Show 2 “Crimes of the Heart”
A Comedy/Drama by Beth Henley

This Pulitizer Prize winning play is set in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, where the Magrath sisters have gathered to await news of their grandfather who is living out his last hours at a hospital. Lenny, the oldest sister at 30, is unmarried and facing diminishing prospects; Meg, the middle sister who outgrew Hazlehurst, is back after a failed singing career on the West Coast; while Babe, the youngest, is out on bail after shooting her husband. Their troubles, alternately grave and ridiculous, are highlighted by their priggish cousin Chick, and the awkward lawyer who is falling in love with Babe while preparing her defense. The play is the story of three sisters escaping the past to seize the future, unfolding in a heartfelt and hilarious manner.

January 5, 12, 18 and 19, 2008
Benefit Performance: January 11, 2008

  

Cast and Production Members

The Cast	The Production/Crew
Faith Dowgin as Lennie	Fred Cuozzo     Director
Lynn Langone as Meg	Naomi Yablonsky     Producer
Syndi Szabo as Babe	Barbara Ruban     Stage Manager
Liz Azukas as Chick	Bob Murray    Lighting Design
Albert Contursi as Barnett	Jessica Foerst    Lighting/Sound
John Schweska as Doc	Joanne Lemenille    Properties
	Desiree Ewankov    Properties
	Anna MacNiven    Costumes
	Bill McMeekan    Stage Design
	Gordon Wiener    Sound Design
	JoAnne Lemenille    Set Painting     Jessica Foerst          Set Painting     Barbara Ruban        Set Painting     Kay Macrae             Set Painting

Special Thanks
A very special thank you goes to:

• Jay Tayback --- Economy Kitchens of Rahway for the sink
• Andy Coukos --- Royal Kitchens of Califon for the cabinets
• Copiah County Courier --- for the newspapers

BIOGRAPHIES
The Cast
LIZ AZUKAS	(Chick Boyle) Liz is thrilled to be making her debut at the Westfield Community Players. Other favorite roles include Susie in Wit, and Gina and Norma in Flowers for Algernon. Liz would like to thank her husband Bill and her son Alex for their support.
AL CONTURSI	(Barnette Lloyd) Al is very happy to be making his debut at Westfield Community Players as Barnette Lloyd. Other favorite local theatre credits include A Few Good Men, The Skin of Our Teeth, Taming of the Shrew, Art, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Miracle Worker, Angel Street, Death of a Salesman, The Lion in Winter and The Grapes of Wrath. Thanks to Fred, the crew and everyone at Westfield. Thanks to a talented and fun cast. Thanks to my family and friends for their constant love and support.
FAITH DOWGIN	(Lenny Magrath) Faith is very happy to be back on WCP's stage with friends old and new. She last appeared on stage here in the early 90's as Grazia in Death Takes a Holiday and Agnes in Agnes of God. Roles at other area theaters include Catherine in The Heiress, Sylvia in Sylvia, and Bella in Lost in Yonkers. In "real life", Faith is a stay-at-home mom to an active toddler, and an instructor at a local scrapbook store. She thanks her family for their support, especially Caden for letting Mommy out to "play".
LYNN LANGONE	(Meg Magrath) Massage Therapist and mommy by day…this Kentucky ham is happy to be performing again with the Westfield Community Players! Lynn was last seen on the Circle Repertory Players stage as Agnetha in Frozen, Perfect Love in Arabian Nights and Sabina in The Skin of our Teeth. Other recent roles include Vikki in Noises Off at CDC, Birdie in The Little Foxes at WCP, and Rita in Educating Rita at The Villagers Theatre (where she was awarded the 2005 New Jersey Perry Award for Best Actress). Other favorite roles include: Angela Forrester in Murder Among Friends, Lyssa Dent Hughes in An American Daughter, Sister Women in Cat on A Hot Tin Roof (awarded the 2002 Perry Award for Best Featured Actress), among many others. Lynn earned a BFA in Theatre at Stephens College and spent ten years doing "the theatre thing" in NYC before discovering domestic bliss. She lives in Cranford and has her own Massage Therapy business. A big thanks to Fred & the cast & crew for making this experience a memorable one! Mega kisses to Julia and Luke for letting Mommy have her playtime!!
JJOHN SCHWESKA	(Doc Porter) John began singing in first grade and did variety shows in Miami Beach, later modeling for varied "tawdry" magazines, and Yamaha Motorcycles. Oh my!! He is very proud to have sung in cabaret styled shows-NYC for over ten years with amazing musical director, Andrew Cooke. He was recently seen at WCP last spring in Rumors as Ken. John enjoyed roles as Jesus in Godspell, Tinman in The Wizard of Oz, Alfred in Romance Romance, El Gallo in The Fantastiks, Greg in Sylvia and Max in Lend Me a Tenor. He is glad to work with such a talented cast in "Crimes". Bravo to our director-Fred!
SYNDI SZABO	(Babe Botrelle) This is Syndi's second appearance here at Westfield. Her previous role was Bella Manningham in Angel Street, for which she received her very first Perry nomination for Lead Actress In A Play. Some of her favorite past roles were, Mindy in Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, Susie Hendrix in Wait Until Dark, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing and Kate Keller in The Miracle Worker. Most recently Syndi was seen in The Vagina Monologues. Love and kisses to her husband Mark and their two kitty-cats, Ringo & Nibbles. HAIL ANTS!

Production Staff
FRED CUOZZO	(Director) recently directed Circle Player's production of Frozen. He has also directed Sylvia at Act IV in Plainfield, and How We Reached an Impasse on Nuclear Energy as part of Circle Players' one-act festival. Fred's appearances on the WCP stage include Peter Hoskins in Prelude to a Kiss and Morrow McCarthy in American Daughter. Other favorite roles include Homer Bolton in Mornings at 7, Franklin MacMillan in Nuts, Marco in A View from the Bridge, Captain Crouch in Slyfox and Harry Bagley/Martin in Cloud 9. Fred would like to thank the wonderful and cast and crew of Crimes of the Heart.
NAOMI YABLONSKY	(Producer) a member of 20 years has directed, acted and produced at WCP In addition to Crimes of the Heart, she produced Nunsense. Naomi has directed Jake's Women, California Suite, Lend Me a Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo, An American Daughter, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and There Goes the Bride. Her acting credits include Noises Off, Broad Bound, Rumors, Romeo and Juliet, Breath of Spring, and the Cemetery Club at WCP and Cranford Dramatic Club. She is delighted to be working with Fred Cuozzo and an excellent cast and crew.
BARBARA RUBAN	(Stage Manager) has been working with Westfield Community Players for 7 years. She has been property master on many shows, including Angel Street for which she was nominated for a Perry Award. She has also done set designing and decoration and appeared in American Daughter and The Best Man. Barbara also wrote and directed two original plays which were performed at WCP and most recently in Chatham's New Jersey Voices Festival. "Thanks to Westfield Community Players for the opportunity to explore my creative side and to my children and grandchildren for their support and love."
BOB MURRAY	(Lighting Designer) is designing lights for all of our productions this season. He is a veteran lighting designer, technical director, and stage technician (I.A.T.S.E.) His professional credits include The Newark Symphony Hall Summer Festival, George Street Theater, Crossroads Theater, and Paper Mill Playhouse. He has also been affiliated with the Bickford Theater and other N.J. Theaters. Most recently, Bob has worked on The Heiress for Stony Hill Players and Over the River Through the Woods with Act IV Productions.
JoAnne Lemenille	(Properties Mistress) Although JoAnne is backstage on this production, she did grace WCP's stage in The Cemetery Club starring as Mildred. She has alway been involved in theatre since she was a child back in Union with the Teen Stagers. She has also appeared as Polly in The Boyfriend, Anna in New Girl in Town; Eleanor in Second Time Around (for Regal Productions), and Peggy in Front Page. Besides doing props, she has worked on Scenery and Set Design. Her favorite role was Eleanor in Second Time Around because it gave her the chance to play her husband, Steve's, snobbish and self-centered wife. JoAnne is a retired teacher of music from the Clark School system where she was the vocal, instrumental and music theory teacher for over twenty years for which she directed and musical directed the plays for Kumpf School. "I make bead flowers - an old French art of using glass beads." Special thanks to my husband Steve and JoAnn Scanlon for giving me the chance to rekindle my love for the stage, and thanks to a wonderful cast and fabulous crew."
Jessica Foerst	(Sound/Lights/Playbill)
Desiree Ewankov	(Make-Up/Properties)
Anna McNiven	(Costumes)

All Dates subject to change

Funding has been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, through a grant administered by the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs