Brigadoon

Brigadoon premiered on Broadway, running from March 12, 1947 to July 1948 at the Ziegfeld Theatre. The production won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle award for Best Musical and the Tony Award for Best Choreography for Agnes de Mille. Brigadoon followed the successes of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (1943) and Carousel (1945). It is a foundational work of American musical theatre for its furthering of the integrated musical.; critics praised the musical’s blending of dialogue, music, and dance to tell the story.

Brian Hill’s revised book grounds Brigadoon in the historical reality of what Scottish Highlanders were facing in Spring 1746. Coming up against English government troops in the Battle of Culloden on April 16, Scottish Highlanders experienced massive bloodshed, in a battle that effectively ended the clans’ way of life. Hill draws a parallel between Culloden and the original context of the musical for American audiences, World War II, comparing the stress and trauma faced by Highland clans to that felt by returning American soldiers. Both were societies reeling from war, loss, and grief, and Brigadoon offered the comfort of a reverie realized. 

And for us, Brigadoon appears before our eyes, parting the mist of the COVID-19 pandemic, offering escapism and community. Tommy and Jeff may be leaving the soulless urbanity of 1946’s New York, but one can imagine them descending the steps of our own productivity-centered society to arrive in the Highland’s pastoral idyll. 

Yet, all is not peaceful in this utopia. A question lingers: How do we learn to live with suffering and pain? We may watch and wonder from our own Happy Valley… a town, nestled in verdant hills, that appears for part of the year before fading away. And so, beyond the curtains, a paradise hovers, rolling in with the mist. And before we fade away with it, I invite you to exist for a moment in the hopeful present. Welcome, not to the musical, but to the haven: Brigadoon.

– Arushi Grover, Dramaturg
B.A. Theatre Studies ’24

Sources

• Brooks Atkinson, “‘BRIGADOON’ ARRIVES; Drama, Music and Dance Create Unified Fantasy,” The New York Times (New York, NY), March 23, 1947, sec. D, 245.
• “Brigadoon (Broadway, Ziegfeld Theatre, 1947),” Playbill.
• Alan Jay Lerner, The Complete Lyrics of Alan Jay Lerner, ed. Dominic McHugh and Amy Asch (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2018).

Act I

• Introduction – Orchestra
• Prologue – Ensemble
• Brigadoon – Ensemble
• Vendors’ Calls/Down on MacConnachy Square – Ensemble
• Waitin’ for My Dearie – Fiona and Girls
• I’ll Go Home with Bonnie Jean/Dance – Charlie, Harry, Maggie, Ensemble
• The Heather on the Hill – Tommy and Fiona
• The Love of My Life – Meg
• Jeannie’s Packin’ Up – Kate and Girls
• Come to Me, Bend to Me/Dance – Charlie, Jean, Ensemble
• Almost Like Being in Love. – Tommy and Fiona
• Entrance of the Clans – Ensemble
• Wedding Dance/Sword Dance and Reel – Harry, Sword Dancers, Ensemble

Act II

• Entr’acte – Orchestra
• The Chase – Tommy, Mistress Lundie, Ensemble
• My Mother’s Weddin’ Day – Meg and Ensemble
• The Funeral – Maggie, Bagpiper
• From This Day On – Fiona
• Farewell Music – Ensemble
• Reprises – Fiona, Tommy, Ensemble
• There But For You Go I – Tommy
• Finale – Ensemble

Jennifer Delac (Director/Choreographer) is a third-year M.F.A. Directing student from Houston, Texas. Previous Penn State shows include choreographer/associate director of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, director/choreographer of The Last Five Years, conception and director of an original piece Take a Walk in My Shoes, director of Songs for a New World, and associate director/choreographer of Spamalot. Jennifer is an associate member of SDC, with other credits including assistant director to Chris Ashley on Diana (Broadway, Longacre) and assistant director to Susan Stroman on The Beast in the Jungle (The Vineyard). Many thanks to her mentors Rich, Rick, and Susan, Brian Hill for his insight, my family for their unconditional support, Ellona for sharing her choreography expertise and creativity, Ali, Steve, the entire cast, crew, and creative team who made this dream show possible.

Rebecca Maciejczyk (Associate Choreographer) is grateful to collaborate with this fantastic team of artists! Rebecca joined Penn State’s Musical Theatre dance faculty in 2017 and thoroughly enjoys working with these talented students. School of Theatre choreography credits include Moving Forward, directed by Michele Dunleavy and Moving Pictures, directed by Jessica Wilson. Rebecca worked extensively as choreographer for the School of Music’s, Carmen, directed by Ted Christopher, and as rehearsal director for Hong Kong Ballet’s, Alice! (In Wonderland), through the Center for the Performing Arts, before both productions were cancelled due to the pandemic. Outside of Penn State, she has been teaching classical ballet for Nittany Ballet, part of the Performing Arts School of Central Pennsylvania (PASCP), since 2007, and served as the organization’s artistic director from 2012-2019. Thank you to family and friends for your tremendous support!

Mia Gomez Montero (Assistant Director/Assistant Choreographer) is a second-year B. A. Theatre Studies student and is thrilled to be assistant directing and choreographing her third show with Penn State Centre Stage! Previous credits include The Last Five Years (AD) and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the NightTime (AC). Special thanks and love to Mom, Dad, Benjamin, & Jen for this magical opportunity!

Emily Orr (Music Director) is a second-year graduate student in the M.F.A. musical Direction program. Hailing all the way from Kansas, she earned her B.F.A. in musical theatre and B.M. in piano performance from Wichita State University. She began her professional career as an actor, music director, and pianist at Music Theatre Wichita, where she worked for four years. Performance credits include Twelfth Night, 42nd Street, The Sound of Music, A Chorus Line, and West Side Story. Music directing credits include The Theory of Relativity, Next to Normal, Myths and Hymns, Violet, and Putting It Together. As a member of the Ad Astra Singers, Emily sang at the Masterworks Festival and the A Capella Series at Carnegie Hall; she also performed worldwide as a top-rated singer pianist onboard Holland America Line cruises for five years. Many thanks to her Kansan and Scottish families, Saul, Richard, Jen, Jamie, and the production team for their incredible support. “Whit’s fur ye’ll no go by ye.”

Kris Danford (Voice/Dialect Coach) is an associate professor of voice and speech in the School of Theatre. She has previously held appointments at the University of Michigan, Southern Oregon University, University of Iowa, and the University of West Florida. Kris’ professional work as a voice, text, and dialect coach includes coaching at theatres such as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Stage, and Urbanite Theatre. As a professional actor, she has appeared at regional theatres around the country, including Asolo Repertory Theatre, Riverside Theatre, and Ashland New Plays Festival. In the realm of research, she is currently leading a multidisciplinary research study that utilizes theatre-based voice training as a potential tool for women in childbirth. Kris holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from SUNY Fredonia, an M.F.A. in Acting from the FSU Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training, and is a certified Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework.®

Arushi Grover (Dramaturg) is a second-year B.A. Theatre Studies, English, and Comparative Literature student from Downingtown. Previous dramaturgy credits include The Last Five Years, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mountain Language, and Twelfth Night.

Riley Herman (Assistant Dramaturg) is a fourth-year B.A. Theatre Studies and B.A. Advertising student from Erie. Previous positions include Actor 1 in 26 Pebbles, assistant director for Fuddy Meers, assistant director for Barefoot in the Park, assistant director for Myths and Hymns, and deviser and performer in #HereToo Project.

Beatriz Chung (Scenic Designer) is a peruvian scenic designer and illustrator who received her bachelor’s degree in sculpture from Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru. She has experience working with different theatre companies in Peru and Chile as a set designer, puppet designer and prop maker. She is currently working towards her M.F.A. in scenic design at Penn State, where in 2021 designed A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream directed by Sam Osheroff at the Pavillion Theatre, and now is excited to be part of the production of Brigadoon, directed by Jen Delac at the Playhouse Theatre. She is always interested in collaborating to generate content around what we do as theatre-makers and expand the ways to communicate and show the process behind the curtains. More of her work here: www.beatrizchung.com

Richard St. Clair (Costume Designer) is a proud graduate of Penn State’s Theatre Design program. His designs include the critically lauded production of Evita, directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge at the Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach, Florida; Gypsy, Arden Theatre; Salome, Pittsburgh Opera starring Patricia Racette; A Year with Frog and Toad, Arden Theatre (Barrymore Nomination); and Mothers and Sons, Philadelphia Theatre Company starring Michael Learned. Richard is the head of Costume Design at Penn State. He is a two-time Barrymore Award winner and a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829.

Mackenzie Miller (Lighting Designer) is a third-year Lighting and Sound Design major from Pittsburgh, and is excited to present his first mainstage lighting design at Penn State Centre Stage with Brigadoon. Selected credits include lighting designer for No Exit, sound designer for Lonely Together ,and assistant lighting designer for The Wild Party. Looking forward, he will be the sound designer for Penn State’ Centre Stage’s production of Rent in the fall. He would like to thank his family for their unending support of his passion for the theatre, his faculty mentors and peers within the design and technology program here at Penn State, and the amazing theatre community of Pittsburgh for allowing him to cultivate that passion in the first place.

Riley Allsop (Assistant Lighting Designer) is a third-year B.F..A Design and Technology major, with a dual- emphasis in Lighting Design and Technical Direction. This semester, he served as the lighting designer for the downtown project piece, GRAFF. Last semester, he served as the production electrician for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, assistant technical director for The Wild Party, and associate lighting designer for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Benjamin Moore (Sound Designer) finished his tenure as a student in December of 2021, graduating with a B.F.A. in Theatre from Penn State, and now he serves the School of Theatre in a part- time faculty/staff role. Previous design credits for Penn State Centre Stage include Sea Wall and The Lucky Boy, and he has been involved in the production of many others. In addition to his work here, he also supplies his expertise to the Center for the Performing Arts at Eisenhower Auditorium.”

Lauren Petrocelli (Assistant Sound Designer) is a second-year B.F.A. Theatre Design and Technology major ,with a dual- emphasis in Sound Design and Technical Direction. For Penn State’s Centre Stage, she has served as the assistant sound designer for Blood at the Root and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Outside of Penn State, she has worked as the sound designer for A Chorus Line and I Do! I Do! Lauren is thrilled to be working on another Centre Stage show and would like to thank the sound team for their support.

Gillian Miller (Production Stage Manager) is a fourth-year B.F.A Stage Management student from Hershey. In addition to being the production stage manager for Brigadoon, she was the PSM for the world premires of Head Space, #HereToo and Take A Walk in My Shoes. Her ASM credits at Penn State Centre Stage include Angels in America and Hands on a Hardbody. Outside of the theatre, Gillian is on the production team for the Movin’ On Music Festival and on the executive board for Penn State’s chapter of USITT.

Anna Lustig (Assistant Stage Manager) is a second-year B.F.A. Design and Technology student from New Jersey. She previously worked on Headspace as an ASM and also The Last Five Years as the PA. She is excited to be a part of the Brigadoon team.

Sam Forrest (Assistant Stage Manager) is a second-year B.F.A. Stage Management student from Princeton, New Jersey. Previous Penn State stage manager credits include A Midsummer Nights Dream, Headspace, and A Chorus Line. Sam’s work as a props artisan has been seen in The Wild Party, Nostalgia Night, and Brigadoon.

Maxwell Doherty (Technical Director) is a fifth-year Theatre Design and Technology, with an emphasis Technical Direction major Penn State. He has is very excited to serve as the technical director for Brigadoon. He has also served as an assistant director the lighting designer on Chatham Universities Music and Arts Summer Camp production of Peter Pan Jr., and as ATD for Penn State’s productions of Seawall and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This is his final year at Penn State and he is very excited to continue his career as an entertainment stage technician at Disney world this upcoming summer.

Clare Cawley (Assistant Technical Director) is a fourth-year Technical Directing major in the School of Theatre. Past productions include technical director for A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Centre Stage). head carpenter for Clue the Musical (Weathervane Playhouse). assistant technical director for the Moving on Dance Concert (Centre Stage), and crew for Angels in America (Centre Stage). She would like to thank her TD team for helping put on this incredible show and her friends for supporting her.

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