2018-2019 Season
“White Guy on the Bus”
By Bruce Graham
September 7, 2018 - September 22, 2018
Premiered September 2018
Presented by iTheatre Collaborative
A shocking and excoriating new play that unravels a complex web of moral ambiguity, class conflict, and the racial divide in America. A wealthy white businessman and a struggling black single mom ride the same bus week after week. The question is why he rides the bus and what does he want from her? The answers, like race, are not so easy.
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Cast (Alphabetically)
Christian Boden
as Christopher
Christian is honored to be working with iTheatre Collaborative on this production. Earlier this year, he played Petyr in The Lord's Mercy, Chad in These, Our Mindless Hearts, and Benjamin in The Graduate. For his day job, Mr. Boden works as a mathematician. He would like to thank his loved ones for their continued support, and hopes you will enjoy the show!
Matthew Cary
as Ray
Matthew is excited to be performing with iTheatre Collaborative for the first time in this terrific play. He has been involved in Arizona theater for over 30 years now. Some of his favorite roles include Reverend Hale in The Crucible, George in Of Mice and Men, Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest, Gabe in Dinner With Friends (Zoni Award Nomination for Best Actor, 2007), Mitch in A Streetcar Named DesireThe Odd Couple, Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey (MET's “Best Actor” award, 2006), James in Children of a Lesser God. Also a director, Mr. Cary has staged many productions, including I Hate Hamlet, Snoopy, the Musical, What the Butler Saw, Play It Again Sam, Something's Afoot, and It Runs in the Family (MET's “Best Director” award, 2005). He holds a B.A. Degree in English from Arizona State University and a Master's degree in Education from Norther Arizona University. Mr. Cary is presently teaching Sign Language at Dobson High School in Mesa.
Kim LaVelle
as Roz
Kim is thrilled to be working with iTheatre Collaborative at the Herberger Theatre on this production. She was most recently seen in The Graduate as Mrs. Robinson where she received Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Play at Mesa Encore Theatre's 81st Season Awards. Ms. LaVelle has also been seen in TV, film, and commercials throughout her acting career. She is currently represented in Arizona by Dani’s Agency. In addition to pur-suing her love of acting, Ms. LaVelle is a Realtor on the Sandra Baldwin Team at Launch Real Estate, mother to her beautiful daughter, Abigail, and is able to peruse her love of theatre thanks to her supportive family.
Hayla Stewart
as Molly
Hayla received her BA in theatre from ASU. Recently, she has been in Stray Cat Theatre's KISS, All Puppet Player's Frankenstein Has No Legs, A Christmas Carol at TheaterWorks, The Living Fountain at the AZ Renaissance Fair and Summertime Seven at Space 55. She can also be seen on Fox this fall in a Charles Manson docudrama called Inside the Manson Cult - The Lost Tapes as Mary Brunner. "Thank you to my family for always, always being supportive."
Victoria Stokes
as Shatique
Victoria is delighted to be making her debut in Phoenix, AZ with iTheatre Collaborative. She is not new to theater, only new to Arizona. Her passion for acting began when she was six years old and starred in The Wild Wild West as Mae West. In 1991 she moved to New York to begin her professional career on Broadway and performed with the Negro Ensemble Company. She graduated from Howard University obtaining a BFA in Film/TV & Theater. She went on to perform in film, landing a minor role as Sharon in
Playwright
Bruce Graham
Bruce plays include Burkie, Early One Evening at the Rainbow Bar & Grille, Moon over the Brewery, Minor Demons, Belmont Avenue Social Club, The Champagne Charlie Stakes, Desperate Affection, Coyote on a Fence (Winner of The Rosenthal Prize, Two Drama Desk Nominations – the West End production starred Ben Cross) According to Goldman, Dex and Julie Sittin' in a Tree and The Outgoing Tide (which starred John Mahoney and Rondi Reed). Graham recently returned to acting, playing Lenny in his play
Creative Team (Alphabetically)
Elizabeth Broeder
Sound/Media Design, Dramaturghe
Elizabeth is so happy to be working with iTheatre Collaborative this season. She is an interdisciplinary artist who has been artistic associate with iTheatre since 2017. Her recent iTheatre productions include Kunstler (sound design), Frost/Nixon (stage management/sound design) and Actually (acting/sound design). She is a Core Member of Southwest Shakespeare Company and a dance instructor/choreographer with Phoenix Country Day School and Prima Dance Arizona. She sends all of her love and gratitude to dad, mom, Sarah, Charles, Chris & Rosie, John, Johnny and Jake.
Rosemary Close
Production Stage Manager, Producer
Rosemary has been involved in theater in the Valley for over thirty years. Her work dates back as far as the Arizona Contemporary Theater Company, Northwest Studios and the Glendale Little Theater to name a few oldies. Her onstage credits include: Frozen, Harvey, Chapter Two, Barefoot in the Park, Cabaret, The Balcony, The Way We Live Now, Royal Gambit, Loves Scenes from Romeo and Juliet, Reel to Real, The Collected Works of Billy the Kid, The Maids, Skimpies and The Bad Seed. Her recent directing credits include: last season’s Velocity of Autumn and Hughie, previous season’s Grounded and An Almost Holy Picture. In 1991, Rosemary began her longtime association with the New York theater company, Mabou Mines. She appeared in numerous productions with that company both in Phoenix and New York. The highlight of that work with Mabou Mines was a leading role in the multimedia stage production, Wrath of Kali, directed by the award winning and acclaimed, Lee Breuer. Currently, she is the Managing Director for iTheatre Collaborative and is proud to be a part of the impact iTheatre has made in the Phoenix downtown community.
Christopher Haines
Director, Producer
Christopher is a theater veteran with over thirty years of experience as an actor, producer, stage manager, writer, director and designer. He graduated in 1991 from Duke University and in 2016 from Arizona State. Directing credits include: (for iTheatre) White Guy on the Bus, A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay about the Death of Walt Disney, A Bad Friend, The Fish Must Die, Molly Sweeney, and Cat’s Paw. As a designer his work includes: Topdog/Underdog, A Raisin in the Sun, Gunplay, Peter Pan and Wendy, The Wizard of Oz, The Colored Museum, The House of Bernarda Alba, and Horn in the West, a 1500-seat outdoor amphitheater in Boone, N.C. In 1994, Mr. Haines collaborated with the internationally acclaimed director, Lee Breuer (founder of Mabou Mines), on his project Wrath of Kali, as the Director of Videography, both in its debut in Phoenix, AZ and in New York. Other design work in video, photography and media includes; the Daniel Lentz Group's “A Crack in the Bell,” such plays as Jack, Reel to Real, Romeo and Juliet, Sweet Thunder, Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, and he has worked as the Director of Photography on the feature films Wake of the Hero and Means of Escape and was the production designer for the independent film Hack. In 2002 he co-founded iTheatre Collaborative. His work at iTheatre has garnered national attention and recognition with invited performances at the National Black Theater Festival in Winston-Salem, N.C., the Black Arts Movement Festival in Austin, TX and the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, AK. For iTheatre he has produced well-over sixty productions in the Valley with numerous regional and world premieres.