September 28-October 29, 2023
THE GRADUATE
Adapted by Terry Johnson
Based on the Novel by Charles Webb and the Motion Picture Screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry
By Special Arrangement with StudioCanal
Directed by Scott Viets
California in the 60s. Benjamin’s got excellent grades, very proud parents, and since he helped Mrs. Robinson with her zipper, a fine future behind him. A cult novel, a classic film, a quintessential hit of the 60s, now Benjamin’s disastrous sexual odyssey is brought vividly to life in this exciting new adaptation.
Cast
Sierra Rep debut. Off-Broadway: I Spy A Spy. National Tour/Canadian Premiere: Murder For Two. Regional credits include Pittsburgh CLO, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Geffen Playhouse, Gulfshore Playhouse and many more. John also wrote and starred in his own web series What A Drag, now streaming on Dekkoo and Amazon Prime Video. Many thanks to Sierra Rep, Adam, my family, Avalon Artists Group, and of course, thank you for supporting live theatre!
Natasha is honored to be making her SRT debut! She trained at NYU and The Neighborhood Playhouse. B.A. in Theatre; Master’s in English. Production for ABC’s All My Children and Jon Voight Entertainment; NYC talent agent. Master Class instructor at PCPA; 1st National Tour of Billy Elliot. She has spent 8 years at the Sacramento Theatre Company as an Associate Artist and recently as the Associate Producer. Acting credits include: Murder on the Orient Express, Disaster!, Steel Magnolias and Deathtrap; Directing includes: Gloria: A Life, The Crucible and Wait Until Dark. She is a four-time Broadway World Award winner.
After closing The Graduate, her Sierra Rep debut, Allie was thrilled to be asked back for The Play That Goes Wrong. You can catch her this summer at her home base, Santa Cruz Shakespeare. She’ll be playing Ophelia in Hamlet, Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest, and Laura in Tennessee William’s The Glass Menagerie. She’s worked previous seasons with Santa Cruz Shakespeare, as well as Jewel Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare, Book-It Repertory, PCPA Theaterfest, and others scattered up and down the west coast. When she’s not on stage, Allie is an educator and college professor and frequently steps in for motion capture work at 2K Games.
Previously at Sierra Repertory, Matt has appeared in Elf the Musical, The Wizard of Oz, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Macbeth, Ghosts, One Foot on the Floor, Rough Crossing, The Unvarnished Truth and Run For Your Wife. For many years Matt was a company member at the Sacramento Theatre Company, acting in over forty productions including Arms and the Man, The Tempest, Othello, Julius Caesar, Noises Off, The Grapes of Wrath, Amadeus, Tartuffe, Of Mice and Men, Private Lives, two sold-out runs of Fully Committed and several years as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. He was appointed Artistic Director in 2010. Other Northern California credits include numerous roles at Capital Stage Company, B Street Theatre, Lucky Penny Productions, Davis Shakespeare Festival and the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. Elsewhere, acting credits extend nationally and internationally, including the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain’s An Enemy of the People with Sir Ian McKellen. His one-person show, An Evening with Sir Twaddle Dreck, premiered at the Parados Theatre Festival in Toronto in 2019 and will be seen locally soon. TV: General Hospital, Courthouse, Off Centre, 13 Reasons Why and star of the Cartoon Network’s anime series Tenchi-Muyo!; Film: Gods and Generals, Stolen Moments, Women is Losers; VO: dozens of titles—including taking over for Robin Williams as Batty in FernGully 2: The Magical Rescue—more can be found at IMDB.
Don Bilotti was a founding member of the Berkeley (now California) Shakespeare Festival. He studied at U.C. Berkeley and the American Conservatory Theater. His half-century professional career across the country includes many of Shakespeare’s roles from Puck to Petruchio to King Lear and in modern works such as “To Kill a Mockingbird”, “A Man For All Seasons”, “The Crucible” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” and “The Foreigner”. As the long-time artistic director of Stage 3 he directed signature productions of “August: Osage County”, “The Grapes of Wrath”, “The Elephant Man” and “Inherit the Wind” among many others.
Maryann Curmi has been delighting theatergoers throughout the region as an actor and director for over forty years. First stepping onto SRT’s stage back in the early 80’s she performed in siz shows between 1981-1985. After moving to Santa Cruz, she landed the role of Carol in the rock musical Angry Housewives which soon became the city’s longest-running show with a record-breaking one-year run.
Her long relationship with Sonora’s Stage 3 Theatre Company included acting in over 30 shows. Among her memorable performances were: Barbara in August Osage County, Sister Aloysius in Doubt, and Mrs. Kendall in The Elephant Man. Her directorial credits there included A Streetcar Named Desire, A Man for All Seasons, Barefoot in the Park, Driving Miss Daisy, and, Over the River and Through the Woods, among many others.
Maryann spent 16 years as the Morning Drive radio show host on Sonora’s Star 92.7 KZSQ FM station and is now providing voice-over messages for YMCAs all over the country.
Most recently Maryann has enjoyed working at Murphy’s Creek Theatre where she both acted in and directed Accomplice, and The Game’s Afoot.
She is absolutely thrilled to be back at Sierra Repertory Theatre!
Sergio is thrilled to be returning to SRT as a company member. He graduated from UC Irvine where he spent 5 years mastering his craft. Favorite credits include: Off-Off Broadway Staged Reading: Worlds Apart, Kiss of The Spiderwoman (Welk Resort), Elf (SRT), West Side Story as Bernardo (TPAC) and Chino (Glendale Center Theatre), In The Heights (Lewis Playhouse), Legally Blonde (Performance Riverside), Carousel (MTW). Huge thanks to Scott, Jerry, mom, Dayanara, Brisa, & my best friend Sarahi. Love y’all. All glory be to God.
Camryn is thrilled to return to SRT this season as an Artistic Associate! Previous SRT credits include: Sunday in the Park with George (Dot/Marie), Cinderella (Ella), Jersey Boys (Mary Delgado), and Elf (Jovie). Camryn has had the pleasure to perform at several regional houses including Casa Mañana and Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre. Camryn received her BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Arizona. She would like to thank her friends, family, and SRT for their endless love and support. Enjoy the show!
Artistic Team
Scott Viets is Sierra Rep’s Executive Producer. He has directed over 60 shows for SRT since his arrival in 2002. As a director, his SRT favorites include The Wizard of Oz, Intimate Apparel, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Christmas Story, All My Sons, Shipwrecked, The Robber Bridegroom, and The Glass Menagerie. Thank you for supporting live theatre and continuing (or beginning) your journey with us!
Camryn is thrilled to return to SRT this season as an Artistic Associate! Previous SRT credits include: Sunday in the Park with George (Dot/Marie), Cinderella (Ella), Jersey Boys (Mary Delgado), and Elf (Jovie). Camryn has had the pleasure to perform at several regional houses including Casa Mañana and Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre. Camryn received her BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Arizona. She would like to thank her friends, family, and SRT for their endless love and support. Enjoy the show!
Tijana Bjelajac (Scenic & Projection Designer) is a New York/Los Angeles based, international set designer and visual artist. She is born in Belgrade, Serbia. She received her B.F.A. in Fine Arts and Scenography from Belgrade University and her M.F.A. in theater design from Boston University. Her work includes set designs, paintings, installations, and sculptures. She has worked on a set design for Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, operas such as The Magic Flute for Sidney Opera House and numerous Broadway and off-Broadway shows. Her paintings and installations have been exhibited in New York City, Los Angeles, Prague, and Belgrade. Tijana is the recipient of the prestigious Kahn Award for extraordinary talents (2007) and several nominations and awards for outstanding set designs. She is a member of the United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE since 2013.
Austin is a freelance costume designer and a professor at Ramapo University in New Jersey. He received his MFA from the University of Maryland and has traveled the country working at a variety of theatrical venues including The Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, Signature Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Northern Stage, Ohio Light Opera, Opera Columbus, etc. Some of Austin’s favorite regional design credits include: Cinderella, Hamlet: Replayed, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Joseph… Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cunning Little Vixen, Why I Live at the PO, Twelfth Night, Urinetown, A Streetcar Named Desire, & La Boheme.
Liz Schweitzer is a New York City based Lighting Designer in theatre, dance, and opera. She is currently the lighting designer for the 2022-2023 series of Take Root and Fertile Ground at Green Space. As a Lighting Designer and Assistant she has worked at Seagle Festival, MTC, Roundabout, The Signature, La Mama Experimental Theater, The Vineyard Theatre, and Stella Adler. She is a proud graduate of Barnard College at Columbia University, and the Juilliard Apprenticeship Program.
Tatiana Covington-Parra is thrilled to be diving into another season at Sierra Rep after a whirlwind 2021 return. Beginning as a sound engineer at Modesto Junior College, she is grateful to have found a community and the opportunity to grow as an artist thanks to the guidance and support of the SRT company. Her favorite design work at SRT includes Cabaret, The Wizard of Oz, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. She would like to thank her Mom, Grandma, family, friends, the MJC Theatre staff, and all her mentors for always allowing her to create, explore, and grow with love.
Bitten by the theatre bug at the age of 13 when he saw Carol Channing in Hello Dolly!, Michael began working professionally in theatre at 19 and has never looked back. Born and raised in Hollywood, California, he is a performer, stage manager, director and producer. For the last 17 years Michael has been involved with Sacramento Theatre Company, and recently retired from his position as Executive Director. Favorite productions: The Musical of Musicals and A Little Princess (both featuring Jerry Lee), Bark – The Musical, The Pirates of Penzance, Deathtrap, and Clue: The Musical. For a kid with a love of the theatre, life is good.
* indicates member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA)
† indicates member of United Scenic Artists (USA)
‡ indicates member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC)