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PLAYBILL
artwork used with permission from the author, TRINA PAULUS, © 1972, 2000
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Hart Theater is dedicated to the beautiful and colorful lives of Bret and Tara Wells who tragically passed in an aircraft incident on August 7th, 2019. Hart Theater was created in an effort to share their support of the performing arts, their compassion towards others, and their love for their daughter, Emily Wells.
Whether it be sea or sky, fly high
Bret Wells - 1959-2019
Tara Wells - 1963-2019
PRESENTS
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based on the book by
TRINA PAULUS
music, lyrics, & script by
CATHY NEFF
stage adaptation by
BEN HENDERSON & CHASE RAMSEY
orchestrations by
APRIL KERR
original adaptation concept by
XAN S. JOHNSON
directed by
BEN HENDERSON
music direction & conducting by
ANTHONY BUCK
choreography by
MIKE HERNANDEZ
starring
SAM TORRES
CHASE RAMSEY
GEOFF BECKSTRAND
LISA NICOLE THURMAN
AVERY PETERSON HAWKINS
CAMERON ROBBINS
RACHEL CARR
LUKE LOGAN
RYLAN BENSON
MATTHEW DAVIDS
produced by
DAVE YOUNG & EMILY WELLS
stage manager
LIZ BLACK
technical director
BOB FISHER
sound design
GRACE HEINZ
lighting design
KYLE ESPOSITO
costume design
EMILY WELLS
properties design
BEN HENDERSON
marketing coordinator
SAM TORRES
scenic design & script consultant
BEN HENDERSON & CHASE RAMSEY
graphic design & casting coordinator
PAUL MCGREW
a message from author & illustrator,
TRINA PAULUS
Hi everybody! It's hard to believe we've past the 50th anniversary year of Hope for the Flowers. Never did I imagine Hope would become a book that transcended boundaries of all sorts and be a favorite of so many. I invite you to rejoice with me by sharing your own story. Let's see what we can do together to fill the world with hope and love-and a lot of wisdom too!
We surely need inner revolutions as people think of all kinds of ways to recover from the dark times we've been through. Personally, I am engaged mainly in peace and environmental actions, my focus is on raising food organically. Life for every living creature is pretty impossible without a livable earth and world peace.
Click Here To Order Hope direct from author, me! I will autograph it and get it out to you while my young age of 92 still permits. Two books fit perfectly in the Priority Shipping envelope so a second book, perfect for gifting, has no extra shipping cost. You can also order the e-book which is available on all the major eBook sites.
May you stay well or be transformed with healing! We are each wounded healers and together we can embrace both our power and our handicaps and change the world. I hope you will join my email list so we can stay in touch.
Forward in hope always,
Trina, Yellow and Stripe
*This message was taken directly from the author's website. For more information about the book, visit:
hopefortheflowers.com
This production of Hope for the Flowers was adapted entirely by local Utah artists. This adaptation was initially written by Cathy Neff some time ago. We are so excited to be able to breathe new life into it! Below you will find a short biography of our lovely composer, lyricist, and script writer, Cathy Neff.
Cathy is a composer specializing in the musical adaptation of classic literature for stage. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Composition/Theory from the University of Northern Colorado, and a Master of Music in Composition from Brigham Young University. Her adapted works include Shakespeare, Greek Drama, Rudyard Kipling, E.B. White, Roald Dahl, Johnny Gruelle, and of course, Trina Paulus. Adapting Hope for the Flowers into a musical is a dream come true for Cathy, and she is excited to share it with everyone. Her thanks go to Trina for supporting this effort on Hope’s 50th Anniversary, for Hart Theater and this amazing cast and crew for making this possible, for Dave Young for believing in her, and for her family for supporting her.
Producer's Note
The message and meaning of Hope for the Flowers has always resonated with me. In a way, we are all caterpillars trying to find out who we are and what we are meant to become. Using Cathy Neff’s perfectly matched music to bring the story of Hope for the Flowers to life has been a dream for years. What an incredible opportunity it is to share the message that Trina has so artfully gifted to the world! I am grateful to Emily Wells for agreeing to take a chance with me. She bravely added her faith to mine and has shown unwavering commitment to the show from the day we met. As Trina says, “It takes a lot of butterflies to make a world full of flowers.” It also takes a lot of people to put on a musical. I am continually impressed by the effort and care that the Hope for the Flowers production team has put into this project. It is no secret that Utah has an abundance of talent, and the cast and crew of Hope for the Flowers has proven that true again. They are masters of their craft, and what they do helps all of us find the “more” of life.
- Dave Young, Co-Producer
CAST
YELLOW ........................................................ SAM TORRES
STRIPE ..................................................... CHASE RAMSEY
GREY-HAIRED CATERPILLAR (STRIPE u/s)....GEOFF BECKSTRAND
BOSS ............................................. LISA NICOLE THURMAN
ENSEMBLE (YELLOW u/s) .............. AVERY PETERSON HAWKINS
ENSEMBLE (GREY u/s) ............................ CAMERON ROBBINS
ENSEMBLE (BOSS u/s) ................................... RACHEL CARR
ENSEMBLE ..................................................... LUKE LOGAN
ENSEMBLE ................................................. RYLAN BENSON
ENSEMBLE .............................................. MATTHEW DAVIDS
ORCHESTRA
CONDUCTOR ................................................. ANTHONY BUCK
CONDUCTOR (sub) .............................................. APRIL KERR
FLUTE ........................................................... ETHAN PORTER
FLUTE (sub) ................................................... ELIZA CORREA
OBOE ........................................................ SARAH HAMILTON
CLARINET .................................................... DREW HOLLAND
CLARINET (sub) ......................................... BRENNAN GANSKE
BASSOON ................................................. BRAXTON TOPHAM
TRUMPET 1 ...................................................... TAYLER DUBY
TRUMPET 2 ............................................ DOUG HENDTICKSEN
TROMBONE ................................................. OWEN SNEDAKER
PIANO ........................................................... KRISTEN KERR
PERCUSSION ..................................................... DAVE YOUNG
PERCUSSION (sub) ....................................... BRIAN JOHNSON
VIOLIN 1 ................................................. CHRISTINE WARREN
VIOLIN 1 (sub) ................................................ NOLA MARTIN
VIOLIN 2 ...................................................... MADELINE BIRK
VIOLIN 2 (sub) ......................................... RACHEL HUNZEKER
VIOLA ............................................................... MADI RILEY
VIOLA (sub) ................................................ MARIE FEINAUER
CELLO ................................................................. DAN PACK
CELLO (sub) ........................................................ RISA BEAN
BASS ......................................................... GRYFFIN NELSON
PRODUCTION TEAM
CO-PRODUCER ................................................ DAVE YOUNG
CO-PRODUCER ............................................... EMILY WELLS
COMPOSER/LYRICIST/PLAYWRIGHT ..................... CATHY NEFF
ORCHESTRATOR ............................................... APRIL KERR
DIRECTOR ................................................ BEN HENDERSON
MUSIC DIRECTOR ....................................... ANTHONY BUCK
CHOREOGRAPHER .................................... MIKE HERNANDEZ
STAGE MANAGER ............................................... LIZ BLACK
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR ...................................... BOB FISHER
LIGHTING DESIGN ........................................ KYLE ESPOSITO
SOUND DESIGN .............................................. GRACE HEINZ
COSTUME DESIGN ........................................... EMILY WELLS
SCENIC DESIGN ................ BEN HENDERSON & CHASE RAMSEY
PROPERTIES DESIGN ................................... BEN HENDERSON
SCRIPT CONSULTANT ........ BEN HENDERSON & CHASE RAMSEY
MARKETING COORDINATOR .............................. SAM TORRES
GRAPHIC DESIGN & CASTING ......................... PAUL MCGREW
SONGS
Act I
1. Overture
2. This is the Hour
3. Hello World
4. Crawling Music
5. Pillar Music
6. What’s at the Top
7. Climb or Be Climbed
8. Yellow’s Song
9. Together
10. Romping in the Grass
11. The Answer
12. ‘Butterfly’...That Word
13. Watch Me
14. What If
15. Imagine
Act II
16. Entr’acte
17. Don’t Blame Me
18. Look Over There
19. Butterfly Music
20. Inside
21. Sour Grapes
22. “We Can Fly!”
23. Wrong Way Out
24. Illusion
25. Butterfly Music Reprise
26. Imagine Reprise
27. Finale
BIOS
SAM TORRES
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YELLOW/MARKETING COORDINATOR
Sam (she/her) is thrilled to be working with Hart Theatre Company again. Sam is a Utah-based film and theatre actress & aerialist from Ann Arbor, Michigan, with a BFA in Musical Theatre. She most recently appeared in Hart Theatre’s Spring Awakening as Ilse. Other local credits include Savage Resources (Ariana Farber), A Shayna Maidel (Three-Penny Theatre Company), Melancholy Play (directed by Morag Shepherd), The Laramie Project, and Plan-B Theatre's world premiere of Aftershock (by Iris Salazar). Favorite roles include Penelope Pennywise in Urinetown, Texas in Cabaret, and Heather Chandler in Heathers the Musical. She hopes you find the value of making mistakes and the power of unconditional love in this beautiful story. To see more of Sam, check out her Instagram: @samcattorres and TikTok: @samsationalspam.
CHASE RAMSEY
STRIPE/SCRIPT CONSULTANT/
CO-SCENIC DESIGNER
Chase (he/him) was recently in Horizon: Part 1 from Warner Brothers. Also Falling for Christmas (Netflix), Sweet Pecan Summer (Hallmark), The Storied Life of AJ Fikry (Amazon), Yellowstone (Paramount), and The Book of Mormon Musical on Broadway playing Elder Cunningham. In movie theaters now for Six Days in August. Director of the new film Scratchy, Cage, and Tumbleweed as well as Forget the Rest. Also known for his work as a past Food Network host and director/writer for the Walt Disney Company, Berkeley Rep., and The Guthrie. He is the Co-Founder of Kingcup Productions.
Instagram: @chaseramseyreally
GEOFF BECKSTRAND
GREY-HAIRED CATERPILLAR/
STRIPE u/s
Born and bred in Utah, Geoff (he/him) is thrilled to return to the Hart stage and bring this story to this community. He was most recently seen as Emmett Forrest in Legally Blonde with West Valley Arts. Previous credits include: Moritz Stiefel in Spring Awakening (Hart Theatre), Pippin in Pippin (Kensington Theatre Co.), Dick Wilkins in A Christmas Carol (HCT), and Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (HAC). “Thank you to the cast and production team for their unwavering support, and for the escape this story provides. YOU are The Hope for the Flowers.”
LISA NICOLE THURMAN
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BOSS
Lisa (she/her) has a Theatre degree in Performing Arts from UVU. Favorite roles include Dotty Otley/Mrs. Clackett in Noises Off!, Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible, Agnes in Dancing at Lughnasa, and Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. She is honored and grateful to be part of this inspirational show that has taught her the crucial beauty that comes with self acceptance.
AVERY PETERSON HAWKINS
ENSEMBLE/YELLOW u/s
This is Avery’s (she/her) first show with Hart Theater, and she is thrilled to be involved in this world premiere production. Avery recently graduated with her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Southern Utah University, where she was trained in voice, music, dance, acting, and Shakespeare. A few acting credits include Sally Bowles in Cabaret (Southern Utah University), Featured Performer in The Greenshow (Utah Shakespeare Festival), Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Southern Utah University), Swing in Jane Austen’s: Emma the Musical (Utah Shakespeare Festival), and Kent in King Lear (Creekside Theatre Fest). In her free time, Avery loves reading, crafting, thrifting, trying to have a green thumb, & advocating for SA awareness.
CAMERON ROBBINS
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ENSEMBLE/
GREY-HAIRED CATERPILLAR u/s
Cameron (he/him) is excited to be doing his second show with Hart Theatre Company. Prior credits include Spring Awakening at Hart, as well as Legally Blonde and a Tale of Two Cities at the West Valley Performing Arts Center. He is a BYU alumni and loves crawling in the grass, eating leaves (salad) and crafting.
RACHEL CARR
ENSEMBLE/BOSS u/s
Rachel (she/her) is thrilled to continue her theatrical journey in this beautiful production with Hart Theater Company. It has been such a treat to workshop a new show, and to have this incredible team to work with. Her past credits most affectionately include Little Shop of Horrors (TCT), Mary Poppins (Scera Outdoor Shell), The Addams Family (TCT), and the utterly fabulous Rapunzel! Rapunzel! A Very Hairy Fairytale (Scera Center for the Arts). She studied audio technology and playwriting at Brigham Young University, and freelances as an audio technician for ballets, sporting events, the Hale Theater Orem (soon to be The Ruth), and much more. She is grateful for any chance to learn about the arts, and is especially grateful to her husband and family who always support her in her goals.
LUKE LOGAN
ENSEMBLE
Luke (he/him) watched High School Musical every night as a child till his parents hid the DVD from him. Once he started doing theater in junior high, he never stopped. He recently graduated with his BFA in Musical Theater from Utah Valley University where he was a founding member and assistant director of UVU’s Rhythmic Tap Company. He has also been seen on stages all over Utah. Some of his favorite roles have been Squidward in SpongeBob SquarePants the Musical at Scera Shell, Earthworm in James and the Giant Peach (TYA) at Hale Orem, and Brett in Ghost Quartet at UVU. Enjoy the show! (Insta: @duk_luk.112)
RYLAN BENSON
ENSEMBLE
Rylan (she/her) has been acting since she was 8 years old, and recently graduated from UTU with a bachelors in Theater. Recent credits include Helena in A Midsummer Nights Dream (UTU) and Lilith in Blamed: An Established Fiction (Tumbleweed Theatre). Her favorite rolls have included Fantine in Les Misérables and Lucy in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. She also has credits as a makeup artist, costume designer, and playwright at UTU. She would like to thank her family and friends for always supporting her in the arts, and her dog for always wanting to cuddle.
MATTHEW DAVIDS
ENSEMBLE
Matthew (he/him) is so excited to be performing in his first show with Hart! Some of his favorite roles include Judas in Godspell, Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, Titus Andronicus, and Black Stache in Peter and the Starcatcher. It has been such a privilege working with such a talented production team and incredible performers as we've all navigated creating something brand new every night. He couldn't be more proud of our beautifully silly and hopeful caterpillar squad. He'd like to thank his girlfriend Jess for all her time and support, without which he couldn't do any of this.
EMILY WELLS
CO-PRODUCER/COSTUME DESIGNER
Emily (she/her) is thrilled, as one of its founders, to be producing Hart Theater's third (soon to be fourth) season! She has a BA in Musical Theatre from Weber State University. Emily has performed on stages across the country and internationally. Some of her favorite roles include Carla in Nine and Queenie in Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party (Hart Theater), Johanna in Sweeney Todd (West Valley Arts), Belle in A Christmas Carol (HCT), The Dragon in Shrek the Musical, Ariel in The Little Mermaid, and Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Emily self-identifies as a 90-year-old grandma. When not performing/producing, she loves wrangling her two adorable, but psychotic, pups, MoMoney and Bailey. @imshmem
APRIL KERR
ORCHESTRATOR/CONDUCTOR (sub)
April (she/her) is an orchestrator, composer, vocalist, and actress based in Salt Lake City, Utah. She recently earned her Master’s degree in Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games from Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain. Since returning, she has scored several short films and recently premiered her first feature film. This is her first opportunity to orchestrate a musical, and she is eager to do more. Her upcoming projects include portraying Madame de la Grande Bouche in Beauty and the Beast at Hale Centre Theatre and orchestrating Hart Theater Company’s future production of The Other Wise Man.
ANTHONY BUCK
MUSIC DIRECTOR/CONDUCTOR
Anthony is an artist of diverse experience with nearly 200 credits as actor, singer, director, music director, stage manager, conductor, playwright, librettist, and composer. Favorite projects include As You Like It (director), Orpheus in the Underworld (translator and director), Die Zauberflöte (singer), and Le Roma de Silence (librettist and composer). He loves new works with works with meaning best of all.
MIKE HERNANDEZ
CHOREOGRAPHER
Mike (he/him) is excited to to be on the production side of things with Hart, after having the pleasure of performing in their production of Spring Awakening. Though a Utah native, he has traveled extensively while touring with Disney Live Stage Productions. He also performed at Walt Disney World and Seaworld while living in Orlando and was part of the mascot team for Monster Jam. He is currently a resident artist with the Viva La Diva Show in SLC, where he serves as a dancer, choreographer and impersonator. Later this season you can see him Ogden Musical Theatre’s production of 1940s Radio Hour. When he is not performing you can find him on a cruise, Las Vegas or anywhere there is a palm tree. Do you have a boat?
LIZ BLACK
STAGE MANAGER
Liz is happy to be working on another production with Hart Theater Co. Liz graduated from USU with a BFA in Stage Management. She was fortunate to work with multiple theatre companies in Utah before landing her dream job at Disneyland in the Stage Management department. Her favorite Management credit to this date is the role of Mom to her two dynamic boys. She’s extremely grateful to Hart for all of the opportunities they have given her this past year. None of it would be possible without her family’s total support. Thank you to everyone who has seen the butterfly in her and not just a fuzzy worm.
KYLE ESPOSITO
LIGHTING DESIGNER/BOARD MEMBER
In addition to being the resident lighting designer for Hart Theater Company, Kyle (he/him) has been working in theatre for 24 years. One of his earliest jobs was as a stagehand for InsideOut and a Sound Technician for Rodgers Memorial Theatre. Kyle has worked as a technician at Pioneer Theatre Company, Salt Lake Acting Company, Hale Centre Theatre, and CenterPoint Theatre. Kyle mostly works as an actor and director, having directed Cash on Delivery at CenterPoint Theatre and recently performed in their production of Kiss Me Kate. Next year, Kyle will also be directing the upcoming Utah premiere production of Tootsie at the Ziegfeld Theater. Favorite credits include John Adams in 1776, Billy Flynn in Chicago, Bobby Child in Crazy For You, and Faas/Daredevil in Jim Christian’s Sleepy Hollow. Kyle has also written and performed a comedy show with Busch Gardens Williamsburg, co-wrote an indie miniseries for Amazon Prime, and recently published his first novel.
GRACE HEINZ
SOUND DESIGNER
Grace (she/her) is excited to be doing her second production with Hart Theater Company. She is a sound designer and audio engineer based in Salt Lake City. She has made a career across the valley making a home at the West Valley Performing Arts Center, Salt Lake Acting Company, and Pioneer Theatre.
HART THEATER would like to thank...
The Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, & Parks Program for their generous contribution
Dave Young, Cathy Neff, April Kerr, Ben Henderson, and Chase Ramsey for their work on developing this production
Julie-Anne Liechty at Lightree Studios for the use of this wonderful venue
Bob Fisher for all the work he put into constructing an inviting space for us to perform
Trina Paulus for allowing us the opportunity to tell the story of Hope for the Flowers through song and movement
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