There will be one 15-minute intermission.
CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION is presented by arrangement with
Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.
Playwrights Horizons, Inc., New York City, produced the World Premiere of
CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION Off-Broadway in 2009.
CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION was developed, in part,
with the assistance of the Sundance Institute Theatre Program with additional support from the Sundance Institute’s Time Warner Storytelling Fellowship.
Susan M. Cable, D.D.S., '81, Producing Sponsor
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director
Emma Foley
Stage Manager
Emily Moisant
Lighting Designer
Petr Jaros
Sound Designer
Allison Hayes
Intimacy Choreographer
Erin Dillon
Directing Advisor
Fabrice Conte-Williamson
DIRECTOR'S NOTES
Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker is a beautiful story about how people form relationships with each other. Baker, a noted contemporary American playwright, is highly regarded for the distinctive pacing of dialogue in her plays. Her strategic use of pauses allows each moment to unfold beyond the constraints of spoken words. In this way, Baker invites the audience to observe more closely the ever-changing dynamics between her characters.
Circle Mirror Transformation is centered around a handful of Vermont residents as they gather to work through buried trauma while taking a drama class at their local community center. Marty, the compassionate drama instructor, is married to James, a college professor. Shultz is a socially awkward and recently divorced carpenter, Theresa is an energetic former actress who recently moved back home, and Lauren, the youngest of the group, is a stubborn witty teenager who hopes to land the lead in her school play. Despite their differences, the characters strive to find common ground and, ultimately, they begin to flourish as they work together to create theatre.
Given the intimate nature of the show, we chose to place the audience on stage with the actors in order to create a more immersive and engaging environment. We hope that you walk away with some insight into how theatre comes to life—in part thanks to the essential actor-audience relationship that defines the unique energy of every show.
We are grateful to welcome you back into the theatre once again. Enjoy the show!
Emma Foley
CAST BIOS
REAGAN BECKER (Swing) is a senior English major with a concentration in Film and Cultural Studies who is also pursuing a Digital Media and Production certificate. This is Reagan’s debut on the university stage.
ALLISON HAYES (Swing) is a junior Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Musical Theatre. Previous credits include The Penelopiad (Maid/Iole) at UW-Parkside, James and The Giant Peach (James), She Kills Monsters (Farrah) at State Fair Community College, and The Addams Family (Pugsley) at Next Generation Performing Arts Camp.
MAGGIE JAY (Theresa) is a first-year Theatre Arts major with concentrations in Acting and Design and Technology. Previous credits at Parkside include The Tourists (Peggy) and The Penelopiad (Deck Crew).
KAMMI KRINGLE (Marty) is a third-year Theatre Arts major with an interest in both Acting and Lighting Design. Previous credits include The Penelopiad (Assistant Lighting Designer), The Mad Ones (Stage Manager), Stupid F##king Bird (Nina/Emma U/S), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [abridged] (Master Electrician), The Glass Menagerie (Assistant Stage Manager), and Roger and Hammerstein's Cinderella (Master Electrician). She was also part of the 2020 Summer Shakespeare series produced by UW-Parkside and the College of Lake County.
JACOB MCCOWN (Swing) is a first-year Theatre Arts major with a minor in Computer Science. Previous credits include The Mad Ones (Adam).
TOMER PROCTOR-ZENKER (Schultz) is a senior Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Acting. Previous credits include Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Lord Pinkleton), A Number (Michael Black/ Bernard 1 / Bernard 2), and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Christopher Boone). Last semester, Tomer directed a FreshINK production of The Tourists by Stephen Brown.
DONAJI SANCHEZ (Lauren) is a sophomore Theatre Arts major with a minor in Communication. She has been a part of Actors Craft in Kenosha for the past two years. Previous credits include Big Fish (Ensemble) and the role of Lauren in the film The Mechanics directed by Micah Martin. This is Donaji’s debut on the university stage.
AURTHUR WEIME (James) is a first-year Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Acting. Previous university credits include The Penelopiad (Maid / Eurycleia U/S).
PRODUCTION TEAM BIOS
EMMA FOLEY (Director) is a senior with a double major in Communication and Theatre Arts, and a concentration in Directing. Acting credits at UW-Parkside include The Penelopiad (Maid / Anticleia), The Glass Menagerie (Amanda Wingfield), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Maria), and Urinetown (Soupy Sue).
EMILY MOISANT (Stage Manager) is a first-year transfer student with a major in Theatre Arts and a concentration in Directing. Previous credits include The Penelopiad (Dramaturg) at UW-Parkside and In the Next Room (Wardrobe Crew) at UW-Milwaukee.
ERIN DILLON (Intimacy Choreographer) is a senior Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Acting and a passion for both Lighting Design and Intimacy Choreography. Previous acting credits at UW-Parkside include The Penelopiad (Maid / Helen of Troy), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [abridged] (Actor 1), Midnight and Moll Flanders (Ensemble), My Barking Dog (Melinda), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Siobhan), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Fox / Ensemble). Previous Intimacy Choreography credits at UW-Parkside include Proof, The Penelopiad, and The Thanksgiving Play. Recently, Erin played Ophelia in Fleeing Artists' production of Hamlet. She has also worked with First Stage Children’s Theatre, Skylight Music Theatre, and the Southwest Shakespeare Company.
ALLISON HAYES (Sound Designer) is a junior Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Musical Theatre. Previous credits include The Penelopiad (Maid/Iole) at UW-Parkside, James and The Giant Peach (James), She Kills Monsters (Farrah) at State Fair Community College, and The Addams Family (Pugsley) at Next Generation Performing Arts Camp.
PETR JAROS (Lighting Design) is a first-year Theatre Arts major with concentrations in both Directing and Design and Technology. Past credits include The Mad Ones (Adam U/S), The Snow Queen, The Boxcar Children, and The Mousetrap.
FABRICE CONTE-WILLIAMSON (Director) is a director, actor, and theatre educator, teaching courses in directing, theatre history, dramatic literature, and dramatic criticism at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Fabrice received a Master of Performing Arts from the University of Nice, France, as well as an MFA in Directing and an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma Helmerich School of Drama. His primary research focuses on post-modern French dramatic literature and performance theory, the role of literary myth in dramatic literature, and the development of multilingual and cross-cultural theatre movements. From 2007 to 2013 Fabrice was Chair of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at St. Gregory's University. He also taught acting and voice and movement at the University of Oklahoma where he became actively involved with the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region VI, serving as State Chair for Oklahoma and coordinator for the Arts Management and Administration Initiative (ASPIRE). Recent projects include directing Stupid F###ing Bird by Aaron Posner for UW-Parkside (KCACTF Region III Invited Production) and co-translating Stormy Weather on Mount Olympus by Nobel Prize winner Ismail Kadare for the 50th Neudstadt Literature Festival.
Special Thanks
Susan M. Cable and Casa Capri for ongoing support.
Production Personnel
Stage Management Faculty Advisor
Kendall Phillips
Lighting Faculty Advisor
Kendall Phillips
Sound Faculty Advisor
Kevin Gray
Props Faculty Advisor
Jody Sekas
Marketing and Program Layout
Oliver J. Johnson
Poster Design
Kim Sekas
Production Photographer
Alyssa Nepper
Box Office Manager
Alex Gray
THEATRE ARTS SUPPORTERS
The College of Arts and Humanities with the UW-Parkside Foundation gratefully acknowledges the following individuals for their investment in the Theatre Arts Department and students.
$1,000+
Susan M. Cable, D.D.S., '81*
Dr. Donald A. Cress*
Marie Kohler & Brian Mani*
Patricia Petretti*
$500-$999
Laurie & Steve Feiler
Shirley Warter
$250-$499
Debra Karp & Stephen Smiley
David R. Koss '06
$100-249
Darleen Chiappetta
Barbara DeLaney
Ruth A. Frear
Dr. Claire M. Hicks
Lisa & Mike Humke
Karen MacKinnon
Jeff & Lynn Skatrud
Melissa Smyth
You can enhance Theatre Arts Education.
In the same way that mounting a play requires a team, funding it is likewise a team effort. To produce our amazing shows, we rely on a combination of sources—ticket sales, the University, and private funding.
Play a part in advancing the student experience through your one-time or recurring contribution to the Dr. Donald A. Cress Theatre Production Enhancement Fund.
Donations listed were received Jul 1, 2020-Sep 30, 2021. For omissions or changes to this donor list, please contact development@uwp.edu
*Denotes members of the UW-Parkside Chancellor’s Society.
About UW-Parkside
Since 1968, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside has continued to build a reputation as an outstanding liberal arts institution with particularly strong fine arts programs. With The Rita Tallent Picken Center for Arts & Humanities, our state-of-the-art instructional facilities and stunning performance venues match our award-winning academic programs and provide even greater community access. UW-Parkside offers a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as well as specialized online programs. Each year, more than 100 College of Lake County graduates transfer to UW-Parkside to pursue a four-year degree. The award-winning Theatre Arts program is a popular destination for transfer students.