Barefoot in the Park is produced in special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
NEIL SIMON
Marvin Neil Simon was born on the Fourth
of July, 1927 in New York City. He got his
start in show business writing for radio and
television, collaborating with comedians such
as Woody Allen and Mel Brooks. Simon’s
first success writing for the stage came in
1961 with COME BLOW YOUR HORN,
followed by BAREFOOT IN THE PARK in
1963. His next play, THE ODD COUPLE,
introducing the comic duo Felix and Oscar, earned Simon his first Tony
Award. THE ODD COUPLE was later adapted into a successful movie
and hit TV comedy series. He has also earned a record number of Tony
nominations over the course of his longw career including both a Tony
and the Pulitzer Prize for his 1991 play, LOST IN YONKERS. In 1983 the
Shubert Organization renamed a midtown Manhattan theatre the “Neil
Simon Theatre.” President Clinton, when presenting Simon with an award
at the Kennedy Center, remarked: “He challenges us and himself never to
take ourselves too seriously.” Simon continues today to write plays, mixing
honesty with humor to capture the foibles of human beings.
BAREFOOT IN THE PARK
Premiering on Broadway in 1963 starring Robert Redford and Elizabeth
Ashley, BAREFOOT IN THE PARK ran for over 1500 performances (the
10th longest running play in Broadway history). “I don’t think anybody
stopped laughing while the curtain was up last evening” (New York Daily
News). Simon adapted the play a few years later into a feature film, starring
Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. A television series based on the play was
shown on ABC in 1970 and in 2006, a revival opened on Broadway at the
Cort Theater. BAREFOOT IN THE PARK continues to be performed on
stages around the world and remains an audience favorite!
BAREFOOT IN THE PARK takes place on the top floor of a brownstone
on East 48th Street in New York.
ACT I: A cold February afternoon (around 5:30 p.m.)
ACT II: Scene 1 – Four days later (around 7:00 p.m.)
Scene 2 – Later than night (around 2:00 a.m.)
ACT III: The following day (around 5:00 p.m.)
CAST OF CHARACTERS (in order of appearance)
Corie Bratter
Rachel Brianna Cumberland
Telephone Man Abou B. Conneh*
Delivery Man
Kristian Gonzalez*
Paul Bratter G. Cameron Curry*
Mrs. Banks (Corie’s Mother) Mary Martin*
Victor Velasco
Patrick Ferrara
ARTISTIC AND PRODUCTION STAFF
Director
Rosina Whitfield
Producer
June Guralnick*
Set Designer
Tom Barker*
Light Designer
Jody LS Tidwell*
Costume Designer Rosina Whitfield
Technical Director
Jody LS Tidwell*
Stage Manager Theo Vicars**
Technical Assistant
Corbet Wright**
Assistant Stage Manager Valeria Gonzalez-Toledo**
Assistant Stage Manager
Kaliah DeBerry**
Props Director
Joseph Avila**
Props Assistant
Kinney Robertson **
Light Board Operator
Jake Grochowski**
Sound Board Operator
Samantha Sullivan**
Sound Board Operator Deric Holmes-Cobb**
Costume Manager
Amanda Weikert**
Costume Assistant
Eslam Metaweia
Front-of-House Manager
Amanda Weikert**
Publicity Director
Colt Anthony Champagne**
Publicity Assistant
Essence Edwards**
Graphic Designer Lisa Albritton**
Backstage Crew JD Hedgecock,** Damoné Taylor,**
Kristal Taylor**
Sound Designer
Kyle Partin**
Sound Engineer Jeremy Featherstone**
*GTCC faculty/staff
**GTCC students
There will be one 15-minute intermission.
No food or beverages are permitted in the theatre.
The use of camera or other recording devices is prohibited in the theatre.
CAST BIOGRAPHIES (in alphabetical order)
Abou B. Conneh (Telephone Man) is originally from Liberia and speaks
multiple languages, including Mandingo and French. Abou has attended
school overseas in the Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Liberia. A freshman at
GTCC majoring in biology, Abou thanks GTCC Theatre Program for casting him in his first show in English!
Rachel Brianna Cumberland (Corie Bratter) was born and raised
in Greensboro. You may have recently seen her in productions of OUR
TOWN (Livestock Theater) as Mrs. Gibbs and MACBETH (Weaver Academy) as Hecate. She feels honored to be a part of GTCC’s fall production!
G. Cameron Curry (Paul Bratter) started acting at Ragsdale High
School. He went from playing John in PETER PAN to roles such as Tevye in
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF and Edna in HAIRSPRAY. Cameron is currently
studying Business Administration at GTCC and thought it vital to give
acting another go.
Patrick Ferrara (Victor Velasco), a native New Yorker, was recently
seen in Open Space Cafe Theatre’s production of COME BLOW YOUR
HORN. He has also performed locally at the Community Theatre of
Greensboro, Drama Center of City Arts, Carolina Theatre, Theatre
Alliance, Twin City Stage, Stained Glass Playhouse and the National
Black Theatre Festival. Patrick studied acting at both the Strasberg
Institute and Stella Adler Conservatory in New York and has acted in various roles on Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway stages.
Kristian Gonzalez (Delivery Man) is a freshman at GTCC majoring in
English and Theatre. He has appeared in City Arts as well as Southeast
Guilford High School shows, including RICHARD III, A MIDSUMMER
NIGHT’S DREAM, THE THREE MUSKETEERS, and ROMEO & JULIET.
Mary Martin (Mrs. Banks) is originally from Asheville. A mother of four,
she is a freshman at GTCC pursuing a degree in Logistics. Mary is usually a
stage mom but decided to step back into character. She has performed in
productions of GREASE (Herman High School), OLIVER and LES MIS (Asheville Community Theatre), and currently works with Flowerchild productions.
ARTISTIC AND PRODUCTION STAFF BIOGRAPHIES
Rosina Whitfield (Director) is beginning her 10th season as Youth
Theatre Director at the Drama Center of City Arts. Previously, she held
a similar position at York Little Theatre in York, PA. She hails from the
Washington, D.C. area where she worked as a freelance actor, director and
teacher for many years. Her work included being an adjunct instructor at
Montgomery Community College in Rockville, MD where she taught acting
and speech classes and directed shows. Rosina has a bachelor’s degree in
theatre from American University (Washington D.C.), with graduate work
at Villanova University (Philadelphia, PA). Recent shows include THE THREE
MUSKETEERS by Ken Ludwig and Shakespeare’s MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S
DREAM at the Drama Center of City Arts, along with many plays and musicals performed by the Greensboro Children’s Theatre. She is delighted to
be back in a community college environment and has truly enjoyed working with the faculty, staff, and students at GTCC.
June Guralnick (Producer) is the author of 11 full-length dramas and has
directed classic and new works for the past 30 years. June’s plays have been
performed at venues including the Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.),
Abrons Arts Center/New Federal Theatre (NY), Southern Appalachian
Repertory Theatre (NC), Burning Coal Theatre (Raleigh), and the North
Carolina Museum of Art. Awards and grants include the Silver Medal-Pinter
Drama Review Prize, North Carolina Arts Council Literature Fellowship,
Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre New Plays Winner, Writing
Fellows at Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and Tennessee Williams
Scholar at the University of the South Sewanee Writers’ Conference. June
received her BA in Theatre and Political Science from the State University
of New York at Buffalo and her master’s degree in theatre from City College
of New York. June recently completed a new full-length play, ACROSS THE
HOLY TELL.
Tom Barker (Set Design) is a freelance artist living in Greensboro where
he recently graduated with an MFA in Scene Design from UNC-Greensboro. Previous set designs include SPAMALOT at the Cape Fear Regional
Theatre (Fayetteville), PRIDE & PREJUDICE, PETER PAN, and TOP GIRLS
at UNC-Greensboro, and SWEET CHARITY and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Temple Theatre in Sanford. In addition to his design work, Tom
has acted in plays around the area and is a new theatre faculty member at
GTCC.
Jody LS Tidwell (Technical Director/Lighting Designer) has an M.F.A. in
Design & Technology from the University of South Dakota. A new resident
of North Carolina, Jody previously served as Technical Director/Lighting
Designer at College of Wooster in Ohio. Lighting designs for productions
include IPHIGENIA, THE GLASS MENAGERIE, EQUUS, CHORUS LINE,
and WILLY WONKA. A member of IATSE 631, Jody and husband Dave
recently celebrated their 32nd anniversary with children Aaron and
Melissa from New York.
Theo Vicars (Stage Manager) has been doing technical work since
2009. Originally from Atlanta, Theo graduated in 2012 from R. J. Reynolds
High School in Winston-Salem. Currently attending GTCC pursuing an
AFA Drama Concentration degree, last semester he worked on GTCC’s
production of the musical 3XL. Past experience includes work with North
Carolina Black Repertory Company on HORIZONS MEMORIAL AND
CROWNS.
SPECIAL THANKS
GTCC Fine Arts Theatre offers our gratitude to Mary Skrabec (Dean,
Business Technologies Division); Cory Gurley (faculty, Advertising and
Graphic Design Dept.); LJ Rush, Interim Department Chair, Culinary
Arts Program; GTCC staffers Carla Kucinski, Maritza Mandarino, Rhonda
Carter, Kathy King, Stewart Frye and the Printing Dept.; Theatre Program
faculty Dan Kelly; Entertainment Technology program faculty TJ Johnson
and Richard Tremmel; graphic design students Kha Xiong, Heather Collins,
Lesie Rierson, Bradley Farrell, and Rachel Walker; and all the student and
community volunteers. Special thanks also to the following individuals
and organizations: Greensboro City Arts; Triad Stage; UNC-Greensboro;
Bradford Mendenhall and the High Point City Lake Park; Dave Briggs and
Kacy Woody and the High Point Theatre.
gtcc
theatre program
Your Stage Door
Opens Here!
Over the past twenty-five years, the GTCC Theatre Program has presented
plays ranging from tragedies such as the classic Greek play OEDIPUS THE
KING to modern comedies such as THE ODD COUPLE. Courses offered
range from acting and vocal training classes to production oriented
courses such as stagecraft and makeup. Graduates have gone on to
careers in every aspect of the theatre profession.
§
Part of the Creative & Performing Arts Department, the Theatre Program is
currently located in the Koury Hospitality Careers Center building on the
GTCC Jamestown campus. Theatre facilities include the Fine Arts Theatre
(modified black box space), Costume Shop, Scene Shop, Dressing Rooms,
Rehearsal Hall, Prop and Scene Storage spaces.
One of the key goals of the Theatre Program is to engage and inspire
students to become active participants in the theatre arts, integrating the
following core values into our educational endeavors:
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Creativity and artistic integrity
Inclusivity and diversity
Collaboration and ensemble teamwork
Plays of all types and historical periods
Positive theatre-going experiences for our audiences
Stewardship of campus theatre facilities and resources
Drama as an integral part of a healthy college community
For more information
about GTCC Theatre
contact June Guralnick, Director, GTCC Theatre Program
[email protected] or visit www.gtcc.edu