Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps
Creative Team Bios
JOHN BUCHAN
AuthorJohn Buchan was a writer, soldier and statesman born in Perth, Scotland, and educated at the University of Glasgow and Oxford. He apprenticed as a lawyer and worked as a journalist for a short time before moving to South Africa in 1901 after the Boer War as a member of the staff of the High Commissioner of South Africa, Alfred Milner. When he returned to Britain two years later, he resumed writing and in 1907 began working for the publishing house Thomas Nelson and Sons, which published his first major novel, Prester John, in 1910. During World War I, Buchan worked first as a Times correspondent, then in the Foreign Office and finally as the Director of Information. He wrote and published the first two Richard Hannay novels, The Thirty-Nine Steps and Greenmantle, during the war. After the war, Buchan continued his relationship with Thomas Nelson and Sons while also becoming the Deputy Chairman for the news agency Reuters. Between the wars, he served as a Member of Parliament for the Scottish universities and in 1935 was appointed Governor-General of Canada. In addition to his popular spy and adventure novels, Buchan also wrote several major histories and biographies (most notably of Montrose and Sir Walter Scott). His autobiography Memory Hold-the-Door was published in 1940 shortly after his death.
ALFRED HITCHCOCK
AuthorAlfred Hitchcock was an English-born, internationally celebrated film director who became known as “the master of suspense.” He started his career in motion pictures in 1920 as a title-card designer for silent films, working his way through a number of positions until he directed his first film in 1925. He spent the 1930s directing a series of suspense and adventure thrillers that eventually would define his aesthetic, including The Man Who Knew Too Much, Sabotage, The Lady Vanishes and, in 1935, The 39 Steps. He left England for Hollywood in 1939, where his early body of work included Rebecca, Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, Spellbound and Rope before he struck out on his own as a producer in 1948. His work continued to be defined by the suspense thriller, and he worked with the leading actors of his time as he created Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, Vertigo and North by Northwest (which he acknowledged was a kind of remake of The 39 Steps, with the unassuming hero dropped into an adventure that includes a cross-country chase). His career reached into the 1970s, by which time he had mastered the craft of building suspense – and of understanding human psychology. He was knighted in 1980, the year he died.
PATRICK BARLOW
AdaptorPatrick Barlow created the National Theatre of Brent in 1980, where his comedic alter-ego, Desmond Olivier Dingle, is the Artistic Director and Chief Executive. Mr. Barlow also wrote the libretto for Judgement of Paris for the Covent Garden Venture and Requiem for a Relationship for the Gogmagog Theatre Company. His film and television writing credits include Messiah, Van Gogh (Prix Futura Berlin Film Festival), Revolution!! (Best Comedy Film, Jerusalem Film Festival), The Young Visiters (starring Jim Broadbent and Hugh Laurie), The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole, The Ghost of Faffner Hall, Scarfe on Sex, Mighty Movements from World History, True Adventures of Christopher Columbus, Queen of the East and Massive Landmarks of the 20th Century. Also an actor, Mr. Barlow's theatre credits include The Knack, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Loot, The Common Pursuit, Silly Cow, and Toad in Alan Bennett's The Wind in the Willows. He also appeared in the films Shakespeare in Love, Notting Hill, The Girl from Rio, Bridget Jones' Diary, and most recently Nanny McPhee. His television acting credits include French and Saunders, Absolutely Fabulous, and A Bit of Fry and Laurie, among many others. Mr. Barlow won an Olivier Award and a What's Onstage Award for Best New Comedy for his adaptation of The 39 Steps.
JOEL SASS
DirectorJoel Sass was the Associate Artistic Director at The Jungle Theater where he has directed and/or designed 15 productions. He was also Artistic Director at Mary Worth Theatre Company where he directed 14 productions. Other directing credits include The 39 Steps, 9 Parts of Desire and Pericles, Prince of Tyre at the Guthrie Theatre; Titus Andronicus, Macbeth and Pericles, Prince of Tyre at California Shakespeare Festival, as well as productions at Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Park Square Theatre and Mixed Blood Theatre. As a designer, he has worked with Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Park Square Theatre, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Red Eye Collaboration, Eye of the Storm Theatre, Minnesota Opera and Intermedia Arts. He is the recipient of the Alan Schneider Director Award from Theatre Communications Group, McKnight Theater Artist Fellowship and an Ivey Award for set design. Mr. Sass was a Playwrights’ Center Artist Affiliate and an assistant director/designer/performer at Theatre de la Jeune Lune for three years. He is a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
RICHARD HOOVER
Set DesignerRichard Hoover has designed productions at Roundabout Theatre Company, Royal National Theatre, Vineyard Theatre, Promenade Theater, The Public Theater, Playwrights Horizons, New York Theater Workshop, the Guthrie Theater, The American Place Theater; Classical Stage Company, Mark Taper Forum, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Alley Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Geva Theatre Center, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Santa Fe Festival, American Stage Festival, Stage West Theatre, The Old Globe and The Actors’ Gang. His film work includes North Country, The Mothman Prophecies, Girl Interrupted, Live from Baghdad, Cradle Will Rock, Dead Man Walking, Bob Roberts, Ed Wood, Prime Gig, Payback, Apt Pupil and Torch Song Trilogy. On television, he has created designs for Fail Safe and Twin Peaks. He is the recipient of a Tony Award and Art Directors Guild Award.
AMELIA CHEEVER
Costume DesignerAmelia Cheever has designed more than 50 productions at Jungle Theatre Company. She has designed The 39 Steps; 9 Parts of Desire; Pericles, Prince of Tyre; In the Blood; and Side Man for the Guthrie Theater; Peer Gynt for Minnesota Orchestra; The Trial…, Louis & Ophelia, Black Nativity and Riffs for Penumbra Theatre Company; Art for Actors Theatre of Louisville; Always…Patsy Cline, and Ruthless! for Ordway Center for the Performing Arts; The History of the Devil, 16 Spells to Charm the Beast, Titus Andronicus, Madame de Sad and Lunatic Cellmates for Mary Worth Theatre Company; and Slither for Eye of the Storm Theatre; as well as productions at Park Square Theatre, History Theatre, Red Eye Collaboration, New Music Theater Ensemble and St. Michael’s Playhouse. Ms. Cheever also designed for the films Bubble Pac and Flourtown. She received her MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her BA from the College of St. Benedict.
BARRY BROWNING
Lighting DesignerBarry Browning is the Resident Lighting Designer for The Jungle Theater in Minneapolis, where he has lit over 70 productions such as The Glass Menagerie, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Seafarer, The Syringa Tree, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, I Am My Own Wife, The House of Blue Leaves and Macbeth. He also designed several productions for Children’s Theater Company of Minneapolis, including Rembrandt Takes a Walk, which toured to Moscow. He has worked with institutions such as the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Mixed Blood Theatre, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and Northstar Opera, among others. Outside of theatre, Mr. Browning has worked with Danny Buraczeski’s Jazzdance, Zenon Dance Company, New Dance Ensemble, and created the lighting for rock icon Prince’s multimedia production Glam Slam Ulysses. The 39 Steps was Mr. Browning’s first design with the Guthrie Theater and he is delighted to be able to recreate it for the Arizona Theatre Company.
REID REJSA
Sound DesignerReid Rejsa returns to Arizona Theatre Company where he designed sound for Two Gentlemen of Verona. He has designed sound for The Jungle Theater, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts/McKnight Theatre, Frank Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Park Square Theatre, Carlyle Brown & Company, Katha Dance Theatre, The Minneapolis Planetarium, Penumbra Theatre Company, Pillsbury House Theatre, Minnesota Dance Theatre, Eye of the Storm, Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company, Third Rabbit Dance Ensemble, and others. He was also the Master Sound Technician for Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis for ten years where he designed 30 productions. He is currently the Sound Associate at the Guthrie Theater. He also works as a recording engineer and does sound design and mixing for television, internet and independent films.
MICHAEL SOMMERS
Shadow PuppetryMichael Sommers is the co-founder of Open Eye Figure Theatre and creator of more than 30 original works of varying scales for Open Eye. He created the shadow imagery for Resurrection Blues at the Guthrie Theater, where he was also a part of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (live percussionist), The History Plays (composer, musical performer), The Greek Plays (composer, musical performer), Lysistrata (set designer) and Cymbeline (composer, musical performer). Mr. Sommers has over 30 years of professional theatre experience encompassing directing, composing, designing, acting and technical work. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at University of Minnesota. He is a Ford Fellow and the recipient of a Bush Enduring Vision Award.
MARTHA KULIG
Stage ManagerMartha Kulig has been a stage manager for the Guthrie Theater for almost 25 years, working with such renowned directors as Joe Dowling, Garland Wright, Liviu Ciulei, Ethan McSweeney, Bartlett Sher, Michael Greif and Susan Stroman. As Stage Manager for over 45 productions and Assistant Stage Manager on more than 25, she has had the pleasure of working on world premieres by playwrights Lee Blessing, John Guare and Tony Kushner, as well as overseeing the Guthrie’s first international tour of Death of a Salesman at the Dublin Theatre Festival. In addition to her work at Guthrie Theater, Ms. Kulig has also stage managed for Mixed Blood Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, History Theatre and Chimera Theatre Company.
GLENN BRUNER*
Assistant Stage ManagerGlenn Bruner is in his fifteenth season at ATC where he has stage managed, among many others, The Mystery of Irma Vep, [title of show], The Kite Runner, Hair, Enchanted April, and the world premieres of Jeffrey Hatcher’s Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club and Ten Chimneys, and Steven Dietz’s Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, Rocket Man, Inventing van Gogh and Over the Moon. Mr. Bruner has worked at Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Alley Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Pasadena Playhouse, CENTERSTAGE, Studio Arena Theatre, and Maine’s Portland Stage Company. Mr. Bruner has been a member of Actors' Equity Association since 1981.
TIMOTHY TOOTHMAN
Assistant Stage ManagerTimothy Toothman is the Artistic Associate at ATC. He has stage managed ATC’s productions of Daddy Long Legs, God of Carnage, Lost in Yonkers, The Glass Menagerie, The Lady with All the Answers, Tuesdays with Morrie, The Immigrant and A Moon for the Misbegotten. Early in his career, Mr. Toothman spent five seasons as the Production Stage Manager for the Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, NY and was then Company Manager for five years for Sunshine Too, a national touring ensemble of deaf and hearing actors. He has also managed producing and presenting theatres in Indiana and Maryland. He was the Production Stage Manager for six seasons at the Vineyard Playhouse on Martha’s Vineyard.
EDDIE TODD
Assistant to the Stage ManagerEddie Todd has been, since 2007, ATC’s Stage Supervisor for its productions at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix. He was a member of the inaugural performance class of the University of Michigan School of Music's Dept. of Musical Theatre (Ann Arbor) when it was created by Dean Paul C. Boylan in 1982. He then studied Directing under Tony-Award winner Warren Enters at State University of New York College at Buffalo. Before moving to Arizona, Mr. Todd was the Artistic Director of the Surflight Theatre on Long Beach Island, NJ.
