Production Program
Written by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Bridget Leak
Season Sponsors: Richard L. & Mary A. Johnson
From The Producing Artistic Director
This is a season of coming back: coming back from a long hiatus, coming back from an uncertain world, coming back together as an arts community. Falcon’s first performance for a live audience in over 18 months was one of our Falcon Takes Flight pieces. Railsplitter, by Maurice Manning, is a work of poetry about Abraham Lincoln, a devoted fan of theater. Maurice’s words capture better than I ever could, the feelings I have as we begin our journey of coming back:
“…as dead as words writ on the page.
You have to find the life in them,
that is the pleasure of listening
to a voice on the stage or reading a book.
There’s something alive you bring to life
by being the reader or seeing the show,
and that makes being alive less lonely.
All of this . . . expression . . . has been for you.”
— Maurice Manning, “Railsplitter”
Being away from the theater has deepened my appreciation for how much of my life is consumed by this work. It has deepened my conviction about how essential you, the audience, are to everything we do. Without you, nothing we do has any impact or purpose.There are still many uncertainties in the world and the trajectory of this season is far from guaranteed, but one thing is certain: Falcon Theatre is back. And we’re so grateful to bring you live theater once again.
Sincerely,
Ted Weil
Producing Artistic Director
CAST (in order of appearance)
Henrietta Leavitt — Jordan Trovillion
Margaret Leavitt — Hannah Gregory
Peter Shaw — Nathan Tubbs
Williamina Fleming — Martha Slater
Annie Cannon — Tara Williams
PRODUCTION TEAM
Stage Manager — Katie Ruwe
Scenic Design — Sarah Beth Hall
Lighting Design — Tyler Gabbard
Costume Design — Beth Bolling-Joos
Props Design — Tara Williams
Sound Design — Trey Tatum
Wig Design — Hannah McCauley
Intimacy Choreographer — Erin Carr
Lighting & Sound Execution — Katie Ruwe
Set Construction — Ted J. Weil, Clint Ibele, Tracy M. Schoster, Terry Gosdin, Tara L. Williams
Set Decor — Tara Williams, Tracy M. Schoster
Lobby Display — Lisa Dirkes
Dramaturg — Julie Carpenter
Production Coordinator — Tara Williams
Marketing Director — Lisa Dirkes
House Staff Coordination — Tracy M. Schoster
Photography — Kristy Rucker
Box Office — Holly Sauerbrunn
Street Level Marketing — Rilla Foster
Special thanks for help with this production:
Martha Slater
Smooth Moves Piano Moving
Seven Hills Schools
Joy Galbraith & Costume Gallery
Falcon thanks these organizations for their support:
Scientific Terms
Cepheid: Any of a class of variable stars whose luminosity fluctuates with an extremely regular period.
Magellanic Cloud: Either of two irregular galactic clusters in the southern heavens that are the nearest independent star system to the Milky Way.
Cast Biographies
Hannah Gregory (Margaret Leavitt): Hannah Gregory is so excited to bring this long-awaited project to life and is elated to be working with this cast and crew. Hannah recently appeared as The Lamp in Glassheart with Know Theatre. Other favorite credits include: American Idiot (Whatsername) at The Carnegie, The Who’s TOMMY (Sally) at Memorial Hall, and Equus (Jill) with Cincinnati Landmark Productions. Hannah wrote and produced The Belle and Boone Helm at the 2021 Cincinnati Fringe Festival, which received the Critics’ Pick award, and Descent: a Murder Ballad at the 2019 Cincinnati Fringe Festival, which won the Producer’s Pick. She is a 2019 recipient of the Artist Enrichment grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women. You can catch her next project Wuthering: a musical on the moors at the 2022 Cincinnati Fringe Festival, where she will appear as Cathy Earnshaw. Endless thanks and love to mom, dad, ZG, and EB.
Martha Slater (Williamina Fleming): Martha Slater is delighted and grateful to be on the Falcon stage for the first time, especially with such a wonderful script and such a fantastic production ensemble. Regional theatre work includes Hartford Stage Company, Arizona Theater Company, Curious Theatre Company in Denver, CO, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, and at the Snowy Range Theatre Festival in her beloved hometown of Laramie, WY. Among her favorite local performances are Sister Aloysius in Doubt(Covedale), Veronica in God of Carnage (Warsaw Incline), Dora in Equus (Warsaw Incline), Ensemble in Motherhood Out Loud (Carnegie), and performing with her daughter, Hannah Waskowitz, in Who Am I This Time? (Mariemont Players). Film appearances include 2018 Cincinnati Fringe entry Burned, which also earned “Best Drama” at the NSAEN Chicago International Film Festival. As an educator, Martha developed the K-3 Drama program at School for the Creative and Performing Arts, and currently finds her bliss hanging out with 3-year olds as a Collaborative Teacher in the Early Childhood program at Cincinnati Country Day School. Her fiber art and painting gallery, “Big Heart, Big Mind” is coming soon on facebook. Big Love to Clarke, Hannah, Emily and the beasts.
Jordan Trovillion (Henrietta Leavitt): Jordan Trovillion is pleased to be returning to the Falcon stage, having previously performed in Baskerville (Actress) and Frankenstein (Female Creature.) Recent theatre credits are Queen (Ariel) at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, All’s Faire(Johnson) at Know Theatre of Cincinnati, You Will Live Under the Sea with Queen City Flash at the 2021 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. Other favorite shows include Puffs (Susie Bones track) and The Absentee (Operator) with Know Theatre of Cincinnati, and Zoinks! (Nolan) with Queen City Flash. Jordan is a member of SAG/AFTRA and has performed in various films and television shows, including The Old Man and the Gun, My Days of Mercy, and Comedy Central’s Detroiters. She is one half of the pair of proprietors of a mysterious magic shop in Covington, a freelance illustrator, and used to be in a cover band.
Nathan Tubbs (Peter Shaw): After the 2 year delay of Silent Sky, Nathan is thrilled to be returning to live theatre at Falcon. His other Falcon credits include The Exonerated and The Pillowman. Nathan is a central Kentucky native who has worked on numerous film and TV productions including his favorite, The Price of Fame, where he portrayed a young Robin Williams. Other Cincinnati theatre credits include Theatre: A Love Story, The Absentee, and Heavier Than… at Know Theatre and sketch comedy – Troof and Sketchconciliation with Artswave and the Carnegie and It Is A Holiday Show with Improv Cincinnati. Nathan dedicates his performance to his partner, Gauravi, who is more marvelous than the rings of Saturn.
Tara Williams (Annie Cannon): Tara is thrilled to be back on Falcon’s stage after a two-year hiatus. Previous roles at Falcon Theatre include Marjorie Prime, A Streetcar Named Desire, Rabbit Hole, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Cover of Life, Slasher and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Other Cincinnati credits include, Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound (Covedale Center for the Performing Arts), Death of a Salesman (New Edgecliff Theatre), and multiple shows at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival. Other credits, Kimberly Duncan in Universal Studio’s Terminator II 3-D Attraction, Theatre Downtown, Orlando Fringe Festival, Civic Theatre and 19 comical characters at Sleuth’s Mystery Dinner Theatre where she was a regular for 7 years. She is a proud member of both Falcon’s board and advisory team. Tara holds a BFA in acting from Northern Illinois University.
Production Team Biographies
Beth Bolling-Joos (Costume Designer): Beth is excited to be part of the production team for “Red Speedo.” She is a graduate of NKU’s Theatre Arts program. She recently designed the Star Camp production of The SpongeBob Musical for The Children’s Theatre. At NKU, Beth was the guest costume designer for the musical Big Fish. As an undergrad, she designed the opera The Tenderland and was the scenic and prop designer as well for the opera The Old Maid and the Thief. Her work at Falcon Theater includes Daisy, Blues for An Alabama Sky, The Exonerated, Master Harold and the Boys, Rabbit Hole, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and Dial M for Murder. Beth’s designs were also seen in The Foreigner at Moeller High School.
Erin Carr (Intimacy Choreographer): Erin Carr is currently working as a physical theatre practitioner, intimacy choreographer, and movement/kinesics consultant out of Cincinnati, OH. She is a proud graduate from NYU-Tisch where she studied at the Experimental Theatre Wing. She also recently received her MBA with a focus on Entrepreneurship and is currently working on her neuro-linguistic programming certification. In addition, she is the Co-Artistic Director of the feminist-centric theatre company, ReVamp Collective, based in Philadelphia, PA, as well as the Co-Founder of Solasta Theatre Lab in Cincinnati, OH. Additional information: www.erincarr.com
Tyler Gabbard (Lighting Design): Tyler is thrilled to return to Falcon Theatre after designing the set for Red Speedo and lighting for Bat Boy: The Musical. Favorite scenic designs include Ragtime, Well (Pepperdine University), Ring of Fire (Memorial Hall), The Sound of Music, Swing!, Tenderly, The Last Five Years, Disenchanted!, Love, Loss, and What I Wore (The Carnegie), Into the Woods (Northern Kentucky University), Burgertown, …Spelling Bee (Commonwealth Theatre Company), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Woodford Theatre), The Songs of Stephen Foster (Stephen Foster Drama Association), Il Matrimonio Segreto, La Vida Breve (Cincinnati Chamber Opera), Le Reniement de St. Pierre, La feste de Ruel (Catacoustic Consort), The Glass Menagerie, Soldiers’ Christmas (New Edgecliff), Oklahoma!, Footloose (Kincaid Regional Theatre), Urinetown, The Madras House, The Physicists(NYU). Tyler is the Patron Experience Manager at The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. BFA from NYU/Tisch. tylergabbard.com
Lauren Gunderson (Playwright): Lauren has been one of the most produced playwrights in America since 2015 topping the list twice including 2019/20. She is a two-time winner of the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award for I and You and The Book of Will, the winner of the Lanford Wilson Award and the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award, a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and John Gassner Award for Playwriting, and a recipient of the Mellon Foundation’s Residency with Marin Theatre Company. She studied Southern Literature and Drama at Emory University, and Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School where she was a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. She co-authored the Miss Bennet plays with Margot Melcon, and her play The Half-Life of Marie Curie is available on Audible.com. Her work is published at Playscripts (I and You; Exit Pursued By A Bear; The Taming and Toil And Trouble), Dramatists Play Service (The Revolutionists; The Book of Will; Silent Sky; Bauer, Natural Shocks, The Wickhams and Miss Bennet) and Samuel French (Emilie). Her picture book Dr Wonderful: Blast Off to the Moon is available from Two Lions/Amazon. She is currently developing musicals with Ari Afsar, Dave Stewart and Joss Stone. LaurenGunderson.com
Bridget Leak (Director): Bridget is thrilled to be making her Falcon debut! Previous directing credits; Queen (Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati), Actually (Playhouse in the Park), Playhouse’s Off-the-Hill Series, and both digital and live productions for the Cincy Fringe Festival. Upcoming productions; Jinkies! at Cincy Fringe and more episodes of the podcast Have Monster Will Travel produced by Queen City Flash. Bridget is a People’s Liberty Grant recipient and a Cincinnati Arts Ambassador Fellow. She was recently featured in Movers & Makers, American Theatre Magazineand had her work highlighted in Teaching Theatre magazine, a publication of EdTA. Bridget teaches at Xavier University and has directed at Xavier and Miami University. Bridget has her M.F.A. in Directing from the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. She calls East Price Hill home with her husband, playwright-composer Trey Tatum, infant Wilder and pups “Pocket” & “Lint” bridgetleak.com
Katie Ruwe (Stage Manager): Katie Ruwe is thrilled to step back into the booth after a two year hiatus. Her previous credits with Falcon Theatre include Ben Butler, The Agitators, Yankee Tavern, and A Street-Car Named Desire. She has also worked as stage manager for Queen City Opera’s productions of Der Frieschutz and Die Walkure, as well as assorted shows as a part of Cincinnati’s Fringe Festival. A graduate of Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts, she welcomes you back to the theater and hopes you enjoy the show as much as she enjoyed working on it!
Falcon Theatre Management Board
Piper N. Davis – Diversity & Inclusion Director
Lisa Dirkes – Marketing Director
Terry Gosdin – Play Reading Chair
Clint Ibele – Falcon Takes Flight Director
Allen R. Middleton – Development Director, Copywriter
Holly Sauerbrunn – Grants Writer
Tracy M. Schoster – Patron Manager, Advisory Team
Ted J. Weil – Producing Artistic Director
Tara Williams – Production Coordinator, Grants Manager, Advisory Team
Patrons
ANGEL:
Doug & Carol Burks (Production Sponsors)
Richard L. & Mary A. Johnson (Season Sponsors)
Patrick Thernes (Production Sponsor)
BENEFACTOR:
Keith Siereveld
John Morrow & Julie Ann Smith-Morrow
PLAYWRIGHT:
Ron Cropper
Allen Middleton & Gary Daniels
Tom & Angela Ogonek
Tracy M. Schoster
Ted J. Weil
Tara Williams
DIRECTOR:
Robert Arlinghaus & Christina Kelley
Rebecca Campbell
Robert & Patricia Clary
Bill & Trish Harris
Clint Ibele
Pam Matsko
Terry Miller & Dale Hayes
Greg Schaper
Michael & Susan Whitehead
PRODUCER
Anonymous
Anonymous
In Memory of Renee Alper
David & Janet Arno
Scott & Ann Beck
Lou & Judy Belli
Steve Bolia & Rob Dorgan
Lisa Dirkes
Sandra Grinkmeyer & Ernie Franz
Bill Hartnett
Jocelynne Jason
DESIGNER:
Cathy Collopy
Rilla Foster
Pat Hoffmann
Rita Larkin
Jill Morenz
Anne Wrider
STAGE MANAGER:
Danny Davies
Carolyn Leicht
Sherry McCamley
Michele-Marie Merritt
ACTOR:
David Levy
Ben Raanan
George & Nancy Whitton
Your Support Makes It All Possible!
Falcon has been creating quality theater for our audiences since 1989 and we remain committed to our vision to lead our community through artistic expression and inclusive creativity. Like all arts organizations, we can’t do it without you. Your tax-deductible donation helps us continue to produce affordable theatre while offsetting the cost of creating professional productions. The generosity of patrons continues to allow Falcon Theatre the opportunity to expand its horizons, reaching new audiences, new markets and a new generation of theatre minds. Your gift goes a long way in helping us grow, thrive and continue this success.
Click Here to visit our Patron Information page.
Falcon is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and your donations are tax-deductible. Please consult your tax advisor for more information.
Patron Levels:
- Angel $5000+ (Includes 2 five-show Flex Passes)
- Benefactor $1000+ (Includes 1 five-show Flex Passes)
- Playwright $500+
- Director $250+
- Producer $100+
- Designer $50+
- Stage Manager $25+
- Actor Up to $25
Flex Passes
Want To See A Show For Free?
We have Flex Passes on sale to save you money and help you see only the shows you want. A Flex pass is a block of tickets you can use whenever you want at Falcon and it’s a great way to save money and see some great theater.
Click Here For Flex Pass Information