12 minute read
Meet The Acting Company
from 2019 Season Program
by HVSF
KENDALL CAFARO CC
Margaret (MUCH); Posthumus’ Mother, Roman Senator (CYMBELINE); Rapunzel, Ensemble (WOODS)
Kendall is so excited to be making her Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival debut! She is a New York City based actor and singer, originally from Southeast Michigan. She is an alum of Fordham University’s Theatre program and of the NTI Moscow Art Theatre Semester. new york credits include: The Ugly Kids (The Wild Project), As You Like It (The Brick Theater) regional: Shrew! (Sun Valley Shakespeare Festival) She’d like to thank the team at HVSF for this incredible opportunity as well as her parents, family, and friends for their unwavering support. kendallcafaro.com
TINA CHILIP*
Beatrice (MUCH); Queen (CYMBELINE)
off-broadway: Fiasco Theatre’s Twelfth Night (Classic Stage Company), Golden Child (Signature Theatre), House Rules (Ma-Yi), A Dream Play (NAATCO). selected regional credits: Song of Summer (Trinity Rep), All The Roads Home (Cincinnati Playhouse), Curious Incident… (Actors Theatre of Louisville), after all the terrible things I do (Huntington Theatre), Tokyo Fish Story (Old Globe), Chinglish (Portland Center Stage), Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide… (Berkeley Rep), M. Butterfly (Guthrie). tv: Netflix’s “Marvel” Series, “Elementary,” “Deception,” “Madam Secretary,” “Royal Pains,” “Mysteries of Laura.” training: MFA, Brown/Trinity Rep. Member of The Actors Center.
KAYLA COLEMAN CC
Ursula, Seacole (MUCH); Helen, Soothsayer (CYMBELINE); Little Red, Ensemble (WOODS)
Kayla is ecstatic to be making her Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival debut with the Conservatory Company. Originally hailing from Philadelphia, PA, Kayla is a NYC based actor, singer, writer, and activist. Kayla is a May 2018 graduate from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts’ Department of Drama. She completed her training at the New Studio on Broadway, and at NYU’s campus in Accra, Ghana. Kayla was most recently seen in the Argyle Theater’s production of Hairspray as a Dynamite. Many thanks to Stephanie Klapper, Mom, Bobo, family, and my chosen community. instagram: @kayycole. kaylaccoleman.com
JON EDWARD COOK CC
Messenger, Oatcake (MUCH); Dutchman, Cornelius, (CYMBELINE); Ensemble (WOODS)
Jon is thrilled to be under the tent this summer! In 2017 he played Friar Lawrence and Benvolio in Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival’s 2017 School Tour of Romeo & Juliet, and has been a teaching artist with the Festival’s education arm ever since. Back in the city he’s a proud company member of the Flea Theater in TriBeCa, where you can see him on stage this coming Fall. thejoncook.com
Laura’s Off-Broadway credits include Sweeney Todd (Johanna/Pirelli/BW Standby, Barrow St Theater), Kid Victory (Suze, Vineyard Theater, Official Cast Album Released), Encores! The Golden Apple (Ensemble, NY City Center), Far From the Madding Crowd (Liddy, Signature), Ten Ways on a Gun (Kate, Theatre for the New City), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hermia, Boomerang Theatre Co.). regional: Laura originated the role of Princess Anna in Frozen Live at DCA, directed by Liesl Tommy. Other credits include Last Five Years (Portland Stage), Fun Home (Baltimore Center Stage), Signature Theatre (DC), Bridge Rep of Boston, Mile Square Theatre, Ogunquit Theatre, LA Rock Opera Co., Good Theater, MSMT, among others. film: Creedmoria (Eileen, Cinequest Best Comedy, Dir. Alicia Slimmer), City of Angers. tv: “Happy!” (Sister Lee, Recurring, SYFY), “Dietland,” (Anna/ Recurring, AMC), “A Very Special Christmas” (PBS, nominated for N.E. Emmy Award). sketch/improv: UCB. undergrad: USC (LA), NYU Tisch, and BADA (UK). Love to M, D, and K. instagram: @lauraedarrell lauradarrell.com
BRANDON DIAL CC
Verges (MUCH); Posthumus’ Father, Frenchman, British Lord (CYMBELINE); Jack, Ensemble (WOODS)
Brandon is an NYC-based actor. He is absolutely pumped to be joining HVSF as a member of the Conservatory Company! Past credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Smith Street Stage), Selah (NYNW Fest.), Liz Swados’ The Golem (NYU StageWorks) and Trojan Women (The Hangar Theater, Wedge Series). bfa: NYU Tisch, Stella Adler/Classical Studio/ETW.
MICHAEL EARLY* Leonato (MUCH); Philario, Caius Lucius (CYMBELINE) In a career spanning more than thirty years, Michael has distinguished himself in a variety of roles Off-Broadway, in regional theatre and on television. He most recently appeared as the Stage Manager in Our Town at Triad Stage. His television appearances include “Forever,” “Royal Pains,” “Damages,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Early Edition,” “One Life to Live,” “All My Children,” and “Another World.” Mr. Early is a graduate of Yale School of Drama.
José returns to the tent after serving in the 2018 HVSF Conservatory Company. His New York credits include Forbidden Colors (La Mama), Elected Remains and Doris and Cleveland (Dixon Place), Poor Boys’ Chorus (Broadway Bound Theater Festival), and The Clockwork Boy (Hudson Guild Theatre). educational: The Orphan of Zhao (dir. Ralph Peña), The Fork (dir. Will Davis), and Measure for Measure (Claudio). He is also a frequent volunteer with the 52nd Street Project. education: Fordham University at Lincoln Center, London Dramatic Academy. jose-gamo.com
RHETT GUTER*
Cinderella’s Prince, Wolf (WOODS)
Rhett’s other credits include Curly in Oklahoma and Conrad Birdie in Bye Bye Birdie (Connecticut Critics Circle Award) at Goodspeed Opera House; Mr. Darcy in Christmas at Pemberley at St. Louis Rep; Gaby in On the Town and Bert in Mary Poppins at the Olney Theater; Tulsa in Gypsy at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; The Boy in Peter and the Starcatcher at the Utah Shakespeare Festival; Action in the International Tour of West Side Story; Al in A Chorus Line and Munkustrap in Cats at the Paramount Theatre; Harry Beaton in Brigadoon at the Goodman Theatre; Riff in West Side Story, Older Billy in Billy Elliot, Slank in Peter and the Starcatcher at Drury Lane Oakbrook. Rhett is an alumnus of Southern Utah University. rhettguter.com
STEPHEN PAUL JOHNSON* Cymbeline (CYMBELINE); Antonio, Sexton (MUCH) 2019 marks Stephen’s twentieth season with HVSF, where some favorites among his more than 50 roles include King Lear, Prospero, Shylock, Titus Andronicus, Angelo, Capulet, Malvolio, Pandarus, Enobarbus, and Mr. Ford. Other regional venues include A.C.T., The Shakespeare Theatre, Denver Center, Oregon Shakespeare, The Asolo, Arkansas Rep., Alabama Shakespeare, six years as artist-in-residence at California’s PCPA/Theatrefest, and two international tours of West Side Story. Television appearances include “Boardwalk Empire,” “Law & Order,” and “Law & Order: SVU.”
SEAN MCNALL* Don Pedro (MUCH); Iachimo (CYMBELINE) Sean returns to HVSF, having appeared most recently in The Heart of Robin Hood, Rip Van Winkle, Twelfth Night, The Book of Will, Our Town, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Measure for Measure, and A Winter’s Tale. Before joining HVSF in 2014 as Associate Artistic Director and Director of Education, he spent 13 years as a member of The Pearl Theatre Acting Company in New York City, where he appeared in over 40 productions, receiving an OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance and a Drama Desk Award. His recent productions include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Terrence McNally’s And Away We Go, Shaw’s You Never Can Tell, and Henry IV, Part One, directed by Davis McCallum. He and his wife, Abigail, have a wonderful son named Declan.
GEORGE MERRICK* Deguiche, Montfleury (CYRANO); Baker (WOODS) George has appeared on Broadway in Honeymoon in Vegas, South Pacific, and High Fidelity. Off-Broadway, he starred alongside Marlo Thomas in Clever Little Lies, and at City Center in Ring Twice for Miranda. Recent regional appearances include leading roles in 1776, Bye Bye, Birdie, Singin’ in the Rain, and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. George’s TV credits include guest starring roles on “Blue Bloods,” “The Blacklist,” “Madam Secretary,” “Rise,” and “Fosse/Verdon.” He is also an award-winning lyricist and member of the famed BMI Musical Theater Writing Workshop.
JASON O’CONNELL*
Cyrano (CYRANO); Narrator, Mysterious Man (WOODS)
This is Jason’s 10th season with HVSF, and his first as both actor and playwright under the tent. Off-Broadway credits include Happy Birthday, Wanda June (Wheelhouse Theater, The Duke on 42nd St), Pride and Prejudice (HVSF/Primary Stages), The Saintliness of Margery Kempe (The Duke), Sense and Sensibility (Bedlam, Gym at Judson), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (HVSF/ The Pearl), The Seagull (Bedlam), and Jason’s own solo show, The Dork Knight (Abingdon Theatre Company, Joe’s Pub, etc). nyit award: Outstanding Lead Actor — Don Juan in Hell (Phoenix Theatre Ensemble). regional: Two River Theater, American Players, Great Lakes Theater, Peterborough Players, Florida Studio, Arkansas Rep, etc. tv: “Law & Order: SVU” and “Criminal Intent.” jason-oconnell.com
Luis is thrilled to be returning to the tent after serving in the 2017 HVSF Conservatory Company! Recent credits include: The River Bride (Stages Rep), A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Man of La Mancha (Triad Stage), Around the World in 80 Days (A.D Players), American Mariachi (Denver Center for the Performing Arts/Old Globe San Diego), Love’s Labour’s Lost (HVSF/The Acting Company), Twelfth Night, The Book of Will, and Pride and Prejudice (HVSF), A Midsummers Night’s Dream (N.C Symphony), The Lightning Thief, A Christmas Carol (Theaterworks USA), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Our Town (Generations, A Theater Company). bfa: University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
KURT RHOADS*
Dogberry, Friar (MUCH); Belarius (CYMBELINE)
Kurt returns for his 22nd season at HVSF. Last season: York in Richard II and Baptista/ Grumio in The Taming of the Shrew. Favorites at HVSF include: An Iliad, Tartuffe, Petruchio, Leontes, Macbeth, Iago, Launce, Antony, George Washington, and The Book of Will’s Henry. directing credits at HVSF: The Comedy of Errors (‘02, ‘11), The Taming of the Shrew (‘10), As You Like It (‘07), Two Gentlemen of Verona (‘05). At Westchester Community College: Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet. At the Everyman Theatre in Baltimore he has appeared as James Tyrone in Long Day’s Journey Into Night and as Stan in Sweat. At the Clarence Brown Theatre he has appeared as Titus in Titus Andronicus and Charles in King Charles III. Kurt was a company member at the Dallas Theater Center where he recently performed in White Rabbit, Red Rabbit. Kurt and actress Nance Williamson have worked together on 66 plays.
broadway: War Horse, Cyrano de Bergerac, Company, Cabaret. off-broadway: Wild Abandon, (Irish Rep), Before Were Gone (13th St. Rep), Fire and Air and As You Like It (CSC), The Taming of the Shrew (The Public). regional: August Rush (Paramount), That Face (Baltimore Center Stage), Camelot and Secret Garden (Cap Rep), Man of La Mancha (Milwaukee Rep), On Golden Pond (Casa Manana), Fairfield (Cleveland Playhouse), Woody Sez (Westport Playhouse), Last of the Red Hot Lovers (Hangar Theater), Holidays with the Chalks (Alliance Theatre), Merrily We Roll Along (Cincinnati Playhouse). film: Love, Repeat; Mona Lisa Smile; Loser. Love to Ted.
TIMIKI SALINAS CC
Borachio (MUCH); Spaniard, Arviragus (CYMBELINE); Ensemble (WOODS)
Timiki is thrilled to be at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival this summer. He is a recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon University where he co-founded The Bellwether Project. You can see him in their web series, “(in)alienable,” on YouTube. new york: Pop Punk High (Le Poisson Rouge) and Cindy (Project Y). tv: “Dickinson.” instagram: @ thedancingtiki. timikisalinas.com
CHARLIE SEMINE*
Benedick (MUCH); Pisanio (CYMBELINE)
broadway: Junk Dir. Doug Hughes (Lincoln Center Theater). regional: Black Snow, Dir. Evan Yionoulis (Yale Repertory), All My Sons, Dir. Ethan McSweeney (Chautauqua Theater). film: Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Friends and Romans. tv: “Braindead” (series regular), “Mercy” (series regular), “Smash,” “Elementary,” “Bull,” “Bluebloods,” et al. mfa: Yale School of Drama.
This is Britney’s second season with HVSF. She was in the 2018 productions of The Taming of the Shrew (Bianca) and Richard II (Queen Isabella). She’s performed in four seasons at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Mme. de la Grand Bouche in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast; Nausicaa and Ensemble in The Odyssey; Phœbe Meryll/ Krazy Kate in The Yeomen of the Guard; Dorothy, Glinda and Ensemble in The Wiz; Hot Box Girl and Ensemble in Guys and Dolls; Mopsa in Head Over Heels. other theatres: Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Myrtle Webb in Our Town, Grandma Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof (PCPA Theaterfest); Nina in S’Wonderful (Oregon Cabaret Theatre). education: The Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts.
STEPHEN MICHAEL SPENCER*
Don John, Watchman (MUCH); Cloten, Posthumus (CYMBELINE)
This is Stephen’s HVSF debut! regional: Julius Caesar (Theatre for a New Audience); In four seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Sweat (Arena Stage), The Winters Tale, Hamlet, Timon of Athens, Julius Caesar, Off the Rails, Loves Labors Lost, Othello (the A.R.T); Yentl, Carol for Cleveland (Cleveland Playhouse); Tartuffe, The Legend of Georgia McBride [Ensemble Theatre Comany](Triad Stage); As You Like It, Clybourne Park, Comedy of Errors (Chautauqua Theatre Company). international: The Heart of Robin Hood with Mirvish Productions at the Royal Alexandria. training: B.F.A. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, M.F.A. from Case Western Reserve Universty/Cleveland Playhouse. stephenmichaelspencer.com ig: stephen_spencer @StephenMSpencer
ALEXANDRA TEMPLER*
Hero (MUCH); Imogen (CYMBELINE)
theater: Arena Stage (Begotten), Williamstown Festival (Lempicka, Dir. Rachel Chavkin; …In the Berkshires, Fifth Planet, The Amish Project), 24-Hour Plays (Birth of Toby), NYU (An American Daughter, Henry V, Night of the Iguana, Shadow Play). television: “When They See Us” (Netflix, Dir. Ava DuVernay). Alexandra holds a Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Psychology from Georgetown University. She is a 2018 graduate of the NYU MFA Acting Program.
Conrade (MUCH); Second Lord, British Captain (CYMBELINE); Steward, Ensemble (WOODS) Ryan is ecstatic to be cast as a member of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival Conservatory Company. He has worked with The Public Theater in Shakespeare in the Park’s productions of Twelfth Night and As You Like It. He is originally from Louisiana and very grateful to be able to work on his craft in NYC. He absolutely loves projects that will challenge and push his limits. He’s grateful to Christ, family, and friends who have been with him on this journey.
Understudies
LUCY AUSTIN
Lucy is a senior musical theater BFA student at Boston Conservatory, where she recently played Sally Bowles in Cabaret. others: The General From America (HVSF, U/S), Good Kids, Cagebirds, Sweeney Todd. Multiple appearances in Sondheim Unplugged at 54 Below. YoungArts winner. upcoming film: Greta Gerwig’s Little Women. Thanks HSVF!
DANTE DE LEO Dante made his HVSF debut last summer as Dolph Heyliger in Rip Van Winkle. He’s thrilled to be back and is thankful for the support of his family, friends, and the HVSF community.
NANCE WILLIAMSON* La Bret, Duenna (CYRANO); Jack’s Mother, Stepmother (WOODS); Voice of Jupiter (CYMBELINE) Nance happily returns for a 19th season at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Favorite Roles include Cleopatra, Tamora, Beatrice, Nurse, Lady M, Jacques, Dromio, Kate, and so many others. Since last summer Nance performed Clairey in Steel Magnolias at Dallas Theater Center and Camilla in King Charles III at Clarence Brown Theater in Knoxville. She has a 35 year acting career in film, television, commercials, and over 150 plays regionally, off-Broadway, and on Broadway in Broken Glass, Henry IV, Cyrano, and Romeo and Juliet. Nance and her husband Kurt Rhoads have done 66 plays together and celebrate 35 years married.
EMMA MYERS Emma is thrilled to be in the tent again this summer after appearing in Our Town and Rip Van Winkle. Emma has an MFA from Brooklyn College and has appeared in Pericles, This, Julius Caesar, The Thugs and Dancing at Lughnasa. She has also appeared in Living Closely and Medea with the Hudson Valley Performing Arts Lab.
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