Harper College will be closed Monday, December 23 through Wednesday, January 1 for Winter Break.
The Harper Ensemble Theatre Company, Liberal Arts Division, and Cultural Arts Committee Present
by Neil Simon
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Speed |
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Murray |
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Roy |
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Vinnie |
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Oscar Madison |
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Felix Ungar |
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Gwendolyn Pigeon |
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Cecily Pigeon |
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Oscar Madison (Understudy) |
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Felix Ungar (Understudy) |
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Speed/Murray/Roy/Vinnie (Understudy) |
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Gwendolyn and Cecily Pigeon (Understudy) |
If we can help accommodate you during your visit, please speak with our House Manager.
Neil Simon (Playwright, July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) "If Broadway ever erects a monument to the patron saint of laughter, Neil Simon would have to be it," wrote Time magazine.
The movies and television might consider America's most prolific and popular playwright a patron saint as well. He has written 28 plays and holds the record for the greatest number of hits in the American theater. He has had more plays adapted to film than any other playwright, and additionally has written nearly a dozen original film comedies. He helped define television comedy during the medium's legendary early days. In the theater, at the movies and at home he has kept America laughing for more than 40 years and has been rewarded with four Tony Awards, two Emmys, a Screen Writers Guild Award and a Pulitzer Prize.
Come Blow Your Horn (1961) played 677 performances on Broadway and hinted at a promising career. Two years later, Barefoot in the Park fulfilled the promise and launched a legend. Throughout the '60s and '70s, Simon would turn out hit after hit for the stage and screen, most of them depicting life in and about New York City Manhattan, Brighton Beach, Yonkers, Riverside Drive, Second Avenue, Central Park West. Think of the Simon canon The Odd Couple (1965), Sweet Charity (1966), Plaza Suite (1968), The Out of Towners (1970), Promises, Promises (1968), The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1971), The Goodbye Girl (1993), Chapter Two(1977) and you get a clear, sharp and very funny picture of the people crazy and lucky enough to call New York home.
In the '80s, Simon produced his landmark autobiographical trilogy Brighton Beach Memoirs (1983), Biloxi Blues (1985) and Broadway Bound (1986) which chronicled his stormy childhood, army days and entry into show business. Simon was not only getting the laughs, but he was also getting the awards. He crowned this streak with Lost in Yonkers which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1991.
Brian J. Gill (Director)is an Associate Professor of Theatre Arts at UW–Parkside. Directing credits include Book of Days, Hedda Gabler, A Streetcar Named Desire, Midnight and Moll Flanders, Love's Labour’s Lost, Romeo and Juliet, The Thanksgiving Play, As You Like It, Meteor Shower and When We Dead Awaken. As a member of the adjunct faculty at the College of Lake County, Brian has directed Crimes of the Heart, The Stinky Cheese
Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, She Kills Monsters, The Importance of Being Earnest, Desdemona - a play about a handkerchief, School House Rock LIVE! and Evil Dead the Musical. Fight Direction credits include productions with UW-Parkside, College of Lake County, Elgin College and Harper College. As a member of Actor's Equity Association, Brian has performed at such theatres as The Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Dury Lane Oakbrook, Victory Gardens, Next Act Theatre, Chamber Theatre, First Stage and Milwaukee Repertory. Internationally, Brian has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre where he trained as a member of the first International Artistic Fellowship.
Lauren Nichols (Set Designer) is a three-time, Jeff- nominated freelance designer native to Chicago. Credits include Hot Wing King, Tiger Style (Writers Theatre) and A Home What Howls (Steppenwolf Theatre). She has also designed for Marriott, Remy Bumppo, UIC, Rivendell, Lifeline, Victory Gardens, Jackalope, Harper College, Young People's Theatre, Shattered Globe, Renaissance Theatreworks, Village Theatre in Seattle, The Gift Theatre, Firebrand, Teatro Vista, Raven and BoHo. As an associate she has worked on dozens of productions all over the country. She currently teaches drafting and digital design as an adjunct professor at The Theatre School-DePaul University and Northwestern. Lauren is also the recipient of the 2024 Michael Maggio Award for Emerging Designers. Upcoming projects include productions with Paramount and Metropolis. MFA Northwestern. laurenangeldesigns.com
Sam Stephen (Lighting Designer and Scenic Charge) has a B.A. degree in Live Entertainment Design and Technology from North Central College. They are an award-winning lighting designer having recently designed School of Rock, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, All is Calm, Once the Musical (Des Moines Playhouse), Clue and Woman in Black (Theater Cedar Rapids), The Addams Family, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Cabaret (Metropolis Performing Arts),This One Will Grow, When All of This isOverandDracula (Glass Apple Theater). Recently, they have painted forCinderella (Metropolis), Alice By Heart (Kokandy), Sweeney Todd (BAM Theater), Gypsy and The Odd Couple (Brightside Theater). They are thrilled to be working with Harper College this season. www.DesignsBySamuelStephen.com
Jane DeBondt (Costume Designer) graduated from Millikin University in 1984 and was an equity actor for ten years. She has been a professional designer/stitcher since 1994. For the past four years, Jane and her design partner, Jesus Perez, have been the lead costume designers for RAIL EVENTS’Polar Express. Other recent productions include Emma (St. Ignatius High School),Crimes of the Heart, Big Fish, Lettie, Sense and Sensibility, Too Heavy for Your Pocket, Shakespeare in Love (Harper College) and Sister Act, Sweeney Todd and Disaster! (Rocky Mountain Repertory theater). Jane is currently the resident costume designer at Harper College.
Marc Beth (Sound Designer/Music Composer) is excited to return to Harper College for this production of The Odd Couple. Marc has been active in professional and academic theatre for over 25 years. He was the music director for the Schaumburg Summer Theatre (On the Town, Pirates of Penzance), sound designer for Metropolis Performing Arts Center (Young Frankenstein, Anything Goes), and projections designer for local productions and national projection services (Into the Woods, Seussical). Marc is a faculty member at Elgin Community College where he teaches music production.
Ashley Eiermann (Props Designer) is making her first “official” Harper theater debut with The Odd Couple. Ashley and her handyman hubby, Scott, led the successful “candle crusade” for Crimes of the Heart last season, earning her (well, let’s not lie, them) the invitation to be the “official” props designer for The Odd Couple. Ashley is currently the Event Coordinator at the Wojcik Conference Center at Harper College where, two years ago, she met Kevin Long while coordinating the lunch event for Lettie, beginning her inclusion into Harper Theatre’s world. Ashley has previous acting, directing, props/set design and Foley sound experience from her younger days---high school and college---and is thrilled to get back into the theater.
Mary T. Christel (Dramaturg) has served as dramaturg for Harper Ensemble Theatre Company productions including Shakespeare in Love, Too Heavy for Your Pocket, Lettie and last season’s Crimes of the Heart. Mary co-authored Bring on the Bard: Active Drama Approaches for Shakespeare’s Diverse Student Readers with Kevin Long. She also is the curriculum developer for TimeLine Theatre’s Living History Programwhich offers artistic residencies for Chicago Public School students.
Alyssa Maslanka (Stage Manager) is excited to work with Brian for the first time on The Odd Couple. Alyssa's previous stage management credits include Anna in the Tropics, Follies, Ragtime, Sense and Sensibility, Shakespeare in Love, Lettie and Crimes of the Heart. She is glad to have worked with the production team, cast and crew to put on a great show. She hopes everyone has a fantastic two weekends of shows!
Ainsley Chac (Master Carpenter) served as the Scene Shop Foreperson at Moraine Valley Community College for My Children! My Africa!. More recently, they served as the Staff Carpenter at the Dorset Theater Festival for The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Native Gardens, Sidekicked and True Art. Ainsley is very excited to join Harper College for The Odd Couple.
Robin Galman (Assistant Stage Manager) Robin is ecstatic to be working on The Odd Couple as an Assistant Stage Manager. Robin is a first-year student at Harper College. He has worked on various shows such as Newsies, The Shadow Box, Our Town and Anything Goes as both actor and techie. He is excited to be continuing studying theatre in the next few years. When he is not doing theatre, Robin loves going out to the cinema and reading in his free time.
Stephen DeWaal (Sound Board Operator) is a sophomore at Harper College participating in his third production. Before last season’sCrimes of the Heart, healso worked on Lettie (Spring 2023) as an Understudy and as a Run Crew Member and Big Fish (Fall 2023) as a Light Board Operator. Stephen is a local filmmaker who is currently developing his own film studio: Sample 8 Films. His first short film “A Long Drive Home” (2023),that he wrote and directed, had official selections at Crown Point International Film Festival and at Filmmakers Lift Off. He is the go-to cinematographer here at Harper College. Currently he is Secretary at the Theater and Film Club at Harper College.
Seth White (Speed) is a freshman at Harper and has been in theatre for eight years. They previously performed at Cary-Grove High school in their plays and musicals, in roles such as Robin in Something Rotten!, Mr. Green in Clue and Gomez in The Addams Family.
Maher Ahmad Basrawi (Murray) is over the moon to be performing tonight with The Harper Ensemble Theatre Company. Maher has only performed in his high school's productions of Fiddler on the Roof (Ensemble), Seussical (Ensemble), Wizard of Oz (Ensemble, Wizard u/s), Lend Me a Tenor (Bellhop) and Little Shop of Horrors (Ensemble, Audrey II Puppeteer). After a long hiatus and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, he is thrilled to finally come back onto the main stage! Maher wants to thank his sister, Manar, his family, friends, and Norman & Co. for their undying support and fostering his upbringing.
Nick Edstrom (Roy) enters his fifth performance. He is once again looking forward to working with all individuals involved in creating a world within a world. He is continuing to consider the role that acting plays in his life; he dreams of continuing to act for a long time for fun, and perhaps one day, becoming a playwright. He also acknowledges the usefulness of theatre and looks to applying practical facets of that skill as it improves his life.
Gabe Albers (Vinnie) is making his first-ever appearance at Harper Ensemble Theatre Company. He is a recent high school graduate and has participated In Rolling Meadows High School productions such as Mama Mia (Pepper), and Big Fish (Zacky Price). He is so grateful for all his friends and family's loving support through his journey.
Enzo Rotteveel(Oscar Madison) is making his first appearance with The Harper Ensemble Theatre Company. He is a second-year student at Harper College and discovered his love for theater by taking theater classes at Harper. Enzo is excited and thankful for the opportunity and wants to thank everyone who has supported him.
Darren Bergman (Felix Ungar) is making his first debut with The Harper Ensemble Theatre Company. Having participated in several high school productions, Darren finds acting to be an enjoyable and engaging experience. He feels a particular connection to the character of Felix Ungar whose quirks and complexities resonate with him. Darren is looking forward to bringing Felix to life on stage and would like to thank his friends and family for their support along the way.
Hannah Abbott (Gwendolyn Pigeon) is excited to make her debut appearance with the Harper College
Ensemble Theatre Company. Hannah plans on graduating from Harper this spring semester
with aAssociate in Science degree. She’d like to thank her family, friends and puppy, Clover, for their love and support!
Elizabeth Khouri (Cecily Pigeon) is making her first appearance with The Harper Ensemble Company. Other credits include Starkid’sTwisted (SIU-Carbondale), A ChristmasCarol (COD), Yeston + Kopit’s Phantom (Oak Lawn Park District), The Pirates of Penzance (Orland Park District), and The Imaginary Invalid (Elmhurst University). Elizabeth wishes to thank her friends and family for their love and support.
Yevgeny Kaspirovich (u/s Roy, Vinnie, Speed and Murray) is joining The Harper Ensemble Theatre for the first time. Yevgeny has previously taken acting classes at Harper College and is very excited for the opportunity to put all the newly-acquired skills into practice. Yevgeny has been a performer at the Bristol Renaissance Faire for the past two seasons and is very excited for future theatre endeavors.
Samantha Lash (u/s Cecily Pigeon and Gwendolyn Pigeon) is making her first debut with The Harper Ensemble Theatre Company. She is currently studying performing arts at Harper College and is more than excited about what the years will entail for her. She sends love to all who have come to support her and hopes everyone enjoys this amazing show!