This comedy is a Tony Award best play winner. Meet Midge and Nat, two old codgers who meet in the park daily. Midge is an African-American janitor, hiding from his tenants who want him to retire; Nat is a Jewish old time radical, hiding from irrelevance by spinning fantasies and fighting injustice both real and imagined. Their cantankerous relationship is the stuff of pure comic genius.
“Rambunctiously funny.” – N.Y. Post
"If you go to one play this season it has to be Scripps Ranch Theatre’s I’m Not Rappaport. This is the best play I’ve seen in several years... Nat (Charlie Riendeau) and Midge (Antonio “TJ” Johnson) are the most cantankerous characters you’ll meet. For the next couple of hours they not only own the stage, they own the hearts and minds of the audience. ..this is the best show of this season, last season, and, probably, the season before that. Do not miss it.
I’m Not Rappaport - the absolute best of the best"
- Hitch, San Diego Theatre Scene
"...thanks to an excellent production at Scripps Ranch Theatre, his (Gardner's) words and attitudes get an ideal airing. Charlie Riendeau is wonderful as Nat. He’s light, glib, fanciful, often uproarious — and riddled with guilt and shame. A Don Quixote for our age. As Midge, Antonio “TJ” Johnson is a little less self-consciously comical, but no less amusing and entertaining. They’re backed up by an impressive supporting ensemble. The set (Amy Gilbert Reams) is one of the best yet at SRT.
THE BOTTOM LINE: BEST BET"
- Pat Launer, San Diego News Network
"Riendeau and Johnson have the kind of chemistry that makes you wonder why they’ve never worked together. Riendeau’s irascible old liberal idealist plays right into Johnson’s earthbound working stiff; both (but Johnson in particular) make acting look natural, even easy."
- Jean Lowerison, Gay & Lesbian Times
"Scripps Ranch Theatre shows its chops with ‘I'm Not Rappaport’. ...Reams' set evokes Central Park with a great sense of texture, boosting the play's sense of place immensely, and Lisa Burgess' costumes capture the early-1980s period with flair."
- James Hebert, San Diego Union Tribune
Click here for press release
l-r: Charlie Reindeau (Nat) and Antonio "TJ" Johnson (Midge)
| Director: Robert May |
Nat: Charlie Riendeau |
| Producers: Allan Salkin and Danielle DeCarlo |
Midge: Antonio "T.J." Johnson |
| Asst. Dir./Stage Mgr.: Ruth Carlson |
Danforth: Max Macke |
| Set Design: Amy Reams |
Laurie: Catherine Dupont |
| Lighting Design: Mitchell Simkovsky |
Gilley: Dylan Chouinard |
| Sound Design:Jason Connors |
Clara: Julie Anderson Sachs |
| Costume Design: Lisa Burgess |
The Cowboy: Reed Willard |
| Props Manager: Andy Estep |
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| Set Construction Mgr: Ted Crittenden |
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(Director) is pleased once again to be involved with SRT. Back in the mid-1990’s he performed in Sleuth and Goodbye, Charlie. More recently he designed the sound for Blithe Spirit and The Last Night of Ballyhoo. Directing credits include the Patté Award-winning A Prayer For My Daughter and the Billie Award-winning Pinter duo, Ashes to Ashes and The Lover, both at 6th@Penn Theatre. He also helmed the critically acclaimed An Experiment with an Air Pump for Backyard Productions, and has directed multiple shows for the now-defunct but much loved and missed Fritz Blitz festivals. Robert earned an MFA from the University of Arizona and a BA from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.
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(Co-producer) Long an SRT Board member, Allan has been Producing Director at SRT for the past two seasons. An authentic “Jersey boy” with extensive credits in central NJ prior to moving to Scripps Ranch in 1995, including McCarter Theatre (NJ equivalent of The Old Globe), Allan also can be seen (briefly) in such films as Wall Street and Big. Favorite stage roles include SRT’s Killjoy (Victor); Talley’s Folly (Matt); Fiddler On the Roof (Tevye); A Thousand Clowns (Murray); …Forum (Pseudolus); The Odd Couple (Oscar); and Kiss Me, Kate (1st Gangster). He also has been privileged to be cast often opposite his wife, Marty.
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(Co-producer) is proud to be producing her first show for SRT. Dani is more often an actress and was in SRT's Lion in Winter, where she met her future husband! Favorite local roles include Shelby, Steel Magnolias and Sherlock Holmes, The Sign of the Four for OnStage Playhouse; Heidi, The Heidi Chronicles for PowPAC; and Edna Louise (when she was 7 months pregnant) in Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean for Compass Theatre. She is also the new Audition Coordinator for SRT. Thank you to John and Dyllan - "I love you".
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(Asst. Dir./Stage Manager) Ruth Carlson is delighted to be back at SRT after stage managing I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, and producing The Dining Room last season. Having moved to San Diego about two years ago from Northern MN, she feels blessed to have found a place at SRT. Also an actor, Ruth has performed in Grease, Working: The Musical, Quilters, The Seagull, Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet, and Richard III to name a few. She is truly enjoying the back stage world of stage management and looks forward to exploring it further. She thanks her friends, family, and Adam for all of their love and support.
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(Clara) was last seen at SRT in Murder in Green Meadows alongside the love of her life, Jonathan. Favorite stage credits include Mae in Mud and Corday in Marat/Sade, for ion Theatre, Maxine in Tongue of a Bird and Ellen in Two Rooms, for Stone Soup Theatre, Joan in The Guys for Black Rabbit Theatre, The Exonerated for Lynx Performance Theatre and Claudia Faith in Nuts at Patio Playhouse. Although Julie hasn’t been on stage in over a year, she has a constant audience in her beautiful two year old daughter, Payton. Special thanks to Robert, Dani and SRT!
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(Gilley) has been involved in the theatre his entire life. He's mostly done high school productions, so he's getting his first few tastes of the professional world, and loves it. He regularly attends acting class, where he sharpens his skills and falls in love with acting over and over again. When he's not on stage, he's still constantly immersed in art. But he prefers being on stage.
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(Laurie) is a recent 2009 graduate of Point Loma Nazarene University's Theatre program, and she is thrilled to be involved with her first show at SRT. Through her years at the university and studying theatre in London, she gained experience in the practices of directing, stage managing, acting, and movement. Her most recent productions at PLNU were The Maids, The Tempest, and Urinetown: The Musical. Since graduating in May, she has finished a second production of Urinetown with Arts Off Broadway, assistant directed Fuddy Meers at the Point Loma Actors Theatre, and is currently directing the opera, Dido and Aeneas at PLNU.
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(Midge) A 28 year San Diego Actor , Singer ,Songwriter,Director Producer first directed Fences for Scripps in 2001. Rappaport is his acting debut here. Antonio"s last project was The Fantastick's at Lambs Coronado and he will be opening at Cygnet in Piano Lesson in January of 2010. Antonio has his own theatre group The Vagabond Theatre Project of Ocean Beach www.joutofjob.com that will be producing a unique and exciting Christmas Carol on the streets of O B. A lover of actors acting and the live audience Antonio considers this a special show and a premonition.
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(Danforth) was last seen at Scripps Ranch Theater in The Dining Room and in Play it Again Sam as Bogey. Max has appeared in a dozen Shakespeare plays with San Diego's own Poor Players. Some of his favorite roles with them include Falstaff in Henry IV and Merry Wives of Windsor, Claudius in Hamlet, Mercucio in Romeo and Juliet, and Eunobarbus in Anthony and Cleopatra. He also appeared at the Broadway Theater in Vista as Leo in Leading Ladies. Max would like to thank his parents and his darling Amanda for their love and support.
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(Nat) was in Lynx Theatre’s Emily Dickinson in New York in June as well as the San Diego production. Previous SRT appearances include The Lion in Winter and Arsenic and Old Lace, while he directed All This and Moonlight, Red Herring, and The O’Conner Girls. Other major performances have been at Moonlight at the Avo; New Village Arts; the Broadway in Vista; and eight productions at North Coast Rep. Charlie also has directed for Carlsbad Playreaders, appeared in readings on many San Diego stages, has performed in England with Reader’s Theatre International, and is a member of the board of the San Diego Shakespeare Society.
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(The Cowboy) a Virginia native, graduated from James Madison University in 2006 with a B.A. in Communications and a minor in Theater. Reed moved to San Diego in 2007 and has since acted in several local theater productions, including The Star-Spangled Girl (The Real Theater), Psychopathia Sexualis (Compass Theatre), Twisting the Cat (New Perspective Festival), and Away from the Past (San Diego Therapist Convention on Sexual Abuse and Trauma). He was last seen as Steve Culverhouse in InnerMission’s production of The Glory of Living. Reed is very excited to be a part of this production and to be working with such a talented cast.
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Getting the "I'm Not Rappaport" set ready
"Designing for an outdoor play is always a challenge, as there aren't walls to end the space and hide the actors as they come and go. On the back wall we decided to project the character's blurry perceptions. 'I'm Not Rappaport' revolves around a bridge, a problem for our ten-foot-high space. Instead of a two-story bridge, we chose a shorter bridge, and then with the use of mirrors made the underneath space seem a little longer and more realistic. Putting the real trees on the periphery helped us create an even more realistic, natural feel while also giving us another 'hiding place.' The set took almost two months to build under the supervision of the talented Ted Crittenden and with the help of our wonderful volunteers." - Amy Gilbert Reams (Set Design)
"The set (Amy Gilbert Reams) is one of the best yet at SRT. "
- Pat Launer, San Diego News Network
"Reams' set evokes Central Park with a great sense of texture..."
- James Hebert, San Diego Union Tribune
Amy Gilbert Reams (Set Design) is delighted to be designing at the Scripps Ranch Theater for the first time. Amy has a degree in technical theater from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and while in New York she worked for NBC’s Today Show and assisted on the design for Broadway’s Little Women. Recently, she designed the critically acclaimed set for Diversionary Theater’s production of Facing East.
Lisa Burgess (Costume Designer) worked as the sound and light technician for Onstage Playhouse's Production of Birthday Suite, 2005 for which she was awarded 2005-2006 Season Best Technician Award. Lisa performed the role of Gretal in the San Diego Opera Company's 1979 production of the operetta Hansel and Gretel. Since then she has been sewing custom pieces and costumes for family, friends and clients. Theater costume design, prosthetics and wig work includes work for: Compass Theatre: December 2008 A Tuna Christmas, March-April 2009, Killer Joe, June 2009 A Bad Night in A Restroom Off Sunset Blvd., and Ariel Performing Arts: April-May 2009 Zanna Don't! (Assistant Costume Design and seamstress).
l-r: Antonio "TJ" Johnson (Midge), Max Macke (Danforth) and Charlie Reindeau (Nat)
All performances are held in the theater on the campus of Alliant International University (formerly United States International University) at 10455 Pomerado Road in Scripps Ranch, one-half mile east of the I-15/Miramar-Pomerado Road exit. Click here for map & directions.
Performances: Friday and Saturday nights at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm.
For more information and reservations, check the Website or call 858-578-7728.
Scripps Ranch Theatre encourages patrons to make reservations early as performances sell out quickly. |
