Produced by special arrangement with Dramatist’s Play Service

E S T. 1935

THEATER in partnership with

Hug High School presents

RENO LITTLE

Henry Polly

Edith Melvin

DeVito

Kirk Gardner Cathy Gabrielli Erin Slimak Colin Coate Michelle Perez

Cast

Director Set Design

Lighting Design Light Operator

Sound Operator Costumes

Poster and Cover Art

McKenzi L. Swinehart Doug A. Mishler Doug A. Mishler Doug A. Mishler McKenzi L. Swinehart The Cast and Crew Andrew Mowers

Behind the Scenes

Special Thanks

to Terri Bortot, John Karlas

and Derek Niegemann for assistance with the set

and to Dr. Katherine DeBoer who didn’t lose her Phi Beta Kappa key (yet)

The Lowenthal house, in a small college town somewhere in the Rockies

Late May, at the end of the semester

Act I

Scene 1 - Late one afternoon Scene 2 - Morning, three days later

Act II

Scene 1 - Afternoon, the same day Scene 2 - A few hours later

There will be one 15 minute intermission

Time and Place

Cast Biographies

Cathy Gabrielli (Polly) Cathy was last seen on the RLT stage in The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Other recent appearances include The Price, Humble Boy and The Ride Down Mt. Morgan. Cathy has worked at Reno Municipal Court for nearly thirty years and enjoys singing barbershop with High Desert Harmony Chorus. “Lots of love and thanks to my

ever-supportive husband of 25 years and Happy 84th Birthday, Mom!”

Colin Coate (Melvin) Colin is a long-time participant in various local community theater groups both here and in Washington State. He is pleased and honored to be once again treading the boards with Reno Little Theater (and also sincerely hopes that those boards will once again belong to RLT in the very near future). So without further ado, he invites you to sit back, relax and enjoy Cliffhanger (and if you don’t like it he is going to shoot himself and swallow a bottle of Demerol).

Kirk Gardner (Henry) As this 75th season begins, Kirk (an accountant offstage) has tallied up his time with us and finds this is his 27th show with RLT as an actor (and occasional writer and director) going back to 1993 (and to 1980 as an audience member). His favorites include Love Letters, Greetings, A Christmas Carol in Prose, ...a little Christmas, A Thurber Carnival, Henry IV, and Early One Evening at the Rainbow Bar and Grill. He’s also been seen with Nevada Rep (Noises Off), Brewery Arts (Assassins) and Western Nevada Musical Theater Company (Hello, Dolly and Guys and Dolls). Much as he likes theater, he tries keeps his eyes open to his real commitment to Julie. jt

Michelle Perez (DeVito) This is Michelle's first RLT appearance, having relocated to Reno in January of this year. No stranger to the stage, she has been involved in all aspects of theatre since she was young. Her credits include (but are not limited to) Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, Marie in Incorruptible, multiple roles in The Laramie Project, and a bunch of variety

shows. She has years of backstage experience as well. When she is not on stage she works, dances and enjoys the company of her two kittens. She is very excited about her RLT debut.

Erin Slimak (Edith) Raised in Albuquerque, with a BA in Theatre from Loyola University New Orleans, Erin has been traveling the globe in her quest for world domination. She has worked as an actress, director, stage manager, and designer in San Francisco, Montana, London and the Bahamas. She can be seen locally with the Utility Players (performing and directing) in their weekly Comedy Cabaret, or as a 19th century actress aboard the M.S. Dixie on Lake Tahoe, and soon in Nevada Shakespeare's upcoming Macbeth. This is Erin's first production with RLT, and she swears that she is a nice person in real life.

At a meeting of the college faculty, an angel suddenly appears and tells the head of the philosophy department, “I will grant you whichever of three blessings you choose: wisdom, beauty—or ten million dollars.”

Immediately, the professor chooses wisdom.

There is a flash of lightning, and the professor appears transformed, but he just sits there, staring down at the table. One of his colleagues whispers, “Say something.”

The professor says, “I should have taken the money.”

On Wisdom

McKenzi L. Swinehart McKenzi is thrilled to be a part of Reno Little Theater's 75th season. She most recently directed RLT's Artown show, The New Hansel and Gretel. She has also directed several one-acts, including Check, Please, Hidden in This Picture and Acorn. Although she has been acting for 20 years, she has found her passion in directing.

McKenzi would like to thank her incredibly hard working cast, who made this show fun!

Director Biography

After spending his life teaching absolute morality, universal truths and the philosophy of Socrates, a professor is challenged by a younger colleague and former student to accept relative morality. Relative morality claims there are no definitive moral truths or standards, no “right” or “wrong”—rather situations are relative to social, cultural and historical circumstances. Ironically, the reasoning he fought to keep out of his department becomes the only argument he and his loyal wife can use to justify a sudden outburst of violence and the subsequent cover-up.

What continually intrigues me about this play is that, as an audience, we identify more with the killers than the victims. They do not deserve their fate, however vindictive and unsympathetic they may be.

I hope you’ll join us in asking yourself how far you would go to protect your values. As Socrates reminds us, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

–McKenzi L. Swinehart

Director’s Notes

Frank Bender Bruno and Edna Benna Peter S. Bing Mrs. Robert Brigham Diana Carter Sam and Carol Coleman Carolyn Coleman Gregory D. Corn, Esq. William K. Cowan III Kenneth Cusick Bob and Kathy Easly Mrs. John Flanigan Bob and Cathy Gabrielli Kirk Gardner and Julie Douglass Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gorell Art and Caryn Hawman Helen Heppner

A Lifetime of Memories Reno Little Theater Life Members

Jim and Dani Woods

Pat and Mary Hughes Larry and Vonnie Kirk Joan Long Eve Loomis Dr. George Manilla Dr. and Mrs. Thomas McCleary Marilyn Melton Fran Merrell Diane and Michael Peters Carol Pevney David and Kelly Radu George and Heppie Randolph Mrs. Warren Richardson Mrs. Sidney Robinson Anne Stewart Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Tedford Mrs. Emerson Wilson

A seeker has heard that the wisest guru in all of India lives atop India’s highest mountain. So the seeker treks over hill and Delhi until he reaches the fabled mountain. By the time he reaches the top, he is full of cuts and bruises, but there is the guru, sitting cross-legged in front of his cave.

“O, wise guru,” the seeker says, “I have come to ask what the secret of life is.”

“Ah, yes, the secret of life,’ the guru says. “The secret of life is a teacup.”

“A teacup? I come all the way up here to find the meaning of life, and you tell me it’s a teacup?”

The guru shrugs. “So maybe it isn’t a teacup.”

On the Meaning of Life

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YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS A SINGLE SHOW IN

RENO LITTLE THEATER’S 75TH SEASON!

The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh

December 4-6, 11-13, 18-20 “McDonagh’s comic talent appears unlimited, and he has a way of mixing up his humor with a touch of the poet.” - NY Post

Almost, Maine by John Cariani

February 5-7, 12-14, 19-21 “A whimsical approach to the joys and perils of romance.

Magical happenings bloom beneath the snowdrifts.” - NY Times

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams April 9-11, 16-18, 23-25

“Mr. Williams has not forgotten that human beings are the basic subject of art. Out of poetic imagination and ordinary

compassion he has spun a poignant and luminous story.” - NY Times

Don’t Dress for Dinner by Marc Camoletti

adapted by Robin Hawdon May 28-30, June 4-6, 11-13

“Hurtling along at the speed of light, this breathtaking farce is a near faultless piece of theatrical invention.” - The Guardian

SEASON TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE MAKE SURE YOU’RE ON OUR MAILING LIST OR

CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS

RENO LITTLE THEATER P.O. Box 7071

Reno, NV 89510-7071 775-329-0661

www.renolittletheater.org