The Company Theatre
presents
THE SUMMER LAND
a new play by kate royal
directed by carl del buono
THE COMPANY THEATRE PRESENTS
THE SUMMER LAND
a new play by Kate Royal
directed by Carl Del Buono
November 8-17, 2024
The Temple Theatre
this production is made possible by our sponsors:
with generous support from our media sponsor
THE CAST OF THE SUMMER LAND
Amy Post — Erin Kate Howard
Leah Fox — Kit Prelewitz
Maggie Fox — Jess Ruby
Kate Fox — Liz Preston
Isaac Post — Christopher C. Conway
Elisha Kent Kane — Philip Detrick
Elizabeth Cady Stanton/Mrs. Kane — Sammi Cohen
Anna Murray Douglass — Cynthia Brito
Frederick Douglass — Onosejere Perfect Ugbenin
Josiah Bissel/John Fox — Brian Tan
Charles Redfield/Henry Stanton — Eddie Coomber
Benjamin Franklin/Andrew Jackson Davis — Liam Jameson Enright
William Levingston/Peter — Jimmy Stahl
Mary Redfield/Greta — Campbell McDade Clay
CREW
Director — Carl Del Buono
Stage Manager — Grace Condon
Assistant Stage Manager — Jennifer Acosta
Dramaturg — Amy Canfield
Set/Lighting Design — Brodie McPherson
Sound Design – Erik Wheater and Carl Del Buono
Costume Design — Kendall Del Buono
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ASL INTERPRETERS
Camille Uadiale
Kaley Otterson
ASL Consultant: Joseph Fox
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FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT
Mark Twain, who was known to sit at the occasional séance table, once said “History doesn’t repeat—but it often rhymes.” As I wrote and edited this play over the course of the last year, the date of its premiere loomed large in my mind. I took it as a mandate, a mandate that this story be fit to meet this moment, whatever the outcome. We now have that outcome.
Spiritualism, like many religions, emerged out of a need for big answers to big questions. In 1848, the environment that produced this need was one of social, racial, and political turmoil, marked by a period of mass loss and national mourning. As we find ourselves confronted by such a moment once again, I ask that you receive this story in the spirit with which it is given: as a mirror, as a call to action, as a call to connection. I ask you to consider the gift of the medium. For even if you cannot abide the notion of speaking with the dead, the medium is one who can access a soul in the depth of grief and help them find some comfort and meaning in the chaos of this world. Is that not gift enough?
In the time I have spent with spiritualists and political organizers over the last few years, I have learned that hope is a transmutation, a channeling, of grief. And through that channeling, we find the means to build a better world. This play is about a group of Americans facing profound existential fear and uncertainty, rooted in their convictions and buoyed by their belief in the power of collective change. May we find their courage within ourselves, may we find the humility to face hard truths, and may we come together in this space to embrace the call before us.
In Spirit,
Kate Royal
Photo Credit: Sammi Cohen
ABOUT THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM
Erin-Kate Howard (Amy Post) is thrilled to be back with The Company Theatre where she previously appeared in The Seagull (Polina) and Richard II (Duchess of York) and worked under the amazing direction of Carl in RCP’s Antony and Cleopatra (Cleopatra) and at Blackfriars in Les Liaisons Dangereuse (Merteuil). Other credits: Silent Sky (Annie Jump Cannon) and Twelfth Night (Olivia) at Blackfriars Theatre, A Jewish Woman Walks Into a Maloca at JCC CenterStage, the regional premiere of Gloria: A Life (Gloria Steinem), the world premiere of Stephen Kaplan’s Tracy Jones (Tracy Jones). Credits with Out of Pocket (where she is also a proud board member): The Language Archive (Mary), Grace (Sarah), and The Shadow Box (Maggie); Method Machine’s Angels in America: Perestroika (The Angel); Lady Parts Theatre Co’s The Revolutionists (Olympe), The Drowning Girls (Margaret) and Exit, Pursued By a Bear (Nan), and Enemy in the Ranks. Erin-Kate has worked regionally at Geva Theatre Centre here in Rochester and at Arena Stage in Washington, DC. She has an MFA in acting from Catholic University of America. Biggest love to Prophet, whose amazing mind, fierce heart and brave spirit is my lodestar.
Kit Prelewitz (Leah Fox) is honored to be a part of this process in making a new work come to life. Kit has been recently seen in Blackfriars Theatre’s Cabaret, Blackfriars Theatre’s Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and The Company Theatre’s The Man Who Came To Dinner. Kit would like to thank her friends and family who support her artistic endeavors, and thanks those who support local theater. Enjoy the show!
Jess Ruby (Maggie Fox) is beyond delighted to be involved in this divine new work and to be telling this story. In 2023, she appeared as Nina in The Seagull with The Company Theatre and now proudly serves on the board of directors for the company. During her time in Rochester, Jess has also appeared in Cabaret (Sally Bowles), The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley (Elizabeth Darcy), and Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Elizabeth Darcy) with Blackfriars Theatre. In 2021, she graduated from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia with her BFA in Musical Theatre. Past credits also include Lilith and Her Demons (Lilith) and All That’s Left (Girty), both original works at UArts, as well as Our Town (Emily Webb), and City of Angels (Gabby/Bobbi) with Porch Light Productions. Jess would sincerely like to thank her parents, family and friends for endlessly cheering her on.
Liz Preston (Kate Fox) is honored to be a part of this thrilling new work! Some of their favorite shows include Pride & Prejudice (Jane Bennet), Peter Pan (Wendy), The Crucible (Elizabeth Proctor), Lord of the Flies (Ralph), My Medea (Medea), The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe (Susan Pevensie), Romeo & Juliet (Mercutio), The Flower Debt (Persephone), and West Side Story (Minnie). In their free time, they also enjoy writing, and recently had their first play produced (Only the Dead) at the 2023 Fringe Festival! They would like to dedicate this production to their cat Ahsoka, who was forced to put up with them reciting lines at home. Enjoy the show!
Christoper C. Conway (Isaac Post) hails from rural, deep East Texas. In addition to Rochester, he has appeared on stages in Houston, TX and Seattle, WA. Locally, he has had the great good fortune to have worked with Blackfriars Theatre, Out of Pocket, Inc., JCC’s CenterStage Theatre, Rochester Community Players, and The Company Theatre. Most recently, he appeared in The Company Theatre’s production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. A few favorite past roles: Roy Cohn in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, Fagin in Oliver!, Moricet in the Feydeau farce 13 Rue de L'Amour, and Sheridan Whiteside in The Man Who Came to Dinner. Christopher is as grateful as he is thrilled (so much!) to work alongside this gifted cast and production team bringing Kate Royal’s inspired play to the stage. He is a proud member of The Company Theatre Board of Directors.
Philip Detrick (Elisha Kent Kane) is marveled to share this journey. Rochester credits include: Cliff in Cabaret, John in John and Jen, Arthur de Bourgh in Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, Princeton/Rod in Avenue Q and Ensemble in The Rocky Horror Show at Blackfriars Theatre, Konstantin in The Seagull and Harvey Marshall in Wisdom of Eve with The Company Theatre, Antony in Antony and Cleopatra with RCP at The Highland Bowl, Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing and Shawn Keogh in Playboy of the Western World with RCP at MuCCC, and Ensemble in Geva's A Christmas Carol. Philip would like to thank his cats Lucky and Ned for supporting him in his nightly theatrical endeavors.
Sammi Cohen (Elizabeth Cady Stanton/Mrs. Kane) is in high *spirits* upon returning to The Temple Theatre stage, having last appeared with The Company Theatre in The Man Who Came to Dinner (Lorraine Sheldon). Sammi’s other recent stage credits include Cabaret (Fraulein Kost), A Funny Thing…Forum (Domina), and Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberly (Anne de Bourgh) with Blackfriars Theatre; Ragtime (Ens., u/s Emma Goldman) and First Date (Allison) with JCC CenterStage; Much Ado About Nothing (Hero) with the Rochester Community Players; and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Yitzhak) at the Rochester Fringe Festival. Sammi currently serves on the board for The Company Theatre and is the co-founder and creative director of Dear Blossom Studios, a Rochester-based portrait photography studio (yes, they do headshots!). Additionally, Sammi has been featured in Rochester Home and POST magazines for her vintage-inspired stylish storytelling—which you can see for yourself on her blog, The Soubrette Brunette, and on her social media channels (@thesoubrettebrunette).
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Cynthia Brito (Anna Murray Douglass) has a BA from New England College and a Certificate in Professional Performance from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She is thrilled to work with The Company Theatre again. Some credits include Cabaret (Texas), Love, Loss, and What I Wore, Romeo and Juliet (Lady Capulet), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Gymnasia/Protean), Once On This Island (Ensemble, u/s Papa Ge), Closer (Alice), Godspell (Joanne), The Apple Tree (Barbara), Tartuffe (Dorine), Thirst For Freedom (Ona Maria Judge), Mr. 80% (Sharon), Murder of Crows (Georgia), andThe Diviners (Goldie Short). Cynthia would like to thank her family Mark and Nathan for their support! Thanks to Carl, Kate, Grace, and the incredible cast for a positive experience.
Onosejere Perfect Ugbenin (Frederick Douglass) is a student at the University of Rochester and hopes upon completing his Environmental Studies major, he can move back to New Jersey and continue his work as an actor in New York City. During his time in Rochester, he has worked under the U of R's International Theater Program and starred as John Proctor in Aurthur Miller's The Crucible as well as Othello in Shakespeare's Othello. He is unimaginably ecstatic to be making his professional debut in The Company Theatre's The Summer Land.
Brian Tan (Josiah Bissel/John Fox) is thrilled to be returning to The Company Theatre! Recent performances include: Moon Over Buffalo (Paul), Lobby Hero (Bill), Over the River and Through the Woods (Nick), A Comedy of Tenors (Tito/Beppo), and Private Lives (Victor) with Penfield Players, The Man Who Came to Dinner (Banjo) and The Wisdom of Eve (Clement) with The Company Theatre, A Chorus Line (Zach) and Company (Larry) with OFC Creations, God Help Us! (Angel Gabriel) with JCC Center Stage, Sketching the Soul (Mike) with Hummingbird Theater, and A Little Night Music (Bertrand) with Pittsford Musicals. Brian is forever grateful to his wife, Rebecca, and to his children, Chandler and Lena, for their love and encouragement.
Eddie Coomber (Charles Redfield/Henry Stanton) is very excited to be making his Company Theatre stage debut. He was most recently seen in Decade of Dashboard for the Rochester Fringe Festival. Favorite roles include George Wickham in The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley with Blackfriars Theatre, Algernon Moncrieff in The Importance of Being Earnest with Wallbyrd Theater Company, & Anthony MacMurrough in At Swim, Two Boys with DVC.
Liam Jameson Enright (Benjamin Franklin/Andrew Jackson Davis) is beyond stoked to make his Company Theater debut in The Summer Land. He has previously worked with playwright Kate Royal on a staged reading of her play Mammoth at SUNY Geneseo, and a full production of The Nameless Days of Gumdrop Smith at MuCCC. Liam studied Musical Theatre at SUNY Geneseo.
Jimmy Stahl (William Levingston/Peter) is thrilled to be returning to The Company Theatre with the amazing Carl Del Buono at the helm! Some previous credits include Major-Domo (Blackfriars' Les Liasons Dangereuses), Sampson (The Company Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet), Melchior Gabor (The Company Theatre’s Spring Awakening), and Jonathan Larson (Tick Tick Boom!). Jimmy would like to thank Grace, our indelible Stage Manager who keeps him (and everyone) in line and ready to go (and is also the greatest roommate and best friend anyone could dream of)! And, of course, his Dad, Mom, and Grandma, whose joy for him becomes his joy for life.
Campbell McDade Clay (Mary Redfield/Greta) is honored to return to The Company Theatre. Her recent credits include Cecile Volanges in Les Liasions Dangereuses (Blackfriars Theatre), Edith Royston in Only the Dead (Rochester Fringe Festival), Masha in The Seagull (The Company Theatre) and Mary Bennet in Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Blackfriars Theatre). She is grateful as always to Carl del Buono for his guidance and direction, and for this stellar cast, who make the work joyful. She is grateful to her parents, her siblings Delia, Niamh and Malachy and to her loving partner Juan. She is nothing without their love and support: go raibh míle maith agat.
Carl Del Buono (Director)'s regional credits include SWEENEY TODD (Sweeney Todd) Blackfriars Theatre, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (Director) The Company Theatre, ROMEO & JULIET (Director) The Company Theatre, RICHARD II (Director) The Company Theatre, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Director) Rochester Community Players, ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA (Director) Rochester Community Players, THE SEAGULL (Director) The Company Theatre, LITTLE WOMEN (Prof. Bhaer) Bristol Valley Theater, SISTER ACT (T.J.) Redhouse Arts Center, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (George) Blackfriars Theatre, CARL AT BLACKFRIARS, a benefit concert, MY FAIR LADY (Quartet/First Cockney) Merry-Go-Round Playhouse (now The REV), THE LAST FIVE YEARS (Jamie) JCC CenterStage, DIE FLEDERMAUS (Frosch) Finger Lakes Opera, ROMEO AND JULIET (Friar Laurence) WallByrdTheatre Co., ANGELS IN AMERICA (Prior) Method Machine. In addition to acting and singing, Carl is an experienced voice actor, acting coach, and director as well as the founding artistic director of The Company Theatre. He’s also cohost of the popular podcast BROADCAST REVISITED! For more information, follow Carl on socials @carldelbuono and @broadcastrevisited. Carl would like to dedicate this production to his mother, Susan Murad, who unwaveringly shines a light of grace and inspiration for The Company and for her family.
Kate Royal (Playwright) is is thrilled to return to the Rochester stage with the premiere of The Summer Land. Her work has previously been seen at MuCCC and RIT, as well as throughout Chicago, the city she calls home. Notable credits include Queen For a Day, commissioned by Steep Theatre Company, along with workshops at Chicago Dramatists and The Den. Her screenplay Charity & Sylvia was a semi-finalist for the 2017 Sundance Screenwriters Lab, and her screenplay Coming of Age was a quarter-finalist in the 2020 ScreenCraft Drama competition. She holds a BA in Theatre/English from SUNY Geneseo and an MFA in Writing for the Screen + Stage from Northwestern University. She would like to dedicate this production to the memory of John Borek.
THANKS TO OUR DONORS:
PREMIERE ($1000+):
Lydia Palmer**
Peter Royal
LEADING ($500+):
Sally Milick
David Munnell*
Susan Murad**
Katherine Royal
MAJOR($250+):
Jill Rittinger** and Andy Lytwynec
SUPPORTING ($100+):
John Burrows
Roberta Gorman
ENTHUSIAST ($50+):
Margaret Burns
Sara Penner
MEMBER ($25+):
Lauren MacDonough
**Current Board Member
* Past Board Member
Any errors or omissions are purely accidental. Please email info@thecompanytheatreroc.org with corrections.
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
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Eastman School of Music
Genesee Country Village and Museum
Bettina DeBell and the Geneseo Community Players
Stephanie Roberts and School of the Arts
RIT/NTID Bachelor of Science in Interpreting Program​​
Elias Hayes and the Plymouth Spiritualist Church
Diane Barkley Spacher
Julie Covach
TheatreROCS
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And a special thanks to our donors and patrons who have joined us thus far and for the many seasons to come.