WORLD PREMIERE
COLLECTING MYSELF
Book & Lyrics by Paula Jayne Friedland
Music by Paula Jayne Friedland, Thorald and Isaac Koren, and Aldo Allgoode
Director Nicolette Vajtay
Stage Manager/ Sound Design Darren Smith
Light Design Adam Kuhn
Sound Board Mixe Alexander Palmer
CAST
Paula Jayne Friedland Aldo Allgoode on Piano
SONG LIST: All lyrics written by Paula Jayne Friedland
Purpose Song – music trad (“Froggy went a-Courtin’”)
Pioneer – music by Paula Jayne Friedland, Thorald & Isaac Koren
The Band is out of Step – music by Paula Jayne Friedland, Thorald & Isaac Koren
Open to Love – music by Paula Jayne Friedland, Thorald & Isaac Koren
Battle Scars - music by Paula Jayne Friedland, Thorald & Isaac Koren
The Aging Lament - music by Paula Jayne Friedland
Time Makes a Woman – music by Paula Jayne Friedland, Thorald & Isaac Koren
The Rise of the Woman – music by Aldo Allgoode (Now on Spotify and Apple Music)
Purpose Song reprise – music trad (“Froggy went a-Courtin’”)
STAFF
Producing Artistic Director Susan Lyles
Tech Director/Designer Darren Smith
Associate Artistic Director (Queer Series) Madison Kuebler
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President Madison Kuebler
Vice President Darren Smith
Secretary Michelle Otañez
Treasurer Susan Lyles
And Toto too Theatre Company is looking to expand its Board of Directors. If you have experience in non- profit boards or have a skill that will help the company take the next big step in its evolution expanding our programming. Please contact Susan Lyles at 720-280-7058 or susanlyles@andtototoo.org
NOTE FROM PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER
CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF NEW WORKS BY WOMEN PLAYWRIGHTS, AND STILL FIERCELY INDEPENDENT
I started And Toto too after my second child was born in 2005, with our first rehearsals starting when he was just 5 weeks old. My oldest was 3 and helped carry and set props. The intent was to be in control of my creativity and still be able to spend time with my kids on my schedule and theirs within the niche of focusing on women playwrights.
We started producing one show a year for the first 5 years in rep with the now-retired Denver Victorian Playhouse. As the kids got older we added The Annual Play Crawl and began the reading and workshop series. It was a purposeful choice to not invest in a permanent home so that we were not forced to “Produce or Perish” by doing 5 or more shows a season and having to rely on already well know playwrights and plays, so we have moved from space to space over the last 20 years.
From The Vic, the theatre moved to The Laundry on Lawrence (home of The Lida Project at the time, and now home to a law firm), to The Aurora Fox Studio space, to the small stage at Vintage Theatre, to the dance Studio at the Champa building through Denver Arts and Venues (where we hauled all of our equipment downtown and converted the space into a black box for every show), to our current location at The Roaming Gnome.
From our Main Stage Reading Series, to The Queer Reading Series, and The Play Crawl (which happens every summer and is our only fundraiser for the year) And Toto too has had a great relationship with local businesses across the metro, from South Broadway, to The Tennyson Arts District, to Olde Town Arvada.
Over the last 20 years we have brought the voices of women playwrights to Denver audiences, producing more than 125 world premiere micro plays, 11 world premiere plays, 12 Regional premiere plays, 1 European premiere (Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scotland), 1 Canadian premiere (Edmonton Theatre Fringe Festival), 4 workshops with 1 leading to a main stage production, and dozens of staged readings including our newest special project featuring voices from the LGBTQIA+ community: “The Queer Reading Series”. We are proud to have featured the works of 22 Colorado women playwrights, and hundreds of actors, designers and directors.
We could not have lasted this long without the support of our individual donors and you the audience.
While the future of live theatre remains precarious due to rising costs and limited affordable performance spaces, all of us at And Toto too are looking forward to continuing the joys and challenges of staying true to our mission:
Supporting women playwrights and artists.
Susan Lyles
PLAYWRIGHT NOTES-Paula Jayne Friedland
Collecting Myself is a deeply personal and ambitious project, born from a 4 ½ year journey. A decade ago, I created the show, Aging the Musical, but used other people’s songs to punctuate the points. But I always dreamed of crafting a show that was entirely my own—one that expressed the ideas I find most important through my own words and music. During the early pandemic, through a program called, The Songwriters Journey, I discovered a gift for lyric writing. With the founders of that program, Thorald and Isaac Koren, I co-wrote five songs. I then collaborated with Aldo Allgoode (my pianist extraordinaire) on an additional song; and I wrote two on my own. These songs became the foundation for a show that explores purpose—something that i have found a lot of people struggle with. What I have come to know is that purpose is not a singular thing we do; but something that is revealed through our stories and experiences. “Our purpose comes from collection of everything we are”.
You, the audience, are the final piece of the puzzle. Thank you for allowing me to share my story with you. My hope is that in these songs and stories you find reflections of your own journey as well. I couldn’t have done this alone—I am deeply grateful to my family, my creative collaborators, and the village that has supported me along the way: Special thanks to Aldo Allgoode, Henrik Boes, Kate Emerich, Greg Friedland and Jeanne Salidar, Lannie Garrett, Rachael Jayne Groover, Thorald and Isaac Koren, Susan Lyles, Darren Smith, Paul Shinn, and Nicolette Vajtay (a writer/actor’s dream).
DIRECTORS NOTES-Nicolette Vajtay
In today’s world, luxury isn’t just about a nice home, fancy car, or extravagant vacations — it’s having the freedom to figure out what makes you come alive. While many of us still have our own versions of “chopping wood and carrying water,” we now have more time, opportunities, and resources than ever to step back and focus on what truly matters to us. If you look deep enough, you might realize that your purpose has been there all along, hidden under the weight of everyday needs and circumstances. If we slow down and take the time to turn inward, maybe we can reconnect with the things we love to do, and as the saying goes, we may never “work” a day in our lives.
Directing Collecting Myself and working with Paula allowed me to tap into my own purpose of sharing inspiring stories in an authentic and dynamic way. The rehearsal period was filled with hard work, but also joy, laughter, and a profound sense of fulfillment. Maybe this one woman's journey in finding her purpose will spark a new idea or inspire an exciting new path of your own, one that leads to more meaning, joy, and happiness. May discovering what makes you truly purr make your life journey even more delicious than it already is!
BIOS
PLAYWRIGHT/CAST
BOOK, LYRICS AND MUSIC
PAULA JAYNE FRIEDLAND - Paula earned her degree in music from CSU, and received her acting training at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where she spent 13 years working in professional theatre. She played Sheila in three European tours of the Broadway musical HAIR, and played leading roles in regional productions of A CHORUS LINE, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, HELLO DOLLY and SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM. After returning to Colorado, she co-wrote and performed three original Sondheim revues, ART ISN’T EASY; OUR TIME; and LOVE, MARRIAGE AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS. She received wide acclaim for her first one-woman show, AGING, THE MUSICAL, which she performed to sold out crowds at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret. Paula is also a licensed counselor and certified life coach and has had a successful private practice for 22 years. In addition, she teaches a transformative approach to getting over the fear of public speaking called, Soul Speaks, and has helped hundreds of people become more authentic, powerful speakers in all areas of life.
www.paulafriedland.com Www.SoulSpeaks.biz
DIRECTOR
NICOLETTE VAJTAY (She/Her) - After receiving her BFA from Montclair State University in New Jersey, Nicolette apprenticed at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, then pursued her graduate studies in Advanced Theatre Training for the Performing Arts at Harvard. She performed for decades and then had a stark realization: she loved the rehearsal process, the script analysis, the joy of discovering the motivations and intentions of the characters, how the blocking revealed just as much about the play as the dialogue, and the arduous technical rehearsals where everything came together into a beautiful story! However, she didn't enjoy the 60+ nights of performing the same show repeatedly. Often, after opening night, she felt "complete" and was ready for the next project. She began directing in 2003 and enjoys it immensely. She is also an award-winning playwright and novelist. nicolettevajtay.com
DESIGNER BIOS
SET/SOUND DESIGN
DARREN SMITH(He/Him) - Darren Smith serves as vice-president as well as technical director for And Toto too, he is responsible for the technical operations of the theater, determining technical staffing and equipment requirements for productions, and acts as the central coordinating point for the designers, the stage management team, the craftspeople, etc., throughout each production. With more than 30 years of experience both on-stage and in almost every capacity behind the scenes, he brings a wealth of ideas and best practices to And Toto too. He lives in Denver with his wife, and dog, and is also the co-founder of the leading B2B customer reference company Point of Reference.
LIGHT DESIGN
ADAM KUHN - Adam is currently the Technical Director at Roaming Gnome Theatre in Colorado. This position finds him designing and building sets as well as doing props and lighting with the kids of The Gnome. He received his degree in technical theatre from the University of Wisconsin, Madison many moons ago. After graduating he moved to New York City and worked in the lighting industry professionally for Vari*Lite Production Services. This position found him lighting just about anything from theatre, to television, film, concerts and lots of other things that didn’t want to be in the dark. Some notable productions include The Producers Film remake in 2005,The Opening and Closing ceremonies at the Athens Olympics in 2004, The 2002 Grammy Awards, countless episodes of Comedy Central Presents, national tours with Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks, Chris Isaak and John Mayer, as well as a host of other shows. Adam is happy to be back where it all began in a community theatre working with kids again and helping them learn what is possible, and lending his skills to visiting productions.
SOUND BOARD MIXER
ALEXANDER PALMER (He/Him) - Alexander Palmer has been working in Theater as an Audio Engineer for over a decade. First starting out with local black box theaters, Alex has cultivated a wealth of knowledge on everything from Sound Design to Mixing. His other work includes being a Recording Engineer at CCM Recording Studios where he records, edits, mixes and masters work for Music Production, Audiobooks and Voiceover. Previous clients include NPR, 20th Century Fox and Asics. Alex has also taught at the Colorado Film School, one of the top ten in the US for Film Production. His education includes Shenandoah University and the University of Colorado Denver. Alex brings all of these skills to bear in every production and loves every part of the process. Working with creatives to bring their work to the highest level of quality is what keeps him going.
OUR GENEROUS DONORS
Thank you to our donors who have for the last 20 years kept us up and running through this ever changing world and continue to support women in the arts
Susan Lyles & Darren Smith
Rebecah Ziegler, John Moore, Amy & Steve Ravel, Lorrin Dyer, Billie McBride, Paige Larson, Nina Miller, DeRonn Turner, William Gutshall, Johnny Lyles, Kate Poling, Gil Pennington, Michelle Otanez, Penny Cole,AmandaHoffman,
Ellen K. Graham,Paula Friedland, Elaine Germany,
Susy Hickey,Tracy Shaffer, Leslie Lewis. Julie Wolfe, Don Potratz, Carol Timblin,Mary Holt, Jeff Neuman, Susan LaHoda, Susan Motika, Rose Shoup, Diane Gilboa, Henry Hudson,Christopher Merrill, Amanda Berg-Wilson, Mary Campbell,
Mare Trevathan, Darius Fatemi, Bradley Haag, Helen Hand, Scott Gibson,John Donohoe, Margaret Middelraad, Wendy Kout, Phoebe Ateeyuh, Amie McKenzie, Anne Oberbroeckling, Susan Nicholson Barnes, Lisa Wagner Erickson, Kathleen Ross Ham, Esther Overman Varney, Bridgette & Hank Brumley
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We recognize that the land on which we reside is the traditional territory of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Peoples, and also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado. We recognize that Indigenous people have been displaced from their homelands and that U.S. public policy has been used to displace Indigenous communities, erode Tribal Nation sovereignty, and forcibly assimilate Native individuals into U.S. society. We must recognize Indigenous peoples as the original stewards of this land and as these words of acknowledgment are spoken and heard, remember the ties these nations still have to their traditional homelands. Let us acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this territory and pay our respect to the diverse Indigenous peoples still connected to this land. Let us also give thanks to all Tribal Nations and the ancestors of this place.
DIVERSITY STATEMENT
And Toto too believes in the dignity and the intrinsic worth of every human being. We welcome, affirm, and support people of all abilities and disabilities, experiences, races, ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, religion and non-religion, and any other category people use to define themselves or others. We strive to create safe and inclusive environments that celebrate diversity and foster positive relationships.
Our dedication to encouraging a culture that embraces inclusion, equity, accessibility, and diversity will be ongoing, with the understanding that we may not always get it right. We aim to learn from our mistakes, especially when they cause harm, and use these experiences to improve our approach. We are committed to creating an environment where open communication is encouraged, and we can work together to address any concerns that arise.