Ain’t Misbehavin’

FREE LOBBY CHAT

Sunday, July 3 at 3:00PM — The Rhoda and Morris Levitt Lobby at the Wolfson Theatre Center: 122 North St., Pittsfield

Coffee, tea and great conversation! Join us for insights and lively discussions on our exciting, provocative productions this summer and fall. These chats are free, fun and informative. Although free, reservations must be booked in advance because space is limited. Gretchen Long, Williams College Professor of History, Faculty Fellow of the Davis Center and the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity, will discuss the Harlem Renaissance. Register now!

Show Preview: Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show

In Rehearsal for Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show

CAST

	ALLISON BLACKWELL* is thrilled to be returning to BSC after appearing in Who Could Ask For Anything More? The Songs of George Gershwin last summer. BSC: Ragtime (Sarah’s Friend). Broadway: A Night With Janis Joplin (Aretha Franklin), Pretty Woman: The Musical (Violetta), The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, The Lion King. Favorite roles include Fantine in Les Misérables, Dotty/Washing Machine in Caroline, or Change, Woman #1 in And the World Goes ‘Round, Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music and Mrs. Segstrom in A Little Night Music. When Ms. Blackwell is not doing theatre, she can be seen performing as a guest artist with orchestras across the country or performing her solo show entitled First You Dream. Spelman College B.A and The Boston Conservatory. AllisonBlackwell.com
	ARNOLD HARPER II* is overjoyed to be making his Barrington Stage debut. A proud Baltimore native. He just wants to serve the people with love through storytelling. Fav credits: Playhouse On Park: Five Guys Named Moe; ACT of CT: Fred in Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Audrey II/Ronnette in Little Shop of Horrors; Ogunquit Playhouse: Simon Sr. in Kinky Boots; Eat Moe in Five Guys Named Moe. He wants to thank his family, friends and The Hell’s Kitchen Agency for their support! HI MOM! IG: @arnoldharperii
	JARVIS B. MANNING, JR.* A native of Houston, TX. Graduate of HSPVA, AMDA NY. An Original Broadway Cast and world premiere cast member of Ain’t Too Proud (Al Bryant and Norman Whitfield). Jarvis is also involved heavily in Arts in Education (co-founder of Staged Masterclasses), and aims to help bridge the gap between underserved communities and quality lessons in the arts. Other Favorite Credits: TV/Film: Law & Order 2022 Revamp (Andre Walker), The Purgatory of Ghost and Goblin (Del). Broadway: Motown: The Musical (Jackie Wilson, Rick James), Ain’t Too Proud (David Ruffin understudy). This show is dedicated to Ma’, Da’, Shay, Chubby C, Journey Journ and his angels Rev. Holiday and Barbs. Thank you God! @brainart Chi Talent Management.
	ANASTACIA MCCLESKEY* is excited to return to BSC, previously seen as Claudine Machine/Janessa in Broadway Bounty Hunter. Recently played Jo in the world premiere of Afterwords the Musical at The 5th Ave Theatre, on Broadway in Waitress (Nurse Norma) and the revival of Caroline, or Change (Dotty). She recurs on New Amsterdam (Dr. Phylicia Elder), The Good Fight (Opal) and appeared in Annie Live (Sophie, Mrs. Greer, Perkins). She has been featured in seven Broadway hits, one West End hit, Off Broadway hits, and sung with/provided back-up vocals for many artists. Nominations: Helen Hayes Award, Alliance Award and an Audelco Award. Thank you God.
	MAIESHA MCQUEEN*, who is excited to be making her Barrington Stage debut, was last seen on Broadway starring alongside Sara Bareilles in the hit musical Waitress. Shortly after, she performed to sold-out audiences, embodying the life and music of Mahalia Jackson. Maiesha has traveled the globe as co-founder and musical composer of the touring company Progress Theatre, whose work has been presented at such spaces as The Public Theater, The Kennedy Center, The Apollo Theatre and the World Music Festival in Amsterdam. Other notable theatre credits include: Fannie (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Until the Flood (Merrimack Repertory Theatre); The Color Purple, His Eye is on the Sparrow, Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Portland Center Stage); ‘Da Kink In My Hair (Horizon Theatre); Sirens of Song (Milwaukee Rep); Chasin’ Dem Blues, East Texas Hotlinks (True Colors Theatre). Proud graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Special thanks to The Hybrid Agency. @maieshamcqueen  MaieshaMcQueen.com
	EDDIE DEAN (Understudy) Humbled to be making his Barrington Stage debut, this Indianapolis, IN native hopes to motivate and inspire self-reflection through Storytelling. He has recently been seen at Phoenix Theatre in Rolling World Premiere Play The Magnolia Ballet by Terry Guest. He also portrayed ‘Gator’ in Memphis The Musical at Indiana Performing Arts Center and ‘Bobby’ in The Color Purple at Civic Theatre in Carmel, Indiana. Other credits include ‘Seymour Krelborn’ in Little Shop of Horrors, ‘Horton The Elephant’ in Seussical The Musical, and ‘Officer Eddie Souther’ in Sister Act at his Alma Mater, Broad Ripple Magnet High School for Performing Arts. All Glory to God! @JustEddieDean. Helen Wells Agency.
	COURTNEY C. LONG (Understudy) BSC debut. Courtney is a graduate of Ithaca College with a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre. Her most recent credits include BJ Crosby in Smokey Joe’s Cafe at ACT of Connecticut, Gynecia in Head Over Heels, Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act at Ithaca College, and Ronnette in Little Shop Of Horrors at Bools Flower Shop (Ithaca, NY. The First Site-Specific Production). Huge shoutout to my DGRW inc. Family! Instagram: @courtneyclong  Website: CourtneyCLong.com

CREATIVES

THOMAS “FATS” WALLER (Music) (May 21, 1904 — December 15, 1943) Thomas Waller was born in Greenwich Village in 1904, and reared in Harlem. His parents were deeply religious; to his father, jazz was the devil’s music. He studied classical piano and played church organ. He began his professional career as organist at the Lincoln Theatre on 135th Street. In 1920, he met his mentor, the great stride pianist James P. Johnson, and soon became a prized attraction at Harlem rent parties, and one of the most respected musicians in New York. With the success of his songs and the musicals Keep Shufflin’ and Hot Chocolates, and a Victor recording contract, the stage was set for Fats Waller. A man of gargantuan appetites, his overindulgence in food, liquor, and loving is a legend. He never slowed down through all the years of one-night stands, big-time radio, triumphant concert tours of Europe and Hollywood films. He died aboard the Santa Fe Chief near Kansas City in 1943. He raised the art of stride piano to its highest level, and was one of the inventors of swing music. He was a prolific composer, a great comedian and a brilliant singer and musician — talents which made him one of the first Black superstars in America. —By Maurice Waller [Son of Fats Waller], Co-author with Anthony Calabrese, of Fats Waller, Schirmer Books, 1977

RICHARD MALTBY, JR. (Conceiver, Creator, Original Director) BROADWAY: Conceived and Directed two Tony Award-winning musicals: Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1978, also Tony Award: Best Director); Fosse (1999). Also Ring of Fire (2006). Director/Lyricist: Baby (1983, Tony nomination Best Musical; 2022 Drama Desk nomination, Best Musical Revival); Lyricist: Big (1996, Tony nomination: Best Score; also Dominion Theatre London 2019). Co-Lyricist: Miss Saigon (1990 Evening Standard Award, 1991 Tony nomination). Director/Co-Lyricist, Song & Dance. OFF BROADWAY: Director/Lyricist Starting Here, Starting Now (1977 Grammy nomination); Closer (1989 Outer Critics Circle Award, Best Musical; 2013 Off Broadway Alliance Award, Best Revival). Director: Just Jim Dale, (New York 2014, London 2015). REGIONAL: Lyricist: Take Flight (2010 Menier Chocolate Factory; 2012 McCarter Theater); Waterfall (2015, Pasadena/ Seattle); Lyricist, Sousatzka (2017, Toronto). FILM: Screenplay, Miss Potter (2007). Contributes cryptic crossword puzzles to Harper’s Magazine. Son of well-known orchestra leader. Five children: Nicholas, David, Jordan, Emily and Charlotte.

MURRAY HORWITZ (Conceiver) is a playwright, lyricist and broadcaster, who has been called “my first mentor” by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. His accomplishments include originating the NPR comedy quiz Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me, writing song lyrics for John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby at The Metropolitan Opera, touring in his one-man show An Evening of Sholom Aleichem (directed by Richard Maltby, Jr.) and co-creating the Mark Twain Prize at the Kennedy Center. He is co-author of Freedom Rider, which premiered this year at Crossroads Theater. He appears occasionally as a commentator on NPR, and annually on its special Hanukkah Lights. His awards include a Tony for Ain’t Misbehavin’, three Peabody Awards, two National Medals of Arts (at NPR and Washington Performing Arts) and the Order of Arts and Letters from the government of France. A graduate of Kenyon College, he began his career as a Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus clown.

JEFFREY L. PAGE† (Choreographer/Director) Associate Artist. BSC: Who Could Ask for Anything More? The Songs of George Gershwin, Company, Broadway Bounty Hunter (Berkshire Theatre Award). Jeffrey Page is a choreographer and director of opera and theatre. His work has garnered Yomiuri Award nominations in Japan, an Emmy nomination in the US, and an MTV Video Music Award win for Best Choreography (Beyoncé — Run the World). Jeffrey holds an MFA concentrating in theatre direction from Columbia University. He has been a friend and collaborator of Barrington’s since 2016. Along with directing and choreographing Ain’t Misbehavin’ for Barrington and Geva, he is Co-Director (with Diane Paulus) and Choreographer for the upcoming Broadway revival of 1776.

KWINTON GRAY (Musical Director) was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, where he and siblings received a home-schooled education from their mother. Kwinton comes from a musical family, and he performs with his siblings in their family band “The Grays.” He also started his own jazz/fusion group “The Kwinton Gray Project” in 2015, which later released their debut album in 2018 titled Leap of Faith. Both bands continue to perform locally and abroad. In 2017, Kwinton was awarded the Dallas Observer Music Award for Best Keyboardist. In 2018, Kwinton went on tour playing keyboards with Janet Jackson, and he also began touring with Tony Award-nominated director/choreographer Camille A. Brown & Dancers. He has performed all across the world with acts such as The Funky Knuckles, Mononeon, Liv Warfield and more.

DARIUS BARNES (Associate Director/Choreographer) BSC: Broadway Bounty Hunter (Associate Choreographer). Darius produced the inaugural Antonyo Awards on YouTube, in collaboration with Broadway Black. His theatre work includes: MJ the Musical (Assistant Choreographer), Kimberly Akimbo (Associate Choreographer, Atlantic Theater), Five Guys Named Moe (Associate Director/Choreographer, Playhouse on Park). His ballets include Mandala (New York City Ballet) and to be in contact (Carolina Ballet). On TV, Darius is featured in UPROOTED: A Journey of Jazz Dance (HBOMax), Halston (Netflix) and in Estelle’s music video, Conqueror. He appeared in the Metropolitan Opera debut of Fire Shut Up In My Bones and in six Broadway shows including Mean Girls and Memphis. @dblexicon

RAUL ABREGO (Scenic Design) is a set designer for Opera, Theatre and Television. His work has been seen at The Juilliard Opera Center, The Manhattan School of Music, The Spoleto Opera Festival in Italy, The Rattlestick, Cherry Lane Theater and Intar. Noted Recent projects: Fuenteovejuna for Princeton University, and The Brobot Johnson Experience by Darian Dauchan at The Bushwick Starr. Assistant Art Director credits for Television include: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Seasons 3 & 4, Ghost (Power Book 2) and John Wick, Art Director for Falling Water (pilot), The Outcasts (film) and Production Designer for 2009 film Cruzando.

OANA BOTEZ (Costume Designer) LCT3: In the Green, Bull in a China Shop, Luck of the Irish. Off Broadway: An Oresteia (CSC); Love’s Labour’s Lost (The Public); Master and Margarita (Bard Summerscape); A House in Bali, texts&beheadings/ElizabethR, Alan Smithee Directed This Play, Supernatural Wife (BAM). Regional: Macbeth (Old Globe); Angels in America (Wilma); Man in a Case (Hartford). International: Bucharest National; Old Vic Theater; Théâtre National de Chaillot, Maison des Arts Creteil (Paris); Les Subsistances (Lyon); Budapest National; International Festival of Contemporary Theater (Turkey); Le Quartz (Brest); La Filature (Mulhousse); Tanz im August Festival (Berlin); Centro Cultural Universidad del Pacífico (Lima); Edinburgh International Festival; Singapore Arts Festival. She is teaching in the Design Department at David Geffen School of Drama at Yale.

TOM ONTIVEROS (Lighting Designer) Credits include Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory, Cornerstone Theatre Company, Native Voices, East West Players, Denver Center, Center Theatre Group, South Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, Geffen Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Hungarian National Theatre, Phoenix Symphony, Bass Symphony Hall, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Park Avenue Armory, Kennedy Center and L.A. Opera. Awards include Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill (Ovation! Nomination), The Exonerated (Lucille Lortel & Drama Desk Awards), My Barking Dog (L.A. Drama Critics Choice Award). Tom is the Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts at the University of La Verne.

LEON ROTHENBERG (Sound Designer) BSC: A Crossing. Recent Broadway: Hillary and Clinton; The Waverly Gallery; Mike Birbiglia: The New One; The Boys in the Band; A Doll’s House, Part 2. NY: Playwrights’ Horizons, Classic Stage Company, NYCC, Primary Stages, Second Stage, Manhattan Theatre Club, Public Theater, others. Regional: Arizona Theatre Company, Huntington Theater, Arena Stage, A.C.T., Old Globe, Pasadena Playhouse, Geffen Playhouse, Portland Center Stage, Seattle Rep, La Jolla, Two River Theater, City Theater Pittsburgh, Williamstown Theater Festival, NY Stage and Film. International: Cirque du Soleil, National Theatre of Cyprus, Dijon International Festival. Tony Award for Sound Design: The Nance. klaxson.net

THE WIG ASSOCIATES (Wig Designers) Hair, Wig and Makeup Designers Will Vicari and Krystal Balleza, two New Jersey-based wig and makeup artists who met in college. Their work has recently been seen in At the Wedding (Lincoln Center Theatre), Mrs. Warren’s Profession (Gingold Group), Blithe Spirit (Walnut Street Theatre), ¡Americano! (New World Stages). See WigAssociates.com for more.

DARLENE MIYAKAWA* (Production Stage Manager) has been a freelance stage and production manager in opera and theatre. Recent companies include: LA Dance Project (CA), Geva Theatre Center (NY), Opera Maine (ME), Piedmont Opera (NC), Long Beach Opera (CA), Opera San Jose (CA), East West Players (CA), California Symphony (CA), South Coast Rep (CA), Fort Worth Opera (TX), Tri-Cities Opera (NY), Opera San Antonio (TX), Playwrights’ Arena (CA), New York City Opera (NY), Opera Memphis (TN), LA Philharmonic (CA).

ALEXIS NALBANDIAN* (Assistant Stage Manager) is a New York City freelance stage manager. She is very thankful and honored to be a part of this production of Ain’t Misbehavin’. Some recent credits include: Broadway: MJ (PA), Ain’t Too Proud (PA), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (PA), The Cher Show (PA). Off Broadway: Encores: Into the Woods (PA), Coal Country (PA/SM). Graduate of Columbia University’s MFA Stage Management Program, Class of 2019.

MCCORKLE CASTING LTD: PAT MCCORKLE, CSA; Rebecca Weiss (Casting) Casting actors for Barrington Stage for 20 years. Pat McCorkle is pleased to be an Associate Artist at BSC. Broadway: Over 50 productions including On the Town, Amazing Grace, End of the Rainbow, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus, She Loves Me, A Few Good Men. Off Broadway: highlights — Clever Little Lies; Sheer Madness; Tribes; Our Town (Barrow Street); Freud’s Last Session; Toxic Avenger; Almost, Maine; Driving Miss Daisy. Feature film: Premium Rush, Ghost Town, The Thomas Crown Affair, Die Hard with a Vengeance, School Ties, etc. Television: Twisted, St. George, Sesame Street, Hack, Californication, Max Bickford, Chappelle’s Show, Strangers with Candy, Barbershop, etc. mccorklecasting.com

CHARLIE SIEDENBURG (Berkshires Press Representative) (Associate Artist, 18^th Season) joined the BSC family in 2005 and has represented over 150 BSC productions. His work has led to features in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Associated Press and American Theatre Magazine. His many PR credits include the Metropolitan Opera (Live in HD), Paper Mill Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, Hartford Stage, Goodspeed Musicals, Long Wharf Theatre, Surflight Theatre and Two River Theater Company. He serves as Press Rep for Wagner College Theatre, The Minty Awards, Ghostlight Productions and Forestburgh Playhouse. Charlie is a 1995 Theatre/Arts Administration graduate of Wagner College on Staten Island, where he currently teaches Theatre Appreciation. In 2021, he received a Berkshire Theatre Critics Association Special Award for Exceptional Support of Arts Journalism in the Berkshires.

THE PRESS ROOM (National Press Representatives) represents the Broadway productions of Hamilton, The Book of Mormon and Paradise Square, as well as the Vineyard Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, The Wooster Group, Rosie’s Theater Kids, Building for the Arts, Hunter Theater Project, Miami New Drama, Paper Mill Playhouse, Ogunquit Playhouse, 3-D Theatricals, NY Classical Theatre, The Drama Book Shop and the Antonyo Awards. Recent: Black No More; The Waverly Gallery; Gloria: A Life, Three Tall Women; Farinelli and the King; Beyond Babel; Waterwell’s 7 Minutes; Out of the Box Theatrical’s The Last Five Years. Upcoming: Florida Georgia Line’s May We All; Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical; Born for This; Mister Miss America; Sidney.

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