presents

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United StatesThe Director of this production is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

Center REP is a member of Theatre Bay Area and Theatre Communications Group (TCG), The National Organization for the American Theatre

CENTER REPERTORY COMPANY Michael Butler, Artistic Director Scott Denison, Managing Director

Directed by Michael Butler

Scenic DesignerMichael ButlerSound Designer

Lyle Barrere

Cast

Season Partner Season Media Sponsor Foundation SponsorSeason Sponsor

Costume DesignerMichael A. Berg

Prop MasterJasen Jeffrey

Permission granted by ABRAMS ARTISTS AGENCY, 275 Seventh Ave., 26th Floor, New York, NY 10001All inquiries concerning rights to the Play shall be addressed to the above or to literary@abramsartny.com

Originally produced by A Contemporary Theatre, Seattle, WA, Kurt Beattie, Artistic Director, Carlo Scandiuzzi, Executive Director

Lighting DesignerRay Oppenheimer

Stage ManagerJasen Jeffrey

Knight Stage 3 TheatreApril 25 - May 12, 2013

Lesher Center for the Arts

By Yussef El Guindi

PILGRIMSMusa and Sheri in the

Lena Hart* Dorian Lockett Carl Lumbly* Gabriel Marin* Rebecca Schweitzer*

CAST

Musa ............................................... Gabriel Marin*Sheri ...................................Rebecca Schweitzer*Abdallah........................................Dorian LockettTayyib .................................................Carl Lumbly*Gamila ...................................................Lena Hart*

TIME and PLACE

The Present.A large American city.

CAST BIOGRAPHIES

Lena Hart* (Gamila) is privileged to be working with Center Repertory for the first time! She recently moved to the Bay Area and performed at Theatreworks in Of Mice and Men, the Willows Theatre in A Doll’s House (Nora), Chess (Florence) and the 2012 Reorient Festival celebrating Middle Eastern playwrights. Her off-Broadway and New York credits include King John (Blanche) with Guerilla Shakespeare and Summer and Smoke (Mrs. Bassett) at The Clurman Theatre. Ms. Hart’s regional credits include Interpreting William (Naomi) at Indiana Repertory Theatre, The Yellow Leaf (Claire) at Pioneer Theatre Company, and various productions with Chautauqua Theatre Company and the Clarence Brown Theatre. Ms. Hart earned her M.F.A from the University of Tennessee and is currently at The Alexander Education Center earning her teaching certificate. Ms. Hart would like to thank Joe, her Fiancé, and family who traveled from near and far to see her once again. www.lenahart.com

Dorian Lockettccccc (Abdallah) Hi all this is Dorian!!!!! I love long walks. This is my third glorious venture into a world with Center REP. I played Officer Welch in the award winning Rumors, I love long drives, and Rev Sykes in To Kill a Mockingbird. I adore M & M’s. For all of you avid musical fans you might have caught me recently as Luther in Boxcar theaters Hedwig and the Angry Inch. I truly am a versatile actor who can give hugs and high-5’s. Don’t be

Bay Express in their “Best of The East Bay 2010”. Mr, Marin was named as co-MVP for 2011 by Sam Hurwitt (theIdiolect.com, Marin Independent Journal, KQED). He has performed on NBC, CBS, PBS and the BBC.

Rebecca Schweitzer* (Sheri) is loving being at Center REP for the first time. Most recently she stepped in at the end of the run of A Delicate Balance at the Aurora, before that she was seen at SF Playhouse as Grace in Tigers be Still, also at SF Playhouse she was in The Story and the West Coast Premiere of Dennis Lehane’s Coronado. She has been seen at the Aurora in the world premiere of The First Grade and the West Coast Premiere of Craig Lucas’s Small Tragedy. Other roles include Angel in On the Flight Path, Cory in Private Eyes, Ruby in Getting Out, Girl in Hot L Baltimore and Charlotte in Oliver. Rebecca is a proud graduate of the Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts. Her voice can be heard on various video games (The Walking Dead, Back to the Future, CSI Hard Evidence, CSI Deadly Intent, A Vampyre Story, Emerald City Confidential, Sherlock Holmes), TV and radio commercials, corporate videos, and reservation hotlines (Virgin America, Disney). This, along with all endeavors, is dedicated to her mother and grandfather whose love and support have been the foundation for her success. She would also like to thank her husband for his unwavering support.

Rotimi Agbabiaka (Tayyib [Understudy]) is thrilled to make his Center REP debut. In the Bay Area, he’s performed at Berkeley Rep, CounterPULSE, Yerba Buena Center, with Performers Under Stress, and was most recently a cast member at Beach Blanket Babylon. His one-man show, Homeless, won Best Solo Performance at the San Francisco Fringe Festival. He has an MFA in Acting from Northern Illinois University and loves calling San Francisco home.

afraid to ask for either or both, because it’s awesome!! But let’s get serious for a second. By The Power of Greyskull I absolutely love Sci-fi movies, anime ( that’s cartoons for geeks) and Center REP. Live long and prosper my friends. Thank you Margo. Enjoy the show!!!!!!

Carl Lumbly* (Tayyib) From stage to screen, Carl Lumbly is an actor respected for his steadfast talent, versatility and class. His prolific career includes over fifty credits in television, film and the theatre and extensive critical acclaim. Most recently, Carl was part of the SF Playhouse’s record-setting, box-office hit, The Motherf**ker with the Hat, by Stephen Adly Guirgis. In the 2006 SF Playhouse production of Jesus Hopped the A Train, also by Mr. Guirgis, Lumbly was honored with a SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Performance by an Actor. With series regular stints including Cagney and Lacey, a cop drama featuring two women, and Alias, ABC television’s surprise-hit, iconic spy drama, countless TV guest appearances, voice work and numerous film roles, Lumbly appreciates the opportunities he’s had to continue to develop his work on stage. This performance is dedicated to Vonetta.

Gabriel Marin* (Musa) is delighted to return to Center REP where he was previously seen in Rumors, Arms and the Man, Noises Off, A Number, and Tuesdays with Morrie. Recent Credits include The Happy Ones at Magic Theatre, The Motherf**ker with the Hat at the SF Playhouse, It’s a Wonderful Life at Marin Theatre Company, and The Understudy at San Jose Rep. Locally Marin has appeared in over 40 Equity productions with American Conservatory Theater, Aurora Theatre Company, Bay Area Playwrights Foundation, Black Box Theatre, Center REP, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, PlayGround, San Francisco Fringe Festival, San Jose Rep, San Francisco Playhouse, TheatreWorks, The Jewish Theatre, Thick Description, Word for Word, Z Space, among others. Mr. Marin was named Best Actor by the East

Scott Denison (Managing Director) has been a leader in the Arts for 37 years for Walnut Creek and the surrounding communities. Under Denison’s guidance for the last 21 years as General Manager for the Lesher Center for the Arts, he oversees over 850 public events each year. He coordinates performing arts activities with over 85 producers and producing organizations. He is also the Managing Director of the Center REPertory Company producing 8 professional productions each season; and is the director and co-founder of Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble, an adult family performing arts company which presents programs for the young and Young at Heart. Scott directed CCMT’s hits Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, and Hairspray, and for the past 14 seasons Center REP’s A Christmas Carol. Denison has directed over 150 productions including most recently REP’s The Lady with all the Answers starring Kerri Shawn. In 1979 he created the Shellie Awards, which annually honors outstanding performing arts achievement in Contra Costa County. In 2007 he created the Chevron Family Theatre Festival bringing adult nationally acclaimed performances together for one day performing to over 7,000 guests of all ages.

CREATIVE TEAM

Yussef El Guindi (Playwright) Most recent productions include The Ramayana (co-adaptor) at ACT; and Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World (winner of the Steinberg/ American Theater Critics Association’s New Play Award in 2012; Gregory Award 2011; Seattle Times’ “Footlight Award” for Best World Premiere Play, 2011) also at ACT; and Language Rooms (Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, as well as ACT’s New Play Award), co-produced by Golden Thread Productions and the Asian American Theater Company in San Francisco; at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia (premiere), and at the Los Angeles Theater Center, where it was co-produced by Golden Thread Productions and the Latino Theater Company. His play Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat was produced by Silk Road Theater Project and won the M. Elizabeth Osborn award. His plays, Back of the Throat, as well as Such a Beautiful Voice is Sayeda’s and Karima’s City, have been published by Dramatists Play Service. The latter one-acts have also been included in The Best American Short Plays: 2004-2005, published by Applause Books. Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World was published in the September, 2012 issue of American Theatre Magazine.

Michael Butler (Director, Scenic Designer and Artistic Director)This is Michael’s seventh season as Artistic Director of Center REP, where his directing credits include The Underpants, A Number, Dracula, Boeing-Boeing and To Kill a Mockingbird, as well as the Shellie and BATCC Award-winning productions of Around the World in 80 Days, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, The Marriage of Figaro, How the Other Half Loves, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Enchanted April, and Witness For The Prosecution. His directing work has also been seen at San Jose Rep, Cleveland Playhouse, Seattle Rep, Laguna Playhouse, ACT in Seattle, Marin Theatre Company, Aurora Theatre Company, San Jose Stage, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and The Juilliard School, of which he is a graduate. As an actor, Michael has worked on Broadway and off, in regional theatres, film and television, as well as REP’s productions of The Mousetrap, Noises Off and Rumors. He is a published songwriter and the co-writer and composer of numerous music-theatre pieces, which he has directed and performed in NY, LA, and at festivals in India and Morocco. In his career as a performer he has also danced with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company, portrayed the villainous Pierre LeChance on The Guiding Light, and played guitar and harmonica in many rock, blues, and country western bands at all the notable dives in NYC.

Ray Oppenheimer (Lighting Designer) is glad to be back with Center REPertory for Pilgrims. Since the last time he was here his designs have been seen at the Dance Mission Theatre and Shotgun Players. Ray has been nominated for awards in lighting design in the Bay Area and Austin, TX.

Michael A. Berg (Costume Designer) has been a member of the Bay Area theatre scene for nearly 30 years. He has directed, designed sets and costumes, stage managed and acted for numerous theatre companies in the greater Bay Area. He first worked at Center REP way back in 1981 when we were still Walnut Creek Civic Arts! He is seen yearly in A Christmas Carol and has designed costumes for several productions over the past years for Center REP. He has worked for Mountain Play, Marin Shakespeare, Theatre Rhino, Shakespeare at the Beach, Ross Valley Players and Guerilla Shakespeare. He is very happy to call Center REP his home ....and...he loves his job!

Lyle Barrere (Sound Designer) is thrilled to be returning to Center REP! Beginning his theatre career in the 5th grade, Lyle has worked almost 200 shows for many professional companies in the Bay Area and Los Angeles as a producer, director, sound or lighting designer, and stage manager. His sound design for South Pacific (2003, Willows Theatre Company) was nominated for a Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award and his design of The Solid Gold Cadillac (2004, Willows Theatre Company) was nominated for a Shellie Award. A graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, with a degree in Physics, he enjoys hiking and scuba diving when not in the theatre. He was awarded the Eagle Scout Award from BSA Troop 204. Lyle is the Founding Artistic Director of the HOOLIGAN Theatre Company, which provides theatre experiences to college students of all majors. www.LyleBarrere.com

Jasen Jeffrey (Stage Manager / Prop Master) is very excited to help bring Pilgrims to life with Off-Center. Stage Management credits include: Evita, Oliver, A Chorus Line, to name a few. Directing credits include PCRT’s production of RENT; CCMT’s productions of RENT, Little Shop Of Horrors, and the upcoming production of Disney’s Tarzan. Jasen is a proud member of the Fantasy Forum Actors’ Ensemble. He sends love to his most beautiful girls: Alicia, Jeannette, and Lily!

Up Next at Center REP!

Multiple Tony Award Winner!May 17 - Jun 22

Special Thanks to Golden Thread ProductionsTorange Yeghiazarian, Artistic Director

Evren Odcikin, Artistic Associate

ABOUT CENTER REPERTORY COMPANY

Center REP is the resident, professional theatre company of the Lesher Center for the Arts. Our season consists of eight productions a year – a variety of musicals, dramas and comedies, both classic and contemporary, that continually strive to reach new levels of artistic excellence and professional standards.

Our mission is to celebrate the power of the human imagination by producing emotionally engaging, intellectually involving, and visually astonishing live theatre, and through Outreach and Education programs, to enrich and advance the cultural life of the communities we serve.

What does it mean to be a producing theatre? We hire the finest professional directors, actors and designers to create our productions at Center REP. These are not touring productions – they’re conceived and developed here, the sets and costumes are built in our shops, and the actors rehearse in our rehearsal hall. Whether the production is a Bay Area premiere or a Shakespearean classic, each is devised to be a one of a kind, artistic creation that will be a unique theatre experience for our audience.

What does it mean to be a professional theatre? It means that all our artists and artisans are career theatre-practitioners. Many of the actors in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association; many of our directors and designers are members of professional unions. All do theatre because it is their profession and their passion.

We are very proud to have the opportunity to produce professional theatre for our community in the beautiful theatres here at the Lesher Center for the Arts. Thank you for your support!

Lesher Foundation (Foundation Sponsor) Since 1994, the Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $40 million and reaching citizens in all parts of Contra Costa County. True to the original wishes of Dean and Margaret Lesher, the Foundation continues to build on the strengths of the community by supporting organizations and programs that provide help and support to people in need; enhance and enrich the lives of all citizens; and promote a healthy and exciting future for the community. Established in 1989, the Foundation received its principal assets from Dean Lesher’s estate in 1993 and 1995. In 1997, an additional endowment from Dean Lesher’s estate followed the death of Margaret Lesher. A significant and final bequest from Mr. Lesher’s estate was received in 2003. As a family foundation, support for the Contra Costa community will be carried on by the next generation of family members. Grant-making decisions are based on the vision of Dean and Margaret Lesher who felt quality education, diverse art programs, and healthy children and families are the building blocks of a strong and vibrant community. The Leshers defined the “spirit of giving” as “investing in the community and its people.” By providing financial support and direction in these critical areas, the Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation is investing every day, every week and every year in the health and well-being of this county that Dean and Margaret so loved.

OUR SPONSORS

Chevron (Season Sponsor) has been the leading corporate sponsor of Center REP and the Lesher Center for the Arts for the past nine years. In fact, Chevron has been a partner of the LCA since the beginning, providing funding for capital improvements, event sponsorships and more. Chevron generously supports every Center REP show throughout the season, and is the primary sponsor for events including the Chevron Family Theatre Festival in July. Chevron has proven itself not just as a generous supporter, but also a valued friend of the arts.

Diablo Regional Arts Association (DRAA) (Season Partner) is both the primary fundraising organization of the Lesher Center for the Arts (LCA) and the City of Walnut Creek’s appointed curator for the LCA’s audience outreach. DRAA’s role in the community is all about building partnerships with the focused goal of enhancing artistic quality at the LCA and providing opportunities for everyone to enjoy the arts. Through partnerships with the LCA and its producers, individual donors, corporate and foundation sponsors and the City of Walnut Creek, DRAA plays a vital role in advancing the arts for the betterment of the community. Please visit us online at www.draa.org.

Contra Costa Times (Season Media Sponsor) In the East Bay, the largest newspaper of the Bay Area News Group is the Contra Costa Times and its sister editions, the West County Times, Valley Times, San Ramon Valley Times and East County Times. The Times, was judged the best newspaper in its circulation category in the state five times in a six-year period by the California Newspaper Publishers Association. In 2005, it won the prestigious national Freedom of Information Award from Associated Press Managing Editors. And, in 2007, it was honored by the California Newspaper Publishers Association for its leadership on public records.

ARTS COMMISSIONCarol Fowler, Chair

Joe Bologna, Vice ChairPolly Bradbury

Glynnis CowderyJane Emanuel

CITY COUNCILCindy Silva, Mayor

Loella HaskewKristina Lawson

Bob SimmonsJustin Wedel

CITY MANAGERKen Nordhoff

DIRECTOR Arts, Recreation and Community Services

Barry Gordon

ADDITIONAL THANKS TO:Massimo’s Ristorante

Waters Moving and StorageAssociated Services-Alta Water

Shannon and Mike DemersHyatt Summerfield Suites

Contra Costa Musical Theatre

Production ServicesProduction Svcs

CoordinatorToni KilcoyneTechnical Staff

Steve Pino John Earls

Michael ArlenChris CurrieScott Dare

Garrick SchusterStephen Spleiss

Josh Stouffer Audience Services

Audience Svcs Coordinator

Courtney EggTicket Office Staff

Jeremiah Vierling Caitlin Downing Hillary PearsallKaitlin Harper

Karla KopfhammerBritt Lauer

Andrea ToneyNikole Vendl

Usher CoordinatorKevin Challand

Costumes Costume Manager

Max HilsabeckAssistant Costumer

Michael A. Berg

Managing Director - Scott DenisonArtistic Director - Michael Butler

MarketingMarketing Director

Gabe MarinMarketing Assistant

Ariel FordEducation

Education DirectorsJeff Draper

Kerri ShawnCasting DirectorJennifer Perry

ProductionProduction Manager

Jeff CollisterTechnical

Technical DirectorJoshua Lipps

Master ElectricianRay Oppenheimer

CarpentersDaniel CasiniJordan Scott

Cameron SwartzellChris Swartzell

Assistant Stage Manager

Grant Strain Administration

Asst. to Managing Director

Gail PfeiferProgram

Linda Nomura

Center REPertory Company

THANK YOU TO OUR OPENING NIGHT DINNER SPONSORS:

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine BarOi-C Bowl

Scott’s Seafood Grill and Restaurant