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HISTORIC ARCADE theatre fort myers river districtROBERT CACIOPPO, producing artistic directorPRESENTSA PENNY DREADFULby CHARLES LUDLAMSPONSORED BYNAOMI BLOOM & RON WALLACE and NORTHERN TRUST BANKSTARRINGMARK CHAMBERS* BRAD DePLANCHE*DIRECTED BYCHRIS CLAVELLI**SET DESIGNERRICHARD CROWELLSOUND DESIGNERKATE SMITHLIGHTING DESIGNERMATTHEW F. McCARTHY***STAGE MANAGERJANINE WOCHNA*DIALECT COACHGREG LONGENHAGENCOSTUME DESIGNERMARY LYNNE IZZOASST. STAGE MANAGERSJUSTIN CORNELLTRACY MARIE HOIDATHE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP – A PENNY DREADFUL is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.2011-12 GRAND SEASON SPONSORSThe Fred & Jean Allegretti Foundation Bruce & Janet Bunch Cheryl & David CophamGholi & Georgia Darehshori John & Marjorie Madden Arthur ZupkoThis entire season sponsored in part by in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council onArts and Culture. Florida Repertory Theatre is a fully professional non-profit LOA/LORT Theatre company on contract with the Actors’ EquityAssociation that proudly employs members of the national theatrical labor unions. *Member of Actors’ Equity Association. **Member of theStage Directors and Choreographers Society. ***Member of United Scenic Artists.

CAST LISTJane Twisden.MARK CHAMBERS*Nicodemus Underwood.BRAD DePLANCHE*Lady Enid Hillcrest.BRAD DePLANCHE*Lord Edgar Hillcrest.MARK CHAMBERS*An Intruder.MARK CHAMBERS*Alcazar.BRAD DePLANCHE*Pev Amiri.BRAD DePLANCHE*Irma Vep.?*TIME & PLACEIn the library drawing room of “Mandacrest,” the Hillcrest estate near HampsteadHeath, between the wars; and various places in Egypt.There will be a 15-minute intermission.The video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever is strictly prohibited.ABOUT THE playwrightCHARLES LUDLAM (Playwright) had prolific theatre career working as an actor, playwright,director, producer and teacher. Ludlam’s interest in theatre began at an early age and by the timehe was in high school he was performing with the Township Theatre Group and Huntington’scommunity theatre. He received a drama scholarship to Hofstra University, where he receiveda B.A. in Dramatic Literature in 1965. After graduating from college, he went on to join JohnVaccaro’s Play-House of the Ridiculous, but after a falling out with Vaccaro he left and foundedThe Ridiculous Theatrical Company in New York City. Ludlam wrote numerous plays while at TheRidiculous Theatre Company including Big Hotel, Bluebeard, Eunuchs of the Forbidden City and TheMystery of Irma Vep. In addition to his work at The Ridiculous Theatre Company, he conductedmany workshops at prestigious schools such as New York University, Connecticut College forWomen, Yale University, and Carnegie Mellon University. Ludlam won fellowships from theGuggenheim, Rockefeller and Ford Foundations and grants from the National Endowment for theArts and the New York State Council on the Arts. He also won four Obie Awards (Off-BroadwayTheatre Awards), the last one 2 weeks before his death. For his distinguished achievement in thetheater Ludlam received the Rosamund Gilder Award in 1986.Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) was founded in 1913 as the first of the American Actor unions.Equity’s mission is to advance, promote and foster the art of theatre as an essential component of oursociety. Today, Equity represents more than 40,000 actors, singers, dancers and stage managers working in hundreds of theatres across the United States. Equity members are dedicated to working in thetheatre as a profession, upholding the highest artistic standards. Equity negotiates wages and workingconditions and provides a wide range of benefits including health and pension plans for its members. Through itsagreement with Equity, this theatre has committed to the fair treatment of the actors and stage managers employedin this production. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization ofperforming arts unions. For more information, visit www.actorsequity.org.*The Actors & Stage Manager employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association,the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

CREATIVE TEAMMARK CHAMBERS*made his Florida Repdebut in 2006 as OscarWilde (and other roles)in Sherlock Holmes andthe West End Horror.Now a permanentmember of the FloridaRep ensemble, Mark hasbeen seen in TRU, It’s a Wonderful Life, Rumors,King o’ the Moon, August: Osage County, BoeingBoeing, Breaking Legs, A Funny Thing.Forum,Rounding Third, Scapino, The Rainmaker andEnchanted April. His work with other theatresincludes Actors Theatre of Louisville, PortlandCenter Stage, City Theatre, 42nd Street Moon,American Stage, Charleston Stage Company,and extensively with Daytona’s Seaside MusicTheatre and the Hippodrome State Theatrein Gainesville, Florida. Mark’s film workincludes the recently released Baby Jane?and I Want to Get Married, and he can also beheard on the CD, “Veil of Tears”, by the Swissgroup, MGY. Mark is the 2006 Florida TheatreConference honoree for Distinguished Careerin Professional Theatre.BRAD DePLANCHE*has been a proudensemble acting memberhere at Florida Repthis season, havingplayed Ken in Rumors,Clarence in It’s aWonderful Life, Nick inBedroom Farce and manyroles in last season’s The 39 Steps. Recentwork; both Dromios in Danny Scheie’sacclaimed production of The Comedy ofErrors (Shakespeare Santa Cruz), Porthosin The Three Musketeers (People’s Light andTheatre Company) and Pseudolus in Forum(Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival). OffOff Broadway; China; The Whole Enchilada(World Premiere- NY Fringe), Gameshow!(Dodger Theatricals) Cloud Nine (Classic StageCompany) and Armchair in Hell (Theatreat St. Clements). Regional Theatre; ActorsTheatre of Louisville (5 Seasons), AmericanConservatory Theater, South Coast Repertory,Syracuse Stage, Utah Shakespearean Festival,Cape Playhouse, Florida Studio Theatre,Hangar Theatre, B Street Theatre and SeattleShakespeare Company. Upcoming: The Tempestat Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival andThe Complete Works of William Shakespeare;Abridged at Orlando Shakespeare Theater. Bradhails from Michigan and holds an MFA fromthe American Conservatory Theatre. Go Blue!CHRIS CLAVELLI* (Director) is the AssociateArtistic Director of Florida Repertory Theatre.He was honored with an Alan SchniederDirecting Award nomination through TheaterCommunications Group. He was a foundingmember and co-artistic director of TheNeighborhood Theatre for Kids in Brooklyn.Directing credits: At Florida Rep: BlackTie, Sideman, Trying, Rounding Third, AloneTogether, The Foreigner, The Glass Menagerie,The Santaland Diaries and The Lady with AllThe Answers. The Virginia Stage Company:Irma Vep, Vaudeville and Rough Crossing; OffSquare Theatre: All in the Timing, Stones inHis Pockets; Two River Theatre Company:House of Blue Leaves and 16 productions forThe Depot Theatre, most recently The DrawerBoy starring John Christopher Jones. Othertheatres: Theatre South Carolina, the New YorkFringe Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville,(Solo Mio), the Southwest Florida Symphony,Symphony Space, Greenbrier Valley Theatre,Chenango River Theatre, Riverside Theatre,Neighborhood Theatre of Kids, and the famedActors Studio. As an actor he has worked hereat Florida Rep in 14 productions and all overthe country. He is the recipient of both theCarbonell and Barrymore Awards. His one-manplay, A Little More Than You Wanted to Spendrecently played Theatre South Carolina and isslated for a New York production in the fall.For Jay and Lee.RICHARD CROWELL (Set Designer) is thrilledto return to Florida Repertory Theatre, to bea part of this wonderful production, and towork once again with the extraordinary staffat Florida Rep. Richard has been a part ofvarious Florida Repertory productions sincethe inaugural season in the Historic ArcadeTheatre, and has been designing sceneryand lighting for the stage for over 30 years.He received his MFA from the Stage DesignTraining Program at Meadows School of theArts, Southern Methodist University and aBFA from Memphis State University.