FAC Program

Director's Note

The opportunity to co-direct Significant Other with Mary Trotter was presented to me this past summer and I was eager to accept it without a second thought. I had not yet known the whirlwind of lessons I’d learn about collaboration, process, and personal growth. Jordan Berman is a gay, Jewish man living in New York City with his three girlfriends in their late 20s. This show asks us to consider essential questions that inform how we show up in every form of love we encounter. We can all see a bit of ourselves in the admirable journey of Jordan Berman.

Human connection is known to lengthen life and create a sense of belonging. One of life’s challenges is finding a beloved or in the case of the show, your bashert, which is a Yiddish word for destiny, similar to the term soulmate. The play questions if that’s the truest meaning of life. Can one’s life not be complete without a partner? I’ve come to believe that our lives are made whole through the integration of love in all its forms, especialy from self. But do not let me influence your thinking.

This show has expanded my thinking, it’s made me experience a mosaic of emotions. It’s helped me embrace each and every part of my identity. I can own all my queerness, I can accept my obsessive tendencies, and I can lean into the occasional existentialism that comes with the territory of growing up. Even if you do not share similar identities to Jordan, I believe there is still profound value in witnessing his journey. Trotter, myself, and the actors prioritized honoring identity while allowing personal experience to bleed into our connection to the work because “love bleeds.” These are the words of our playwright, Joshua Harmon given in a note. We crafted this somewhat abstract play on that foundation. Jordan’s life events flow one into another, often without a full stop.

Love, oh how it hurts sometimes, but can also fill us with great joy and bring depth to our lives. Jordan’s journey with love is no failure. It’s a search for love, but not just of a partner, of himself. An important consideration is that everyone’s path to love happens differently. We are all on our own journey. How love and relationships play into that journey is different for us all. This is what Jordan struggles to understand.

Please enjoy Viterbo University’s production of Significant Other. If you’ve experienced hardship in your journey to love, contemplate Helene’s advice; “It’s a long book. You’re in a tough chapter. And you don’t know when this chapter will end and the next one will start. But the book is long. It’s a long book.” Be kind in your path to letting love find you.

Yassie Bonner
Co-director, alongside Mary Trotter

Special Thanks

Shaun Sperling
Rabbi Brian and Congregation Sons of Abraham
Noffke Sign
Dillon McArdle

Biographies

Cast

KIKI

Amber Arevalo

is a music theatre major and dance minor from Fort Lauderdale and Monterrey, Mexico. Her Viterbo credits are Chris understudy in CARRIE: The Musical, Jo in The Pajama Game, and ensemble in The Night Children. She is also a dancer on the Viterbo dance team. Over the summer, she played Nina in In the Heights at Summer Stock Austin. Arevalo would like to thank her family and friends for their love and support. @amberarevalo

ZACH/EVAN/ROGER

Logan Bailey

is a senior acting major from Cleveland. Viterbo performance credits include Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, Elephant’s Graveyard, and Lysistrata. He has performed professionally with Dorney Park, Valleyfair, Rubber City Theatre, and Cleveland Shakespeare Festival. Bailey thanks his family and friends for their support and love. @logan_bailey_

LAURA

Kjersten Danzig

is a junior music theatre major with minors in arts administration and dance from Salt Lake City. Past Viterbo credits include understudy in Lysistrata and a roustabout puppeteer in The Elephant Speaks Jazz. Danzig would like to thank her family and friends for their endless support and love. @kjerstendanzig

LAURA/KIKI/VANESSA UNDERSTUDY

Bailey Millimaki

is a sophomore theatre major and dance minor from Kenosha. She has most recently been seen performing at Viterbo with the Platinum Edition show choir. She wants to thank her family for being the most amazing support system and the wonderful production team for giving her this opportunity. Philippians 4:13. Enjoy the Show! @baileyy.katee

HELENE

Jean Saladino

is professor emeritus of the Viterbo music department where she taught voice and choral ensembles until her retirement in 2016. In addition to her teaching career, she has performed professionally in opera and oratorio. She is delighted to be a part of this talented ensemble.

WILL/TONY/CONRAD; JORDAN BERMAN UNDERSTUDY

Zach Sullivan

is a sophomore music theatre major and dance minor from Excelsior, Minn. He has previously been seen in CARRIE: The Musical as a swing. He would like to thank his friends and family for their unconditional support. Love you Mom and Dad! @zachthsullivan

JORDAN BERMAN

Joshua Terrones

is a junior music theatre major with minors in dance and arts administration from Tulsa, Okla. Past credits include Forever Plaid (Sparky), Lysistrata, CARRIE: The Musical (Billy), and Next to Normal (Henry). He'd like to thank the McDonald’s on Losey Blvd for their emotional support. @joshuaterrones

VANESSA

Mariana Villanueva

is a junior music theatre major with minors in dance and arts administration from San Antonio. Some past Viterbo credits include soloist in the cabaret Why Love?, Myrhinne understudy in Lysistrata, and Helen in CARRIE: The Musical. Most recently, over the summer she played Camila in Summer Stock Austin’s production of In the Heights. She is also a member of the Platinum Edition show choir, on the board for the Student Theatre Project, and secretary of Viterbo Film Studios. She would like to thank her friends and family for their endless support. Enjoy the show! @marianaadele1

Biographies

Production Team

DIRECTOR

Yassie Bonner

is a third-year music theatre major from Austin, Texas with a minor in dance. She's been previously seen in Everybody as a Somebody and in Platinum Edition’s Celebration 2022. She would like to thank her family for their endless support and love. @yassiekiara

DIRECTOR, INTIMACY DIRECTOR

Mary Trotter

is an actor, director, and intimacy choreographer. She joined Viterbo as an adjunct faculty this fall and has taught acting, directing, voice, and movement at Washington State University and the University of Central Missouri. Professional credits span the pacific northwest, Chicago, and New York City. In addition to receiving her BA from Bradley University and MFA from the University of Idaho, she has extensive training with Patsy Rodenburg and Theatrical Intimacy Education. Trotter is a certified NIA instructor and an active participant in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, she has served as the Irene Ryan Coordinator for Region VII for five years and Associate Coordinator with Region V for four years. Additionally, Trotter has produced and directed theatre outreach programs such as Las Memorias and The Performance Project, focused on defining and sharing individual stories of participants. She is a founding member of Connections Theatre Company.

STAGE MANAGER

Sophie La Fave

is a sophomore music theatre major with a music minor from the Twin Cities. She has been seen at Viterbo as a swing in CARRIE: The Musical. She is also in the Platinum Edition show choir and loves creating art in many other facets. They are thankful for the community and artistry in the conservatory. @sophlafave

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

Halle Utterback

is a sophomore music theatre major with a dance minor from Austin, Texas. Previously at Viterbo, she was a female swing in CARRIE: The Musical and a member of Diamond Edition show choir. This year, she is a member of Platinum Edition show choir, is an SGA sophomore senator, and is on the honors leadership board. She was thrilled to be assistant choreographer/dance captain of Footloose. She would like to thank her family and friends for traveling from Texas (and all over) to support her. Besos, y’all! @halle.cate

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Chad Kolbe

is an associate professor of theatre at Viterbo focusing on design and technology. He teaches courses such as stage craft, principles of design, theatre practicum and stage lighting. He also serves as technical director, and on occasion lighting designer for the theatre and music theatre department. Before Viterbo, Kolbe taught for two years at The University of Northern Iowa, and before that served as head rigger at Des Moines Metro Opera and technical director at The Texas Shakespeare Festival. He enjoys time with family, cooking good food, and being outside exploring all that La Crosse and the surrounding areas have to offer.

LIGHTING, SOUND, AND SCENIC DESIGNER

Benjamin Gonzales

teaches in the areas of theatre history and literature at Viterbo. He recently earned an MFA in theatre arts (focused on dramatic writing) from the University of Idaho. Gonzales also earned a master's in teaching and bachelor of arts in theatre arts and drama from Washington State University. Gonzales currently serves as the national vice-chair of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival's (KCACTF) National Playwriting Program (NPP) and has previously served as the representation, equity, and diversity (RED) coordinator. Professionally, Gonzales is a theatre generalist with experience in lighting design, set design, sound design, technical direction, production management, direction, as well as playwriting.

SOUND DESIGNER

Jake Aune

is a sophomore music theatre major from Elk River, Minn. Past Viterbo credits include Stokes in CARRIE: The Musical and Bickle in Footloose. He would like to thank his friends and family for the continuous love and support. @jakeaune00

MASTER ELECTRICIAN

Jason Underferth

has been a lighting designer in the Midwest region for more than 20 years. Most recently, he has spent the last 10 years as the production manager and lighting design lecturer at Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minn., where he has designed more than 40 shows. Favorite designs include Man of La Mancha and Enchanted April, both at The Commonweal Theatre Company. He is excited to join Viterbo this year as the Conservatory for the Performing Arts’ production coordinator.

COSTUME DESIGNER

Will Handrick

is a sophomore theatre major focusing on stage management from Minocqua. Past credits at Viterbo include props build for The Pajama Game, stage manager for Speed Dating Tonight! and Measure for Measure, and hair/makeup designer for Footloose. He is ecstatic to continue designing and producing shows at Viterbo and in the future. Handrick would like to extend love and a huge thank you to his family and friends Shea and McKenzie for their unending support! @willixmh_

HAIR AND MAKEUP DESIGNER

Anna Martinson

is a junior theatre major from Mahtomedi, Minn. Their Viterbo credits include Everybody and Elephant's Graveyard. She has also been seen as Wayna Hopkins in the Student Theatre Project’s production of Puffs and in the ensemble of Heathers at Ashland Productions. They would like to thank their family and friends for the continued love and support. Enjoy! @anna_martinson75

PROPERTIES DESIGN MASTER

Jessica Rigdon

is the properties shop supervisor at Viterbo. This is her second season with the Conservatory for the Performing Arts and she is very excited to continue working with students and faculty. She earned a BS in technical theatre from Northwest Missouri State University and an MFA in costume design from Southern Illinois University. This past summer she served as the costume shop manager at the Des Moines Metro Opera and will be returning to work with them again for the summer season in 2023.

Information For Our Patrons

Viterbo Fine Arts Center
900 Viterbo Drive
La Crosse, WI 54601
608-796-3100 | boxoffice@viterbo.edu
www.viterbo.edu/fac

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