Digital Program: Miss Holmes
The Footlight Club Presents
Miss Holmes
By Christopher M. Walsh
The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited
Eliot Hall, 7A Eliot Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Information: 617-524-3200
The Footlight Club is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund, a program of the state of Massachusetts administered through a collaborative arrangement between MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The Footlight Club is also supported in part by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council, a local agency which is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, administered by the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events.
Our newly accessible Eliot Hall, completed in February 2022, is supported by grants from
the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Cultural Facilities Fund, the Community Preservation Fund, and the George B. Henderson Foundation.
Director’s Note
In 2012, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized Sherlock Holmes as the human literary character that had been portrayed the most (254 times as of that year) on film and TV, with over 75 actors creating their own portrayal.
Why does this character, whom Sir Arthur Conan Doyle disliked enough to try to kill off…only to be met with a fan revolt…resonate with us over 125 years later? Perhaps it is a fascination with intellect and curiosity combined with a reassurance that even Sherlock isn’t perfect. And being assured that - for the most part - those traits stay constant no matter the portrayal. We can rely on Sherlock to be, well, Sherlock, complete with a slightly oddball relationship with the trusty Dr. Watson.
That is what we are striving to give you with this production. We love Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson and we want you to have a story that both reinterprets and reinforces the characters we know and love. We hope you’ll find the story new, and the characters familiar, all at the same time.
And perhaps - if you would like - you can learn something about what it was like to be female in the 1880s in London. Beyond the plot and characterization, I was drawn to this story when I realized that playwright, Christopher M. Walsh, wove solid historical information into it - for example, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was indeed the first woman to qualify in Britain as a physician and surgeon.
Most of all, we hope you’ll enjoy being challenged to solve the mystery alongside our intrepid Holmes and Watson as they work with and around London institutions and society to crack the case.
Cast
Sherlock Holmes – Jennifer Bean
Dorothy Watson – Samantha Moon
Edwin Greener – Colin McIntire
Elizabeth Garret Anderson/Mrs. Hudson – Brittany Kamson
Eudora Featherstone – Elyse Barber
Geoffrey Lestrade – Emma Joyce
Lizzie Chapman – Emma Muller
Michael Stamford/Reginald – Andrew Haber
Mycroft Holmes – David Brown
Superintendent/Peggy/Martha – Victoria Lee
Thomas Chapman – David Reichert
Production Team
Producer – Nicole Dongara
Director - Alison Walters Short
Stage Manager – Rachel Veto
Asst. Stage Manager – Meredith Weaver
Set Design & Master Carpenter – Zach Best
Lighting Design – Rachel Leicher & Gwen Trueblood
Sound Design – Mike McHugh
Costumes – Molly McGowan & Vi Villaneuva
Set Dressing – David Alger
Props Master – Adam Hasler
Technical Director – Paul O’Shaughnessy
Run Crew - Lisa Dobbs, Bethany Greenbaum
Set Construction Crew
Zach Best, David Brown, Michael Colford, Nicole Dongara, Camille Donovan, Adam Hasler, Carol Kemp, Emily Lavin, Sohini Marjadi, Sam Moon, David Reichert, Andrew Stone, Hoa Tong, Val Tracy, Meredith Weaver, Alicia Wong
Special Thanks
Jamie Alley, Mark Auterio of Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston, Juan Boschetti Muniz, Stephanie Chambers, Brian Crete, Gail Gilman, Clifton Golz, Deborah Karson, Milton High School, Sonia Lee, Jean MacFarland, Judy Maggs, Julian Martin, Sohini Marjadi, Matt McKee, Grace Millet, Alicia Powell, Mark Sherman, Val Tracy, Concord Players, Speckled Band of Boston, Violet Villanueva, Sudbury Savoyards, Theatre III, Liza Ulrich
Cast and Crew Biographies
JENNIFER BEAN (Sherlock Holmes) is an actor, scenic designer, and prop artisan recently transplanted to Roslindale. As a graduate of UMass Amherst with a BA in Theater, Jenn worked backstage for a decade in the mostly-Boston-based professional theater scene before returning to her first love of acting. Favorite roles include Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Footlight Club, EMACT DASH nominee for Specialty Ensemble), Bananas in The House of Blue Leaves (Moonstruck Theater Co.), and Masha in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Footlight Club, EMACT DASH nominee for Best Actress). She would like to thank her husband Jon for cooking and for knowing how all the electronics are hooked up, and Matilda for the purrs and the reminders that it's OK to stay in bed a little longer.
SAMANTHA "SAM" MOON (Dorothy Watson) is beyond thrilled to be joining the wonderful cast and crew of Miss Holmes. She is an actor, scenic designer, production designer and cat mom who moved to Boston from PA over 3 years ago. She is a graduate of West Chester University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Theater with a concentration in Musical theater. Some of her theater credits include Helene Alving in Ghosts, The Countess in All's Well that Ends Well (WCU Theater), Madeline Livingston in The Women of Lockerbie, Meg March in Little Women (Clarion Theater), and most recently Nora Helmer in The Doll's House (Footlight Club) and Mantel in the Footlight's 7A Series. She would like to thank her family and friends for their constant support and her cat Michie for her supportive purrs. Enjoy solving the mystery!
COLIN MCINTIRE (Edwin Greener) is a Boston-based actor, singer, and aspiring Steve Irwin. Colin has performed with many companies in the Boston area, most recently as Napoleon Bonaparte in Appetite for Glory (Cors-I-Can Players). Select credits include Murph in Murph (Open Theatre Project), Macbeth in Macbeth (Gormless Theatre Company), Ben in Still, Now (Heart & Dagger Productions), Sicinius in Coriolanus (Praxis Stage), and Dr. Rank in The Doll’s House (Footlight Club). Colin is a company member of imaginary beasts, and appears in their annual Winter Panto. You may also run into Colin at the New England Aquarium, where he is an educator!
BRITTANY KAMSON (Elizabeth Garrett Anderson/Mrs. Hudson) is a Cambridge-based actor and singer who is thrilled to make her debut on the Footlight Club’s stage in Miss Holmes. This will be her first production since graduating college at Boston University where she was an avid member of the extracurricular theater group Stage Troupe. Favorite roles include George (Godspell), Rosie (The Wedding Singer), Inspector Goring (The Game’s Afoot), and Motormouth Maybelle (Hairspray). Brittany currently works as a Campus Recruiter for a tech company in Boston but is excited to get more in touch with her creative side through community theater. She is grateful for all the friends and family who have encouraged and supported her along the way. Let the games begin!
ELYSE BARBER (Eudora Featherstone) is a Cambridge-based actor, art model, and specialty coffee roaster. Originally from Burlington Vermont, she grew up with a rich involvement in theater arts, (particularly with the Colchester Theatre Company) which developed in her a lifelong passion for acting, singing, costuming and stage management. Her favorite stage credits include playing Amanda Wingfield (The Glass Menagerie), Katherine Simms (The Foreigner) and Dame Ellen Terry (The Actor's Nightmare) as well as various short films. She is honored to be part of her first production with the Footlight Club. Elyse would like to thank her wonderful roommates, family, friends, and especially her ever-encouraging partner, Derek for their loving support.
EMMA JOYCE (Geoffrey Lestrade) is a longtime community theater actor who lives in Somerville and is excited to be performing with the Footlight Club for the first time! Favorite past credits include Nym and the Duke of Orleans in Henry V (Theatre@First), Roger Sherman in 1776 (MIT Gilbert & Sullivan Players), John Darling in Peter Pan (Post-Meridian Radio Players), and Christopher Wren in The Mousetrap (Theatre@First). She would like to thank her family, friends, and partner for their support and her cats for being patient when their nightly cat treat is late due to rehearsal.
EMMA MULLER (Lizzie Chapman) is excited to make her Footlight Club debut with such a welcoming cast. Emma is a recent graduate of Muhlenberg College majoring in Neuroscience and Theatre. A long time lover of community theater, some of Emma's favorite past roles include Clytemnestra (Clytemnestra), Olive (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Wednesday (The Addams Family), Emily (Our Town) and Reno Sweeney (Anything Goes). When not on stage Emma can be found working at the Framingham Heart Study Brain Aging Program. She would like to thank her family (especially her mother and grandmother for pushing her to keep acting) and amazing Boston friends for their support.
ANDREW HABER (Michael Stamford/Reginald) is a Brookline-based actor and singer who is thrilled to be in his first production at the historic Footlight Club. Andrew has performed at many Boston and Cape Cod area companies - favorite credits include Brother Jeremiah in Something Rotten! and Harry in Company (Academy of Performing Arts – Orleans MA); Senor O’Brien/Mr Blumen in Freaky Friday (MA Arts Center - MMAS); Bill Devaney in The Bodyguard (Riverside Theatre Works); Schoolmaster Dobbins in Tom Sawyer (Cape Cod Theatre Company). Andrew also sings in the Metropolitan Chorale and has been part of the annual Boston Pops Holiday tour and chorus for the past 9 years. When not on stage, Andrew leads historical and architectural walking tours of the Freedom Trail and North End and is a sailing instructor during the summer season.
DAVID BROWN (Mycroft Holmes) is a Quincy-based actor and singer who is overjoyed to be back at the Footlight Club! His previous Footlight credits include Mr. Paravicini (Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap) and Dr. Patrick (Blood Relations). Other roles include Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice), George Banks (Mary Poppins), The Wizard (The Wizard of Oz) and Count Dracula (Dracula). He will be most fondly remembered for his portrayal of two mice who transform into a horse (Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella). David would like to thank his family, his friends, Laura, Molly and Carlee for all of their encouragement and support.
VICTORIA LEE (Superintendent/Peggy/Martha) is an actor who is ecstatic to have her first professional show be Miss Holmes with the Footlight Club. She is a recent graduate of UMass Amherst with a BA In Theater and a BS in Sociology. Previous roles and productions include Elizabeth in Witch (UMass Theater) and Everybody/Kinship/Friendship in Everybody (UMass Theater). She would like to thank her family and friends for their continued love and support.
DAVID REICHERT (Thomas Chapman) is excited to be acting at the Footlight Theater Club for the first time! Originally from California, after having bounced around from Maine to NH and finally Jamaica Plain, he has grown a lifelong appreciation for the New England theater community. Recent stage credits include Nick (Godspell), Brom (Tarrytown), Boland (Dogfight), and King Charlemagne (Pippin). When not in a show, David can be found taking classes at ImprovBoston, or doing karaoke at Club Cafe. He can also occasionally be found up in New Hampshire performing in a Dive In Productions cabaret! David would like to thank his partner, Tina; his friends, both old and new; and his family (especially his mom for flying from California to see this!)
CHRISTOPHER WALSH (Playwright) has been acting and writing in Chicago for more than 20 years. He is a member of the artistic ensemble at Lifeline Theatre, where his writing credits include the Arthur Conan Doyle pastiche, Miss Holmes, and adaptations of Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, China Miéville’s The City & the City and a musical adaptation of Austin Grossman’s Soon I Will Be Invincible, written in collaboration with composer/lyricist Christopher Kriz. Originally from Muskegon, Mich., he moved to Chicago to study acting at Columbia College. He makes his home on the city’s North Side with his wife, Mandy, and three cats.
ALISON WALTERS-SHORT (Director) is pleased to be a part of The Footlight Club for the first time with this fantastic show and amazing cast! She’s also currently the intimacy coordinator for Theatre III’s production of Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood. Directing credits include: Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic (Theatre III); You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Theatre III); Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Open Door); Shrek the Musical (Open Door), Children of Eden (Westborough Players, Open Door). She also enjoys stage managing. She has been in various backstage and occasionally onstage roles at Theatre III, Open Door, Burlington Players, Westborough Players, Concord Players, and The Umbrella. She thanks her husband, Todd, for all his support.
ZACH BEST (Scenic Design & Master Carpenter) is pleased to be part of another show at the Footlight Club. Previous credits at the Footlight Club include Our Town (Mr. Webb), Honk (Master Carpenter), The Importance of Being Earnest (Set Design and Master Carpenter - DASH Award), Harvey (Director), and most recently, The Doll's House (Torvald). Zach currently serves on the Footlight Club Board of Trustees. Thanks as always to Kelley for her support.
DAVID ALGER (Scenic Design) is excited to be collaborating on Miss Holmes! Previous scenic design credits include Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, The Doll’s House and The Importance of Being Earnest (DASH winner) at The Footlight Club. Drawn to the stage since elementary school, for many years he focused on costume design. At FLC, he designed costumes for Ravenscroft, Promises, Promises, Moon Over Buffalo, The Cat’s Meow, Parade (DASH winner), Ragtime (DASH winner), Hair, Gypsy, and Bye Bye Birdie. Many thanks to Jamie and Lily for all their support. “Theater is a verb before it is a noun, an act before it is a place.” - Martha Graham
MOLLY MCGOWAN (Costume Design) previously designed costumes for Clybourne Park, The Doll’s House, and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Footlight Club) along with stage management and props design credits. She would like to thank the historical costumers of Youtube for a crash course in Victorian fashion, the cast/crew (especially her assistant, Violet!) for being a great team, her girlfriend and her friends for endless patience and support. Additional thanks to the Sudbury Savoyards and the Concord Players for costume rentals.
RACHEL LEICHER (Lighting Design) is excited to join her first Footlight Production as Lighting Designer. She is jumping back into lighting design feet first after a short hiatus in graduate school. She has been an LD for The Power of Punctuation (Off Broadway, New York, NY, 2016), over twenty theater and dance productions at Wesleyan University from 2012-2015 (including The Tempest, Eurydice, and Next to Normal), as well as local community theaters Newton Country Players (Curtains, Into the Woods, Zanna Don't!, 2010-2012) and finally Open Door Theater (Children of Eden and Once on this Island, 2009-2010), where she met Alison, the director! Thank you to Paul who has been beyond supportive and helpful, and to Gwen for being a great partner!
GWEN TRUEBLOOD (Lighting Design Assistant) is a passionate hobbyist who is taking a gap year between high school and college to pursue lighting and technical theater. They participated in theater at Boston Latin School as a costumer, director, and technical manager, and are currently volunteering at Wheelock Family Theater. This show is their second Footlight production after lighting a 7A series in the Parker Room in December. Gwen is also looking forward to studying film in the fall of this year. Special thank you to everyone at Footlight, especially Paul and Rachel, who have allowed them to succeed as a lighting technician.
LIZA ULRICH (Hair & Wig Design) A self described theater-nerd, Liza has developed her dream career of teaching costume and theatrical design to students over the last fifteen years. She teaches and designs mostly within the Brookline Public Schools. Most recently you may have seen Liza’s costume designs rolling across the Footlight Club stage in this season's opener of Xanadu (2022), as well as 25 for 25 (2021), Peter and the Starcatcher (2017), The Sound of Music (2014) [DASH nominated], and Steel Magnolias (2013). This season, Liza is excitedly working on Mamma Mia (Brookline High School), Urinetown (Mansfield Arts Center), and Man of No Importance (Footlight Club). Liza would like to thank her family, cat, and chosen "footlight family" for always supporting her crazy designer habits!
SOHINI MARJADI (Makeup Artist) is an artist and designer with a theatrical past as part of the Wayland High School Theater Ensemble (class of 2013), where she has acted, sung, danced, designed and built sets, and co-directed original pieces. She is excited to be working on her first production at the Footlight club after a long hiatus from theater, and grateful to the theater’s welcoming community.
MATT MCKEE (Poster Photographer) A long time fan of Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation, Matt is thrilled o be creating posters and character portraits with the amazing talent (both on and off stage) at The Footlight Club. With over 75 Footlight Club poster productions, and counting, spanning 20 years, every new production brings an opportunity to show the world live theater. He loves applying the imaging and marketing principles he uses for his corporate clients to promoting the performing arts. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of the amazing world that is the Footlight Club!
NICOLE DONGARA (Producer) is producing her first play ever! Her love of the theater started in living rooms, basements, and bedrooms where she wrote and directed shows from her imagination and recruited her siblings as the audience. She went on to produce short films and television commercials for well-known brands like Barbie, Fisher-Price, Ubisoft and many more. Now, she is returning to her love for literature and theater by studying in graduate school to teach English Language Arts and becoming a member of the Footlight Club. She is eternally grateful for the support of her family, partner, and the faith placed in her by Val to produce a show.
RACHEL VETO (Stage Manager) This is Rachel's second show as a Stage Manager at the Footlight Club, having worked on The Doll's House last year. This summer, she also served as Stage Manager for Dream Role Players' production of As You Like It. She was very active on stage and backstage at Macon Little Theatre and Theatre Macon in Georgia before moving here two years ago. She works as a French teacher at Beaver Country Day School. Rachel is enormously grateful to the production team and the cast for allowing her to be a part of their community and support their incredible work.
Board of Directors
Elizabeth Bean, Michael Colford, Chris Nadeau, Rob Guptill, Eleza Kort,
Gabrielle Jaques, Sara Schonour, Shantel Schonour, Jude Torres, Jen Ryan Gelzleichter, Val Tracy,
Meredith Weaver, Lorie Komlyn, Paul O’Shaughnessy, Melissa Paz
Board of Trustees
Brian Bakofen, Zach Best, Paul Campbell, Shannon Daly, Alicia Powell, Katie Taylor, Katie Swimm
Promotions and Publicity
Michael Colford, Promotions Director
Jonathan Drapinski, Social Media Coordinator
Matt McKee, Photographer
Deborah Karson Photography, Production Photography
Special thanks to all our dedicated volunteers who continue to help keep the Footlight Club running day in and day out, from front of house, to club clean-outs, we appreciate you!
If you are interesting in becoming a volunteer, please contact us at volunteers@footlight.org
And to our loyal members and patrons, thank you for continuing to support the Footlight Club!
Thank You to Our Footlight Family
We Are So Grateful for Your Support
As you walked in this evening, you no doubt noticed the beautiful new accessible entrance to the Footlight. This project – a new exterior ADA-compliant ramp and interior elevator to all four floors of Eliot Hall – ensures that all our guests can fully access all our spaces. Along the way, extensive repairs needed to be made to the foundation and existing chimneys. New spaces in our basement and on the third floor will provide essential props storage, and we’re already feeling warmer with an upgraded furnace system.
These upgrades were only possible through the generous financial support of our community partners. We extend our thanks to the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Cultural Facilitates Fund, the Community Preservation Fund, and the George B. Henderson Foundation. Most of our funding came from donations large and small from our Footlight Family. Thank you to everyone who donated.
The continued revitalization and restoration of Eliot Hall will always be one of Footlight’s top priorities. Your contributions will continue to make it possible to take on large-and-small-scale restoration projects, as well as maintaining the day-to-day operations of the building.
Every Gift Counts
If you are thinking about making your first gift, now is the time to make a gift in any amount.
Please give now at: www.footlight.org/donate
Or mail a check payable to The Footlight Club to:
Treasurer, The Footlight Club, 7A Eliot Street , Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Other Ways to Give
Email Treasurer@Footlight.org to make a gift of stock.
Become a Footlight Club Monthly Sustainer. For gift of over $500, your donation will renew, and your credit or debit card will automatically be billed each month. Please email Development@Footlight.org for more details
