artistic association with The Protean Theatre Company, where she has played many roles, most recently the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet – bringing her career full circle. Last fall, Joan had a huge success in The Beast Festival’s production of For the Love of Mike at New York’s Triangle Theatre. In September, she goes to North Carolina to reprise her starring role as Miss Ida under the direction of Jane Stanton, River Rep’s Artistic Director Emeritus. Training: The Royal Academy Of Dramatic Art. Erin Renee Smith Intern Company    1st River Rep Season!    Erin Renee Smith is a native of California where she graduated from Solano’s Actor Training Program. She has been living in New York for the past three years, studying in the Acting Conservatory at SUNY Purchase. College credits include: Six Degrees of Separation (Louisa Kittredge), The Green Bird (Green Bird), The Hostage (Theresa), and Rimers of Eldritch (Cora Groves). She is thrilled to have the opportunity to be involved with River Rep this summer. Daina Schatz An Ideal Husband    1st River Rep Season!    Daina is thrilled to be making her debut with River Rep. Regional credits include: Comedy of Errors and The King Stag (Yale Rep), Anything Goes (Angel Virtue; Seven Angels Theatre), Company (Amy; Schwartz Center for Performing Arts). Other favorites: Sally Bowles in Cabaret (ActingUp Theatre Co.), Lois Lane in Kiss Me Kate (Seven Angels Stage II). Daina received a BA in Psychology with a concentration in law and society from Cornell University and currently teaches swing dancing throughout the Northeast. Vira Slywotzky Intern Company    1st River Rep Season!    Vira Slywotzky, originally from Cambridge, MA, now lives in New York City. Past roles include Escalus (Measure for Measure), “B” (Three Tall Women), Commere (Four Saints in Three Acts), Ruth (Wonderful Town), Rosalind (As You Like It), and Common Man (A Man For All Seasons). Vira received a BA in Music from Yale University and will pursue a Masters of Music in voice at Mannes College of Music in the fall. Jean Tafler An Ideal Husband    Dinner with Friends    5th River Rep Season!    River Rep: Chapter Two, Light Up the Sky, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Present Laughter (2004), The Good Doctor, Follies, Sherlock Holmes (2003), The Heiress (2000), and Into the Woods (1992). Recent regional credits include: Titania-Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Orlando Shakespeare Festival in Florida, Oscar and Felix with Seven Angels Theatre, and Dark at the Center (world premiere) at TheatreFest, NJ. NYC credits: Romeo and Juliet at the Lucille Lortell, The Taming of the Shrew and The Winter’s Tale for The West End Theatre Co., Opal and Johnny Pye and The Foolkiller at the Lambs Theatre, Philemon at the York and Dark Lady of the Sonnets with The Protean Theatre Company. Jean has worked in many regional venues across the country and has appeared in over 30 Shakespearean productions as well as new and contemporary works in theatres such as Papermill Playhouse, Snowmas/Aspen Rep., The Asolo, Geva, and Studio Arena Theatres. Some favorite roles are: Rosalind in As You Like It, Lady Macbeth, Amanda in Private Lives, and Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. She also played the title role in the musical Jane Eyre at Houston’s Stages Rep. Film work: The Deadly Spawn. Television: Leg Work. Jean is happy to be part of the River Rep family once again! Stephen Kunken, Director 3rd River Rep Season!    River Rep: (favorites include) the title character in Sherlock Holmes (2003), Ira in Laughter on the 23rd Floor (2002), Thomas Jefferson in 1776, and Morris Townsend in The Heiress (2000). Most recently: Doc in the Kennedy Center production of Mister Roberts directed by Robert Longbottom. World premieres of Ken Weitzman’s Arrangements at the Atlantic Theater; Lynn Nottage’s Fabulation at Playwrights Horizon with Charlayne Woodard. Mihail Sebastian in the world premiere of David Auburn’s one-man play The Journals of Mihail Sebastian for The Keen Company. Broadway: Stephen starred as Harold Dobbs, opposite Anne Heche and Len Cariou, in the Tony Award-winning production of David Auburn's Proof at the Walter Kerr Theater - a role he created in the national tour. Off-Broadway: He has appeared in The Story (Public Theater) opposite Phylicia Rashad and Erika Alexander, Tony Kushner’s adaptation of A Dybbuk (Public Theater), Home of the Brave (Jewish Rep. Theater), Henry VIII (NYSF, Delacorte Theater), and Misalliance (Roundabout Theater). Regional: originated roles in the world premieres of Stephen Belber’s Tape (Humana Festival, ATL), Touch (Humana Festival, ATL), Jerusalem (Cleveland Playhouse), and King of the Moon (Pittsburgh Public Theater). Other regional work includes the title role in Henry V (Chicago’s Shakespeare Theater), Seattle Rep, Studio Arena Theater, Portland Stage, and The Acting Company. Television: “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “The Sopranos,” “Spin City,” “Guiding Light,” “Mary and Rhoda,” “Now and Again,” and the PBS special “Far East” (directed by Daniel Sullivan). Film: Stephen can be seen in the upcoming films Wait Until This Year, Light and the Sufferer, based on the book by Jonathan Lethem, and in Spike Lee’s Bamboozled. Stephen holds a BA from Tufts University and graduated with multiple honors from the Juilliard School’s Graduate Acting Program. He is a 2004 Fox Fellowship recipient. Tony Andrea, Set Designer An Ideal Husband Dinner with Friends 6th River Rep Season! River Rep: Proof (2004), Over the River and Through the Woods, Follies (2003), Anything Goes, Gaslight, Laughter on the 23rd Floor (2002), The Mystery of Irma Vep, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Happiest Days of Your Life, The Heiress, and 1776 (2000). Other credits include: Sleuth for The Ivoryton Playhouse Foundation, Sister Calling My Name (The Harry Clurman Theatre, NYC), No Time for Comedy (The Mint Theatre Company, NYC), The Mound Builders c/s (Burning Coal Theatre, NC), Grace in America c/s (The Lost Nation Theatre, VT), Wait Until Dark (Stoneham Theatre, MA). Tony is a recipient of a Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Set Design 1998–99 for The Miser produced by the Connecticut Repertory Theatre. Martin E. Vreeland, Lighting Designer The Mikado An Ideal Husband Dinner with Friends 5th River Rep Season! River Rep: 12 productions for River Rep, most recently Proof (2004). Martin recently designed 5 Bottles in a Six-Pack for Cherry Lane Theatre and Nicotine for Personal Space Theatrics, both in NYC. He designed 42nd Street and Singin’ in the Rain for Trump Plaza Casino in Atlantic City. Martin designed a highly acclaimed production of Beauty and the Beast for North Shore Music Theatre and Tommy for Stoneham Theatre, both near Boston. He has designed shows at Ergo Theatre, Looking Glass Theatre, Wings Theatre, CAP21, The Alley, River Rep, Surflight, Tri-Arts, NJ State Repertory Opera, PTTP University of Delaware, and Troika’s national tour of Swing. Martin has designed numerous benefit shows for BC/EFA and The Actors Fund, as well as assisting on several Broadway productions, including The Lion King, Voices in the Dark, Swing, How to Succeed..., and Grease. Martin is an alumnus of Syracuse University and is happy to be returning to River Rep again this season. Darlene Davis, Costume Designer An Ideal Husband 2nd River Rep Season! River Rep: The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Present Laughter (2004). Darlene is very happy to be back with River Rep this summer for our production of An Ideal Husband. Over the last ten years, Darlene has costumed productions for many CT theaters and a few independent films, as well as choreographed several variety shows, cabarets, and a few musicals. Darlene is also a performer with such theaters as The Warner Theatre, Theatre Guild of Simsbury, Little Theatre of Manchester, Manchester Musical Players, and The Rocky Hill Town Theatre. Sidney Milton, Sound Designer An Ideal Husband Dinner with Friends 3rd River Rep Season! River Rep: The Heiress (2000), A Few Good Men (2002), The Good Doctor (2003) and in 2004 worked with composer Jeffrey Kunken in creating an original score and sound design for Proof. In the off-season, Mr. Milton works in Washington, DC and lives in Georgetown with his wife Stella. Rychard Curtiss, Production Stage Manager 5th River Rep Season! River Rep: Chapter Two and Proof (2004), Comedy of Errors (2003), Lettice and Lovage, Anything Goes, A Few Good Men, and Laughter on the 23rd Floor (2003). Rych has worked with River Rep as both technical director, lighting designer, props master, and stage manager in past years. Rychard is a professor at Hofstra University in NY, where he serves as Lighting & Sound Designer, and oversees the BFA in Stage Management. A self-proclaimed “Theatreguy,” he acts, designs, writes, directs, and does anything theatre. His designs have been seen in NYC off- and off-off-Broadway, and he has worked on and appeared in a few independent films. He has worked across the country as a designer, actor, and stagehand. His website is theatreguy.com.