ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

The Thespian Society proudly presents:

Rehearsal at Versailles
& The Precious Provincials

JeanBap stePoquelinwasbornin1622
inParis,France.Hisfamilyownedand
operatedasuccessfulupholsterybusiness
fortheroyalfamily.
A era endingtheCollegedeClermont
andreceivingadegreeinlaw,heusedhis
inheritancetofoundtheIllustrious
TheaterCompanyin1643.Ayearlater
thecompanywentbankrupt,andhewas
throwninandoutofdebtorsprison.
In1645hetouredtheprovincesofsouth
ernFrance,honinghisperformanceand
playwri ngskills.Duringthis mehe
adoptedthestagenameMoliereandtook
chargeofthecompany.
A era15yeartour,withthehelpofthekingsbrotherspatronage,thetroupe
returnedtoParisandmovedintothetheateratPalaisRoyal.Hemarried
Armande,afellowactressinthetroupe.In1663thecompanyperforms
RehearsalatVersailles,whichhelpedtosecurehimroyalpatronageunderKing
LouisXIV.LeadingwhatwasnowcalledtheTroupeduRoiMoliereworked
relentlessly,wri ngsomeofhismostfamousworks,includingTheMiser,The
Misanthrope,TheLearnedLadies,andtheprovoca veandhilarious
Tartue.
Itwasduringthisprolifictenyearperiodthathishealthbegantodeteriorate.
Sueringfromtuberculosis,heignoredthepleadingofhisfriendsandpursued
histheaterendeavorsfeverishly.OnthefourthperformanceofTheImaginary
Invalid,inwhichMoliereironicallyplayedtheleadrole,hehadaconvulsive
a ackonstageanddiedshortlya erwardsin1673.
TodayheisregardedasoneofFrancesleadingplaywrights,anditiso ensaid
thatFrenchisthelanguageofMoliere.

2
2014

Artwork by: Olivia Jia

By: Jean-Baptiste Moliere

F r i d a y ,
S a t u r d a y ,
S u n d a y ,

N o v e m b e r
N o v e m b e r
N o v e m b e r

7 ,

8 ,
9 ,

p m
8

p m
p m

Brylawski Stage, Trapier Theater, St. Albans School

DIRECTORS AND DESIGNERS

Christopher Snipe
Greg Lampasona
Anne Liberman
Chris Townsend
Mark Bishop and
Greg Lampasona
Choreographer. . . . . . . . . . . Katie Harris Banks
Stage Manager.. .. . . . . . . . . Priya Millward
Natalie Belt
Assistant Stage Manager. . .
Assts to the Assistant SM. . . . Emma Balkin, Grace DeLorme
Box Office Manager. . . . . . . . Mark Bishop
Photographer. . . . . . . . . . . . . Ian and Lisa Robinson
Videographer. . . . . . . . . . . . . James Lucas
Program art. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Olivia Jia
Student Designers. . . . . . . . . Abby Weymouth,
Becky Maksimovic
Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Technical Director . . . . . . . .
Costume Designer.. . . . . . .
Lighting Designer. . . . . . . . .
Set Designer. . . . . . . . . . . . .

THE CREW
Light Board Operator. . . . . . . . .
Sound Engineer and Operator. .
Props Mistresses . . . . . . . . . . . .
Run Crew. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Wardrobe Head. . . . . . . . . . . .
Makeup and Wardrobe Crew. . . . .

Daniel de Castro
Henry Neal
Celeste Pallone, Olivia Jia
Nick Gaffney, Alex Chang,
Trevor Van Vleck, Abby Weymouth
Anja Wass
Ariana Roberts, Maya Samuel,
Camila Villagra-Riquelme

Set Crew. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harrison Aaron, Jasper Arnold,

Blake Bath, Magruder Dent, Niall
McDonald, Parker Lombardo,
Thomas Marsh, Hugh Preas,
Trevor Van Vleck
1

Special Thanks
Mark Bishop
Chuck Bowers
Aaron Brooks
Katie Harris Banks
Ben Hutto
Kathy Jamieson
Carol Kuziola
Ben Labaree
Greg Lampasona
Anne Liberman
James Lucas
Sarah Pelmas
Roger Riggle
Libby Rector Snipe
Alex Taft
Vance Wilson
The Cast Families
The Crew Families
BroadwayCostumesInc,Chicago,Illinois
www.broadwaycostumes.com

Hall of Mirrors , Palace of Versailles

14

DIRECTOR NOTES
Thisselec onofMolieresoneactsrevealsafascina ng mewhenthe
nowfamousplaywrightwasworkingtowardfameandfortune.He
wrotePreciousProvincialswhilehisyoungtheatretroupewastouring
southernFranceandbegantogarnera en on.RehearsalatVersaillesfast
forwardsafewyearstothetroupesreturntoParistoperformforthe
king.Theplaywithinaplaybecameapivotalmomentforthetroupe,cat
apul ngthemtosuccessastheywouldtakethenameTroupeduRoia
fewmonthslater.
InPreciousProvincials,Moliereupdatesaclassiccomedicformulaofserv
antsdisguisedasmastersandlampoonstheridiculousnessofhiscontem
poraries.Oneofthecharactersstates,Nothingiseasiertomimicthese
daysthanfinemanners,andmimicMolieredoes.Thecostumes,which
complementthisoutrageouslifestyle,areaperfectrepresenta onofthe
publicsdesiretoparadeitslavishexcessandfrivolitywithallthevarious
accoutrementsfromtheera.
Moliereturnshissa ricalsightsontheac ngworldinRehearsalatVer
sailles,awonderfulsneakpeekintotherehearsalprocessinatheater(a
laInsidetheActorsStudio,circa1663).Completewithallthecolorfulper
sonali es,theonstage/ostagerela onships,andtheprecariousnature
ofliveperformancethetheaterisnevershortofcomedicmaterial.Al
thoughwri en350yearsago,thepiecefeelssurprisinglymodern,andwe
dontneedtounderstandallthereferencestoappreciateit.Wesee
Molierescompanyasgroundbreakinginitsdriveforamorenaturalis c
ac ngstyle,notunlikethegoalofgreatac ngtoday.
Onamorepersonalnote,direc ngthesepar cularoneactshasbeen
nostalgicforme.TheveryfirstplayIeveractedinwasMolieresTheDoc
torInSpiteofHimselfatage16.Almostonawhim,Iaudi onedandwas
cast.Iwasbi enbytheac ngbug,andtherest,astheysay,ishistory.
I have enjoyed working with such a dedicated and talented group of actors
and an amazing crew on this period piece. I am also grateful for consistent
support from the families of the cast and crew. And finally, I would be remiss without sending out a heartfelt Thank you to the production team for
your late nights and continuous quest for excellence.

13

THE CAST
Rehearsal at Versailles
Lorenzo Arvanitis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Margaret Bader. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Victoria Bush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dinesh Das Gupta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ben Donvan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Areohn Harrison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Raphy Hupez. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Will Kelley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bofta Leakemariam.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Veronica Merril.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Teddy Mott. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wesley Price. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sabrina Sadeghian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Charlotte Scott. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Meredith Sherman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Anisa St. Cyr.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Valjean
Mlle Du Parc
Mlle Moliere
Jean-Luc
La Grange
La Thorilliere
Anne Marie
Moliere
Mlle Bejart
Mlle De Brie
Brecourt
Du Croisy
Mlle Herve
Mlle De Scott
Mlle Du Crosby
Mlle La Violette

The Precious Provincials

Lorenzo Arvanitis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Margaret Bredar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Daniel Boasberg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Henry Bredar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dinesh Das Gupta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ben Donvan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Giogio Drummond. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Christine Evans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Raphy Hupez. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Will Kelley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Teddy Mott. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Charlotte Saul. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Joe Skoff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jack Shapiro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Charlotte Scott. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Anisa St. Cyr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Maxi Wittig. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Veronica Merril. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Cornelius
Margaret
La Grange
Jodelet
Almanzor
Porter
Magdelon
Marotte
Celimene
Porter
Porter
Cathos
Mascarille
Gorgibus
Cassandra
Lucille
Du Croisy
Antonia

ACTOR BIOS

Stage Construction

Lorenzo Arvanitis is thrilled to be in his first ever

theater production. Currently in tenth grade, Lorenzo can fluently speak three languages and is
learning his fourth. When not perfecting his one
line in the script (which he spends a lot of time doing), he dreams about beating Zhao in diplomacy.
The play has been a great experience for him, and
he hopes you enjoy it!

Lorenzo Arvanitis
Margaret, an NCS junior, is excited to continue her wigwearing streak in her 2nd Thespian Society production.
When not in Trapier, you can find her singing
Disney songs in public, dreaming about those
mythical "free Saturdays" with the xc team, and
crawling up the Hearst steps.

Margaret Bader
After four lower school plays, Daniel Boasberg
("Berg") has returned to the stage for his first
upper school show. He's cloaked in a quilt of
excitement to play the watershed role of "La
Grange" in The Precious Provincials. Berg is frequently compared to the Incredible Hulk by his
fellow actors and alleviates his stage fright by
eating long, filling meals at Sweet Green.

Daniel Boasberg
Henry Bredar, playing the Vicomte de Jodelet, is proud
to be in his eighth Close production! He would like to
remind the audience that Joe Skoff is, in fact, NOT a
god. When not drowning in college essays, Henry enjoys watching the pot boil, waiting for Godot, and long,
romantic walks on the beach with Ben Donvan. Enjoy
the show!

Daniel de Castro
Light Board Operator

Henry Neal
Sound Board Operator

Henry Bredar
3

12

ACTOR BIOS
Makeup and Costume Crew

Victoria is playing Mademoiselle Moliere, and

this is her 9th show. She is ber excited about
the show and hopes you like it! In her free time
she enjoys eating Mac 'n Cheese, running cross
country, re-watching Seinfeld episodes, and
singing every song on the Grease soundtrack
way too enthusiastically.

Victoria Bush
Dinesh Das Gupta is currently a Form
IV student at St. Albans. In total, he has
done seven productions while at St. Albans
and is a member of the Thespian Society. Dinesh is also a singerhe has sung in
choirs at concert halls around the world, including the Kennedy Center. When he is not
busy moving furniture and being pushed
around on stage, he enjoys participating in
different activities around the Close and
keeping up with the new schedule.

Camila Villagra-Riquelme, Maya Samuel,

and Ariana Roberts

Props Mistresses
Dinesh Das Gupta

Celeste Pallone

Olivia Jia

Ben "Benny D" Donvan spends a lot of time on

stage. He has traveled the world on stage,
from New York to Oklahoma to Ephesus to
England and most recently to France. When
not on the stage, Ben passes his time fighting
for his claim for the Iron Throne (he's a Targaryen), being a champion in the League of
Legends, and taking long walks on the beach
with Henry Bredar. Enjoy the show!

Ben Donvan
11

ACTOR BIOS
Giogio started acting as a toddler before she
even knew how to read. She would memorize her
lines by repeating them after her sister. She loved
the concept of becoming someone completely different on stage - like when she played a British
socialite in The Importance of Being Earnest. This
play is nothing like I've ever done before, but its
easily the best one Ive participated in throughout
my years at NCS. She hopes everyone enjoys it
as much as she does!!

CREW BIOS
Priya is proud to be working on her first
play as Stage Manager. Having worked
backstage for the past few years, she's
excited to actually see a full production
performed with her own eyes. She loves
Natalie Belt and has eternal faith in her.
Enjoy the show.

Giogio Drummond
Returning to the stage from her previous role as
the beloved Nurse in the middle school production
of Up the Down Staircase, Christine is more than
thrilled to be part of the Thespian Society. When
not anchoring for a local San Diego news station,
you can find Christine running about the town with
her three best friends Brick Tamland, Champ Kind
and Brian Fantana while duking it out in battle with
several other news teams, riding bears, and singing Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band, all
accompanied by loyal dog, Baxter. She hopes you
enjoy the show and remember to stay classy, San
Deigo.

Priya Millward
Stage Manager

Christine Evans

Before playing the role of La Thorielle, Areohn performed in his first play at St. Albans last year. When
he is not playing basketball or doing schoolwork,
Areohn enjoys spending time with his family and
friends!

Natalie is incredibly happy to be working on this production and assisting

our Stage Manager. She has been
working on shows since middle school
and loves seeing how they come together behind the scenes. In her junior
year, balancing rehearsals, homework, and sleep is definitely a challenge, but she has Priya as the best
mentor ever to guide her along the
way. Enjoy the show!

Natalie Belt
Assistant Stage Manager

Areohn Harrison
Last seen on stage in Hong Kong with the Faust Theater Company, Raphaelle Hupez is excited for her
first performance with The Thespian Society. She
participated in the costume and makeup crew for Crazy for You. When not on stage, Raphaelle can be
found swimming in the pool or running for cross country or track and field practices.

Raphy Hupez

Abby Weymouth and Becky Maksimovic

Student Designers
10

ACTOR BIOS

ACTOR BIOS

This performance will be Joe Skoff's fourth role in

the St. Albans Thespian Society. Starting his career in last years adaptation of The Dining Room,
he has since played a British man and Will Kelly.
He is an avid ukulele player, and enjoys Sunday
strolls in the late evening twilight. Playing himself
in the show, he finds that portraying Mascarille is
particularly easy. He is very excited with this performance, and hopes you all enjoy the show!

William Eaton Kelley was born on February 20,

1997 to a man and a woman. Since then, he has
revolutionized the world in no way, shape, or
form. He is thoroughly enthused by his role in the
play and is overjoyed at the prospect of walking
on a raked stage in high heels in front of all of his
friends. He has been in 11 productions on the
Close, and he hopes you enjoy the show.

Will Kelley
Joe Skoff
Anisa St. Cyr is in her senior year at the National Cathedral School, and this is her third high
school production. She has always had a love
for acting and has taken a turn both behind the
scenes and on stage. Anisa is a gemini, a notorious subtweeter, and most recently a gladiator
in a suit. Anisa would like to thank her parents
for shuffling her to and from late rehearsals and
hopes you enjoy the show!

Anisa St. Cyr

Maxi is not your average Joe, but your average

German. In tonights show Maxi makes his
much anticipated acting debut. You will recognize him by his eccentric, shiny blonde hair that
is hid under du Croisys wig. So far, he has had
a blast being in Precious Provincials, and he
wishes to continue drama in high school. (You
better make those reservations!)

Maxi Wittig
9

Bofta Leakemariam

Bofta Leakemariam is ecstatic to be playing

Mlle Bejart in Rehearsal at Versailles! Moliere is her second production with the Thespian Society. She has loved tapping into her
inner mature woman these past couple of
months; she cannot wait until she gets old
enough to do and say totally socially unacceptable things and remain socially acceptable. When she's not busy stepping into her
character on Trapier, you will most likely find
her somewhere else on the Close! She
hopes everyone enjoys the show!

Veronica Merril (vdances), is excited to play Mlle

De Brie in The Rehearsal at Versailles. This is her
2nd Thespian Society production, in addition to
performing with the Washington Ballet at the Kennedy Center and Warner Theater. She also has
performed at Lincoln Center on her violin, and at
Arena Stage with assorted theatre people, resembling the characters in The Rehearsal at Versailles. When not dancing, practicing violin or running to AU, you can find her eating cheese as she
steeps herself in her character.

Veronica Merril

ACTOR BIOS

ACTOR BIOS
Teddy has appeared in a couple high school plays
in his years as an underclassman, and enjoyed
participating in the lower school theatre program.
Previous roles include the nameless jailer in
Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors, and a stern
father in the Dining Room. Teddy will be playing
the character of Brecourt, best known for his exquisite plumage and unfortunately sickly garters.

Charlotte Scott is very excited to be in her third

Thespian Society production after slapping that
bass in Crazy for You and directing a one act.
When not power napping backstage she can be
found doing a cappella A day with pac 4 and anchoring her soul in the lord in chorale. She hopes
you enjoy the show.

Teddy Mott

Charlotte Scott

Wesley Price is excited to be in his third year of

Thespian Society productions. When not on stage,
he enjoys reading, running, and singing. He has
developed a newfound respect during this production for anyone who wears heels, and he has discovered it can be a decidedly difficult task. He
hopes you enjoy the show!

Ever since Jack was young, people have told

him not to grow up too fast. But now he has,
playing the role of the middle-aged Gorgibus. In
his more teenaged form, Jack enjoys acting,
climbing, reading, desperately trying to avoid
people asking him about college, staying up
past midnight working on homework, skinny
skydiving, pina coladas, getting caught in the
rain, and long walks on the beach. Don't wave
to him, or he'll probably wave back. He hopes
you enjoy the show!

Wesley Price
Sabrina Sadeghian is thrilled to be playing Mlle Herv
in her third show with the Thespian Societys, Rehearsal at Versailles. While Sabrina is not practicing her lines
or her crazy dance moves for the show she enjoys frolicking in the amphitheater with friends and perfecting
the air guitar. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Jack Shapiro

Sabrina Sadeghian
Meredith has been in three other productions at
NCS/STA. She played a sister in the last fall play,
served tech for the musical, and acted in One
Acts. She is excited to perform Moliere this weekend.

Even though this is Charlotte's third production on the Close, she will still deny the fact
that she is a thespian. This has been her favorite show so far, and she hopes you will
enjoy it!

Charlotte Saul
7

Meredith Sherman
8