About — Cyrano's Theatre Company

About — Cyrano's Theatre Company
About Cyrano's
Cyrano's Theatre Company (Cyrano's) is the resident company at Cyrano's Theatre Building at 3800 Debarr Road in Anchorage, Alaska. We work with local artists year-round to present plays in our 90 seat black box theatre. We present visual art exhibits from Alaskan artists in Cyrano’s Art Gallery.
OUR MISSION
To create professional, entertaining, and transformative theatre.
OUR VISION
Great theatre inspiring a connected community and a high quality of life.
OUR VALUES
Passion
Our energy.
We love telling great stories. We produce challenging, popular, thought-provoking, and entertaining work.
Artistry
Our craft.
We approach our work with imagination, creativity, and joy. We aspire to the highest levels of craft and professionalism.
Intention
Our focus.
Quality is not an accident. We strive for artistic and operational excellence. We respect the work and each other. We make sustainable choices.
Community
Our responsibility.
We are anchored in our community. We are committed to creating local, professional theatre of and for Anchorage.
THE BEGINNING
Jerry and Sandy Harper opened Cyrano's as a bookstore and cafe in the summer 1987 and gradually turned it into a "cultural mini mall" with art shows, music, a cinema and special events of all kinds. The theatre, (Cyrano's Off Center Playhouse) began in 1992, producing award-winning theatre productions with local artists ever since - 33 years and running!
MEET THE
CYRANO’S STAFF
Teresa K. Pond | Artistic Director
Holding a BFA in Communications from Chapman University and an MFA in Directing from University of California Irvine’s prestigious Claire Trevor School of Arts, Teresa has directed professionally Off-Broadway, regionally, and internationally. She has worked with New York Classical Theatre, Vital Theatre Company, and the NY Fringe Festival and also previously served as the Executive Director of Anchorage Community Theatre. She has served on arts councils, development groups and other committee associations; locally in Anchorage she has collaborated on and off stage with organizations such as Perseverance Theatre, ACT, ATY, Alaska Native Heritage Center, Alaska Dance Theatre, UAA Department of Theatre, Out North Theatre, and worked with several nonprofit and charitable groups in a variety of roles.
Rhea Hood | Administrative Manager
Rhea Hood is the Administrative Manager for Cyrano’s Theatre Company. She coordinates the day-to-day administrative duties, project development, and box office services that keep Cyrano’s running smoothly. She began volunteering for Cyrano’s administrative office and for productions in 2019 and officially joined the team in 2022.
Rhea holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Hawai’i and an MA in Anthropology from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Rhea was a professional archaeologist for 18 years before adapting her career to join Cyrano’s. As an archaeologist, Rhea specialized in cultural resources management, educational programs, and the study of animal bones. She was fortunate to work with indigenous communities in Hawai’i, Rapa Nui, and Alaska.
When she’s not rolling up her sleeves at Cyrano’s, Rhea enjoys reading, arts and crafts, and palling around with her dog Hector
Alexis Cisneros | Marketing Associate
Alexis Cisneros has worked with multiple Alaskan arts organizations either as a performer or as a staff member since she arrived in Alaska in 2016. As a staff member, she has worked with Cyrano’s Theatre Company, Alaska Junior Theater, and Perseverance Theatre. Performing credits include
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
with Mad Myrna’s,
Mozart in the Museum
with Anchorage Opera, Secondary Characters with Anchorage Cabarets, and
Cabaret
with Cyrano's Theatre Company. In 2014, she had the honor of singing Schubert’s Mass in G at Carnegie Hall. She studied theatre performance at St. Ambrose University and holds a master's degree in drama therapy from Lesley University.
Matthew Allar | Distinguished Artist
A native of Pennsylvania, Matthew Allar is a scenographer based in Williamsburg, Virginia. He is an Associate Professor of Theatrical Design and the resident Scenic Designer for William & Mary for whom he has designed over forty productions.  Alaskan credits include
Of Mice and Men
Peter and The Starcatcher
, and
The Underpants
for Perseverance Theatre, along with a wide range of designs for Cyrano’s Theatre including
She Kills Monsters
The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberly
, Fancy Nancy’s Splendiferous Christmas,
Fallen Angels
Tartuffe
Diary of a Worm, Spider, and a Fly
Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberly
Twelfth Night
Comedy of Errors
, and
Outside Mullingar
. His work includes production design for the New York premier of
East 14th
and Joseph Haydn's
Le Pescatrici
for the Zempleni Music Festival, Tokaji, Hungary. Additional scenic design work includes productions of
Shakespeare's R and J
(Michael Sexton, dir.),
All My Sons
(Victor Pappas, dir.),
Arcadia, Hair
(Elizabethtown College)
A Lie of The Mind
Marat / Sade, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Cabaret, Rent, The Rocky Horror Show, Head Over Heels
(Cornell College),
Top Girls
(Albright College),
You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Three Sisters, Songs For A New World
(Eastern Univ.) and
The Pillow of Kantan
(Muhlenberg College) as well as the New York premiers of several works including
Samuel IV
Playing House
, and the Peccadillo Theatre Company's revival of
All God's Chillun Got Wings
. As a lighting designer, credits include the recent NYC productions of
Baby With The Bathwater
Dancing at Lughnasa
You Never Can Tell
and Studio 42's annual
The Starving Artist's Ball
. Additional credits include design work, both here and abroad, for several television networks including MTV, VH1, TV Land, Nick at Nite, Nickelodeon, and Noggin. A former Associate Director of Design for the New York Television Festival, and co-founder of both M.A.D. Inc., and Cabana Creations LLC, Matthew's education includes Muhlenberg College, The University of London, and New York University. Matthew has taught at Cornell College, Elizabethtown College, and Nazareth College and is a Member United Scenic Artists #829. www.matthewallar.com
Support Staff
Artistic Assistant  – Judy Hayward
Bookkeeper – John Willahan
Graphic Designer - Vicente Capala
Cyrano’s is an award-winning theatre company.
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
Best Live Theatre by readers of Anchorage Daily News
Best Live Theatre by readers of Anchorage Press
Governor's Award for Arts Organizations (1997)
Governor's Award for Distinguished Service to the Humanities (2016)
Anchorage Downtown Partnership Heart Of The City Award (2016)
Mayor's Award for Outstanding Arts Organization
Governor's Award for Individual Artist: Jerry Harper
MEET OUR
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Catherine Bradshaw
Board President
Catherine Bradshaw, Principal Consultant
Cadence Consulting, LLC
Jay Burns
Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair
Project Manager/Senior Analyst, Resource Data, Inc.
Russell Pounds
Secretary
Pacific Rim Media, Principal
Michelle Brown
Member at Large
Partner & Regulatory Manager, Harvest Alaska, LLC
Lynda Limón
Member at Large
Limón Law Firm
Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers ®
Laura Roark
Member at Large
Executive Director, Anchorage Montessori School
CYRANO’S COMMITTEES
Cyrano's Theatre Company is now inviting new committee members who will help us evolve to our next stage of fiduciary sustainability. We especially welcome new members who will reflect the demographics and diversity in our community. If you also have interest in serving on the Board we can particularly use individuals with PR, IT, and communication skills. If you are an experienced grant writer...open arms await your expertise.
Current committees include the Development Committee and the Finance Committee. Please email us at
info@cyranos.org
if you are interested or would like more information.
OUR PRODUCTIONS
ARTISTIC HISTORY
The now and future Cyrano's Theatre Company is dedicated to Jerry and Sandy Harper and the high standards they established. Our first play, Eleemosynary, was produced in 1992. The company formed in 1995 as Eccentric Theatre Company and became Cyrano's Theatre Company in 2005.
1992
Eleemosynary
by Lee Blessing
1993-94
American Buffalo
by David Mamet
Four Poster
by Jan De Hartog
1994-95
Mass Appeal
by Bill C. Davis
Oleanna
by David Mamet
Glengarry Glen Ross
by David Mamet
Duck Variations
by David Mamet
Zoo Story
by Edward Albee
Metamorphosis
(Kafka)
adapted by S. Berkhoff
A Delicate Balance
by Edward Albee
Dancing at Lughnasa
by Brian Friel
Sylvia
by A.R. Gurney
1996-97
Having Our Say
adapted by Emily Mann
Moonlight
by Harold Pinter
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
(Schulz) by Clark Gesner & John Gordon
Three Sisters
(Chekhov) adapted by Lanford Wilson
Knock Knock
by Jules Feiffer
Co-Production:
Libby*
(Betty John) adapted by David Edgecombe, in association with Edgeware Productions
1998-99
Taxi Hands
* by Jeff Silverman and Brian Hutton
The Importance of Being Earnest
by Oscar Wilde
How I Learned to Drive
by Paula Vogel
Faith Healer
by Brian Friel
Johnny’s Girl
by Kim Rich
Zoo Story
(reprise) by Edward Albee
American Dream
by Edward Albee
The Magic Valley
by Jack Gelber
Libby
(reprise) adapted by David Edgecombe
Syd
by Eric Wallace
Alaska Roadhouse
* by Dick Reichman
Moon Over Buffalo
by Ken Ludwig
Florida
* by Dick Reichman
Young Man From Atlanta
by Horton Foote
3 Tall Women
by Edward Albee
Master Class
by Terrence McNally
2000
Greater Tuna
by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard
The Beauty Queen of Leenane
by Martian McDonagh
Art
by Yasmina Reza
Holiday Memories
(Capote) adapted by Russell Vandenbrouke
2001
The Price
by Arthur Miller
Personals
by Crane, Friedman, and Kauffman
The Trial
(Kafka) adapted by Steven Berkoff
Lake Hollywood
by John Guare
Sunshine Boys
by Neil Simon
Wit
by Margaret Edson
Spinning Into Butter
by Rebecca Gilman
Co-Productions:
Harvey
by Mary Chase, in association with Brown Eyed Girls Theatre Company
Taking Steps
by Alan Ayckbourn, in association with Brown-Eyed Girls Theatre Company
2002
It’s All True
by Jason Sherman
Money
* by Dick Reichman
Road to Mecca
by Athol Fugard
Social Security
by Andrew Bergman
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
by Tennessee Williams
Hamlet
by William Shakespeare
The Woman in Black
by Stephen Mallatratt
archy and mehitabel
by Joe Darion and Mel Brooks
Santaland Diaries
(Sedaris) adapted by Joe Mantello
2003
Waiting for Godot
by Samuel Beckett
Dinner with Friends
by Donald Margulies
Albee’s Men
by Glyn O’Malley
Proof
by David Auburn
The Heiress
by Ruth and Augustus Goetz
Born Yesterday
by Garson Kanin
Co-Productions:
Steel Magnolias
by Robert Harling, in association with Brown-Eyed Girls Theatre Company
2004
Nickel and Dimed
(Ehrenreich) adapted by Joan Holden
Anton in Show Business
by Jane Martin
The Bells of Geneva
* by Dick Reichman
The Laramie Project
by Moises Kaufman and Tectonic Theatre Project
Co-Productions:
Fourplay
by Schatzie Schaefers, in association with Kokopelli Productions
2005
The Sea Gull
by Anton Chekhov
Bat Boy: The Musical by
Keythe Farley, Brian Flemming and Laurence O'Keefe
The Drawer Boy
by Michael Healey
The Bells of Geneva
(reprise) by Dick Reichman
Kafka Dances
by Timothy Daly
Co-Productions:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
by Shakespeare, in association with Edgeware Productions & Alaska Theatre of Youth
War of Wills
by David Edgecombe, in association with Edgeware Productions
*World Premiere Production
2006
Back of the Throat
by Yussef El Guindi
Thom Pain (Based on Nothing)
by Will Eno
Skin Of Our Teeth
by Thornton Wilder
War
* by Dick Reichman
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
by Edward Albee
Hansel and Gretel
by Engelbert Humperdinck
Co-Production:
Adam’s Rib
(Gordon/Kanin)
adapted by David Edgecombe, in association with Edgeware Productions
Clue the Musical
by by Peter DePietro, Galen Blum, Wayne Barker, Vinnie Martucci, and Tom Chiodo, in association with Brown-Eyed Girls Theatre Company
2007
The Ladies of the Camellias
by Lillian Groag
Happy Days
by Samuel Beckett
Shakespeare in Hollywood
by Ken Ludwig
The Perfect Prayer
by Suehyla El-Attar
Deathtrap
by Ira Levin
Doubt
by John Patrick Shanley
Growing Up Native in Alaska
* (McClanahan) adapted from the book
Cyrano
(Rostand) adapted by Jo Roets
Co-Productions:
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change…
by Joe Dipietro and Jimmy Roberts, in association with Brown-Eyed Girls Theatre Company
2008
Sylvia
(reprise) by A.R. Gurney
Flamel’s Dream
* by Dick Reichman
Time of Your Life
by William Saroyan
The Clean House
by Sarah Ruhl
The Imaginary Invalid
by Moliere
The Boyfriend
by Sandy Wilson
Co-Productions:
Othello
by William Shakespeare, in association with
Edgeware
Productions
The Odd Couples
by Neil Simon, in association with Brown-Eyed Girls Theatre Company
2009
Libby
(reprise) adapted by David Edgecombe
The Ballad of Soapy Smith
by Michael Weller
Make Good the Fires
* by Arlitia Jones
Time Immemorial
* by Jack Dalton and Allison Warden
Our Town
by Thornton Wilder
Meshuggah-Nuns
by Dan Goggin
True Tales of the Frozen North
* compiled by Linda Benson
The Big One: A Chronicle of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
* by Dick Reichman
The Courtship of Zack and Ada
* by P. Shane Mitchell
Almost, Alaska
by John Cariani (originally Almost, Maine)
Bark: The Musica
l by Francis Dillard, music by David Troy Francis
2010
Wind Blown and Dripping
* by Peter Porco
Tuesdays with Morrie
by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom
You Can’t Take It With You
by Moss Hart and George Kaufman
Shakespeare’s Will
by Vern Theissen
Caroline or Change
by Tony Kushner & Jeanine Tesori
Souvenir
by Stephen Temperley
The Seafarer
by Conor McPherson
The Winter Bear
* by Anne Hanley
Assimilation
* by Jack Dalton
This Is Where We Came In
by Allen Ayckbourn
2011
Harold and Maude
by Colin Higgins
Camino Real
by Tennessee Williams
Becky’s New Car
by Steven Dietz
Red, White, and Tuna
by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
by Rachel Sheinkin & William Finn
Helen
by Ellen McLaughlin
Carnival
by Michael Steward with composer Bob Merrill
It’s A Wonderful Life: The Radio Play
adapted by Joe Landry
Pinkalicious! The Musical
by Victoria & Elizabeth Kann & John Gregor
2012
Love, Loss, and What I Wore
by Nora Ephron & Delia Ephron
Superior Donuts
by Tracy Letts
Eleemosynary
by Lee Blessing
Ten Chimneys
by Jeffery Hatcher
bobrauschenbergeramerica
by Charles L. Mee
Gold Rush Girls
by Kormo & Jerry Sanders
American Night: The Ballad of Juan Jose
by Richard Montoya
Red Hot Patriot
by Margaret Engel and Allison Engel
Bruckner's Last Finale
by Dick Reichman
It’s A Wonderful Life: The Radio Play
(reprise) adapted by Joe Landry
2013
Freud's Last Sesssion
by Mark Germain
Clyborne Park
by Bruce Norris
Dead Man's Cell Phone
by Sarah Ruhl
RED
by John Logan
{title of show}
by Hunter Bowen and Jeff Bell
Miss Witherspoon
by Christopher Durang
La Bete
´ by David Hirson
Come to Me, Leopards
by Arlitia Jones
A Wrinkle in Time
(L’Engle) adapted by John Glore
2014
The Syringa Tree
by Pamela Gein
Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes
by Yussef El Guindi
All the Great Books
by Reed Martin and Austin Tichnor
The Audition
* by Dick Reichman
Das Barbecue
by Luigs and Warrender
Love, Loss, and What I Wore
(reprise) by Nora and Delia Ephron
4,000 Miles
by Amy Herzog
Hedda Gabler
(Ibsen) adapted by Jon Robin Baitz
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
by Judith Viorst and Shelly Markham
2015
The Ice-Breaker
by David Rambo
Emotional Creature
by Eve Ensler
Red Hot Patriot: The Kickass Wit of Molly Ivins
(reprise) by M. and A. Engel
Macbeth
by William Shakespeare
Venus in Fur
by David Ives
Anchorage: The First 100 Years--A Theatrical Tour
(an official Centennial event) by various Alaskan playwrights
Tribes
by Nina Raine
Other Desert Cities
by John Robin Baitz
Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)
by Michael Carleton, Jim Fitzgerald and John K. Alvarez and Will Knapp
Co-Productions:
A Woman by Design
by Elizabeth Ware and David Edgecombe, in association with Edgeware Productions
2016
Happy Birthday, Wanda June
by Kurt Vonnegut
Rapture, Blister, Burn
by Gina Gionfriddo
The Good Times are Killing Me
by Linda Barry
Sila
by Chantal Bilodeau
Calendar Girls
by Tim Firth
The Ticket: An Imaginary Meeting Between Wally Hickel and Jay Hammond
by Dick Reichman
Antony and Cleopatra
by William Shakespeare
Pinkalicious! The Musical
(reprise)
Every Christmas Story Ever Told
(And Then Some!)
(reprise) by Michael Carleton, Jim FitzGerald and John K. Alvarez and Will Knapp
Co-Productions:
Good Men Wanted
by Kevin Armento, in association with TossPot Productions
Money
(reprise) by Dick Reichman, in association with RKP Productions.
2017
Private Lives
by Noel Coward
Erma Bombeck: At Wits End
by Allison and Margaret Engel
The Great American Trailer Park
Musical
by Betsy Kelso and David Neels
She Kills Monsters
by Qui Nguyen
The 39 Steps
by Patrick Barlow
Our Friends, the Enemy
by Alex Gwyther
Fancy Nancy the Musical
by Susan LiLallo and Danny Abosch
Co-Productions:
Seminar
by Theresa Rebeck, in association with Blue Chair Productions
The Afterlife of J. Edgar Hoover
by Timothy Daly, in association with RKP Productions
2018
Disenchanted the Musical
by Dennis T. Giacino
Orson's Shadow
by Austin Pendleton
Trevor
by Nick Jones
The Spitfire Grill
by James Valq
Much Ado About Nothing
by William Shakespeare
A Doll's House Part II
by Lucas Hnath
Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly
by Joan Cushing
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley
(Austen) by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon
Co-Productions:
Spikes*
by Schatzie Schaefers, in association with RKP Productions
2019
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change…
by Joe Dipietro and Jimmy Roberts
The Importance of Being Earnest
by Oscar Wilde
Tea for Three
by Elaine Bromka and Eric H. Weinberger
Boeing Boeing
by Mark Camoletti & Beverley Cross
Hearts Like Fists
by Adam Szymkowicz
Summerland
by Arlitia Jones
Stinky Kids
by Britt Menzies & Sammy Buck
Co-Productions:
The Old Woman Who Lost Her Voice
by Jill Bess, in association with RKP Productions
2020
Emma
(Austen) adapted by Martin Millar & Sarah-Doon Mackichen
2021
Ripcord
by David Lindsay-Abaire
2022
Fallen Angels
by Noel Coward
No More Harveys
by Chantal Bilodeau
The Mommy Dance
by Jill Bess
5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche
by Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood
WITH
by Carter Lewis
Twelfth Night
by William Shakespeare
2023
First Date, The Musical
Adaptation by Austin Winsberg, Music & Lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner
The Book Club Play
by Karen Sacarías
Dog Park
by Lisa M. Konoplisky
The Mystery of Irma Vep - A Penny Dreadful
by Charles Ludlam
Uncle Ted
by Senator Gary Stevens
Tartuffe
by Molière, adapted by Richard Wilbur
Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas Musical
by Cara Lustik and Matthew Hardy, Music by Randy Klein, and Lyrics by Matthew Hardy
2024
Clue: The Musical
by Peter DePietro; Music by Galen Blum, Wayne Barker, and Vinnie Martucci; and Lyrics by Tom Chiodo
BLACK OUT - Black When I Was a Boy, Part II
by Cooper Bates
Barefoot In The Park
by Neil Simon
Meteor Shower
by Steve Martin
Tilly the Trickster
by Jeremy Dobrish, Music and Lyrics by Drew Fornarola
The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley
by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melton
2025
Cabaret
by Joe Masteroff; Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Twinkle’s Fairy Pet Day The Musical
by Matthew Hardy; Music by Randy Klein
Dial M for Murder
by Jeffrey Hatcher
The Comedy of Errors
by William Shakespeare
Outside Mullingar
by John Patrick Shanley
Hay Fever
by Noel Coward
2026
The Fantasticks
Book & Lyrics
by Tom Jones; Music by Harvey Schmidt
With Love and a Major Organ
by Julia Lederer
POTUS, or Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to keep him Alive
by Selina Fillinger
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
by Christopher Durang
Misery
by William Goldman
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
by Ken Ludwig
OUR FOUNDERS
JERRY & SANDY HARPER
Cyrano's Theatre Company was co-founded by Sandy and her husband Jerry in 1992 as Eccentric Theatre Company, located at Cyrano’s Off-Center Playhouse. The prologue was Cyrano's Book Store, a popular cultural "mini mall," which featured a cafe, cinema, art shows, music and special events.
JERRY HARPER
Artistic Director Emeritus
During Jerry's life his acting and directing credentials were extensive. Jerry was the Dean of Voiceover talent and appeared in numerous commercials. A few of Jerry's awards include: Best Actor Award in Chicago for "MacBird," the Lorene Harrison Award For Lifetime Achievement In The Arts (2001), and the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from University of Alaska Anchorage (2004).
Jerry died of cancer on April 8, 2005. It was the day after Cyrano's received yet another accolade – the Mayors Award for Arts Organizations. Anchorage celebrated Jerry's life and contribution to the arts with a full house at UAA's Wendy Williamson Auditorium. The Harper Studio Theatre at UAA is named in Jerry's honor and each year the Jerry Harper Service Award is awarded at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez. The Harper Travel Grant administered by the Alaska State Council on the Arts was also established in Jerry's honor by the Rasmuson Foundation.
SANDY HARPER
Producing Artistic Director Emeritus
Until handing the reigns to Teresa K. Pond in 2016, Sandy's duties of Producing Artistic Director included coordinating the activities of the Board, directing marketing, fundraising, and operating Cyrano's Off Center Playhouse. In addition, Sandy served as the Artistic Director for Cyrano's Theatre Company productions, making programming decisions.
Sandy devotes a great amount of time serving in the community. She has served on the national board of the Last Frontier Theatre Conference, the board of the Anchorage Downtown Partnership, the board of the Rasmuson Foundation, and the board of the Anchorage Downtown Association. She also served as president of the Anchorage Cultural Council. Sandy's accolades include the Contribution to Literacy award as the founding member of the Alaska Center for the Book; the YWCA Notable Woman of the Year (2009); induction into the ATHENA Society (2009); recognition by the Soroptimist Society for her encouragement of women in the arts (2010); an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from UAA (2011); the Lorene Harrison Lifetime Achievement award (2011).
David Edgecomb and Elizabeth Ware: Cyrano's Company Founding Members Emeritus
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