Glorious! - The Story of Florence Foster Jenkins, the Worst Singer in the World Ross Valley Players presents Glorious! and transforms The Barn into Carnegie Hall as the story of Florence Foster Jenkins, "soprano" - and "first lady of the sliding scale" - unfolds!

1. www.RossValleyPlayers.com
fb.com/RossValleyPlayers
@RossValleyPlays
Ross Valley Players Presents…

2. Maureen
O'Donoghue
Maureen (Maria) is happy to be onstage at
the Barn after last appearing as Penny in
You Can't Take it With You.
She's also been seen here in Rabbit Hole,
She Stoops to Conquer, Sly Fox, The
Underpants, 45 Seconds From Broadway and
My Three Angels, and has produced 19 or so
plays at the Barn, most recently
Impressionism.
In addition to playing at College of Marin,
Shakespeare at Stinson, Marin Shakespeare
and long-departed SF venues; she most
recently played The Heiress's indefatigable
Aunt Penniman in the enchanting Dance
Palace, Pt. Reyes Station.

3. Daniel Morgan
Daniel (Cosme McMoon) is thrilled to be
making his debut here at RVP and is
humbled at getting to perform with such
an amazing and talented cast.
Daniel has played many a character in the
bay area including such roles as "Fagin" in
Oliver and "Carmen Ghia" in Pinole
Community Players The Producers.
Daniel would like to thank his angels Art
and Dianne Reardon as he awaits a kidney
transplant.
Laughter and Love is really the
"Best Medicine".

4. Ellen Brooks
Ellen Brooks (Florence Foster Jenkins) is an
actress, director and designer with an
extensive background in physical theater in
companies like the San Francisco Mime
Troupe (commedia dell arte) and Theatre of
Yugen (classical Japanese Kyogen and
Noh), an ensemble with whom she spent 21
years training and performing under
Japanese masters.
Her recent roles in the Western repertory
include Polly Wyeth in Other Desert Cities
for the Barn, Carla in Scapino for Porchlight,
Berthe in Boeing, Boeing at 6th Street
Playhouse, Sophy in Persuasion, Fioria in Do
I Hear a Waltz, Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret
and Countess de Lage in The Women as well
as Edith Piaf in La Chanson Intime and Lady
Faulconbridge in King John.
Last season she directed Berlin to Broadway
with Kurt Weill for Masquers and will direct
a new production of The Mikado for the
Lamplighters in 2016.
Ms. Brooks holds a Masters from San
Francisco State University in Theater.

5. Mitchell Field
Mitchell (St. Clair) has performed on stage
with marvelous actors all around the Bay
Area and is delighted to be back at RVP
with this wonderfully talented cast and
crew.
Thank you for supporting live theater!
For Jackie and Daisy.

6. Eileen Fisher
Eileen Fisher (Dorothy) last appeared on
the Ross Valley Players stage as Pamela in
The Fox on the Fairway.
Her past favorite roles include Adriana in
Comedy of Errors, Elmire in Tartuffe and
Elizabeth in '59 Pink Thunderbird at the
College of Marin; Cora in Dark at the Top of
the Stairs for Marin Classic Theater; Sarah in
The Bus at the New Conservatory (also part
of the Pride tour);
Kissin' Kate Barlow in Holes and Chick Boyle
in Crimes of the Heart at Hillbarn Theater;
and Romaine Patterson (et al) in The
Laramie Project for Theater-At-Large.

7. Jackie Blue
Jackie Blue (Mrs. Verrinder-Gedge) is tickled
pink to be making her RVP debut among such
a talented, wacky cast of characters. She
sends heartfelt thanks for the opportunity to
the ever patient, kind, and keen-eyed director,
Billie Cox.
Recently Jackie has performed as “Fonsia
Dorsey” in The Gin Game and “Sophie
Greengrass” in Social Security at Pacifica
Spindrift Players; “Mrs. Lily Mortar” and
“Agatha” in The Children’s Hour, “Mrs.
Warwick” in The Unexpected Guest, and
“Sophie Greengrass” in Social Security at
Broadway West; and “Mrs. Dudley” in The
Haunting of Hill House at San Leandro Players.
Florence’s zany story rekindled Jackie’s
childhood memory of her brother
David screaming, “Ma, make her shut up!” For
Jackie the through line of this bizarre story is
simply to do what you love. She hopes to carry
forward a light from Florence’s Glorious spirit
into her own blazing love of live theater.

8. Glorious!
In Photos
www.CumulusLight.com

9. Dorothy and St.
Clair
Forence (Ellen Brooks) and St.
Clair (Mitchell Field) have a great
time together
www.CumulusLight.com

10. Cosme and
Florence
Warm-up exercises with Florence
(Ellen Brooks), as Cosme plays
along (Daniel Morgan)
www.CumulusLight.com

11. Cosme and
Florence
Florence (Ellen Brooks) discovers
a higher note with Cosme (Daniel
Morgan)
www.CumulusLight.com

12. Dorothy and
Florence
Forence (Ellen Brooks) and
Dorothy (Eileen Fisher) promote
Florence’s new record
www.CumulusLight.com

13. Florence and
Cosme
Forence (Ellen Brooks) and Cosme
(Daniel Morgan) share a moment
www.CumulusLight.com

14. Dramaturgical Background
Meet the Director, learn about Florence!

15. Billie Cox
(Director)
Billie Cox has been a director, playwright,
composer, lyricist and designer for many
years. In addition to Ross Valley Players,
she has worked with SF Playhouse , Custom
Made Theater, NCTC, Novato Players,
College of Marin, Marin Shakespeare,
Masquers and many others.
Her work has brought her seven BATCC
nominations, a Falstaff award and a Dean
Goodman Award.
Her production of TWENTIETH CENTURY at
RVP garnered 5 BATCC nominations for her
actors and designers. Her original play A
BEARDED LADY awarded Best Play of the
2009 SF Fringe.

16. Director’s Notes
Did no one ever tell them … or did they
simply not let that get in their way?
I rather envied their self confidence if not
their sense of reality.
When all is said and done, I think we regret ,
not what we have done in life, but what we
didn't do out of fear or propriety.
Florence did it, bless her.
First learning about Florence
Foster Jenkins about 20 years ago,
I frankly didn't know what to make
of her.
How did she get recorded?
What was her history?
I knew many people like this:
actors, singers, artists and
musicians
who were simply not very good…
…but who loved what they did
with a transcendent passion.
How I wish that I could throw caution to the wind
– and just DO –
without the nasty inner critic holding me back.

17. The Dunning–Kruger effect
The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias wherein relatively unskilled
individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly assessing their ability to
be much higher than is accurate.
The bias was first experimentally observed by David Dunning and Justin
Kruger of Cornell University in 1999.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect
Also known as
“The American Idol” Effect

18. Florence’s
Recordings…
The only professional audio
recordings of Jenkins consist of
nine selections on five 78-rpm
records (Melotone Recording
Studio, New York City; 1941-1944).
The material has been reissued in
various combinations on three
CDs…

19. Florence’s Philosophy
Florence compared herself
favorably to the renowned
sopranos Frieda Hempel and
Luisa Tetrazzini.
She dismissed the abundant
audience laughter during her
performances as "hoodlums ...
planted by her rivals."
She was aware of her critics,
but never let them stand in her
way:
"People may say I can't sing,"
she said,
"but no one can ever say I didn't sing."

20. Florence’s Philosophy
Jenkins often wore elaborate
costumes that she designed for
herself, sometimes appearing
in wings and tinsel … while
fluttering a fan and sporting
more flowers in her hair.
At the age of 76 she finally yielded to
public demand and performed at
Carnegie Hall
on Wednesday, October 25, 1944.

21. Join Florence’s Club!
Support RVP!
www.RossValleyPlayers.com
fb.com/RossValleyPlayers
@RossValleyPlays

23. A Special Halloween
Event at RVP!
Two Performances
Halloween Weekend!
Saturday, October 31, 8pm
Sunday, November 1, 8pm
Featuring talk backs
with the Playwright!
Donation-only event (suggested $10)