Presenting Sponsor

Production Producer

Season Sponsors

Playhouse Partners

Playhouse Friends
Adams & Knight
The Hartman Foundation
Hertz Herson
Lux Bond & Green
Plymouth Realty
Richard & Lea Rubenstein
Waypoint Wealth Solutions

Additional Support Provided By

Playhouse Theatre Group, Inc.

Presents

the PROM

Book & Lyrics by CHAD BEGUELIN
Book by BOB MARTIN
Music by MATTHEW SKLAR
Based on an original concept by JACK VIERTEL

Original Broadway Production directed and choreographed 
by Casey Nicholaw

Originally Produced on Broadway by Bill Damaschke, Dori Berinstein, Jack Lane, James & Catherine Berges, Nelda Sue Yaw, Natasha Davison, Joe Grandy, Kimberlee Garris, Lisa Morris, Terry Schnuck, Jane Dubin, Rosalind Productions, Inc., FAHS Productions, Seth A. Goldstein, Mike Kriak, Don & Nancy Ross, Pamela Hurst-Della Pietra & Stephen Della Pietra, Cliff Hopkins, Masie Productions, Vivek Shah, Three Belles & A Bob, Arment-Tackel, Armstrong-Manocherian, Fakler-Silver, Fox Theatricals-Mosbacher-Lonow, Palitz-Stern-Smedes, Nancy & Ken Kranzberg/David Lyons, Larry & Elizabeth Lenke/Elizabeth L. Green, Iris Smith/InStone Productions, Kuhlman-Ketner/Wallace-ATxRandomProductions, The John Gore Organization and The Shubert Organization (Philip J. Smith: Chairman; Robert E. Wankel: President); Produced in association with Independent Presenters Network, Margot Astrachan, Darren P. DeVerna & Jeremiah J. Harris and Reagan

THE PROM is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by Theatrical Rights Worldwide 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 640, New York, NY 10036. www.theatricalrights.com

The video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited.

* The Actor appears courtesy of the Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors, and Stage Managers in the United States.
† Dance Captain

TEEN ENSEMBLE
Maisie Accetta, Paris Albrecht, Parker Condon, Henry DiNapoli,
Janina Howard, Emily Massicotte, Emmyt Zirbel

ORCHESTRA
Conductor/Keyboard 1—KEVIN BARLOWSKI
Keyboard 2—MARC SOKOLSON 
Reeds 1—HARRY KLIEWE 
Reeds 2—CONNOR BABA
Trumpet—PHAELON KOSKI 
Trombone—ADAM MYERS
Drums—CHRIS CALDERON
Guitar—NICK CUTRONEO 
Bass—SEAN RUBIN

SETTING:
New York City and Edgewater, Indiana

RUNTIME:
2 hours and 25 minutes, including one intermission 

When I agreed to direct The Prom over a year ago, I didn't realize just how personally I would connect to the story. Unlike the character of Emma, I was not out in high school. To quote the character of Barry, "I didn't have [her] courage." I grew up in a small, rural town where high school football players were revered as gods, and boys who spent their free time performing in musicals were called a host of unkind names. I was not out to anyone–though as a somewhat fey teenage boy who had taken dance lessons since the age of five, I don't know who I was fooling. I suppose, since I was still unwilling to accept my homosexuality, I was mostly fooling myself. It's hard to tell whether my internalized shame was caused by my Roman Catholic upbringing or by the fear of appearing "less than" to the outside world–a symptom of upper-middle-class snobbery that had been passed down through my family for multiple generations. Another factor was that I had witnessed the difficult experiences an older sibling of mine had when coming out in high school and the similar struggles of one of my classmates. I was bullied enough without being openly gay. And, thus, I was resigned to forever ignore that side of myself and keep it hidden away.

Fast forward twenty years: I am an out and proud gay man with a supportive family and a wonderful husband. A native of Connecticut, he was not only openly gay in high school, but was the president of his class and took his boyfriend to the Senior Prom. I mention this because, although very rare at the time, such stories have become far more commonplace today. We attended Glastonbury's first-ever Gay Pride festival this June, and I was caught by surprise at the number of young people in attendance with their friends and families. I could not have imagined such a sight when I was a teen. The joy and pride these young people and their families displayed felt like an act of resistance against our current socio-political backslide into bigotry and fearmongering. It is that spirit of bravery and pride with which I wanted to ground this production of The Prom.

As you may have noticed in our cast list, alongside our professional adult company, we are featuring an ensemble of local LGBTQ+ teenagers. We invited these young performers to bring their most honest selves into their performances for a moment grounded in authentic representation–a task that might terrify even some seasoned professionals. It can be difficult to present true aspects of ourselves onstage instead of hiding behind the mask of a character. The ghost of my closeted teenage self is jealous of these young performers; the self-awareness and bravery they have is laudable and I wish I had possessed such strength of character at that age. I am, however, buoyed by the fact that our society has come so far in the last twenty years to embolden so many young people to proudly share their hearts with the world. Yet, it still can be a difficult journey for each of us to get to that point. So, to any young person in our audience who may be struggling to understand and embrace who they are and to any adults out there still clinging to the memory of their own scared inner teen, may you leave here with this reminder:

I'm who I am, and I think that's worth fighting for. 
 And nobody out there ever gets to define
The life I'm meant to lead with this unruly heart of mine.

-Robert Mintz

ACT ONE

"Changing Lives"
Dee Dee, Barry, Ensemble

"Changing Lives" (Reprise)
Dee Dee, Barry, Angie, Trent

"Just Breathe"
Emma

"It's Not About Me"
Dee Dee, Barry, Angie, Trent, Ensemble

"Dance with You"
Emma, Alyssa

"The Acceptance Song"
Trent, Dee Dee, Barry, Angie, Ensemble

"You Happened"
Emma, Alyssa, Ensemble

"We Look to You"
Mr. Hawkins

"Tonight Belongs to You"
Barry, Emma, Mrs. Greene, Ensemble

ACT TWO

Entr'acte
Orchestra

"Zazz"
Angie, Emma

"The Lady's Improving"
Dee Dee

"Love Thy Neighbor"
Trent, Ensemble

"Alyssa Greene"
Alyssa

"Barry Is Going to Prom"
Barry

"Unruly Heart"
Emma, Ensemble

“Changing Lives” (Reprise)
Barry, Angie, Dee Dee, Trent, Sheldon, Mr. Hawkins

"It's Time to Dance"
Emma, Alyssa, Company

Director/Choreographer: Robert Mintz

Music Director: Kevin Barlowski

Scenic Designer: Erin Kiernan

Costume Designer: Lisa Steier

Lighting Designer: Aaron Hochheiser

Sound Designer: Rachel Landy

Props & Set Dressing: Erin Sagnelli

Production Stage Manager: Rebecca Donaghy

Assistant Stage Manager: Vintage Kovel

Stage Management Intern: Styx Hatch

Wardrobe Supervisor: Arianna Polacheck

General Manager: David Addis

Production Manager: Erin Keirnan

Technical Supervisor: Nate Hamilton

Master Electrician: Stef Carr

Dance Captain: Carolyn Burke

A1: Sydney Mauro

Dramaturg: Liv Fassanella

Lobby Design: Darlene Zoller, Eileen Oconnor, Judi Manfre

Production Photographer: Meredith Longo

Program Design: Liv Fassanella

Program Printing: Budget Printers

Poster/Postcard Design: Dornenburg | Kallenbach Advertising

Webmaster: Rick Fountain

E-Newsletter: Lisa Steier

Business Manager: Elizabeth Stassen

Company Manager: Kenneth Galm

To learn more about the prom, click here

We are grateful to the following people and businesses who made special contributions to this production of the PROM.

Avery Heights Senior Living

Brandon Carpe / Simsbury Phys. Ed. 

Excel Fitness

Falcetti School of Music

Hoffman SummerWood Senior Living

Mandel Jewish Community Center

Kevin Doyle & Pearl Granat

Annelieke Schauer

Sue Tsantiris

Deb Polun

Mark Raymond & Carolina Wine Brands

Frank Day & Julianne Roth Day

Co-Founder/Executive Director
Tracy Flater

Co-Founder/Artistic Director
Sean Harris

Co-Founder/Artistic Director
Darlene Zoller

General Manager
David Addis

Business Manager
Elizabeth Stassen

Company Manager
Kenneth Galm

Office & Development Manager
Emma Cook

Production Manager
Erin Kiernan

Assistant Technical Director & Master Electrician
Stef Carr

Technical Supervisor
Nate Hamilton

Dramaturg/Literary Manager
Liv Fassanella

Development Associate
Jasmine Calhoun

Education Coordinator
Sadie Aiken

Education Faculty
Marie Altenor, Julie Borsotti, Lauren Cavanaugh, Marc Sokolson, Heidi Jean Weinrich, Jill Zarcone, Darlene Zoller

Front of House Manager
Tori Mooney

Box Office Administrators
Liv Fassanella, Kenneth Galm, Simone Galm

Members

BOARD MEMBER EMERITUS

Matthew Bragg
Chuck Coursey, Founding VP
Bonnie Gauthier
Carol McCabe
Margaret Rattigan
Julianne Roth
Robert Rowlson*
Ron Roy
Richard Rubenstein
Robert Slifka
David Wurzer, Founding President

*Deceased

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Renee Autorino, Jim Bergenn, Valeria Caldwell-Gaines, David Calibey, Mayor Shari Cantor, Stefanie Chambers, Chris Conway, Anna Crawford, Matthew Cuddy, Jayne Dean, Kyra Dorsey, Kevin Doyle, Nina Elgo, Dan Falotico, David Figliuzzi, Matt Fleury, Jeff Forman, Gail Frahm, Kathy Frederick, Bob Hilborn, Susan King, Tyler Lauretti, Andy Lieberman, Dave Macri, Charles Mallory, Patricia McIntosh, Gloria Mengual, Michelle Meyer, Mike Michaud, Priya Morgenstern, Jacob Schreiber, Tanya Penman-Sterling, David Polk, Sarah Raskin, Mike Rouette, Wanda Seldon, Jonathan Slifka, Howard Sovronsky, Rachel Sptizig, Brittany Stephenson, Nyaunu Stevens, Yvette Young

Playhouse Theatre Group, Inc. at Playhouse on Park has a mission to: 

• provide quality entertainment at affordable costs to as broad an audience as possible
• embrace and provide opportunity for professional, emerging and community artists
• offer educational and outreach opportunities through visiting and/or resident artists and educators
• create and/or explore opportunities to collaborate with other existing arts organizations
• be fiscally responsible and accountable at all times
• continue to be an integral member of the West Hartford community