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The IRC’s Mission is to bring classic absurdist theatre to an international audience in the Philadelphia region. These rarely-produced, renowned plays explore and illuminate the human purpose and meaning, promoting reflection about the human condition in a contemporary world.
The IRC experience is an exciting and challenging journey for seekers from all walks of life on multiple platforms: philosophical, psychological, physical and spiritual. Our dedicated group of artists invites you to explore with us these questions and share the word with friends; since 2006, a loyal IRC audience has been built largely through word of mouth.
PRODUCTIONS 2018
Time Remembered (Leocadia) by Jean Anouilh The Eccentricities of a Nightingale by Tennessee Williams
2017 The Enchanted by Jean Giraudoux
Into the Absurd: Reading of The Witnesses by Tadeusz Różewicz Into the Absurd: Reading of A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur by Tennessee Williams
The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco 2016
The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol Into the Absurd: Reading of The American Dream by Edward Albee Into the Absurd: Readings of The Radio Plays of Beckett and Pinter
The Chairs by Eugène Ionesco 2015
Misalliance by George Bernard Shaw Exit the King by Eugène Ionesco All in the Timing by David Ives
2014 Ondine by Jean Giraudoux
Rhinoceros by Eugène Ionesco A Streetcar Named Durang by Christopher Durang
2013 Paradise Park by Charles L. Mee
The Castle by Franz Kafka 2012
Marriage: An Utterly Improbable Occurrence by Nikolai Gogol Ivona, Princess of Burgundia by Witold Gombrowicz
2011 The Empire Builders by Boris Vian
The Arsonists (The Firebugs) by Max Frisch 2010
The Gnädiges Fraulien by Tennessee Williams The Madwoman of Chaillot by Jean Giraudoux
2009 The Lesson by Eugène Ionesco The Chairs by Eugène Ionesco
2008 Oh! For the Love of Love!: Durang, Beckett & Ionesco
A Streetcar Named Durang: The Parodies of Christopher Durang 2007
Victims of Duty by Eugène Ionesco Four of a Kind: Pinter, Durang, Beckett & Ionesco
2006 Three One Acts: Albee, Beckett & Ionesco
September 2018 Hello and Happy Fringe! The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, written in 1951, is Williams' extensive rewrite and consideration of his original 1947 drama, Summer and Smoke. It has been said that Williams preferred Eccentricities to his earlier, better-known work. Eccentricities satisfied so many aspects of what I hope for in a production, and particularly at this place in IRC’s history. This experience has me excited as a producer and director to tackle future plays which may not reside in the classic absurdist wheelhouse, though possess a grand poetic scale. The plays the IRC has largely focused on since our founding in 2006 are readily recognizable as classically absurdist. Given where we are in our world today, life has taken on its own form of nonsensical absurdity, challenging theatrical/artistic illustration. In considering season 2018-2019 we repurposed the IRC’s unusual aesthetic/point of view to highlight the more absurd aspects of a play. The central theme of the play (for me) at this time in our history — that there is true, meaningful and lasting beauty in honesty for a moment or for an hour, or whatever period of time it lasts — resonated. Many thanks to Victor Keen and Jeanne Ruddy for their limitless generosity in allowing The IRC to perform within the walls of this wonderfully evocative space for a second Fringe Festival. The beauty and energies of the artists whose works envelope the playing space speak from and through the walls providing infinite inspiration for the performers to sing out the beautiful language of one of the greatest American playwrights and poets. Spending the summer exploring the town of Glorious Hill, Mississippi, the setting for Eccentricities proved resonant for many in the cast; several were raised in small towns in the South and Midwest that resemble the atmosphere rendered in Williams’ rewrite. Several have close connections to clergy through marriage and family, experiences that provided stories and memories as we journeyed through the text. As a director and performer, the memory of working with this cast of IRC stalwarts and wonderfully game newcomers to the IRC stage will linger. Thank you for being here and for sharing this experience with the IRC. And tell a friend. We have grown steadily over 13 years because of the kindness of strangers. Best,
Tina Brock Producing Artistic Director The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy
SPECIAL THANKS
Victor Keen and Jeanne Ruddy Gary Smith & Gabrielle Lavin Suzenski
Mark Williams Tomas Dura
Lehigh University Department of Theater Delaware Theatre Company
Robin Rodriguez Y-Buy Inc.
Avista Custom Theatrical Services Steve Ramm
Gerald Kolpan & The Philo Project Ben Doranz
The IRC Board of Directors
Actors' Equity Association (AEA) was founded in 1913 as the first of the American actor unions. Equity’s mission is to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Today, Equity represents more than
40,000 actors, singers, dancers and stage managers working in hundreds of theatres across the United States. Equity members are dedicated to working in the theatre as a profession, upholding the highest artistic standards.
Equity negotiates wages and working conditions and provides a wide range of benefits including health and pension plans for its members. Through its agreement with Equity, this theatre has committed to the fair treatment of the actors and stage managers employed in this production.
AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. For more information, visit www.actorsequity.org.
The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium Board of Directors
Tina Brock (Ex Officio)
Norman Ellman Melissa Feliciani Erica Hoelscher
Bob Schmidt
Strategic Planning Consultant Ben Doranz
Advisory Committee
Gail Furman Lee Pucklis
Robin Rodriguez
PO Box 63872 Philadelphia, PA 19147
www.IdiopathicRidiculopathyConsortium.org
Facebook: Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium
Twitter: IRCTheaterCo
Follow the Ridiculopathy…
…join Our Mailing List!
The Eccentricities of a Nightingale by
Tennessee Williams
Directed by Tina Brock
Costume Design
Erica Hoelscher
Set Design Erica Hoelscher & Tina Brock
Lighting Design Maria Shaplin
Sound Design Tina Brock
Stage Manager/Board Operator Madison Caudullo
Technical Director Bob Schmidt
Properties Mark Williams, Tina Brock & Erica Hoelscher
Assistant Costume Designer Jessica Barksdale
Musical Consultants Fran Bjorneby Kraemer & Mark Williams
Photoshop Magic Bill Brock
Photography Johanna Austin / AustinArt.org
Cover Art Dāma ar vēdekli bārā (Lady with a fan in the bar)
by Ģederts Eliass (1887-1975)
Bethany Mission Gallery Victor Keen and Jeanne Ruddy
Gabrielle Lavin Suzenski, Gallery Manager Gary Smith, Design Team
The IRC is a proud participant in the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre, a program of Theatre Philadelphia
www.theatrephiladelphia.org
* * *
The Eccentricities of a Nightingale by
Tennessee Williams
Cast of Characters Alma Winemiller……………….………………………..………………….….Tina Brock Reverend Winemiller………………………………………………………..Tomas Dura Grace Winemiller……………………………………………………………..Jane Moore Mrs. Buchanan………………………………………………………….....Carol Florence John Buchanan, Jr………………………………………………………………..John Zak Roger Doremus……………………………………………………………….Bob Schmidt Mrs. Bassett………………………………………………………………..Kassy Bradford Rosemary/Traveling Salesman………………………………………Jimmy Guckin Vernon………………………………………………………………………….Carlos Forbes
Setting
Glorious Hill, Mississippi, Years Ago
ACT ONE “THE FEELING OF A SINGER”
Scene I: Public Square, Fourth of July Scene II: Rectory Parlor, Christmas Eve Scene III: Rectory Parlor, a few minutes later
ACT TWO
“THE TENDERNESS OF A MOTHER” Scene I: The Buchanan Home Scene II: Rectory Parlor Scene III: Dr. Buchanan’s Office, a few hours later
ACT THREE
“A CAVALIER'S PLUME” Scene I: Public Square, New Year’s Eve Scene II: Hotel Room, shortly after Epilogue: Public Square, Fourth of July, an indefinite time later
Running time is approximately 100 minutes,
with no intermission.
The Eccentricities of a Nightingale is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association
Martha Cornog Phyllis Priester John D'Alonzo Lee Pucklis Cynthia D'Ambrosio & John Ianacone Kathleen Quinn Elizabeth Denton Kirsten Quinn & Ari Bank Donald & Geraldine Duclow Steve Ramm Stephen Duskin & Jennifer Berke Levin Philip Reeves James Frazier Christopher and Jennifer Rule Mary L. Goldman & Debbie Weiner Marc Scheiner Margaret Harris Anita Schmukler Todd Hilsee Albert Them & Jane Rutledge Marta Kiesling Robert J. Wallner Michael and Barbara Lefkoe David Wierz Michael Lynch Ekaterina Zalenskaya Peggy Mecham Susan Zawislak
QUIRKY
$50.00 - $99.99
Harry F. Bambrick Joan Lapayowker Charles & Donna Barksdale Moe and Sandy Lebo Alan Bronstein Pat Lewis John and Alberta Chiaravalloti Margaret Lonzetta Jesse Delaney Bob and Nancy Megley John and Lois Durso Antonio Merenda Mary Frantz James Perretta Susan Giddings Ismail & Sara Rabinovic Roseann Gill Gary Swisher Julia Baylor Harton Kathy Treftz Jaan and Roberta Kangilaski David and Renee Weisband Fred and Carol Kueppers
ANOMALOUS
$1.00 - $49.99
Edward Bell Jeanette Hartunian Oleg Brovender Jean R. Haskell Timothy P. Carey Thomas and Maureen Herninko Donald Carter Charlotte Humenuk Sandra Chaff E. Ashley Izard Marcia Ferguson Fred Jackes & Judy Adamson Gertrude D. Furman Denise Lamarra & Mark Wilhelm Stephen Geraci Lee Saldinger Robert Gorchov Lois Shestack Emma Grigore & Joel Mintzer Diane Zilka Kimberly Haas & Derek VanderTak Michael Zuckerman
Restrooms are located to the right of the rear staircase on the first floor, and to the right of the kitchen area on the second floor.
CONTRIBUTORS
UNCONVENTIONAL $1000.00 & above
Wyncote Foundation Tina Brock
Victor Keen and Jeanne Ruddy The Philadelphia Cultural Fund
The Philo Project Anonymous
The Charlotte Cushman Foundation Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
The Virginia Brown Martin Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia
PECO Andy Lamas & Ginny Vanderslice
Bob Schmidt Erica Hoelscher
Barton & Jessica McBride The William Penn Foundation Matching Gift Program
CAPRICIOUS
$500.00 - $999.99
Mary Ashley Ed and Anne Koper Wagner Benjamin Doranz Judith Wooldridge Steven Peitzman Askold Zagars & Marie Feehan
WHIMSICAL
$250.00 - $499.99
Fred Allen Barfoot Peter Katsufrakis Pat and Stacey Bishop Mark Mendenhall Noel Carroll & Sally Banes Clifford Pearlman & Lynn Marks Norman and Carolyn Ellman Stephen Platt & Robin Schaufler Susan Feagin Robin and Joseph Rodriguez Gail Furman Bob and Pat Schmidt Jeanne George Stephen and Mrs. Johnne Tint Anna Goldstein
UNIQUE
$100.00 - $249.99
Eliud Alvarado Rodriguez Debra Miller & Ray Costello Herman and Madeline Axelrod Bill and Vikki Monaghan Nancy Berenson Jane Moore Louis Bluver Michael Nailor
Tennesee Williams’ The Eccentricities of a Nightingale
is made possible, in part, by generous support from Wyncote Foundation; The Philadelphia Cultural Fund; The Charlotte Cushman
Foundation; The Virginia Brown Martin Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation; The Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts program of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, funded by the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, with support also provided by PECO and administered regionally by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance; Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, and by the generosity of you, our loyal and growing
audience -- over 65% of our annual budget is generated through ticket sales and individual donations.
CAST
Kassy Bradford (Mrs. Bassett) is ecstatic to be joining her first production with The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. She is also a proud member of Plays and Players’ resident theater company, Once More Theatre. As well as acting, Kassy has stage managed productions with The Irish Heritage Theatre including By the Bog of Cats and Making History. She’d like to give a huge thank you to her mentor and friend, Peggy Mecham.
Tina Brock (Alma Winemiller, IRC Producing Artistic Director) is a co-founder of The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. Since 1991, she has directed and produced 50+ stage productions in Philadelphia, and has appeared as a performer on stage and in regional and national commercials, television and film in the Philadelphia/New York markets, including hoisting the fundraising flag at local PBS affiliate WHYY-TV12/91FM. RECOGNITION: 2018: Barrymore Nomination: Supporting Performer, By the Bog of Cats,
Irish Heritage Theater. Philadelphia Theatre Critic’s Awards 2017: Honorable Mention: Best Actress, The Bald Soprano; Best Supporting Actress, By the Bog of Cats. 2016: Honorable Mention, Best Actress, Best Director – Ionesco’s The Chairs. Phindie Best of 2016: Honorable Mention: Ionesco’s The Chairs: Direction, Female Performance, Best Production. DC Metro Arts Best of 2016: Direction, Ionesco’s The Chairs; Performance, Old Woman, Ionesco’s The Chairs. DC Metro Arts; Neal’s Paper Best of 2015: Direction, Ionesco’s Exit the King. Much appreciation to this cast of lovely people for bringing Glorious Hill to life. For Mom, Dad, and Liam.
Tomas Dura (Reverend Winemiller) has toured Europe, Canada and the U.S. and has appeared in film, video and television. He is best known as a flamenco dancer in addition to being an actor, musician and fire eater. He worked with the great flamenco dancer, Jose Greco, for 8 years, frequently serving as his assistant. He dances in the movie, Cafe, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, and has worked in the films Smoke and Mirrors (director K. Hardy), Loneliness (director M. Zubarev) and About Angels (Zubarev). In 2007 Tomas
performed solo with the Philadelphia Orchestra to a sold out house at the Kimmel Center in his own choreography of the Spanish Dance from Swan Lake. Tomas has collaborated with artists like Flamenco Ole, Kei Takei's Moving Earth and the Wilma Theater. He is the director and lead male dancer of Fiesta Flamenco Dancers and choreographer with the Amici Opera Company. He teaches flamenco dance classes in grade schools, high schools, colleges and public community centers. Tomas has previously appeared with the IRC in several Raw Onions, The Madwoman of Chaillot, The Empire Builders, The Arsonists, Marriage, Ivona, Paradise Park, The Castle, Rhinoceros, The Government Inspector, The Chairs, The Enchanted and, most recently, The Bald Soprano.
Carol Florence (Mrs. Buchanan) has had extensive theatre experience, playing many mothers and other “interesting” women, under the direction of Bob Hedley, Jim Christy, Harriet Power, Seth Rozin, and Eileen Baird, among others. Now she can add Tina Brock to her list of talented directors. Thank you for the opportunity to do a Tennessee Williams play with you, Tina, and thanks to all the other wonderful people connected to The IRC. Great experience!
Carlos Forbes (Vernon) is thrilled to be making his IRC debut and to be working with such a talented cast. He is a graduate of the Community College of Philadelphia where he studied theatre and performed in several productions. When not performing on stage, Carlos can be found working behind the scenes running lights/sound or stage managing. Recently, he stage managed and performed in the Irish Heritage Theatre’s production of The Women of Ireland. Other performance credits include Every(one) (Once More
Theatre), R.U.R/The Insect Play (OMT), The Gas Heart (OMT), The Plough and the Stars (IHT), Juno and the Paycock (IHT), and Plutus (OMT). Thank you to the IRC for this amazing opportunity and much love to his family and friends for their support.
Full Moon Rallye 67 Scavenger Hunt
Saturday, November 17th @ 11:30 am
The Shops at Liberty Place (17th and Market Streets)
Part scavenger hunt, part walking tour of the city:
feed your curiosity, get in your daily steps, and help raise funds for the IRC!
Starting at the Food Court (second floor) at Liberty Place, teams will have four hours to walk the area following
instructions and looking for answers to clues before finishing up at City Tap House University City (3925 Walnut Street)
for scoring results and a post rallye celebration.
Proceeds from the event will support the IRC’s upcoming production of Elmer Rice’s Dream Girl in February at The
Bethany Mission Gallery.
Tickets and More Info: FullMoonRallye67.bpt.me
Presented by Ed Wagner/www.clubedventures.com
Dream Girl by Elmer Rice
What happens when dreams and reality merge? A young woman's efforts at running a bookstore are undermined
by her drifting into Walter Mitty-like flights of fancy.
February 5 – 24, 2019
St. Mary's Church in Hamilton Village, West Philadelphia
Tickets: DreamGirl.bpt.me
Betty's Summer Vacation by Christopher Durang
Take a group of wildly incompatible people, mix them together in a vacation setting under one small roof, and watch the fur fly.
June 11-30, 2019
Walnut Street Theatre, Independence Studio on 3
Tickets: BettySummerVacation.bpt.me
Jimmy Guckin (Rosemary, Traveling Sales-man) is thrilled to be working with The IRC for the first time. Since graduating from the Community College of Philadelphia’s Theatre Program in 2010 he has appeared in several productions in and around Philadelphia. Some of his credits include Juno and The Paycock and By the Bog of Cats with The Irish Heritage Theatre, and Dog Sees God with Raw Street Productions. Jimmy is also a playwright, his most recent writing credit was Everyone, an adaptation of
the medieval morality play Everyone. He would like to thank Tina and Bob and everyone else from IRC for this wonderful experience working on this production.
Jane Moore (Grace Winemiller) is happy to be back with The IRC, where she last appeared in The Enchanted. After graduating from Temple University’s MFA program in acting, she went on to host the Jane Moore &… interview show for WHYY. Among the many guests were Joe Biden, Buckminster Fuller and Joe Frazier. She has worked with both the Alabama and New Jersey Shakespeare Theaters, the MacCarter Theatre, The Alaska Repertory, The Lantern Theater, Theater Exile, Virginia Museum
Theater and Act II Playhouse, where she was nominated for a Barrymore award for her role as performance in Grace and Glory.
Bob Schmidt (Roger Doremus, Technical Director, IRC Ways and Means Coordinator) is a co-founder of The IRC, and has appeared in most productions since the company's inception in 2006. Favorite IRC roles and productions: The Old Man in Eugène Ionesco’s The Chairs, The Guard in Ionesco’s Exit the King and Botard in Ionesco’s Rhinoceros. Many thanks to the cast and crew for their time and talent, and to you for supporting The IRC!
Mark Williams (Marching Band Leader, Harmonica Player, Properties Master & Construction, Musical Consultant) is a local Props Master in the Philadelphia area, and IRC veteran. This will be Mark's 8th show with the company. He would like to thank all his friends in The IRC, and those who support the show.
John Zak (John Buchanan, Jr.) is an actor and voice over artist currently based in Philadelphia, PA. John made his debut with The IRC in The Bald Soprano and is glad to be back. John previously performed with People’s Light & Theatre in The Diary of Anne Frank as Mr. Kraler. Other theatre credits of note: Michael The Pillowman (Luna Theatre)*; My Wonderful Day (Wilma Theater) *; Amadeus (Walnut Street Theatre); Jihad Jones & the Kalashnikov Babes (InterAct Theatre), The Life of Galileo (Wilma theater),
Red, White & Tuna (Walnut Street Theatre), The European Lesson, Jo Stromgren Kompani (Philadelphia Live Arts/Norway tour), and Caliban The Tempest, (Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre)--Barrymore Award for Best Supporting Actor; and numerous other Shakespeare plays. (* denotes Barrymore nomination). Also, this year marks his 22st year of performing competitive improvisational comedy with Comedy Sportz: (www.comedysportzphilly.com)
CREW
Jessica Barksdale (Assistant Costume Design/Costume Construction) has served as assistant costume designer on many of the IRC's productions since 2012. She was a draper/stitcher for Muhlenberg College's Summer Music Theatre and the department of theatre costume shop at Lehigh University. Jessica has served as assistant costume designer/stitcher for the Media Theatre (various musicals), Plays & Players Theatre (Joe Turner's Come and Gone and The America Play), and Shakespeare in Clark Park (Merry Wives of Windsor). She recently received her MFA in Costume Design and Technology from University of Cincinnati - CCM.
Madison Caudullo (Stage Manager, Board Operator) is a Philadelphia-based actor, improviser, and general manager of mischief with a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Arcadia University. Upcoming: Susan, [title of show] (Raw Street Productions). Recent credits include CB's Sister, Dog Sees God, Dana, Right Behind (Raw Street Productions), Petite, Midway, and Cathy, a brief theory of the cosmos (Arcadia University). Thanks to Tina, Bob, cast, and production team for their hard work and dedication.
Erica Hoelscher (Costume and Set Design) has designed costumes and scenery for various theatres in Philadelphia, NY, Chicago, and at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, where she has been on the faculty since 1995. Erica is the Associate Artistic Director and a member of the board for the Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. Representative productions include designing scenery and costumes for Anouilh’s Time Remembered, Giraudoux’s The Enchanted, Ionesco’s Rhinoceros and Exit the King, (IRC) and for A Moon for the Misbegotten, Rosencrantz and
AUTHOR
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983) was a celebrated American playwright, who, along with Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller is considered among the foremost playwrights in 20th-century American drama. After years of obscurity, he became suddenly famous with The Glass Menagerie (1944), which closely reflecting his own unhappy family background. This heralded a string of successes, including A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955), and Sweet Bird of Youth (1959). His later work attempted a new style that did not appeal to audiences, and alcohol and drug dependence further inhibited his creative output. His drama A Streetcar Named Desire is often numbered on short lists of the finest American plays of the 20th century alongside Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Much of Williams' most acclaimed work was adapted for the cinema. He also wrote short stories, poetry, essays and a volume of memoirs. In 1979, four years before his death, Williams was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
Guildenstern Are Dead, Twelfth Night, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Euripides’ Medea, Gem of the Ocean, and Tartuffe at Lehigh University. Erica designed costumes for a number of IRC productions, as well as Spunk for the Kaleidoscope Cultural Arts Collective, and The America Play, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and A New Brain at Plays and Players Theatre, Philadelphia. She designed Anne, The Sound of Music, and Hairspray for Media Theatre in Media, PA. 2010: Phindie Critics’ Award Honorable Mention for best Costume Design for Ivona, the Princess of Burgundia. 2013: Phindie Critics’ Award for Best Absurd Costumes for Kafkha’s The Castle. 2015: DC Metro Theatre Arts Best of 2015 award for Best Scenic and Costume Design for Ionesco’s Exit the King 2016: DC Metro Theatre Arts Best of 2016 award for Best Costume Design for Ionesco’s The Chairs. 2017: Phindie Critics’ Award Honorable Mention for best costume design for The Enchanted. MFA in stage design from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. Chairperson of the Department of Theatre at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, where she has designed over fifty productions.
Maria Shaplin (Lighting Design) is a Philadelphia‐based designer with an MFA in Lighting Design from Temple University. Maria is fortunate to work closely with a number of theatre companies in Philadelphia including Applied Mechanics, The Riot Group, New Paradise Laboratories, Swim Pony Performing Arts, 1812 Productions, InterAct, Headlong, and the Wilma among many others. As always she is thrilled to be working with IRC this season. Maria is the co-founder of Applied Mechanics, an avant-garde installation performance collective.
BETHANY MISSION STAFF
Gabrielle Lavin Suzenski (Gallery Manager) joined Bethany Mission Gallery (BMG) in May of 2013 and was tasked with creating a comprehensive website documenting all art and object collections. Today, in her role as gallery manager at BMG, she oversees general operations and maintains the highest quality of presentation, conservation and scholarship for BMG visitors. Gabrielle is the Rochelle F. Levy Director of The Galleries at Moore College of Art & Design, and a founding contributor, designer, photographer and editor at phillyphoodie.com. Gary Smith (Design Team) was selected by Victor and Jeanne to be part of the design team that turned the idea for the Bethany Mission Gallery into the destination museum it is today. He designed the art layout, supervised its installation and has been overseeing maintenance on the historic building. He is an artist with a background in engineering and fine art. He spent many years as a contractor specializing in the restoration of Victorian Era buildings. At college he made a conscious decision to become an "educated audience" taking courses in film and music history and theater appreciation. He is excited to have The IRC perform Williams’ The Eccentricities of a Nightingale.
Bethany Mission Gallery is honored to host The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium’s production of Tennessee Williams’ The Eccentricities of a Nightingale
Historical photo of the Bethany School for Colored People on Brandywine Street.
BETHANY MISSION GALLERY 1527 Brandywine Street
bethanymissiongallery.org EARLY HISTORY In the mid-1850’s a group of Philadelphia Quakers founded “The Bethany Mission for Colored People” and in 1869 moved to a structure they built on Brandywine Street in the Spring Garden section of Philadelphia, the current site of the Bethany Mission Gallery. The Bethany Mission was to be non-denominational, with the basic objective of combining literacy training and religious education for blacks, primarily children.
For over eight decades the Bethany Mission successfully reached out to the local African-American community supporting the spread of literacy and religious education and providing community support through various social assistance programs. Teachers often combined responses to social and community needs with opportunities for learning. For example, when students needed clothing, collections were made and instructional sewing lessons were initiated.
Attendance at the Bethany Mission peaked in the 1870s with enrollment close to 500 pupils. The Bethany Mission began a slow decline starting in the 1880s that continued until it closed in the 1930s as a consequence of the rise of Black churches in Philadelphia and increased public education for African-Americans. In 1936 the building was sold for $600.
This history of the Mission is chronicled in a 20-page article in the Friend Historical Association periodical, Quaker History, (Grundy, The Bethany Mission for Colored People: Philadelphia Friends and a Sunday School Mission, Vol. 90, No. 1, Spring 2001)
From 1936 until 2000 the Bethany Mission building was occupied by various trades and businesses.
A DANCE VENUE AND AN ART GALLERY In 2000 Victor Keen and his wife Jeanne Ruddy (a former Principal Dancer with the Martha Graham Company and former member of the Alvin Ailey and Juilliard Dance Faculty in NYC), through a 501(c)(3) organization created by them, acquired the properties adjacent to the Mission with a view to creating a space for dance for Jeanne’s dance company, Jeanne Ruddy Dance, and other dance companies, and choreographers - The Performance Garage.
The Performance Garage is housed in a historic 19th century building that was originally a horse stable later converted into an auto repair garage. In 2002 the historic façade was restored, and the space was transformed into a versatile dance studio and theater with accompanying offices. The Performance Garage underwent significant renovations in 2016 and is this month hosting a number of Philadelphia Fringe events.
In 2005, when the then occupant of what has been the Bethany Mission space closed its doors and put the property up for sale, Victor and Jeanne acquired it with the thought that the Performance Garage might in the future require expansion space. By 2011 it became clear that expanding the Performance Garage to include the Mission space was not feasible. In the meantime, as Victor, over years, had been accumulating an art collection, he recognized an opportunity to move the then expanding art collection to that space.
Renovations to the Bethany Mission space (primarily returning it to its original configuration) were completed in 2012 so as to accommodate the collection, which is primarily focused on the work of self-taught (or “outsider”) artists, repurposing the space and renaming it the Bethany Mission Gallery.
Highlights of the artists represented in the collection, include works by Martin Ramirez, Bill Traylor, William Hawkins, Sam Doyle, William Castle, Thornton Dial, Purvis Young, Clementine Hunter, Joseph Yoakum, and George Widener. Works from the collection have been or are scheduled to be on loan to the following: The Smithsonian American Art Museum (Bill Traylor); Kohler Art Museum in Wisconsin (George Widener); and the Intuit Art Center in Chicago (Ken Grimes). The collection has been featured in Raw Vision, the principal periodical dedicated to Outsider Art (Raw Vision, No. 87).
The gallery also serves as a venue for Victor’s other collections: folk art, Catalin radios, vintage toys & banks, milk glass, ceramic pot lids, circus banners, photographs and antique toasters.
At present, the Gallery does not have public hours. It is open by appointment on a limited basis for group visits and has hosted a number of events for cultural and charitable organizations and political candidates.
Historical photo of the Bethany School for Colored People on Brandywine Street.
BETHANY MISSION GALLERY 1527 Brandywine Street
bethanymissiongallery.org EARLY HISTORY In the mid-1850’s a group of Philadelphia Quakers founded “The Bethany Mission for Colored People” and in 1869 moved to a structure they built on Brandywine Street in the Spring Garden section of Philadelphia, the current site of the Bethany Mission Gallery. The Bethany Mission was to be non-denominational, with the basic objective of combining literacy training and religious education for blacks, primarily children.
For over eight decades the Bethany Mission successfully reached out to the local African-American community supporting the spread of literacy and religious education and providing community support through various social assistance programs. Teachers often combined responses to social and community needs with opportunities for learning. For example, when students needed clothing, collections were made and instructional sewing lessons were initiated.
Attendance at the Bethany Mission peaked in the 1870s with enrollment close to 500 pupils. The Bethany Mission began a slow decline starting in the 1880s that continued until it closed in the 1930s as a consequence of the rise of Black churches in Philadelphia and increased public education for African-Americans. In 1936 the building was sold for $600.
This history of the Mission is chronicled in a 20-page article in the Friend Historical Association periodical, Quaker History, (Grundy, The Bethany Mission for Colored People: Philadelphia Friends and a Sunday School Mission, Vol. 90, No. 1, Spring 2001)
From 1936 until 2000 the Bethany Mission building was occupied by various trades and businesses.
A DANCE VENUE AND AN ART GALLERY In 2000 Victor Keen and his wife Jeanne Ruddy (a former Principal Dancer with the Martha Graham Company and former member of the Alvin Ailey and Juilliard Dance Faculty in NYC), through a 501(c)(3) organization created by them, acquired the properties adjacent to the Mission with a view to creating a space for dance for Jeanne’s dance company, Jeanne Ruddy Dance, and other dance companies, and choreographers - The Performance Garage.
The Performance Garage is housed in a historic 19th century building that was originally a horse stable later converted into an auto repair garage. In 2002 the historic façade was restored, and the space was transformed into a versatile dance studio and theater with accompanying offices. The Performance Garage underwent significant renovations in 2016 and is this month hosting a number of Philadelphia Fringe events.
In 2005, when the then occupant of what has been the Bethany Mission space closed its doors and put the property up for sale, Victor and Jeanne acquired it with the thought that the Performance Garage might in the future require expansion space. By 2011 it became clear that expanding the Performance Garage to include the Mission space was not feasible. In the meantime, as Victor, over years, had been accumulating an art collection, he recognized an opportunity to move the then expanding art collection to that space.
Renovations to the Bethany Mission space (primarily returning it to its original configuration) were completed in 2012 so as to accommodate the collection, which is primarily focused on the work of self-taught (or “outsider”) artists, repurposing the space and renaming it the Bethany Mission Gallery.
Highlights of the artists represented in the collection, include works by Martin Ramirez, Bill Traylor, William Hawkins, Sam Doyle, William Castle, Thornton Dial, Purvis Young, Clementine Hunter, Joseph Yoakum, and George Widener. Works from the collection have been or are scheduled to be on loan to the following: The Smithsonian American Art Museum (Bill Traylor); Kohler Art Museum in Wisconsin (George Widener); and the Intuit Art Center in Chicago (Ken Grimes). The collection has been featured in Raw Vision, the principal periodical dedicated to Outsider Art (Raw Vision, No. 87).
The gallery also serves as a venue for Victor’s other collections: folk art, Catalin radios, vintage toys & banks, milk glass, ceramic pot lids, circus banners, photographs and antique toasters.
At present, the Gallery does not have public hours. It is open by appointment on a limited basis for group visits and has hosted a number of events for cultural and charitable organizations and political candidates.
Guildenstern Are Dead, Twelfth Night, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Euripides’ Medea, Gem of the Ocean, and Tartuffe at Lehigh University. Erica designed costumes for a number of IRC productions, as well as Spunk for the Kaleidoscope Cultural Arts Collective, and The America Play, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and A New Brain at Plays and Players Theatre, Philadelphia. She designed Anne, The Sound of Music, and Hairspray for Media Theatre in Media, PA. 2010: Phindie Critics’ Award Honorable Mention for best Costume Design for Ivona, the Princess of Burgundia. 2013: Phindie Critics’ Award for Best Absurd Costumes for Kafkha’s The Castle. 2015: DC Metro Theatre Arts Best of 2015 award for Best Scenic and Costume Design for Ionesco’s Exit the King 2016: DC Metro Theatre Arts Best of 2016 award for Best Costume Design for Ionesco’s The Chairs. 2017: Phindie Critics’ Award Honorable Mention for best costume design for The Enchanted. MFA in stage design from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. Chairperson of the Department of Theatre at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, where she has designed over fifty productions.
Maria Shaplin (Lighting Design) is a Philadelphia‐based designer with an MFA in Lighting Design from Temple University. Maria is fortunate to work closely with a number of theatre companies in Philadelphia including Applied Mechanics, The Riot Group, New Paradise Laboratories, Swim Pony Performing Arts, 1812 Productions, InterAct, Headlong, and the Wilma among many others. As always she is thrilled to be working with IRC this season. Maria is the co-founder of Applied Mechanics, an avant-garde installation performance collective.
BETHANY MISSION STAFF
Gabrielle Lavin Suzenski (Gallery Manager) joined Bethany Mission Gallery (BMG) in May of 2013 and was tasked with creating a comprehensive website documenting all art and object collections. Today, in her role as gallery manager at BMG, she oversees general operations and maintains the highest quality of presentation, conservation and scholarship for BMG visitors. Gabrielle is the Rochelle F. Levy Director of The Galleries at Moore College of Art & Design, and a founding contributor, designer, photographer and editor at phillyphoodie.com. Gary Smith (Design Team) was selected by Victor and Jeanne to be part of the design team that turned the idea for the Bethany Mission Gallery into the destination museum it is today. He designed the art layout, supervised its installation and has been overseeing maintenance on the historic building. He is an artist with a background in engineering and fine art. He spent many years as a contractor specializing in the restoration of Victorian Era buildings. At college he made a conscious decision to become an "educated audience" taking courses in film and music history and theater appreciation. He is excited to have The IRC perform Williams’ The Eccentricities of a Nightingale.
Bethany Mission Gallery is honored to host The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium’s production of Tennessee Williams’ The Eccentricities of a Nightingale
John Zak (John Buchanan, Jr.) is an actor and voice over artist currently based in Philadelphia, PA. John made his debut with The IRC in The Bald Soprano and is glad to be back. John previously performed with People’s Light & Theatre in The Diary of Anne Frank as Mr. Kraler. Other theatre credits of note: Michael The Pillowman (Luna Theatre)*; My Wonderful Day (Wilma Theater) *; Amadeus (Walnut Street Theatre); Jihad Jones & the Kalashnikov Babes (InterAct Theatre), The Life of Galileo (Wilma theater),
Red, White & Tuna (Walnut Street Theatre), The European Lesson, Jo Stromgren Kompani (Philadelphia Live Arts/Norway tour), and Caliban The Tempest, (Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre)--Barrymore Award for Best Supporting Actor; and numerous other Shakespeare plays. (* denotes Barrymore nomination). Also, this year marks his 22st year of performing competitive improvisational comedy with Comedy Sportz: (www.comedysportzphilly.com)
CREW
Jessica Barksdale (Assistant Costume Design/Costume Construction) has served as assistant costume designer on many of the IRC's productions since 2012. She was a draper/stitcher for Muhlenberg College's Summer Music Theatre and the department of theatre costume shop at Lehigh University. Jessica has served as assistant costume designer/stitcher for the Media Theatre (various musicals), Plays & Players Theatre (Joe Turner's Come and Gone and The America Play), and Shakespeare in Clark Park (Merry Wives of Windsor). She recently received her MFA in Costume Design and Technology from University of Cincinnati - CCM.
Madison Caudullo (Stage Manager, Board Operator) is a Philadelphia-based actor, improviser, and general manager of mischief with a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Arcadia University. Upcoming: Susan, [title of show] (Raw Street Productions). Recent credits include CB's Sister, Dog Sees God, Dana, Right Behind (Raw Street Productions), Petite, Midway, and Cathy, a brief theory of the cosmos (Arcadia University). Thanks to Tina, Bob, cast, and production team for their hard work and dedication.
Erica Hoelscher (Costume and Set Design) has designed costumes and scenery for various theatres in Philadelphia, NY, Chicago, and at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, where she has been on the faculty since 1995. Erica is the Associate Artistic Director and a member of the board for the Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. Representative productions include designing scenery and costumes for Anouilh’s Time Remembered, Giraudoux’s The Enchanted, Ionesco’s Rhinoceros and Exit the King, (IRC) and for A Moon for the Misbegotten, Rosencrantz and
AUTHOR
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983) was a celebrated American playwright, who, along with Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller is considered among the foremost playwrights in 20th-century American drama. After years of obscurity, he became suddenly famous with The Glass Menagerie (1944), which closely reflecting his own unhappy family background. This heralded a string of successes, including A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955), and Sweet Bird of Youth (1959). His later work attempted a new style that did not appeal to audiences, and alcohol and drug dependence further inhibited his creative output. His drama A Streetcar Named Desire is often numbered on short lists of the finest American plays of the 20th century alongside Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Much of Williams' most acclaimed work was adapted for the cinema. He also wrote short stories, poetry, essays and a volume of memoirs. In 1979, four years before his death, Williams was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
Dream Girl by Elmer Rice
What happens when dreams and reality merge? A young woman's efforts at running a bookstore are undermined
by her drifting into Walter Mitty-like flights of fancy.
February 5 – 24, 2019
St. Mary's Church in Hamilton Village, West Philadelphia
Tickets: DreamGirl.bpt.me
Betty's Summer Vacation by Christopher Durang
Take a group of wildly incompatible people, mix them together in a vacation setting under one small roof, and watch the fur fly.
June 11-30, 2019
Walnut Street Theatre, Independence Studio on 3
Tickets: BettySummerVacation.bpt.me
Jimmy Guckin (Rosemary, Traveling Sales-man) is thrilled to be working with The IRC for the first time. Since graduating from the Community College of Philadelphia’s Theatre Program in 2010 he has appeared in several productions in and around Philadelphia. Some of his credits include Juno and The Paycock and By the Bog of Cats with The Irish Heritage Theatre, and Dog Sees God with Raw Street Productions. Jimmy is also a playwright, his most recent writing credit was Everyone, an adaptation of
the medieval morality play Everyone. He would like to thank Tina and Bob and everyone else from IRC for this wonderful experience working on this production.
Jane Moore (Grace Winemiller) is happy to be back with The IRC, where she last appeared in The Enchanted. After graduating from Temple University’s MFA program in acting, she went on to host the Jane Moore &… interview show for WHYY. Among the many guests were Joe Biden, Buckminster Fuller and Joe Frazier. She has worked with both the Alabama and New Jersey Shakespeare Theaters, the MacCarter Theatre, The Alaska Repertory, The Lantern Theater, Theater Exile, Virginia Museum
Theater and Act II Playhouse, where she was nominated for a Barrymore award for her role as performance in Grace and Glory.
Bob Schmidt (Roger Doremus, Technical Director, IRC Ways and Means Coordinator) is a co-founder of The IRC, and has appeared in most productions since the company's inception in 2006. Favorite IRC roles and productions: The Old Man in Eugène Ionesco’s The Chairs, The Guard in Ionesco’s Exit the King and Botard in Ionesco’s Rhinoceros. Many thanks to the cast and crew for their time and talent, and to you for supporting The IRC!
Mark Williams (Marching Band Leader, Harmonica Player, Properties Master & Construction, Musical Consultant) is a local Props Master in the Philadelphia area, and IRC veteran. This will be Mark's 8th show with the company. He would like to thank all his friends in The IRC, and those who support the show.
Tomas Dura (Reverend Winemiller) has toured Europe, Canada and the U.S. and has appeared in film, video and television. He is best known as a flamenco dancer in addition to being an actor, musician and fire eater. He worked with the great flamenco dancer, Jose Greco, for 8 years, frequently serving as his assistant. He dances in the movie, Cafe, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, and has worked in the films Smoke and Mirrors (director K. Hardy), Loneliness (director M. Zubarev) and About Angels (Zubarev). In 2007 Tomas
performed solo with the Philadelphia Orchestra to a sold out house at the Kimmel Center in his own choreography of the Spanish Dance from Swan Lake. Tomas has collaborated with artists like Flamenco Ole, Kei Takei's Moving Earth and the Wilma Theater. He is the director and lead male dancer of Fiesta Flamenco Dancers and choreographer with the Amici Opera Company. He teaches flamenco dance classes in grade schools, high schools, colleges and public community centers. Tomas has previously appeared with the IRC in several Raw Onions, The Madwoman of Chaillot, The Empire Builders, The Arsonists, Marriage, Ivona, Paradise Park, The Castle, Rhinoceros, The Government Inspector, The Chairs, The Enchanted and, most recently, The Bald Soprano.
Carol Florence (Mrs. Buchanan) has had extensive theatre experience, playing many mothers and other “interesting” women, under the direction of Bob Hedley, Jim Christy, Harriet Power, Seth Rozin, and Eileen Baird, among others. Now she can add Tina Brock to her list of talented directors. Thank you for the opportunity to do a Tennessee Williams play with you, Tina, and thanks to all the other wonderful people connected to The IRC. Great experience!
Carlos Forbes (Vernon) is thrilled to be making his IRC debut and to be working with such a talented cast. He is a graduate of the Community College of Philadelphia where he studied theatre and performed in several productions. When not performing on stage, Carlos can be found working behind the scenes running lights/sound or stage managing. Recently, he stage managed and performed in the Irish Heritage Theatre’s production of The Women of Ireland. Other performance credits include Every(one) (Once More
Theatre), R.U.R/The Insect Play (OMT), The Gas Heart (OMT), The Plough and the Stars (IHT), Juno and the Paycock (IHT), and Plutus (OMT). Thank you to the IRC for this amazing opportunity and much love to his family and friends for their support.
Full Moon Rallye 67 Scavenger Hunt
Saturday, November 17th @ 11:30 am
The Shops at Liberty Place (17th and Market Streets)
Part scavenger hunt, part walking tour of the city:
feed your curiosity, get in your daily steps, and help raise funds for the IRC!
Starting at the Food Court (second floor) at Liberty Place, teams will have four hours to walk the area following
instructions and looking for answers to clues before finishing up at City Tap House University City (3925 Walnut Street)
for scoring results and a post rallye celebration.
Proceeds from the event will support the IRC’s upcoming production of Elmer Rice’s Dream Girl in February at The
Bethany Mission Gallery.
Tickets and More Info: FullMoonRallye67.bpt.me
Presented by Ed Wagner/www.clubedventures.com
CONTRIBUTORS
UNCONVENTIONAL $1000.00 & above
Wyncote Foundation Tina Brock
Victor Keen and Jeanne Ruddy The Philadelphia Cultural Fund
The Philo Project Anonymous
The Charlotte Cushman Foundation Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
The Virginia Brown Martin Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia
PECO Andy Lamas & Ginny Vanderslice
Bob Schmidt Erica Hoelscher
Barton & Jessica McBride The William Penn Foundation Matching Gift Program
CAPRICIOUS
$500.00 - $999.99
Mary Ashley Ed and Anne Koper Wagner Benjamin Doranz Judith Wooldridge Steven Peitzman Askold Zagars & Marie Feehan
WHIMSICAL
$250.00 - $499.99
Fred Allen Barfoot Peter Katsufrakis Pat and Stacey Bishop Mark Mendenhall Noel Carroll & Sally Banes Clifford Pearlman & Lynn Marks Norman and Carolyn Ellman Stephen Platt & Robin Schaufler Susan Feagin Robin and Joseph Rodriguez Gail Furman Bob and Pat Schmidt Jeanne George Stephen and Mrs. Johnne Tint Anna Goldstein
UNIQUE
$100.00 - $249.99
Eliud Alvarado Rodriguez Debra Miller & Ray Costello Herman and Madeline Axelrod Bill and Vikki Monaghan Nancy Berenson Jane Moore Louis Bluver Michael Nailor
Tennesee Williams’ The Eccentricities of a Nightingale
is made possible, in part, by generous support from Wyncote Foundation; The Philadelphia Cultural Fund; The Charlotte Cushman
Foundation; The Virginia Brown Martin Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation; The Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts program of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, funded by the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, with support also provided by PECO and administered regionally by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance; Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, and by the generosity of you, our loyal and growing
audience -- over 65% of our annual budget is generated through ticket sales and individual donations.
CAST
Kassy Bradford (Mrs. Bassett) is ecstatic to be joining her first production with The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. She is also a proud member of Plays and Players’ resident theater company, Once More Theatre. As well as acting, Kassy has stage managed productions with The Irish Heritage Theatre including By the Bog of Cats and Making History. She’d like to give a huge thank you to her mentor and friend, Peggy Mecham.
Tina Brock (Alma Winemiller, IRC Producing Artistic Director) is a co-founder of The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. Since 1991, she has directed and produced 50+ stage productions in Philadelphia, and has appeared as a performer on stage and in regional and national commercials, television and film in the Philadelphia/New York markets, including hoisting the fundraising flag at local PBS affiliate WHYY-TV12/91FM. RECOGNITION: 2018: Barrymore Nomination: Supporting Performer, By the Bog of Cats,
Irish Heritage Theater. Philadelphia Theatre Critic’s Awards 2017: Honorable Mention: Best Actress, The Bald Soprano; Best Supporting Actress, By the Bog of Cats. 2016: Honorable Mention, Best Actress, Best Director – Ionesco’s The Chairs. Phindie Best of 2016: Honorable Mention: Ionesco’s The Chairs: Direction, Female Performance, Best Production. DC Metro Arts Best of 2016: Direction, Ionesco’s The Chairs; Performance, Old Woman, Ionesco’s The Chairs. DC Metro Arts; Neal’s Paper Best of 2015: Direction, Ionesco’s Exit the King. Much appreciation to this cast of lovely people for bringing Glorious Hill to life. For Mom, Dad, and Liam.
* * *
The Eccentricities of a Nightingale by
Tennessee Williams
Cast of Characters Alma Winemiller……………….………………………..………………….….Tina Brock Reverend Winemiller………………………………………………………..Tomas Dura Grace Winemiller……………………………………………………………..Jane Moore Mrs. Buchanan………………………………………………………….....Carol Florence John Buchanan, Jr………………………………………………………………..John Zak Roger Doremus……………………………………………………………….Bob Schmidt Mrs. Bassett………………………………………………………………..Kassy Bradford Rosemary/Traveling Salesman………………………………………Jimmy Guckin Vernon………………………………………………………………………….Carlos Forbes
Setting
Glorious Hill, Mississippi, Years Ago
ACT ONE “THE FEELING OF A SINGER”
Scene I: Public Square, Fourth of July Scene II: Rectory Parlor, Christmas Eve Scene III: Rectory Parlor, a few minutes later
ACT TWO
“THE TENDERNESS OF A MOTHER” Scene I: The Buchanan Home Scene II: Rectory Parlor Scene III: Dr. Buchanan’s Office, a few hours later
ACT THREE
“A CAVALIER'S PLUME” Scene I: Public Square, New Year’s Eve Scene II: Hotel Room, shortly after Epilogue: Public Square, Fourth of July, an indefinite time later
Running time is approximately 100 minutes,
with no intermission.
The Eccentricities of a Nightingale is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association
Martha Cornog Phyllis Priester John D'Alonzo Lee Pucklis Cynthia D'Ambrosio & John Ianacone Kathleen Quinn Elizabeth Denton Kirsten Quinn & Ari Bank Donald & Geraldine Duclow Steve Ramm Stephen Duskin & Jennifer Berke Levin Philip Reeves James Frazier Christopher and Jennifer Rule Mary L. Goldman & Debbie Weiner Marc Scheiner Margaret Harris Anita Schmukler Todd Hilsee Albert Them & Jane Rutledge Marta Kiesling Robert J. Wallner Michael and Barbara Lefkoe David Wierz Michael Lynch Ekaterina Zalenskaya Peggy Mecham Susan Zawislak
QUIRKY
$50.00 - $99.99
Harry F. Bambrick Joan Lapayowker Charles & Donna Barksdale Moe and Sandy Lebo Alan Bronstein Pat Lewis John and Alberta Chiaravalloti Margaret Lonzetta Jesse Delaney Bob and Nancy Megley John and Lois Durso Antonio Merenda Mary Frantz James Perretta Susan Giddings Ismail & Sara Rabinovic Roseann Gill Gary Swisher Julia Baylor Harton Kathy Treftz Jaan and Roberta Kangilaski David and Renee Weisband Fred and Carol Kueppers
ANOMALOUS
$1.00 - $49.99
Edward Bell Jeanette Hartunian Oleg Brovender Jean R. Haskell Timothy P. Carey Thomas and Maureen Herninko Donald Carter Charlotte Humenuk Sandra Chaff E. Ashley Izard Marcia Ferguson Fred Jackes & Judy Adamson Gertrude D. Furman Denise Lamarra & Mark Wilhelm Stephen Geraci Lee Saldinger Robert Gorchov Lois Shestack Emma Grigore & Joel Mintzer Diane Zilka Kimberly Haas & Derek VanderTak Michael Zuckerman
Restrooms are located to the right of the rear staircase on the first floor, and to the right of the kitchen area on the second floor.
The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium Board of Directors
Tina Brock (Ex Officio)
Norman Ellman Melissa Feliciani Erica Hoelscher
Bob Schmidt
Strategic Planning Consultant Ben Doranz
Advisory Committee
Gail Furman Lee Pucklis
Robin Rodriguez
PO Box 63872 Philadelphia, PA 19147
www.IdiopathicRidiculopathyConsortium.org
Facebook: Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium
Twitter: IRCTheaterCo
Follow the Ridiculopathy…
…join Our Mailing List!
The Eccentricities of a Nightingale by
Tennessee Williams
Directed by Tina Brock
Costume Design
Erica Hoelscher
Set Design Erica Hoelscher & Tina Brock
Lighting Design Maria Shaplin
Sound Design Tina Brock
Stage Manager/Board Operator Madison Caudullo
Technical Director Bob Schmidt
Properties Mark Williams, Tina Brock & Erica Hoelscher
Assistant Costume Designer Jessica Barksdale
Musical Consultants Fran Bjorneby Kraemer & Mark Williams
Photoshop Magic Bill Brock
Photography Johanna Austin / AustinArt.org
Cover Art Dāma ar vēdekli bārā (Lady with a fan in the bar)
by Ģederts Eliass (1887-1975)
Bethany Mission Gallery Victor Keen and Jeanne Ruddy
Gabrielle Lavin Suzenski, Gallery Manager Gary Smith, Design Team
The IRC is a proud participant in the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre, a program of Theatre Philadelphia
www.theatrephiladelphia.org
September 2018 Hello and Happy Fringe! The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, written in 1951, is Williams' extensive rewrite and consideration of his original 1947 drama, Summer and Smoke. It has been said that Williams preferred Eccentricities to his earlier, better-known work. Eccentricities satisfied so many aspects of what I hope for in a production, and particularly at this place in IRC’s history. This experience has me excited as a producer and director to tackle future plays which may not reside in the classic absurdist wheelhouse, though possess a grand poetic scale. The plays the IRC has largely focused on since our founding in 2006 are readily recognizable as classically absurdist. Given where we are in our world today, life has taken on its own form of nonsensical absurdity, challenging theatrical/artistic illustration. In considering season 2018-2019 we repurposed the IRC’s unusual aesthetic/point of view to highlight the more absurd aspects of a play. The central theme of the play (for me) at this time in our history — that there is true, meaningful and lasting beauty in honesty for a moment or for an hour, or whatever period of time it lasts — resonated. Many thanks to Victor Keen and Jeanne Ruddy for their limitless generosity in allowing The IRC to perform within the walls of this wonderfully evocative space for a second Fringe Festival. The beauty and energies of the artists whose works envelope the playing space speak from and through the walls providing infinite inspiration for the performers to sing out the beautiful language of one of the greatest American playwrights and poets. Spending the summer exploring the town of Glorious Hill, Mississippi, the setting for Eccentricities proved resonant for many in the cast; several were raised in small towns in the South and Midwest that resemble the atmosphere rendered in Williams’ rewrite. Several have close connections to clergy through marriage and family, experiences that provided stories and memories as we journeyed through the text. As a director and performer, the memory of working with this cast of IRC stalwarts and wonderfully game newcomers to the IRC stage will linger. Thank you for being here and for sharing this experience with the IRC. And tell a friend. We have grown steadily over 13 years because of the kindness of strangers. Best,
Tina Brock Producing Artistic Director The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy
SPECIAL THANKS
Victor Keen and Jeanne Ruddy Gary Smith & Gabrielle Lavin Suzenski
Mark Williams Tomas Dura
Lehigh University Department of Theater Delaware Theatre Company
Robin Rodriguez Y-Buy Inc.
Avista Custom Theatrical Services Steve Ramm
Gerald Kolpan & The Philo Project Ben Doranz
The IRC Board of Directors
Actors' Equity Association (AEA) was founded in 1913 as the first of the American actor unions. Equity’s mission is to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Today, Equity represents more than
40,000 actors, singers, dancers and stage managers working in hundreds of theatres across the United States. Equity members are dedicated to working in the theatre as a profession, upholding the highest artistic standards.
Equity negotiates wages and working conditions and provides a wide range of benefits including health and pension plans for its members. Through its agreement with Equity, this theatre has committed to the fair treatment of the actors and stage managers employed in this production.
AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. For more information, visit www.actorsequity.org.
The IRC’s Mission is to bring classic absurdist theatre to an international audience in the Philadelphia region. These rarely-produced, renowned plays explore and illuminate the human purpose and meaning, promoting reflection about the human condition in a contemporary world.
The IRC experience is an exciting and challenging journey for seekers from all walks of life on multiple platforms: philosophical, psychological, physical and spiritual. Our dedicated group of artists invites you to explore with us these questions and share the word with friends; since 2006, a loyal IRC audience has been built largely through word of mouth.
PRODUCTIONS 2018
Time Remembered (Leocadia) by Jean Anouilh The Eccentricities of a Nightingale by Tennessee Williams
2017 The Enchanted by Jean Giraudoux
Into the Absurd: Reading of The Witnesses by Tadeusz Różewicz Into the Absurd: Reading of A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur by Tennessee Williams
The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco 2016
The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol Into the Absurd: Reading of The American Dream by Edward Albee Into the Absurd: Readings of The Radio Plays of Beckett and Pinter
The Chairs by Eugène Ionesco 2015
Misalliance by George Bernard Shaw Exit the King by Eugène Ionesco All in the Timing by David Ives
2014 Ondine by Jean Giraudoux
Rhinoceros by Eugène Ionesco A Streetcar Named Durang by Christopher Durang
2013 Paradise Park by Charles L. Mee
The Castle by Franz Kafka 2012
Marriage: An Utterly Improbable Occurrence by Nikolai Gogol Ivona, Princess of Burgundia by Witold Gombrowicz
2011 The Empire Builders by Boris Vian
The Arsonists (The Firebugs) by Max Frisch 2010
The Gnädiges Fraulien by Tennessee Williams The Madwoman of Chaillot by Jean Giraudoux
2009 The Lesson by Eugène Ionesco The Chairs by Eugène Ionesco
2008 Oh! For the Love of Love!: Durang, Beckett & Ionesco
A Streetcar Named Durang: The Parodies of Christopher Durang 2007
Victims of Duty by Eugène Ionesco Four of a Kind: Pinter, Durang, Beckett & Ionesco
2006 Three One Acts: Albee, Beckett & Ionesco
