Who's Who . . . Backstage

JOSEPH ADLER (Director/Producing Artistic Director) begins his sixth season as Artistic Director of GableStage with this production. He previously directed on many local stages, including Coconut Grove Playhouse, New Theatre, Area Stage, Hollywood Boulevard Theatre, Players Theatre, Ruth Foreman Theatre, Florida Shakespeare Theatre, City Theatre (Summer Shorts), Hollywood Playhouse and Shores Performing Arts. At GableStage, Adler has directed Skylight, Of Mice and Men, Full Gallop, Psychopathia Sexualis, Closer, Killer Joe, This Is Our Youth, Arms and The Man, Side Man, Popcorn, Tape, The Real Thing, Adam Baum and the Jew Movie, Citizen Tom Paine, The Blue Room, Mindgame, Boy Gets Girl, James Joyce's The Dead, Edward Albee's The Play About the Baby, A Lesson Before Dying, Nixon's Nixon, Chinese Coffee, The Guys, The Shape of Things, Dirty Blonde, Tabletop, The Diary of Anne Frank, Frankie and Johnny at the Clair de Lune and The Goat. Active in South Florida's film and theatre community for many years, Adler has directed hundreds of television commercials and industrial films, winning many awards, including the Clio. Other directorial credits include several independent feature films, a video version of the Broadway hit comedy Doubles and a cable TV series. He has received fifteen nominations (eight at GableStage) and four times won the Carbonell Award for Best Director: The Shadow Box (Coconut Grove Playhouse); The Killing of Sister George (Players Theatre); A Lesson Before Dying and James Joyce's The Dead (GableStage). He also received a Remy Award from the Theatre League of South Florida, and was awarded the prestigious George Abbott Award by the members of South Florida's arts, entertainment and media professions for "significant contributions to the artistic life and cultural development of greater Miami, Fort Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches." Adler studied drama at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and graduated from the Film Department at NYU.

JOE ORTON (Playwright) shocked audiences with his scandalous black comedies. Born in Leicester to a working class family, he was poorly educated and worked as a clerk. He became interested in performing and and when he lost his job, he applied for a scholarship and left for London. In 1951, he met Kenneth Halliwell, seven years his senior, and quickly formed a strong relationship. Both went into regional repertory theatre, and while living on Halliwell's money, collaborated on a number of unpublished novels. Unsuccessful as a novelist, Orton found a solo talent as a playwright when the BBC broadcast his The Ruffian on the Stair in 1961. He poured out new works over the next two years. Loot and Entertaining Mr. Sloane were staged, with Sloane transferring to the West End within a month. It was performed in NY, Spain, Israel and Australia, as well as being made into a film and a television play. Orton's career was cut short when he was furiously beaten to death with a hammer by Halliwell, who immediately afterward committed suicide. The film, Prick Up Your Year, is a very moving account of their tumultuous relationship. What the Butler Saw was not produced until several years after Orton's death in 1967.

H. PAUL MAZER (Set Design) is very pleased to be working with GableStage after a long hiatus from the theater, his first love. His most recent designs were When Cuba Opens Up and Death and the Maiden for GableStage in its previous incarnation as Florida Shakespeare Theatre. He spends most of his time as CEO and Staff Designer for Propmasters Miami, constructing scenery and properties for TV commercials TV shows for Univision and Telemundo networks, music videos for Nellie, Missy, Dave Matthews, Britney Spears, Floria Estefan, Ricky Martin and Celine Dion, among others. Paul has also don TV specials such as MTV Latino, The Latin Billboard Awards and the Source Awards. Before burying his head in his current business, Paul designed several seasons for the Coconut Grove Playhouse and served as Associate Professor of Theater Design at Florida International University. Prior to moving to Florida, Paul was Scientific Illustrator for the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, where he was honored to have his name appended to a species of microscopic ostracod. Paul's adventures on the West Coast include stints as Scenic Artist for the San Francisco opera and the San Francisco Ballet Company. He thanks his loving wife Gloria, and their wonderful daughter, Vanessa, for their enthusiastic support. Paul's last association with Joseph Adler was as designer for Dusa Fish Stas and Vi some 20 years ago. He hopes to reduce the time between collaborations in the future.

TRAVIS NEFF (Lighting Design) returns to GableStage since his last production of Citizen Tom Paine. He is the Resident Lighting Designer for New Theatre, where he has designed the last three seasons, including the world premiere of Nilo Cruz' Pulitzer Prize winning play, Anna in the Tropics and Tom Walker (2002 Curtain Up Award). Travis received the 2002 Carbonell Award for his design of Portrait with Mad Cat Productions at The Light Box Studio, where he also designs the annual Here & Now Festival of new works by local artists. Travis tours as Lighting Designer for Helena Thevenot's international Butoh dance work (California, Nicaragua, Oklahoma) and Momentum Dance Company throughout Florida and the Bahamas.

MICHAEL J. HOFFMANN (Music/Sound Design) is an award-winning composer, arranger and producer with over 30 years experience in South Florida. His score for the documentary film, Heroes Hispanos, garnered an Emmy nod. He has also won numerous Clios, Addies and other industry awards. Originally from Philadelphia and New York, Hoffmann's composing talent ranges from classical orchestration to jazz fusion to whatever you can think of. He has designed and written music for GableStage productions, most recently for The Diary of Anne Frank (Carbonell nomination) and Edward Albee's The Goat. Michael owns MH Productions, Inc., a post-production recording studio in Fort Lauderdale.

ESTELA VRANCOVICH (Costume Design) originally hails from Argentina where she had her own design studio specializing in costuming for international tango dancers and children's and independent theaters. Her career included designing for theater, ballet, opera, film and television. She designed costumes for Naria at Actors' Playhouse for Young Audiences, which was chosen to be displayed at the Kennedy Center as part of the International Children's Theatre Festival. As resident designer for the Hollywood Playhouse, she designed Pump Boys and Dinettes, Man of La Mancha (Carbonell nomination) and Ruthless (Carbonell nomination). She also designed Songs of Paradise, The Countess (Carbonell nomination), Fortune's Fool and Heartbeats for Caldwell Theatre Company.

OSVALDO PALACIOS (Technical Director) is in his sixth season at GableStage. He began his career in Buenos Aires where he acted as director, dancer and choreographer. In S. Florida, he continued his active career in film television and theater, working for The Hispanic Theater League, Area Stage, FLA/BRA, Lenny Miller Productions, Channel 23, Inter-national Hispanic Theater Festival and La Salle High School as stage manager, technical director, coordinator and teacher.

MICHELLE S. WARGACKI (Stage Manager) returns to GableStage for her third production after this summer's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune and The Goat. Michelle made her Florida debut with Pageant at the Cuillo Centre for the Arts in West Palm Beach. She stage managed during the past four seasons in her native NJ regional circuit, where she contributed to more than 20 productions. Favorites include: The Women, Still Life, How I Learned to Drive, The All Night Strut, Uncommon Women and Others, Sylvia, I Ought to Be in Pictures, Below the Belt and the NJ Premier of The Smell of the Kill. She also served as the Director of Education for the NJ Women's Theatre Company and worked extensively as a Teaching Artist in NJ and NYC, including work with the nationally recognized Write on the Edge residency program at Manhattan Theatre Club in NYC. Michelle is a graduate of New York University.

CLAIRE SAVITT (Props) loves "the hunt". As prop mistress for Gablestage, she has worked on a number of plays, including A Lesson Before Dying, James Joyce's The Dead, Dirty Blonde, The Shape of Things, Nixon's Nixon, The Diary of Anne Frank and The Goat. A former folk art gallery owner, Claire resides in Coconut Grove with her husband.