Digital Program: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The Footlight Club Presents
Dr. jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher,
from the novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
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
Think of a time when you couldn't recognize yourself. You yelled at someone in a way that is unlike you. You committed an act that felt like it was done by another person. You look at yourself in the mirror and see a different face. A lot of times when this happens, we cannot recognize the fact that we did yell at that person, we did commit that act, and we are looking at ourselves in the mirror. Now, ask yourself the question… What are you hiding?
Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” asks us to look deep within ourselves, deeper than what feels comfortable. He creates a character that thinks he can separate his moral self from his depraved self, and doesn’t realize that what we hide on the inside is a part of us. Until his dying breath, Dr. Jekyll refers to Edward Hyde as another person. He cannot accept the fact that this version of himself is a part of him, and that the more you run away from your truth, the more it will catch up to you.
Jeffrey Hatcher takes Stevenson’s gothic tale and flips it on its head, expanding upon Edward Hyde in a way that hasn’t been done. By having multiple versions of Edward Hyde, we can see Dr. Jekyll’s personalities catch up to him, and eventually govern his every move. Sometimes that person we don’t recognize in the mirror tells so many lies that we can’t keep our story straight, and Dr. Jekyll’s manifest in the form of multiple internal villains. Jeffrey Hatcher’s use of many “Hydes” also shows us that we are a constellation of people on the inside, and that nothing about the human psyche is at all black and white. We are in fact an amalgamation of villains, heroes, and bystanders; and we must take ownership of each version.
I want to extend a personal thank you to the cast for their incredible collaboration, to the entire production team for their unbeatable talent, to my family and friends for their unyielding support, and The Footlight Club for taking a chance on me.
It has been a pleasure diving into the depths of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde”. Use this production as an exercise in self reflection. Own the fact that you sometimes lose your temper and do bad things. Look at yourself in the mirror and accept whatever version you see. Realize that inside of you are many “Hydes”, “Jekylls”, and maybe a few “Uttersons” for those who enjoy investigation. As the curtain closes, I hope you can answer the question…. What are you hiding? As you leave the theater, I implore you to dig deeper and ask yourself…. Why?
Cast
Dr. Henry Jekyll: Bradley Belanger
Gabriel Utterson: Eric Roberts
Sir Danvers Carew/Inspector: Christopher Mosey
Elizabeth Jelkes: Samantha Moon
Dr. Lanyon/Hyde: Matt Finn
Poole and Others: Elyse Barber
Hyde 2 and Others: Gina Pasciuto
Hyde 3 and Others: Dayna Reichert
Hyde 4 and Others: Klodjana Keco
Production Team
Producer: Jim Ansart
Director: Jill Tokac
Stage Manager: Sophia Fortuna
Assistant Stage Manager: Brooke Allison
Set Designer: Clifton Golz
Costumes: John Crampton
Lighting Designer: Mike McTeague
Sound Designer: Bill Shamlian
Props Designer: Jenn Bean
Hair and Makeup Designer: Cara Guappone
Special Thanks
Brian Crete, Deborah J. Karson Photograph, Kristin MacDougall, Maggie Poost
Cast and Crew Biographies
Elyse Barber (Poole and others): Vermont born and Cambridge-based actor, model and coffee expert. She is thrilled to be involved in her second performance at the Footlight Club. Elyse wishes to thank her family, friends, her dear partner, D and their faithful familiar, Fezzik for their unyielding support in the pursuit of her passions.
Jennifer Bean (Props Design): is a Footlight Club frequent flyer as an actor, scenic artist, and prop artisan. She most recently appeared as Sherlock in the Footlight Club production of Miss Holmes. Jenn has worked as a prop artisan for Opera Boston, Commonwealth Shakespeare, and SpeakEasy Stage Company, among others, and has a special affection for props that are tricky or macabre. Many thanks to her husband Jon for tolerating her use of their apartment as her prop building studio.
Bradley Belanger (Dr. Jekyll): is a local dog dad. He is the bald one with a mustache. He loves to act a fool on and off the stage. He has had several nightmares about Hyde already. He won’t know what peace of mind is until he’s been tortured by its opposite.
John Crampton (Costumer): is so excited to be working with the FLC on this production. He trained at SUNY Fredonia where he majored in both Acting and Dance. Some recent costume credits include: Chicago, Puffs, America’s next top Monster, and Alice in Wonderland for the Academy of the Company Theatre, Beauty and the Beast Jr. and The Lion King Jr. at St Francis Xavier. John serves as the wardrobe manager at The Company Theatre, as well as the dance director and DEIB coordinator at Thayer Academy. both Acting and Dance. Some recent costume credits include: Chicago, Puffs, America’s next top Monster, and Alice in Wonderland for the Academy of the Company Theatre, Beauty and the Beast Jr. and The Lion King Jr. at St Francis Xavier. John serves as the wardrobe manager at The Company Theatre, as well as the dance director and DEIB coordinator at Thayer Academy.
Matthew John Finn (Hyde 1, Dr. Lanyon): is thrilled to be back to the FLC with such a wonderful cast and production team. Past credits include Greta in Bent, Roat in Wait Until Dark, Blore in And Then There Were None, Phil in The Wild Party, Don Lockwood in Singin’ in the Rain, Malcolm in The Full Monty, and Oswald in Assassins. He would like to thank all his friends and family for their continuous support in all that he does- ”thank you!” Special thanks to all of you in the audience - enjoy the show!
Sophia Fortuna (Stage Manager): is a teacher, stage manager, performer, and arts administrator. She has thoroughly enjoyed the past few months’ dichotomy of singing with toddlers at her school by day to stage managing this bone-chilling, horrific play by night. She recently graduated from Berklee College of Music, where she studied Music Education and Musical Theater Performance. Previous stage manager highlights include Descendants (NEMPAC) and Once (Berklee Musical Theater Club). Sophia has also worked at the Huntington Theater Company and Puppet Showplace Theater, helping many shows run smoothly over her time as a Bostononian so far. Sophia thanks Jill for bringing her on for this AMAZING project and thanks the cast and crew for making her first show with The Footlight Club a spectacular, spooky experience. Enjoy the show! Instagram: @sophfortuna
Clifton Golz (Set Design): returns to the Footlight Club after working as Prop Designer for this spring’s A Man of No Importance. Having also designed and constructed the insect costumes for The Eau Claire Children’s Theatre’s production of James and the Giant Peach, Clifton is happy to be broadening his horizons in theater-centric design.
Cara Guappone (Hair & Makeup Design): Credits include Hair Makeup Design - Pentucket Players: Sunday in the Park with George (DASH Award); The Footlight Club: Heathers (DASH Nominee), Blood Relations; Arlington Friends of the Drama: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; Needham Community Theater: Shrek; The Wellesley Players: Shrek, Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Wig Design - The Umbrella Stage Company: Hedwig & the Angry Inch; Colonial Chorus Players: Into the Woods (DASH Nominee), Arts After Hours: Little Shop of Horrors; Concord Players: The Secret Garden. On Stage - The Footlight Club: Our Town (Emily Webb), Heathers (Heather McNamara), The Sound of Music (Liesl); The Umbrella: Big Fish (Josephine), The Wild Party (Mae); Marcy Park, Spelling Bee (Needham Community Theatre); The Longwood Players: Urinetown (Little Sally); Weston Friendly Society: Company (Amy). By day, Cara is a UX designer in Boston and runs a wig design and
rental company - www.facebook.com/WigsByCara
Klody Keco (Hyde 4 and others): After finishing her studies in the Academy of Arts, Klody has played roles from Shakespeare to Virginia Woolf, working in major Albanian repertory theatres, as well as in many movies, in leading and smaller roles. Upon her arrival in the USA, being a big fan of John Malkovich and his ‘Hyde’ character she auditioned for Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and is looking forward for the performance to “take life.”
Matt McKee (Photographer): is proud to have been collaborating with the enthusiastic and creative members of the Footlight Club for the past two decades,creating photography and photo illustrations for over 70 posters. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde represented an opportunity to help brand the Director’s vision for the production and work with the fantastic talents of the actors and production team. During the day, Matt can be found creating photography for a wide variety of companies and industries in the Greater Boston area (samples atmckeephotography.com). And, at night? Well... “This is not a dream, my friend...!”
Mike McTeague (Lightning Designer): This is Mike’s first show with Footlight Club, and he is very excited about lighting this show. Mike has worked with many different community theater groups, but calls Quannapowitt Players home, where he has won several lighting awards, including Five Women Wearing the Same Dress - 2006, Dracula, 2012 and most recently, Night Watch, 2022.
Samantha Moon (Elizabeth Jelkes and others): is so grateful and excited to be a part of another Footlight Club Production. Her past productions at the Footlight include playing Dr. Dorothy Watson in Miss Holmes, Nora Helmer in The Doll’s House and in the 7A series production of A Just Conclusion as Mantel. She would like to thank her amazingly talented cast mates and crew, her friends and family for always supporting her, her boyfriend Ethan and her cat Michie. Enjoy the show and get ready to be spooked!
Christopher Mosey (Sir Danvers Carew, Inspector): is from Jamaica Plain, MA and is making his first appearance at the Footlight Club. This also marks his return from a 20 year hiatus in theater, having previously acted at Sanford Maine Stage as well as the University of Southern Maine Theater. When not on stage, he works as a Data Engineer, is a self-taught home cook and computer hardware enthusiast. He is extremely grateful for the opportunity to act again here at the Footlight Club and has had a blast working with such a talented cast and crew with this show.
Gina Pasciuto (they/them): is a recent graduate of Mount Holyoke College and they are thrilled to join the Footlight Club in their career debut! They were most recently seen in Mount Holyoke’s production of The Moors as the Mastiff and in The Sweet Science of Bruising in the dual role of Polly Stokes and combat choreographer. When not on stage or planning the best way to throw a punch, they can usually be found infodumping about Star Trek to anyone who will listen.
Dayna Reichert (Hyde 3/Enfield): is excited to be returning to the Footlight Theater Club for the second time after performing as Thomas Chapman in Ms. Holmes! Originally from California, after having bounced around from Maine to NH and finally to Jamaica Plain, she has grown a lifelong appreciation for the New England theater community. Recent stage credits include Thomas Chapman (Ms. Holmes), Nick (Godspell), Brom (Tarrytown), and Boland (Dogfight). She would like to thank her girlfriend Tina for putting up with her many terrible British accents :)
Eric Roberts (Gabriel Utterson): Eric is excited to be making his Footlight Club debut in this haunting adaptation. His most recent contributions to acting were Sharpe, in Equivocation at MLT, and Bob Martindale in Perfect Arrangement at the Quannapowitt Players. After this he will be Assistant Directing Radium Girls at QP. He would like to dedicate this performance to his late grandfather, his mother and his partner for always encouraging his pursuit of storytelling through theater.
Bill Shamlian (Sound Designer): has been a member of FLC since 1995. He is a professional Location Sound Recordist who has worked on Oscar winning films and documentaries, television shows from Nat Geo to HGTV. He has covered Presidential Politics for major news outlets like ABC & NBC and has attended multiple Presidential Conventions and speeches since 2000. But still his passion is theatre sound. Bill is happy to be back in “his house”, working with this wonderful cast, crew and director.
Jill Tokac (Director): is incredibly excited to be directing her first show with the Footlight Club! Her past directing credits include Pride & Prejudice at TCAN Players, Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood at Theatre III, and 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche at Clark University. Originally a choreographer, Jill has worked on over 20 musicals, and taught 9 years of masterclasses. A graduate from Emerson College, Jill works for Boston Baroque during the day before rushing off to a rehearsal. She wants to thank the team for their creativity, the cast for their incredible talent, the Footlight Club for having faith in her to complete this project, and her family and friends for their unconditional support.
Board of Directors
Elizabeth Bean, Michael Colford, Zach Best, Rob Guptill, Brian Bakofen, Gabrielle Jaques, Sara Schonour, Shantel Schonour, Jude Torres, Jen Ryan Gelzleichter, Val Tracy, Meredith Weaver, Lorie Komlyn, Paul O’Shaughnessy, Amanda Bovoso, Ryder Nguyen
Board of Trustees
Gabrielle Jaques, Paul Campbell, Shannon Daly, Katie Taylor, Shelly Norton, Stephen Lussier, Lorie Komlyn
Promotions and Publicity
Michael Colford, Promotions Director
Jonathan Drapinski, Social Media Coordinator
Matt McKee, Photographer
Kristin MacDougall
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee
Jude Torres, Michael Colford, Kara Chu Nelson, Lessie Tyson, Ally Rzesa, Amanda Bedford, Melissa Paz, Mordecai Choi, Samuel Botsford, Steven Key
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
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Treasurer, The Footlight Club, 7A Eliot Street , Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
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