2023 Season Program

Land Acknowledgement

The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival operates on the unceded territory of the Lenape, Munsee, and Wappinger people, which is colonially known as Philipstown, New York. We gratefully acknowledge their stewardship of this land in the past and present.

HVSF offers this land acknowledgement as a formal statement to recognize and respect the Indigenous Peoples who are the traditional stewards of the land on which we operate and their enduring relationship with this place.

Table of Contents

The taking of photographs or the use of recording devices of any kind during the performance is strictly prohibited, in accordance with Actors’ Equity regulation. Please turn off all devices. Thank you!

Dear Friend,

Welcome to the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival’s 2023 Season!

This season, we celebrate the unparalleled power of theater to connect, inspire, and transform. Our repertoire of captivating productions will leave you on the edge of your seat, experiencing the magic of theater like never before. From the iconic works of Shakespeare to the world premiere of PENELOPE, each performance will take you on a journey of discovery and self-reflection. Our talented cast of actors will transport you to new worlds, igniting your imaginations, and touching your hearts.

But our theater company is not just about the performances on the stage. It’s also about YOU. The energy that circulates between all of us – actors and audience – under this magnificent tent is what makes HVSF truly special. Our new home in the Hudson Valley is not just a location, but a vibrant hub where people from all walks of life come together to share in the joy of live performance. It’s a place where connections are made, friendships are forged, and memories are created.

We believe in the power of theater to bring people together, inspire dialogue, and foster a sense of belonging. Our festival is not just about watching a play; it’s about being present with each other, experiencing the collective energy of the audience, and feeling the palpable magic that happens when performers and audience connect in a truly shared experience.

On behalf of Managing Director Kendra Ekelund and everyone at HVSF, THANK YOU for being a part of our community and for sharing in the magic of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. We look forward to creating unforgettable memories with you this season.

Warmly,

Davis McCallum Artistic Director

We believe in the power of theater to bring people together, inspire dialogue, and foster a sense of belonging. Our festival is not just about watching a play; it’s about being present with each other.

Make the Most of Your Visit

Joy, gentle friends! We’ve assembled a few tips and tricks to help make your visit to the Theater Tent an enjoyable one…

Actors enter and exit during the show

Take the stairs at the back of your section to access the restroom

Store your picnic gear before showtime

Load up on bug spray

Entrances and Exits

Watch your toes! Actors enter and exit from multiple points in the theater throughout the show.

Restrooms

Should you find yourself needing to leave the show for a trip to the loo, please make your way to the top of the stairs at the back of your section. Staff are available to guide you from there.

Stash Your Stuff

No need to make the long trek to the parking lot. Storage space is available for all of your picnic items. Remember to pick them up after the show!

Unsavory Souvenirs

Though they are a natural part of life in the valley, we’d hate to see you leave covered in bug bites. Arm yourself with complimentary bug spray.

Late Seating and Reseating

Our staff will help you get to your seat at an appropriate break in the action.

Intermission

During our intermission this evening, take a moment to stretch your legs and discover your new favorite concessions. Our staff will notify you when it’s time to return to your seat. And to skip the lines, why not pre-order your snacks and drinks before the show?

See page 8 for details.

A Helping Hand

Here at HVSF, we’ve seen (and handled) it all. Please don’t hesitate to alert a member of our CPR- and First Aid-trained staff if something feels amiss. Your comfort matters, and we’re ready to lend a hand!

Accessibility

Ask our staff about accessible seating. Ask our staff if a digital or print copy of the script is available for this performance.

Regroup or Take a Call

A quiet space is available near the restaurant for a sensory regroup or to take a private call. Let our staff know if you’d like access to our fidget collection.

Concessions Menu

Sweet & Savory

• Grain Bowls

• Salads

• Sandwiches

• Sides

• Desserts

Our picnic menu is available for pre-order online and at the concession stand from 5–7pm for evening performances and 12–1:30pm for matinees.

Snacks

• Freshly Popped Popcorn

• Deep River Potato Chips

• Rold Gold Pretzels

• Assorted Bakery Items

• Nuts & Candy

Frozen Treats

Daily variety and prices subject to change.

• Jane’s Ice Cream

Sorbet Trio: Raspberry, Blueberry & Lemon

Sorbet (DF & V)

Neapolitan: Killer Chocolate, Tahitian Vanilla & Strawberry

Cappuccino Kahlua

Calypso: Cappuccino Ice Cream & Toffee Bits

Coconut Almond Joy: Coconut Ice Cream, Shaved Coconut & Choco-Chunks

A Mint Summer Night’s

Dream: Minty Chocolate Ice cream, Choco-chips, Marshmallows

• Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream Bar

• Fat Boy Ice Cream Sandwich

“Good company, good wine, good welcome can make good people”

Ice Cold Beverages

• House-Made Selection of Iced Teas, Iced Coffee & Lemonade

• Pepsi, Diet Pepsi & Ginger Ale

• Schweppe’s Seltzers

• Dowser Spring Water

Hot Beverages

• Gramercy Park Regular & Decaf Coffees

• SerendipiTea Single Sachet Selection

Cocktails

• House-Made Sangria

• Margaritas

Craft Beers & Cider

• Sloop Juice Bomb

• Captain Lawrence Clear Water Kölsch

• Allagash White

• Farnum Hill Dry Farmhouse Cider

Wines

Expertly Curated Reds, Whites, Rosé & Sparkling by the Glass & Half Bottle

SPRING

LOCAL CHEESES. CHARCUTERIE BOARDS. ARTISAN SUNDRIES.

Scan to pre-order and pick up at intermission!

10% OFF YOUR

artistic director

Davis McCallum

managing director Kendra Ekelund

PRESENTS

HENRY V by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

directed by DAVIS MCCALLUM**

Anya Klepikov+ Costume Designer

Buffy Cardoza Props Designer

Fitz Patton+ Sound Designer, Composer

Sandra Goldmark Scenic Advisor

Mike Inwood+ Lighting Designer

Susannah Millonzi** Movement Director

Alithea Phillips Voice Coach

Jo Fernandez* Stage Manager

Casting ......................... Calleri Jensen Davis (James Calleri, Erica Jensen, Paul Davis)

Ligature Creative

This production is supported in part by SHS Foundation

Frederic C. Rich, Steven L. Holley, Robin and Ralph Arditi

*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre, HVSF, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

+Represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE.

**Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this production and distributing recordings or streams in any medium, including the internet, is strictly prohibited.

Director’s Note

out our imperfections with your thoughts.”

This Shakespearean epic follows a charismatic warrior King and his cohort through the brutality of warfare, as the ragtag band confronts heavy opposition and their own destinies in an aggressive pursuit of the French crown. The play’s central question — What kind of leadership would it take to forge a resilient and unified band of brothers and sisters from a fractious and anxious group of individuals? — resonates with fresh urgency in our contemporary world.

Cast

Emily Ota* King Henry

Duane Boutté* Archbishop of Canterbury, The King of France, Erpingham

Timothy Bright CC Cambridge, Bedford

Carl Howell* Nym, Constable, Williams

Lennon Xin Wen Hu CC Gloucester, Orleans

Phoebe Lloyd CC French Ambassador, Court, York

Melissa Mahoney* Montjoy, Hostess Quickly, Jamy

Sean McNall* Chorus, Boy

Francis Pàce-Nuñez CC Bardolph, Bates, Salisbury

Luis Quintero* Pistol, Bourbon

Kurt Rhoads* .................................................... Exeter, Le Fer, Falstaff

Antoinette Robinson* ............................................. King Henry Understudy

Mayadevi Ross CC ..............................Grey, Governor of Harfleur, Queen of France

Omar Shafiuzzaman* ............................. Westmoreland, Gower, Princess Katherine

Stephen Michael Spencer* .................................... Scroop, Dauphin, Macmorris

Nance Williamson* ................................................... Ely, Fluellen, Alice

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. cc Member of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival Conservatory Company

- Henry V

Shakespeare’s history plays sometimes get a bad rap as being intimidatingly remote: a confusing parade of Richards and Henrys, served up with endless political wrangling by English aristocrats over the crown. I get it. If it makes you feel any better, I will confess something to you: I really don’t think of Henry V as a history play at all. King Henry’s military campaign in France in 1415 (and his questionable reasons for launching it) may be the setting of the play, but it is not its primary subject.

For me, it’s a play about a company, about a group of people who are transformed from disparate individuals into a cohesive whole. It’s also about growing up, and the never-ending process of integrating all of your past selves in the person you are BECOMING today. It’s about leadership, and in particular the ability to use language to galvanize, and inspire, and transform. Finally, it’s about creativity and performance. INVENTION. Play. The life-affirming act of creating something out of nothing.

Ultimately, any truly great production of Henry V must also be about the relationship between the actors and You, the audience. It’s about the circle, the co-creation, the weaving-together that makes the theater so uniquely compelling as an art form. Take a moment to look up from reading this program note and have a look around the HVSF tent, transformed for this production into a theater-in-the-round. As King Henry says at one point in the play, “Wish not a man from England.” We are enough! More than enough, if we really bring all of ourselves and our imaginations to each other and to the story. Theater that involves the audience in the unfolding of the story is my favorite kind of theater, and it’s what we do best at HVSF.

I find great humor and irony and heart in this play, and I think we often read it far too earnestly. Though the play takes very seriously the terrible cost of war, it’s constantly switching tones from the high drama of politics into some other key – more personal, warmer, more ridiculous, more about the texture of human relationships. This makes sense given that the central figure of the play is a bit of a chameleon, and an expert performer. Henry is described as someone who “can drink with any tinker in their own language,” which I think means not just that he’s an expert code-switcher, but also that he understands that effective communication is not primarily about the speaker, but about the listeners. Henry knows how to read a room. It’s a gift that the playwright and the central figure of the play share.

I hope this production allows these two tones, personified by Henry’s two fathers — the brutality and razer-sharp strategy of his blood father, Henry Bolingbroke, and the absurdity and physicality and heart of his father-of-choice, Sir John Falstaff — to coexist in harmony. Our idea is that we don’t compromise either tone by bringing them to some luke-warm middle, but rather allow them to live vibrantly side-by-side, and invite you, the audience, to marry them in your imaginative experience of the play. Thank you for going on the journey with us, and I hope you enjoy the ride!

Before King Henry, there was Prince Hal.

Discover the compelling backstory of the play by scanning the code to watch a quick video, created by Luis Quintero and other members of the company.

“All things are ready, if our minds be so.”

“Piece

Director’s Bio

Davis McCallum (he/him)

Now in his ninth season as HVSF’s Artistic Director, Davis is a passionate advocate for the power of the arts to bring people together and create more interconnected and resilient communities. Under his leadership, HVSF established HVStories, a multi-year exploration of the people, history, and culture of the Hudson Valley; and Full Circle, a community engagement program inspired by 2016’s citizen-driven production of Our Town. For HVSF, he has directed productions of Cymbeline, Richard II, The Winter’s Tale, Measure for Measure, Anne Washburn’s Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play and the rolling world premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s The Book of Will. Notable productions in New York include Greater Clements (LCT), Lewiston/Clarkston (Rattlestick – Drama Desk nomination for Best Play), The Harvest (LCT3); Stupid Fucking Bird (Pearl), Fashions for Men and London Wall (Mint – Drama Desk and Lortel nomination for Best Revival); The Whale (Lortel Award for Best Play, and Calloway nomination for Best Director) and Pocatello (Playwrights Horizons); Water by the Spoonful (Second Stage – Pulitzer Prize for Drama); and February House (The Public). Other NYC credits include Signature Theatre, The Acting Company, 13P, Clubbed Thumb, Play Company, Page 73, and the New Victory. Regional credits include the Denver Center, Dallas Theater Center, Old Globe, Guthrie, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the O’Neill, American Shakespeare Center, Williamstown, Humana Festival, others. A graduate of Princeton, he studied Shakespeare at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and trained as a director at LAMDA. He has taught acting and directing at Princeton and The New School for Drama. He lives in Cold Spring with his family.

artistic director

Davis McCallum

managing director

Kendra Ekelund

PRESENTS

LOVE’S LABOR’S LOST

by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

directed and adapted by AMANDA DEHNERT** original music by AMANDA DEHNERT & ANDRÉ PLUESS

Buffy Cardoza Props Designer

Jessica Shay+ Costume Designer

Ken Travis+ Sound Designer

Reza Behjat+ Lighting Designer

Alithea Phillips Voice Coach

Colt Luedtke*

Casting ......................... Calleri Jensen Davis (James Calleri, Erica Jensen, Paul Davis)

Creative

This production is supported in part by SHS Foundation

*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre, HVSF, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

+Represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE.

**Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this production and distributing recordings or streams in any medium, including the internet, is strictly prohibited.

Laura Jean Wilson and Mark Menting

Four young noblemen absent themselves from society, in order to focus entirely on their studies. They even take a monastic oath: No girls! All books! But when the Princess of France turns up with three young ladies, how long will the men’s resolve hold up? Director Amanda Dehnert (Pride and Prejudice) infuses

Shakespeare’s delightful comedy with an original pop/rock score (by Dehnert and Andre Pleuss) that gives full voice to the heart-pounding experience of being young and in love.

Cast

Duane Boutté*

Director’s Note

Love’s Labor’s Lost is so many things. It’s a rangy, free-spirited, oddly plotted comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a brilliant capture of the extremely earnest and profoundly naïve spirit that inhabits us all when we are young. It’s a scathing indictment of those unfettered actions that tread the fine, line between what one might call ‘wit’, and another might call ‘meanness’. It’s the literary equivalent of pop-art: Andy Warhol took a soup can, the most ordinary of objects, and placed it on a canvas over and over again in ever increasing maddening, whimsical, provocative ways; Shakespeare takes the common elements of a romantic comedy, tosses them into a fictional-but-not enclave in the woods, and lets all the typical constraints of a well-behaved society go by the wayside in order to make a play where the characters invent their own rules — their own selves — and then transform, break, and re-make those rules over again - also in increasingly whimsical, wonderful, maddening ways.

It is a play that knows it’s a play, and in that, not unique — but it recognizes itself in an attempt to capture a paradox inherent within both theatre and life. In the theatre, we try awfully hard to help you (the audience), get interested in the characters, invested in their journeys, their endings…all of it. We want you to care about something that’s going on in that story, on that stage. We want it to never be boring, or false, and we want it to somehow all have meant something at the end. We hope it will have meant something (in the end), to you and to us — but we can’t ever really know. I think it’s the same with life. We want to create lives for ourselves that have meaning, and love, and wisdom, and experiences. We want to care, and we want to be invested in the world around us.

We also never want it — life — to be boring or false. And we want it all to have meant something, in the end.

Sir Nathaniel

Timothy Bright CC Moth

Carl Howell* Dull

Lennon Xin Wen Hu CC Dumain

Phoebe Lloyd CC

The Princess of France

Melissa Mahoney* Jaquenetta

Sean McNall* Holofernes

Emily Ota* Maria

Francis Pàce-Nuñez CC Longaville

Luis Quintero* Costard

Kurt Rhoads*

Antoinette Robinson*

Mayadevi Ross CC

Sir Adrian O. Dearmaddow

. Rosaline

Katharine

Omar Shafiuzzaman* ........................................... Ferdinand, King of Navarre

Stephen Michael Spencer*

cc Member of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival Conservatory Company

Love’s Labor’s Lost is so many things. The most important thing happens in the last ten minutes. I hope you’ll forget you’ve read this and can be swept up in all the things it is until it becomes the thing it sets out to do. It tells a truth about who we are in our youth, in our middle-age, in our dotage, in our ending.

Director’s Bio

Amanda Dehnert

Productions include: West Side Story (director), Carnegie Hall at the Knockdown Center, Queens NY; Lucy & Charlie’s Honeymoon (by Matthew Yee, world premiere musical) Eastland: A New Musical (world premiere - director, orchestrator), and Peter Pan – A Play (by Amanda Dehnert, world premiere), all for Lookingglass Theatre Company; Timon of Athens (adaptor, composer, director), Into the Woods (director, music director/conductor), My Fair Lady (director, music director), Julius Caesar (director, adaptor), all for Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Richard III (director, adaptor, composer), for The Public Theatre Mobile Shakespeare Unit; Cloudlands (by Adam Gwon and Octravio Solis; director, world premiere), for South Coast Repertory; The Verona Project (words and music by Amanda Dehnert, world premiere), for California Shakespeare Theatre; Death of a Salesman (director, composer), for Dallas Theatre Center); The Fantasticks (director, music director), for Trinity Rep, Long Wharf, Arena Stage, and South Coast Rep; Cabaret (director), for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Canada; Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (director, adaptor, composer), for Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Amanda is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Northwestern University.

“Let us once lose our oaths to find ourselves, Or else we lose ourselves to keep our oaths.”

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

bring

We dig deeper… anticipating, addressing and avoiding issues that could delay or derail your project.

badey-watson.com

(845) 265.9217

Celebrating 5 years of closing deals in 2023!

Home. Whether you’re buying or selling, real estate is life-changing & momentous, we get it because we’ve been there. We guide our clients through the process on a person-to-person level in the communities we call home too! Our approach is detailed and distinct—we believe good relationships spark great results.

“World-class performances!”— Hi! Drama

“Phoenix Theatre Ensemble is doing something wonderful in Nyack!” —Broadway Radio

Special for the Shakespeare Festival Audience: 10% discount on adult tickets for every performance

( At checkout enter code: BARD )

CHOOSE from 30 performances, presented by over 40 New York City actors, directors, dancers musicians, choreographers, set designers and costumers. Six indoor and outdoor stages. All in Nyack—a treasure trove of over 100 shops and restaurants packed into a walkable one square mile.

Theatre

• Crime and Punishment: Edge-of-your seat adaption of Dostoyevsky’s classic

• The Importance of Being Earnest: Oscar Wilde’s frothy, funny, forever comedy

• Drinks with Dead Poets: Glyn Maxwell’s pints and conversations with deceased literati

• The Wind in the Willows: Kenneth Grahame’s beloved book in a new onstage animation

• Children’s Shakespeare Theatre: Young actors bravely present the best of the Bard

Music and Dance

• Pan: A theatrical dance fable on Black masculinity by Emotions Physical Theatre

• ARTSRock in concert: World class instrumentalists o er a specially curated live program

Special Events

• Now I am Alone: Acclaimed classical actor Geo rey Owens performs Shakespeare

• Reflections From the Shallow End of the Dating Pool: Real experiences good and bad

• Scandalton: Court-side seats to social drama. Audience helps spill the tea

• Honduras: A riveting performance by Valeria Avina of real accounts from the US Southern Border 2018

• Nyack is the stage: Free smart phone-based augmented reality walking tour of the village

member

Pictured from left: Ana Silverlinck, Real Estate Salesperson Katelyn White, Real Estate Salesperson; Ann McBride-Alayon, Principal Broker, Owner; Claudia Dizenzo, Associate Real Estate Broker Stephanie Northrop, Real Estate Salesperson; Amber Ackermann, Real Estate Salesperson REALTY HUDSON RIVER LINE

artistic director

Davis McCallum

managing director

Kendra Ekelund

PRESENTS

PENELOPE

music and lyrics by ALEX BECHTEL book by ALEX BECHTEL, GRACE MCLEAN & EVA STEINMETZ directed by EVA STEINMETZ

Alex Bechtel Orchestrator, Author

Buffy Cardoza Props Designer

Daniel Kelly

Oona Curley+

Music Director

Lighting Designer

Rebecca Kanach+ Costume Designer

Jo Fernandez* Stage Manager

Palmer Hefferan+ Sound Designer

Casting Calleri Jensen Davis (James Calleri, Erica Jensen, Paul Davis)

Ligature Creative

PENELOPE was developed, in part, through the Founders’ Club Residency as part of the Orchard Project (www.orchardproject.com), Ari Edelson, Artistic Director.

This production is supported in part by SHS Foundation

Byron and Siew Thye Stinson; Dan Kramer and Judy Mogel

*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre, HVSF, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

+Represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE.

**Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this production and distributing recordings or streams in any medium, including the internet, is strictly prohibited.

A re-imagining of the story of The Odyssey from the point of view of a character often relegated to the margins of the story, Penelope is a musical love letter to all those who wait: For someone they love. For something they believe in. And hope that the wait will end well. An intimate and explosive music theater piece, Penelope invites the audience to join in a ritual act of storytelling to release the pent-up grief, anger, love and longing that are so familiar after the last three years.

Director’s Note

“So here is why I write what I do: We all have futures. We all have pasts. We all have stories. And we all, every single one of us, no matter who we are and no matter what’s been taken from us or what poison we’ve internalized or how hard we’ve had to work to expel it—we all get to dream.”

— N.K. Jemisin

PENELOPE began in the summer of 2020 as an album, conceived and composed by Alex Bechtel. Forced to quarantine in separate cities from his romantic partner, he found himself writing pieces from the point of view of the waiting wife who lives in the margins of Homer’s ODYSSEY Alex would send me demos and I had the great pleasure of offering thoughts and feedback, serving as a sort of informal dramaturg on the music.

That fall, the two of us developed a regular practice of what we called “Thursday office hours,” drinking wine and eating pizza on my front porch (and crying sometimes too), while we imagined a future when we might be able to turn his album into a show. Three years later, it is such an honor to be experiencing that dream, premiering our live production under the beautiful Hudson Valley tent.

For me, PENELOPE holds the grief of the pandemic — being stuck at home, mourning global cataclysm, wondering who and what would survive. But the show also holds a healing salve.

During lockdown, when theater disappeared and previously unshakable parts of my life and identity slipped away, I didn’t miss elaborate sets or showy stage tricks. I didn’t miss the spectacles; I missed the people. I missed the music and the stories and the feeling of togetherness. I missed the impossible act of collective imagination, when the sound of a melody or a simple human gesture would suddenly transport me to another time and space.

So, we’ve put all the people front and center. The first page of the show’s script reads, “No matter how theatrical the container of the piece becomes, it should always retain the feeling of a group of musicians playing an evening of songs for an audience. No matter what: The musicians exist in the space with Penelope, as does the audience. If this is a dream, it’s one we are all having together.” Penelope is simultaneously the lead singer in a band and the main character in a play. She’s in her house and also on a stage. While she invites you to cast your mind back to an old and familiar classic, she does so on her terms, and insists that you see things from where she’s standing (which, turns out, is right here; right now).

Director & Bookwriter’s Bio

Eva Steinmetz

Eva Steinmetz is STOKED to be under the tent for the first time. A Philadelphia-based theater and film director, her work straddles the ordinary and extraordinary. Most notably she directed and co-wrote The Appointment with Lightning Rod Special. Other collaborations include Josephine Decker, Alexandra Tatarsky, Theatre Horizon, The Polyphone Festival, Sarah Knittel, Tommy Butler, and Johana Kasimow. As Artistic Producer for the Pig Iron Theater Company, she’s developing Digital, Film, & Interactive performances.

Whether you’re a longtime fangirl of Homer and his epics, you’ve read some Madeline Miller, or you have no idea what I’m talking about, I truly believe you have all the information you need to go on our musical journey with Penelope. Bring your grandma. Bring your daughter. Afterwards, ask them what images came to mind when Alex’s beautiful instrumental compositions filled the space. Share a piece of yourself you lost once.

In many ways, this show is a tribute to the things we miss and the lives we wait for—to the wide horizons that fill our hearts with longing. It’s also about the journey of the everyday; the ways we grow and discover, even when we’re stuck in one place. As we continue to grapple with pain and dream of better futures, as we spend our lives learning the same lessons over and over again, we all have healing work to do.

“I could wait for you forever, if you told me what forever was for.”

Pick up your HVSF merch tonight! Located near concessions.

Meet the Acting Company

Christine Bokhour

Understudy (Penelope)

Theatre connects community.

Looking to find thine own true self or calm your inner tempest? You don’t need to be a teacher to attend our monthly workshops, and for some, like our June event (see right), you don’t even need to practice yoga. Visit our website to learn more.

ytayoga.com

June 10

Natural Practices to Improve Vision with Daniel Orlansky

September 9

Baptiste Power of Yoga / Yoga with Weights with Sherri Baptiste

November 11

Align with the Divine with Todd Norian

Saturdays, 1:30–4:30 p.m. Via Zoom and at Club Fit, Briarcliff Manor, NY

(in alphabetical order)

Special Offer for HVSF Supporters— Get 20% Off Your First Workshop! Go to ytayoga.com/hvsf for details.

Christine Bokhour has appeared on Broadway and in National tours (Chicago, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Cats, Sunset Boulevard, Will Rogers’ Follies) at Radio City Music Hall (Rockette, and featured singer), in European tours, various regional theaters and a Facebook meme. Locals have seen her play a variety of roles at the Philipstown Depot Theatre from Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar to Margaret in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and most recently Veronica in God of Carnage. Direction credits include The Cake starring Tony nominee Sally Mayes, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Nunsense with Daytime Dramas’ Liz Keifer. Christine is currently directing and developing The Scream, a new musical by her husband’s award winning BMI team recently performed at MTC and Westport Country Playhouse. She was awarded best director in the 2021 Aery Theatre’s One Act Festival and best actress in the 2006 American Globe Theatre’s 15 minute play festival. Christine has been an acupuncturist for 12 years and lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband actor/writer/composer/producer Raymond Bokhour and their 14 year old son.

Duane Boutté*

Archbishop of Canterbury, The King of France, Erpingham (Henry V) and Sir Nathaniel (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

Broadway: Parade (Lincoln Center, ’98) and Carousel (’94 TONY-winning revival). Off-Broadway: Playwright’s Horizons, Public, Vineyard, Primary Stages, Mint, LaMama, Mabou Mines. Regional: Goodman, Arena Stage, La Jolla, Dallas, Denver Center, Alliance, McCarter, Seattle Rep, Penumbra, Cape Playhouse and more. Favorite roles: “Orestes” (Berkeley Rep), “Bayard Rustin” (Public, Woolly Mammoth, more), “Mercutio” (Oregon Shakespeare). TV: “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “Sex and The City,” “What’s Happening Now” and more. Boutté stars in the films Stonewall (’96) and Brother to Brother. Directing credits: Neil LaBute’s Appomattox (world premiere, Summer Shorts), LOL (Algonquin), Home (Rep Stage), Stalag 17 (Fresno), The Merry Wives of Windsor (Worcester), Winter’s Tale, Othello, Everybody, Fences, Cabaret and more. Musical Theater compositions: Lyin’ Up a Breeze (GCP, Fresno), and Caravaggio Chiaroscuro (La Mama).

Timothy BrightCC

Cambridge, Bedford (Henry V) and Moth (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

Timothy Bright hails from Honolulu, Hawaii, and is a graduate of Mason Gross at Rutgers where he also studied at Shakspeare’s Globe Theater in London. Credits include Measure for Measure at the Globe (Lucio), Cole at Ensemble Studio Theater (Liam), Sense and Sensibility (Edward Ferrars), Faust (Mephistopheles), Peter and the Starcatcher (Fighting Prawn), and La Bete (Valere). His passion is to create for young people, and to work with the house of prayer Habitation NYC. This is a dream!

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

CC Member of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival Conservatory Company

A design studio for organizations that do good work. ligcreative.com

Congratulations to our friends at HVSF on their 2023 season under the tent.

“The apparel oft proclaims the man.” HAMLET

Carl Howell*

Nym, Constable, Williams (Henry V) and Dull (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

Carl is so happy to return to HVSF for his third season after playing Romeo in 2012! Previous HVSF: Romeo & Juliet (2012), Love’s Labour’s Lost (2012), Cymbeline and Twelfth Night (2008). 1st National Tour: Peter and the Starcatcher (dir. Roger Rees). Regional: Straight White Men (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater), Deathtrap (Syracuse Stage), Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Alabama Story (Repertory Theatre of St Louis), It’s A Wonderful Life (Capital Rep). Video Game: Winton Holmes in Red Dead Redemption 2. Podcast: Eugene Neddly in The Land Whale Murders Teaching: Atlantic Acting School. Training: BFA NYU. Big thanks to his family for bringing music and creativity into his life, and to Angie for eleven years of love and kindness, and helping him with his audition. carlhowell.com @carl_howell

Lennon Xin Wen HuCC

Gloucester, Orleans (Henry V) and Dumain (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

Lennon Hu is so grateful to be making his debut at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival as a Conservatory Company Member. He is an actor-musician originally from Fredericksburg, VA. Lennon has a BA in Theatre from Virginia Commonwealth University. Credits include Comedy of Errors (Smith Street Stage) Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and Midsummer Nights Dream (Cincinnati Shakespeare) Once (Fulton Theater / Virginia Rep.) King Lear, Love’s Labour’s Lost (Prague Shakespeare). For updates follow Lennon at Instagram: @lennonxhu or at lennonhu.com

Phoebe LloydCC

French Ambassador, Court, York (Henry V) and The Princess of France (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

Phoebe received their BFA in Acting from Carnegie Mellon University this past May. They are overjoyed to make their professional debut under the tent! Much love and gratitude to the whole HVSF team. For more information on Phoebe’s work and a link to their CMU showcase page visit phoebelloyd.com.

Melissa Mahoney*

Montjoy, Hostess Quickly, Jamy (Henry V) and Jaquanetta (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

Melissa Mahoney is thrilled to be back at HVSF! She has played title roles in three critically-acclaimed productions with Atlantic Theater Company (including Off-Broadway Alliance Award Winner The Pirate La Dee Da), five Shakespeare productions with director Dan Hasse (recently playing both Dromio twins in Smith Street Stage’s The Comedy of Errors), as well as at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Ars Nova, 59E59, Dixon Place, and in theaters across the United States. Offstage, Melissa can be found teaching at NYU Tisch or working as a hospital clown with the Healthy Humor Red Nose Docs. melissamahoney.me.

Sean McNall*

Chorus, Boy (Henry V) and Holofernes (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

Sean returns to HVSF, having appeared most recently in Mr. Burns, The Tempest, Cymbeline, Much Ado About Nothing, 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.

Emily Ota*

King Henry (Henry V) and Maria (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

In three seasons at HSVF: Henry V in Henry V; Maria in Love’s Labor’s Lost; Maria in Mr. Burns; Prince Escalus in Romeo and Juliet; Emilia and ensemble in Winter’s Tale; Ensemble in Arabian Nights; Miranda in The Tempest Off-Broadway: Becky in Bachelorette (Walkerspace Theatre) New York: Readings at Public Theater, EST, The Lark, and New Dramatists; Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, (HVSF Tour). Regional: Among other credits — Miranda in The Tempest (Oregon Symphony); Three seasons at OSF: Alice in Alice in Wonderland; Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility; Juliet in Romeo and Juliet; Ensemble in The Merry Wives of Windsor; Black Swan Lab. International: Jo in Boom (UK Premiere), Diana Bingley in I Love You Because, Sandy in Rabbit, Celia in As You Like It (Paris), Blanche Skinner in Before the Party, Malcolm in Macbeth, Sonya in Uncle Vanya, Nurse in A Trip to Scarborough, Duchess in The Duchess of Malfi (LAMDA). Film/New Media: Sweet and Sour by Debbi Michiko Florence, narrated by Emily Ota; The Process (Film), A Consultation (Film), Tabling: The Podcast. Training: Post-Graduate Acting with Distinction, LAMDA.

Francis Pàce-NuñezCC

Bardolph, Bates, Salisbury (Henry V) and Longaville (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

Francis Pàce-Nuñez is an actor-artist from Sleepy Hollow, NY and an alumni of SUNY Purchase Acting Conservatory. His recent credits include: The 14th Annual The Fire This Time Festival (understudy) and Purchase Rep’s Henry IV Part I (Falstaff). You can find out more about him at collaboratewithfrancis.com.

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

CC Member of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival Conservatory Company

Luis Quintero*

Pistol, Bourbon (Henry V) and Costard (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

Luis is thrilled to be back under the tent! Recent credits include: Sanctuary City (Fourth Wall Theater) A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sweat and A Christmas Carol (The Alley), The River Bride (Stages Rep), Around the World in 80 Days (A.D Players), A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Man of La Mancha (Triad Stage), 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, Pride and Prejudice, Into the Woods, Cyrano, Romeo and Juliet, and Mr. Burns (HVSF), A Midsummers Night’s Dream (N.C Symphony), The Lightning Thief, A Christmas Carol (Theaterworks USA), be on the lookout for his Hip Hop adaptation of Medea in partnership with Red Bull Theater BFA: University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Kurt Rhoads*

Exeter, Monsieur Le Fer (Henry V) and Sir Adrian O. Dearmaddow (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

This past summer Kurt and Nance played the title characters in Romeo and Juliet at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival directed by GT Upchurch. Other Pandemic-era shows: world premiere of Brenda Withers’ Off Peak at Hudson Stage and 59E59th St Theatre; Stephano in The Tempest at HVSF and Rothko in Red, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina; Toby Belch, Twelfth Night, Two River Theatre Co. Broadway: Julius Caesar Off-Broadway: Mint Theatre: Fashions For Men; Pearl Theatre: Othello, The Good Natur’d Man. Regional: Everyman Theatre: Sweat; Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Shakespeare Theatre: Measure For Measure, Antony And Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Richard III. Arena Stage: How I Learned To Drive, Agamemnon And His Daughters. Denver Center: Book Of Will Clarence Brown Theatre: King Charles III, Titus Andronicus. Arvada Center: A Man For All Seasons. Alabama Shakespeare Festival: To Kill A Mockingbird. Old Globe: Fiction, Dinner With Friends. 8 seasons at Dallas Theatre Center. 25 seasons performing and directing at Hudson Valley Shakespeare FestivalUniversity of Chicago(BA), DePaul University(MFA). This season’s plays are the 71st and 72nd with his wife, Nance Williamson.

Antoinette Robinson

King Henry Understudy (Henry V) and Rosaline (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child — Toronto Broadway: Madame Hooch in Harry Potter and The Cursed Child Off Broadway: Twelfth Night (Theatre for A New Audience) As You Like It (New York Classical Theatre). Selected Regional: *Sherlock’s Last Case (Huntington Theater), Twelfth Night (Shakespeare Theatre Company), *As You Like It, Timon of Athens (Folger Shakespeare Theatre), A Flea In Her Ear (Westport Country Playhouse), Our Town, As You Like It, Measure for Measure, Macbeth (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival), Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival), The Edge of Peace (Seattle Children’s Theatre), *The Mountaintop (The Rep).

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Mayadevi RossCC

Grey, Governor of Harfleur, Queen of France (Henry V) and Katharine (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

Born, raised, and still living in Manhattan, Mayadevi is grateful to leave the city to join HVSF this season! Mayadevi has performed with Provincetown Theater Festival, Little Island, National Black Theatre, and more incredible places. When not on stage, she’s usually focused on her second love: video games. Many thanks to HSVF for this opportunity and her incredible family for their continual support.

Omar Shafiuzzaman*

Westmoreland, Gower, Princess Katherine (Henry V) and Ferdinand, King of Navarre (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

Omar Shafiuzzaman is honored to be collaborating under the tent this year at HVSF! He recently completed his training at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. He also made his Off-Broadway debut earlier this year, originating the role of Hassanali in Elyria at the Atlantic Theatre Company. Omar is overjoyed to be sharing his passion for classical theatre with such a talented and inspiring company — what a treat! The fresh air is also a pleasant addition.

Stephen Michael Spencer*

Scroop, Dauphin, Macmorris (Henry V) and Berowne (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

HVSF: Cymbeline and Much Ado About Nothing Broadway: Clyde’s (u/s performed.) Off-Broadway: Julius Caesar at TFANA. Regional: The A.R.T., Arena Stage, The Rep. at St. Louis, Great Lakes Theatre, Idaho Shakespeare, Cleveland Play House, Triad Stage, Ensemble Theatre Co, Chautauqua Theatre Co. In four seasons with Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Sweat (world premiere), Othello, Loves Labors Lost, Julius Caesar, The Winters Tale, Hamlet, Timon of Athens, including the recent O! digital release of Cymbeline. International: The Heart of Robin Hood with Mirvish Productions in Canada. TV/Film: “FBI: Most Wanted” (CBS), This Wild Abyss (winner of best student short at Savannah Film Fest ‘22) Education: BFA UNC-Greensboro, MFA Case Western Reserve/Cleveland Play House.

Tatiana Wechsler*

Penelope (Penelope)

CC Member of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival Conservatory Company

Tatiana Wechsler is a Brooklyn based actor, singer/songwriter, and creative. HVSF debut! Broadway: Mr. Saturday Night. Off-Broadway/NYC: The Knight of the Burning Pestle, Pericles (Red Bull/Fiasco Theater), X: Or…, Julius Caesar, Othello (The Acting Company), The Golden Bride (National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene). Regional: first woman to play Curly in Oklahoma!, Love’s Labor’s Lost (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Love in Hate Nation (Two River Theatre), Benny & Joon (Paper Mill Playhouse), Legend of Georgia McBride (Marin Theatre Company). BFA: NYU. tatianawechsler.com @tatiwex

Nance Williamson*

Ely, Fluellen, Alice (Henry V) and Boyet (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

Nance Williamson is thrilled to return to HVSF for a 22nd season. Nance has been a professional actress for thirty-nine years performing in theater, television, film. Most recently, Nance and her husband Kurt Rhoads performed an Off Broadway run of Off Peak. She can be seen in the movie The Hating Game. On TV Nance can be seen in “The Walking Dead-The World Beyond,” “The Good Wife,” and all the “Law And Orders.” On Broadway, Nance played in Cyrano, Romeo And Juliet and Lincoln Center’s Henry Iv, Arthur Miller’s Broken Glass. Off-Broadway, Nance has performed in Cyrano, Pride and Prejudice, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Marvin’s Room, Two Gentlemen Of Verona for the New York Shakespeare Festival, An Emplty Plate At The Café Grand Boeuf and The Seagull among others. Nance’s favorite HVSF roles include Martha Washington in The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington, Tamora in Titus Andronicus, Kate in Taming Of The Shrew, Cleopatra in Anthony and Cleopatra, Lady M, The Nurse, Mrs. Malaprop and last season’s Juliet to Kurt’s Romeo. This summer marks the 71 and 72 productions Nance and Kurt have performed together.

The Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail offers a community-driven solution for managing tourism in the region and will make the beauty that surrounds us more accessible to people of all ages and abilities.

The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival Conservatory Company is a performance-based training program for committed, early career actors considering joining Actors Equity Association, who have a passion for Shakespeare, and want to develop the skills necessary to create innovative, collaborative theater in extraordinary spaces. It’s an artistic home to train and take risks. Working alongside our nationally recognized acting company on and off stage, the five actors we will invite into the program this season will be offered an unmatched opportunity to enter the profession.

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Connecting the Village of Cold Spring and the City of Beacon, the Fjord Trail will distribute visitors across 7.5 miles of new trail via six main entry points and will keep pedestrians off neighborhood streets and dangerous Route 9D.

The Fjord Trail will provide and manage organized parking, sidewalks, public restrooms, and trash/recycling collection— meeting the needs of the community and visitors alike.

To learn more about the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, please visit hhft.org.

Pick up your HVSF merch tonight!

Located near concessions.

“The apparel oft proclaims the man.” HAMLET

HVSF SEASON CALENDAR

Special Events

Made possible by Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area

Member Exclusive!

Opening: Sunday, June 4, 5–7pm

Closing: Saturday, Sept. 16, 5–7pm

Members of the Festival Circles program will enjoy a pre-show cocktail party to celebrate the open and close of the season. To join visit hvshakespeare.org/support

Post-Show Toast

Sunday, June 4 – Henry V Saturday, July 15 – Love’s Labor’s Lost Sunday, Sept. 3 – Penelope

Join the party, ticket holders for opening night performances are invited to raise a glass and celebrate with us after the curtain call.

Closing Celebration

Sunday, Sept. 17 – Penelope

Dine, drink, and dance to help us bid farewell to our 2023 season! Ticket holders for the closing performance are exclusively invited to this informal affair.

Out at the Tent

Friday, June 16, 6:00pm

Get to know local LGBTQIA+ organizations, shop a pop-up market curated by River Valley Guild, and enjoy a complimentary reception with drinks and light fare while you mix and mingle before the evening performance of Henry V.

Midsummer Mingle

Saturday, July 15, 5–7pm | The Terrace

Festival Circles Members please join us to celebrate Shakespeare, summer and the opening of Love’s Labor’s Lost with art, music, and drinks.

Open Mic Night

Select Fridays in July & August, After the performance

HVSF veteran and fan favorite, Luis Quintero, hosts friends at the bar(d) for weekly post show musical performances, games, open mic, and really whatever else they’d like.

Thursday Night Prologues

Thursdays, 6:15PM | The Terrace

Picnic? Check. Wine? Check. Insightful, behind-the-scenes commentary from industry experts? Check! Join us for engaging discussions about our productions, the theater industry, and the world at large. This program is free and available to all find the full list of speakers at hvshakespeare.org/ prologue

HVSF2 | August 2 & 3, 2023 at 2:00pm

Experience new stories and old friends. Our popular new works series features brand new plays read by HVSF company members and other great actors. Catch these HVSF-commissioned titles here before they hit stages in New York and across the country.

MEDEA: RE-VERSED

MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD

Enhanced Performances

Open-Captioned Performances

Wednesday, Aug. 2 – Henry V

Thursday, Aug. 3 – Love’s Labor’s Lost

Thursday, Sept. 7 – Penelope

American Sign LanguageInterpreted Performances

Wednesday, Aug. 9 – Love’s Labor’s Lost

Thursday, Aug. 10 – Henry V

We strive to make our performances and facilities accessible. For additional information, questions, or if you need assistance, please call the box office at 845.265.9575.

Family Nights

Sunday, June 25 – Henry V

Let’s Go Fly A Kite

Wednesday, July 19 – Henry V Teaching Artist Workshop

Wednesday, Aug. 9 – Love’s Labor’s Lost Teaching Artist Workshop

Sunday, Aug. 27 – Love’s Labor’s Lost Starry Night Lantern Delight

Children and Students (18 and under) receive $10 tickets and pre-show activities and engagements to make their earliest theater experiences unforgettable!

More Matinees

Hold onto your hats, theater lovers! We’ve added more matinee performances to the calendar and it’s sure to be a wild ride. So put on your sunscreen, grab your snacks, and get ready for an afternoon of laughter and drama.

Neighborhood Nights

We know that what makes the Hudson Valley so special is the people who live here. Our neighborhood nights welcome our diverse, vibrant, and creative community, across every county in this region and on both sides of this river.

Save 15% when you purchase full-price tickets for specific dates with a local zip code on file.

Discounts will automatically apply online at checkout once you are logged in. Proof of residency is required.

Putnam & Dutchess Counties:

June 15, July 17, 19, 27, Sept. 6

Westchester County:

June 15, July 17, 19, 27, Sept. 6

Ulster & Orange Counties

June 22, July 20, 23, 24, Sept. 13

Rockland & Bergen Counties

June 29, July 20, 23, 24, Sept. 13

The Bake-Off Is Back! | November 5, 2023

Save the date for Sunday, November 5th, 2023, and get ready for an exciting writing event centered around themes from this year’s plays. We’ll be announcing the ingredient list soon, so keep your listening ears on and start preparing your plays.

To kick off the event we’ll have a special Thursday Night Prologue dedicated to the Bake-Off. This is an excellent opportunity

to learn more about the event, meet fellow writers, and get inspired to start writing.

Created by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, the Bake-Off is a writing event designed to inspire creativity and give writers the freedom to play. Participants are given a random list of “ingredients” to incorporate into a short play.

by Luis Quintero

directed by Nathan Winkelstein

THE

by Heidi Armbruster directed by Ryan Quinn

Education Fun Facts

At HVSF, Shakespeare is not merely a static text from long ago and far away, but a dynamic and present-tense experience of shared discovery and active play. We firmly believe that Shakespeare’s plays continue to resonate with our world today, and our programs empower students to discover elements of their own lived experiences reflected in Shakespeare’s language, stories, and characters.

24

In-School

Performances of ROMEO & JULIET.

15,000 85%

Youth served through in-school education and summer outreach programs through the tri-state region.

of students show more confidence speaking in front of peers after participating in our programs.

73%

of students had never performed a Shakespeare play before participating in our residencies.

25% 300

of our summer audience use our youth, senior, military, and veteran ticket discounts.

60 23

In-School Workshops conducted with students from K–College.

Major support for Education Programs at HVSF provided by THE LOUISE

Educators engaged in regional programming.

Teaching Artists illuminated text for student audiences.

We use a whopping 1,575 cubic feet, equaling 157,500 pounds of sand to cover our stage, creating a unique and immersive performance space.

Out of our 16-member acting troupe, 10 talented actors are returning to the tent this year, bringing their experience and expertise to our productions.

We have a dedicated team of 10 full-time staff members who work tirelessly yearround to ensure our performances are seamless and unforgettable. As we gear up for the season, our team grows to over 125 members, including actors, crew, and frontof-house staff, who bring their talents and passion to create exceptional outdoor theater experiences for our audience.

Our talented actors come from all over the country to join us for the season, with the furthest actor hailing from Hawaii and the closest actor from Cold Spring. Our diverse cast represents different regions of the United States, bringing a rich tapestry of experiences and talents to our productions.

This season marks our 36th year of bringing outstanding outdoor theater performances to our community, a testament to our enduring commitment to the arts.

Our actors memorize over 20,000 lines of Shakespearean dialogue each season, showcasing their dedication and expertise in bringing our resident playwright’s words to life on stage.

Between LOVE’S LABOR’S LOST and PENELOPE, our 2023 performances feature an impressive array of 12 different musical instruments, adding a captivating live musical element to our productions.

Support for Education programs at HVSF are provided by The Thomas and Agnes Carvel Foundation, Crosswicks Foundation Ltd., Ann and Abe Effron Donor Advised Fund of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, The Marshall Frankel Foundation, Peckham Family Foundation, Putnam Arts Council.

In a single season we utilize approximately 500 props, including weapons, tennis balls, crowns & kegs; 15 speakers; and 150 lights to create immersive theatrical productions. Many props are sustainably sourced from past seasons or local resources, reflecting our commitment to responsible production practices. We have a goal of using 45% stock or used items.

ESTE BRUCE FOUNDATION

NED WHITNEY AND MARTHA HOWELL

About

Founded in 1987, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (HVSF) is a critically acclaimed, professional, non-profit theater company.

The Festival has established a reputation for lucid, engaging, and highly inventive productions staged in rotating repertory under an iconic, open-air theater tent.

Core Values

Excellence Inclusion Generosity Playfulness Sustainability

Mission

Rooted in the landscape of the Hudson Valley, with the plays of William Shakespeare as our touchstone, HVSF engages the widest possible audience in a theatrical celebration of our shared humanity.

Vision

We are a classical repertory theater that embraces the present moment, and our work springs from the most essential of elements — actor, audience, language, and landscape. As both a local community hub and a national arts destination, we foster meaningful human connections at the convergence of nature and culture.

As a 501(c)3 not for profit organization and a public trust, our theater belongs to you.

Sustainability

At HVSF, we believe in making a big contribution to our community, with a small environmental footprint.

We are grateful for the many gifts we’ve been given; a new home and the opportunity to use our mission, programming and operations in deep and meaningful ways to actively pursue climate leadership and climate justice. We aim to be the greenest theater in the country, and serve as a national model for environmental sustainability in the performing arts. We have committed to building a certified LEED Platinum theater, the first in the nation, and have set the ambitious target of being a completely carbon neutral campus by 2040.

Our sustainability planning effort examines our campus operation through five lenses: land, water, energy, materials, and community.

We have assembled a sustainability task force made up of Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival staff and board members, and members of the community with a breadth of knowledge and experience in sustainability. The Sustainability task force will work on both short-term and long-term planning for sustainability at the festival, ranging from researching clean energy options to rethinking food service to reduce food miles and packaging waste.

Nature is our stage, so we’re going to treat it right, and steward the landscape of the Hudson Highlands for future generations to enjoy.

Sustainability Task Force Members

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”

• Sandra Goldmark

• Davis McCallum

• Kendra Ekelund

• Lana Russell

• Fred Rich

• Marie Fabian

• Krystal Ford

• Erik Brown

• Kale Roberts

• William Nesbitt

• Toshi Yano

Support the Vitality of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival

Whether you have been a fan since the very beginning, or only recently discovered HVSF, whether you come to us from a neighboring state, just across the River, or from around the world, we are so pleased that you have decided to join us this summer. This is our 36th season and our second on site at our new and permanent home. We hope you will consider supporting our theater by making a donation that helps us to provide exceptional plays, education programs, and community initiatives for generations to come.

With a fully tax-deductible annual gift of $100–$1,499, gain access to:

• Advance Ticketing

• NEW Free Exchanges

• Complimentary Drink Tickets

• Seat Upgrades and more!

Your generous investment of $1,500 or more is rewarded with the finest service we have to offer! Benefits include:

• Complimentary House Seats and Advance Ticketing

• Concierge Service and Free Ticket Exchanges

• Invitations to Events and Opening Nights

• Access and Insight into the Creative Process

Annually, over 35,000 people attend HVSF’s summer plays and performances, as well as our year-round education programs and a wide range of community offerings. We are so proud to reach diverse audiences, students, teachers, neighbors, and families, and it’s in large part thanks to your generosity.

SAVE THE DATE FOR

Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival’s Annual Gala Celebration

We depend on philanthropic contributions from friends like you to make all of this possible! Please consider deepening your relationship with the Festival by becoming a supporter today.

hvshakespeare.org/donate

OCTOBER 8, 2023

The Annual Gala will be held on October 8, 2023 at The Garrison, located at 2015 US9. This is the year’s best party and our largest fundraising event that features dining, music, special performances, a live auction, and so much more!

This year HVSF will celebrate the stunning power that theater and performance has on neighborhoods, cities, communities, and most importantly…people.

Live theater has the power to move us from tears and anguish to laughter and jubilance, from introspection and thoughtfulness to the celebration of our shared humanity and every emotion in between.

We hope you will join us for this celebratory fundraiser and help us by supporting theater in the Hudson Valley!

hvshakespeare.org/gala

Questions? Contact Semra Ercin, Director of Development, sercin@hvshakespeare.org or 845-809-4339.

Our Future Create a Legacy

Join the Sheila Allen Colby Legacy Giving Society

Powerhouse performances, robust education production and workshops, community events and humanities initiatives, nature and art, together for generations to come.

When you include the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival in your estate plans, you join a generous group of supporters who safeguard the HVSF experience for future audiences.

If HVSF has made a difference to you and your family, we hope you will consider remembering the Festival in your estate plans.

For over 36 years, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival has been a beacon of creativity and inspiration, enchanting audiences of all ages and backgrounds with the magic of live theater. Today, we stand on the brink of a new era that will forever change the landscape of American theater.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of philanthropist Chris Davis, we have been gifted with our first-ever permanent home on 98 acres of stunning land in the heart of the Hudson Highlands, where you may have picnicked or toured today. With the visionary expertise of architect Jeanne Gang, we are poised to build a permanent open-air theater that will be intentionally designed to be the first LEED Platinum purposebuilt theater in the nation, honoring sustainability and innovation.

Our ambition is to create one of the most extraordinary open-air theaters in the world, nestled in one of the most beautiful and important landscapes in America. We are committed to making this experience accessible to everyone. We are designing the campus and its structures as models of inclusivity and accessibility, with a deep institutional commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

—

For sample language to use in your will or trust, and further information, please contact: Semra Ercin, Director of Development, 845-809-4339 or sercin@hvshakespeare.org

hvshakespeare.org/legacy

To learn more about our plans visit hvshakespeare.org/newhome

“No legacy is so rich as honesty.”

William Shakespeare All’s Well That Ends Well, Act III, Scene V

Supporters

Heroes Circle

$50,000+

The Appleby Foundation, in memory of Sheila Allen Colby

The Louise Este Bruce Foundation

Estate of Susan Fern Doyle

Richard Feldman, SHS Foundation

Artistic Director’s Circle

$25,000–49,999

Anonymous

Robin Shelby Arditi and Ralph

Arditi

Mary Elizabeth and Jeffrey Bunzel

Pepper Evans and Bob Lieber

Steven L. Holley

Derrick and Heather Hopkins

Dan Kramer and Judy Mogul

Chip Loewenson and Susan

Brune

Sheila and Marty Major

K. Ann McDonald

The New York State Council on the Arts

Frederic C. Rich

Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest

The Shubert Foundation

Byron and Siew Thye Stinson

Ned Whitney and Martha Howell

Laura Jean Wilson and Mark Jay

Menting

Producers Circle

$15,000–24,999

Anonymous

Libby Anderson and Joe Mahon

Heidi Ettinger

Marie Fabian and Genie CesarFabian

Friedrike Merck

Sarena Straus and James Gary

Drs. Elliott and Anne Sumers

UnitedHealth Group

HVSF gratefully acknowledges the following generous donors to the 2023 Season (gifts from May 1, 2022 to May 1, 2023).

Insiders Circle

$10,000–14,999

Christopher Buck and Dr. Hara Schwartz

The Thomas and Agnes Carvel Foundation

William H. Donner Foundation

Jay Francis and Elizabeth Bradford

Jim and Theresa Kilman

Patricia King

Leigh Seippel

Alex J. Simmons Jr.

James Stanford and Kate Farrell Stanford

Opening Night Circle

$5,000–9,999

Anonymous (2)

Marie Alpert

Meg Armstrong and Greg Lozier

Helen and Ted Buerger

The Bye Family

Natalie Fishman

Crosswicks Foundation

Greenway Heritage Conservancy HRV, Inc.

Nick Groombridge

Alan Jones and Ashley Garrett

M&T Charitable Foundation

Deborah McManus

The Michael Tuck Foundation

Mark O’Donnell and Max Araujo

The Peckham Family Foundation

Matthew Quigley

Kathleen and Michael Schoen

Connie Steensma and Richard Prins

Theatre Development Fund

Ken Vittor and Judith Aisen

Lauri Washington-Sawyer

Stephanie Wheeler and Christopher Walker

Terry Young

Actors Circle

$2,500–4,999

Rachel Bernstein and Alan Milton

Luis Castro

Mary Beth Cresci

Cheryl Christman

Elizabeth and Irv Flinn

Apryl Johnson

Doug Land and Lynn Peebles

Rocco and Debby Landesman

Doris and David May

Belle and Blake Newton

PLYM Foundation

Carrie Preston and Michael Emerson

Rudolph and Sheila Rauch

Cornelia Small

Brian Keating and Stacy Styles

Martha Upton and Peter Davis

Wong Family Foundation

Tent Raisers Circle

$1,500–2,499

Tom and Nancy Berner

John Beurket

Francis McNally and Ellen Blackler

Douglas and Samara Braunstein

Thomas G. Byrne

Anne Champion

Dr. and Mrs. Howard and Sharon Charles

Joseph T. Conklin and Rita Kilduff

T. Jefferson Cunningham III

Dr. Patrick Driscoll and Ms. Marie Samples

Dorothy Dunn and Steve Brosnahan

EASTER Foundation/Anne and Fred Osborn III

Shari and Ken Eberts

Anne and Abe Effron Donor

Advised Fund of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley

Pamela and Ray Endreny

Matt and Kelly Fairweather

Sandra Goldmark

Krystal and Darien Ford

If you would like to join our growing family of supporters, please contact Semra Ercin, Director of Development, at 845-809-4339 or sercin@hvshakespeare.org

Linda Findley

Phoebe Geer and Dr. Matt Speiser

Bruce and Diana Geller

Gilbert Giannini and Lily Paris

Eva Marie Graham

John T. Graham

Andrew D. Hamingson and Sarah McLellan

Juhee Lee-Hartford and James Hartford

Karin and Al Lemke

Roger and Susan Lipsey

John Mahedy

Carol Marquand and Stan Freilich

James Menick and Liz Pereira

Kristina McCormack and Mitchell Newman

William G. Nesbitt and Marie

Michelle DeSavigny

T. George O’Brien

Francis Parr and Sakiko FukudaParr

Joan Pirics and James McCarthy

Paula Powell

Nat and Anita Prentice

Denise Rempe and Mark L. Wilson

Jay Saunders and Betsey NevinsSaunders

Tatiana Serafin and Mick Kalishman

Martha and Philip Scott

Scott and Tinka Shaw

Betsy and John Simons

Dr. Susan Stewart

Pat Truscelli and Bud Ellisi

John and Anne Uglum

George Whipple

Saints & Poets Society

$500–1,499

About the Work LLC

Anonymous

Jonathan Bank

Douglas and Sarah Banker

Sarah Bayne and Gilman Burke

Dr. and Mrs. Francis Belloni

Ethan Berman and Fiona Hollands

Raoul Bhavnani and Savitha

Reddy

Royd Bjornoy and Joy Plaisted

Chris Bockelmann and Floyd Norris

Bradley Family Fund

Bethany Goldpaugh Brown

Elizabeth Bryson

Carolyn Chave

Andy Chmar and Gayle Watkins

Maureen and John Clancy

The Clark/Jacobson Family

Stacy & Eric Cochran

James and Carolyn Copeland

Kristin Delia

Laura Dower

Kathleen Doyle

Charles and Rachel Dupree

Victoria and Ben Feder

Henry and Nadine Feldman

FJC A Foundation of Philanthropic Funds

Franklin Cole Foundation

Bill and Anna Gannett

Libbie F. Gerry

Linda Gerstel and Ed Joyce

David Goldberg and Wesley Weissberg

Jerry Gretzinger and Meg Staley

Jennie Greer

Kristin Griffith

Cat Guthrie

John Ham

Philip and Ellen Heidelberger

Jeremy Henderson

Orin Herskowitz

Impact PR and Communications

Jewish Communal Fund

Anne Keeney

Marit Kulleseid

Candace Latham

Michael and Jenna Lebowich

Clara and Bevis Longstreth

Lostand Foundation

Arthur Lowenstein and Ann Patton

John and Karen Magerlein

Christopher Mann and Claire

Svetlik Mann

Chris Marrison

Michael McKee and Christine

Foertsch

Paul Michael

Susan Monshaw

Nina Sumers Myers and Alan C. Myers

Lynn and William T. Nolan

The O’Connor Family

Pepsi Cola of the Hudson Valley

Faye Premer

Putnam Arts Council

Hon. Jed S. and Dr. Ann R. Rakoff

Kamakshi Rao

Drs. Cynthia and William Roberts

Christopher and Mary Ann Robinson

Hon. and Mrs. Albert M. Rosenblatt

Raymond and Kimber Sanseverino

Dr. Nina Shoulberg and Michael Schilsky

Maria and Brian Shydlo

Anne Sidamon-Eristoff

Annalisa Siracusa-Hilmo

Jodie Staton

The Stebbins Fund, Inc.

Michael and Kathleen Stringer

Bente Strong

Tim and Carolyn Tenney

Angela and Tyson ThompsonTinsley

David and Carol Trower

Elise Wagner and Robin Stout

Joshua Weinerman

Mr. Stanley J. and Mrs. Laura G. Wiegand

Karen A. Wirtshafter and Michael Kevin Buckley

Danielle and Michael Williams

Andrea P. Wood

Roxanne Woodruff

Lisa and Lloyd Zeiderman

Saints

&

$100–499

Poets Society

The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival receives many donations under $500, which we gratefully acknowledge. All gifts to HVSF are valued and appreciated. Thank you for your support!

Special Thanks

About the Work Accounting Solutions NY

Actors’ Equity Association

Advance NYC

Andrew Pidala

Armand Ajello

Assemblywoman Sandy Galef (Retired)

Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg

B&L Deli

Best Western Fishkill

Bill Metzger

Charles Coes

Charlie Polhemus

Chris Fisher and Alejandro Carranza

CMW Strategies

Cold Spring Area

Chamber of Commerce

Cold Spring Film Society

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Erica Jensen, James Calleri and Paul Davis

Folger Shakespeare Library

Grey Printing

Hudson Stage Company

Impact PR

Jarod Castelblanco

Jeff Tighe, Anura Technology

Ligature Creative

Maar Printing

Marti Ajello

Materials For The Arts

Matt Ross Public Relations

Michael Banta

Michael P. Carr, P.E.

Miriam Machado and Juan Tutas

Nelson, Byrd, Woltz

Northguild

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

PCW Management

Peak Construction

Pepsi-Cola of the Hudson Valley, Tim Tenney

PKF O’Connor Davies

Polhemus Construction

PRG Lighting and Sound

Proppins Closet

Putnam County Executive

Mary Ellen Odell

Putnam County Legislator

Nancy Montgomery

Putnam County Visitors Bureau, Tracey Walsh

Representative

Sean Patrick Maloney

Robert A. McCaffrey Realty

Senator Charles Schumer

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

Spektrix

Split Rock Books

Stage Directors and Choreographers’ Society

State Senator

Elijah Reichlin-Melnick

State Senator James Skoufis

State Senator

MIchelle Hinchey

State Senator

Peter Harckham

State Senator Rob Rolison

State Senator Sue Serino

Stephanie DiDonato

Studio Gang

T. Charles Erickson

Texas Roundup BBQ

The Garrison

The Main Course

The Philipstown Depot Theatre

Tony Brickner

United Rentals

United Scenic Artists

United State Military Academy at West Point

Patricia Cloherty

With full hearts, we remember the passing of Patricia Cloherty, a cherished friend and ardent supporter of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Pat’s unwavering dedication and generosity have left an indelible mark on our organization and the Hudson Highlands community as a whole.

Pat’s support extended far beyond financial contributions. She graciously opened her home to our artists, providing them with a welcoming place to stay during the summer season. Before we had an office space of our own, Pat’s Cold Spring office became a creative sanctuary our staff and artists alike, fostering a warm and inclusive environment that will be remembered forever. Her generous hospitality created a home away from home for our team, and her kindness will always be remembered. A brilliant storyteller herself, Pat was always right at home with theater folks, and loved being connected to the company of actors, particularly Kurt Rhoads and Nance Williamson.

For unwavering commitment to supporting our community, for her legendary toughness, for her boundless generosity, Pat was the honoree at HVSF’s 2017 Gala. We mourn the loss of our friend, and we celebrate her enduring legacy at HVSF and in the Hudson Highlands.

HVSF Administration

Davis McCallum Artistic Director

Kendra Ekelund ............................................ Managing Director

(in alphabetical order by last name)

Emily Casey Director of Marketing

Semra Ercin Director of Development

Angie Janas

Education Associate

Sean McNall Associate Artistic Director and Director of Education

Nora McNally-Reif Director of Production

Yolanda Medina

Julia Ohara

Finance Associate

Executive Assistant

Samir Patel ............................................. Development Manager

Linda Patterson .................................................... Controller

Lana Russell ................................................ General Manager

Creative Teams

HENRY V

Buffy Cardoza

Props Designer

Sandra Goldmark

Scenic Advisor

Mike Inwood

Lighting Designer

Anya Klepikov

Costume Designer

Davis McCallum

Director

Susannah Millianzi

Movement Director

Fitz Patton

Sound Designer, Composer

Alithea Phillips

Voice Coach

(in alphabetical order by last name)

LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST

Reza Bejhat

Lighting Designer

Buffy Cardoza

Props Designer

Amanda Dehnert Director & Composer

Alithea Phillips

Voice Coach

André Pluess

Composer

Jessica Shay

Costume Designer

Ken Travis

Sound Designer, Composer

(in alphabetical order by last name)

Production Staff

Rachel Berhman

Production Operations Coordinator

Lindsay Brashier

Assistant Production Manager

Mark Firestone Mixer/A1

Ray LeGrange Assistant Production Electrician

Daniel Mackle

Lighting Programmer

Nora McNally-Reif Director of Production

Tyler Mell Operations Assistant

Ashlie Morrison

Costume Shop Assistant

Dan Mullins Lighting Director

PENELOPE

Alex Bechtel Music, Lyrics, Book

Buffy Cardoza

Props Designer

Oona Curly

Lighting Designer

Palmer Hefferan

Sound Designer

Daniel Kelly

Music Director

Rebecca Kanach

Costume Designer

Eva Steinmetz Director & Bookwriter

Load in Crew

Josh Foreman Tent Facilities Manager

Krista Arena

Ben Arsenault

Zoe Bararsh

Frederick Czaszar

Jesse Dewane

Emily Darone

Mark Firestone

Dale Gibbons

Jamie Johnson

Joseph Lutsky

James Merritt

Emmanuel Nobel

Michael Roche

Adam Williams

Stage Management

Daniella Berman

Production Assistant

Jo Fernandez

Festival Stage Manager

Charlotte Palmer-Lane

Costume Shop Manager

Jack Richards

Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor

Andrew Rovner

Audio Director

Claudia Stefany-Ruck

Wardrobe Supervisor

Michele Torres Deck Electrician

Jillian Warner

Costume Shop Assistant

Cassandra Zeugin Lighting Supervisorw

Dan Mullins & Cassandra Zeugin Light Rep Plot Design

Andrew Rovner

Audio Rep Plot Design

Front-of-House

Rebeca Ramirez Audience Services Manager

Anna Giacalone Box Office & Customer Service Manager

Patrice Hatch Assistant Box Office Manager

And a big thank you to our Front-of-House Support Staff!

Casting

Calleri Jensen Davis

James Calleri

Erica Jensen

Paul Davis

Henry V & Penelope

Tyler Larson Assistant Stage Manager

Colt Luedtke

Production Stage Manager Love’s Labour’s Lost

Company Management

Wolf Roth Clarke Assistant Company Manager

Tess Prusa

Department Assistant

Raven Robledo Company Manager

Facilitators

Alejandro Rodriguez

Melle Powers

HVSF remembers long time crew member Michael Grogan who passed away this year. Rest in Peace.

Meet the Hudson Valley Team

Davis McCallum

Artistic Director

Now in his ninth season as HVSF’s Artistic Director, Davis is a passionate advocate for the power of the arts to bring people together and create more interconnected and resilient communities. Under his leadership, HVSF established HVStories, a multi-year exploration of the people, history, and culture of the Hudson Valley; and Full Circle, a community engagement program inspired by 2016’s citizen-driven production of Our Town. For HVSF, he has directed productions of Cymbeline, Richard II, The Winter’s Tale, Measure for Measure, Anne Washburn’s Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play and the rolling world premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s The Book of Will. Notable productions in New York include Greater Clements (LCT), Lewiston/Clarkston (Rattlestick – Drama Desk nomination for Best Play), The Harvest (LCT3); Stupid Fucking Bird (Pearl), Fashions for Men and London Wall (Mint – Drama Desk and Lortel nomination for Best Revival); The Whale (Lortel Award for Best Play, and Calloway nomination for Best Director) and Pocatello (Playwrights Horizons); Water by the Spoonful (Second Stage – Pulitzer Prize for Drama); and February House (The Public). Other NYC credits include Signature Theatre, The Acting Company, 13P, Clubbed Thumb, Play Company, Page 73, and the New Victory. Regional credits include the Denver Center, Dallas Theater Center, Old Globe, Guthrie, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the O’Neill, American Shakespeare Center, Williamstown, Humana Festival, others. A graduate of Princeton, he studied Shakespeare at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and trained as a director at LAMDA. He has taught acting and directing at Princeton and The New School for Drama. He lives in Cold Spring with his family.

Kendra Ekelund Managing Director

Entering her first season as HVSF’s Managing Director, Kendra is a community-focused arts leader whose work expresses a commitment to empowering and uplifting artists, fostering inclusive creative communities, and advancing environmental, human, and financial sustainability in the performing arts. She is thrilled to join the outstanding staff and board at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival in planning its next chapter in our first-ever permanent home. Kendra most recently served as the General Manager of the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, NY, leading the organization’s capital projects and planning, and overseeing financial management, operations, human resources, cinema and ticketing systems and technology. During her tenure, the Jacob Burns Film Center welcomed over 200,000 visitors annually, expanded their theater facility from three to five cinemas, and strategically enhanced approaches to customer service and visitor experience over several years. Prior to JBFC, Kendra worked in casting and talent management for New York based theater, film, and television projects. Her early career experience off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons sparked her commitment to supporting theater artists and workers, which continues to inform and inspire her approach to arts leadership. Kendra holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama from Syracuse University, and a certificate in Arts Management from SUNY Purchase. She is a lower Hudson Valley native, raised in Ossining, and lives in Cold Spring with her husband Bryan, and their son, Alexander.

Terrence O'Brien

Founding Artistic Director

Terrence O'Brien co-founded HVSF with actress Melissa Stern in 1987, and for 27 years, O'Brien was HVSF's artistic leader. During that time, he direct-ed more than 30 of HVSF's productions, garnered significant critical acclaim in major press nationally, and built a very loyal audience who enthusiastically returned to our tent theater year after year. He co-authored, with Stern, HVSF's original Statement of Purpose, he developed and evolved HVSF's signature performance style, and he remains deeply dedicated to the idea that Shakespeare's plays can be made accessible without sacrificing any of their depth and integrity. O'Brien was instrumental in developing the design of the HVSF tent theater and in integrating HVSF's acting style with the theater space. Over several years he developed an informal company of actors and artists, many of whom have developed lasting friendships, marriages, and in some cases, have had children. He performed his original one-man play, Popular Mechanics, for Bedlam in New York City, in Garrison, and in Gainesville, GA. Last May, he directed a cast of prisoners in his own adap-tation of On The Waterfront at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. He is currently adapting Investigating Sex into a theatre piece, and he'll be doing studio work on that project at the Baryshnikov Arts Center this summer. O'Brien is the director of the New World Shakespeare Lab in New York City, a group that seeks to evolve a more spontaneous style of acting Shakespeare. He and his wife, Jane Praeger, live in Manhattan with their daughter, Jenne, and son, Leo.

Collaborating with HVSF to restore wildlife habitat and natural beauty on this landscape.

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.

— A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Alex Bechtel

Composer, Lyricist, Bookwriter (Penelope)

Alex Bechtel creates new works of music, theatre, and musical theatre. Recent composing work: Lightning Rod Special’s The Appointment (“Best of 2019” - NYTimes/Vulture/TimeOut NY; 2023 Off-Broadway Remount) People’s Light’s Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto and Shakespeare in Love, Arden Theatre Company’s Treasure Island, Midsummer, and The Light Princess, and seven seasons of new music at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Bechtel is a Lightning Rod Special company member, and creator/composer of The West, Philadelphia Nocturne, and Cheer Up Dostoevsky. See and hear more at alexbechtel.com

Reza Behjat

Lighting Designer

Reza Behjat is a freelance lighting designer based in New York City. He began his career in Iran, where he worked with some prominent directors for several years. His works have been shown on Off-Broadway and in regional theaters across the United States such as The Public Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Atlantic Theater, Minetta Lane, Lucille Lortel, The Guthrie Theater, Actors Theater of Louisville, Berkeley Rep, Alabama Shakespeare, and many more. Reza won an Obie Award in the design category for his work on two productions of English and Wish You Were Here in 2023. In addition, alongside the cast and the creative team of English, he received a Special Citation from the Obie Award. Also, he is the winner of the prestigious award of The Knight of Illumination for Nina Simone: Four Women in 2019.

Rachel Behrman

Production Operations Coordinator

Rachel is excited to be back at HVSF for her third season! As a NYC based freelancer, she has worked at multiple venues in different capacities. BFA from CalArts.

Dani Berman

Production Assistant

Dani is thrilled to be at HVSF for the summer! Off Broadway: Wolf Play (MCC Theater), Montag (Soho Rep.), Corsicana (Playwright’s Horizons). Regional: The Old Globe, Hangar Theatre Company, New London Barn Playhouse. Education: BFA Stage Management and BA Computer Science, Ithaca College 2022.

Lindsay Brashier

Assistant Production Manager

Lindsay is so excited to return for her second season with HVSF! She is a freelance production manager for theatre and events across the US. BA in Interdisciplinary Studies (Theatre Management, Journalism, Psychology) from San Diego State University. Instagram: @Lindsay.Brashier

Emily Casey she/her

Director of Marketing & Communications

Emily looks forward to sharing this beautiful location with returning guests and new friends in her second season under the tent. She previously worked as the Director of Marketing at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival. Emily thinks ideas and snacks should always be shared and there really is nothing better than a handwritten note. Emily lives in Beacon and has a hobby of having hobbies (reading, gardening, making crafts, and running at the top of her list).

Oona Curley (they/them)

Lighting Designer (Penelope)

Oona Curley is a lighting and scenic designer. Frequent/favorite collaborators include: Knud Adams, Tara Ahmadinejad, John Anselmo+Crew, Eliza Bent, Martha Graham Cracker, Jordan Fein, Morgan Green, Emma Griffin, Ásta Bennie Hostetter, Qween Jean, Jenn Kidwell, Jes Levine, Gunnar Montana, Kimie Nishikawa, Stoli Stolnack, Awoye Timpo, Annie Tippe, and Whitney White. Oona is a company member of Lightning Rod Special (Underground Railroad Game, The Appointment), Associate Artist: Bearded Ladies Cabaret. Member USA829. MFA NYU/Tisch. oonacurley.com

Calleri Jensen Davis

(James Calleri, Erica Jensen, Paul Davis)

Casting

Glad to be back for their third season with HVSF!

Recent Broadway: Topdog/Underdog, The Piano Lesson, For Colored Girls..., Thoughts of a Colored Man, Burn This, Fool for Love, Venus in Fur, Hedwig & The Angry Inch, The Elephant Man, Of Mice and Men, 33 Variations, A Raisin in the Sun, Chicago, James Joyce’s The Dead Select TV credits include:

“Love Life,” “Dickinson,” “The Path,” “Lipstick Jungle,” Select Film: Love is Blind, I Origins, Another Earth, Heights, Refuge and Peter and Vandy.

Semra Ercin she/her

Director of Development

Semra Ercin joined HVSF in 2021, moving to the Hudson Valley after over 20 years in New York City. As the Director of Development, she is responsible for planning and executing HVSF’s individual,

institutional, corporate, and government fundraising initiatives, as well as cultivation events and strategic partnerships. She brings over 15 years of experience in non-profit arts and cultural fundraising, administration, and event planning from organizations such as Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn Music School, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Princeton Club of New York, among others.

Jo Fernandez he/they

Stage Manager (Henry V)

Jo Fernandez is excited to be under the tent at HVSF! Broadway: The Ferryman, Head Over Heels Other New York: Oratorio for Living Things (Ars Nova); The Appointment (Lightning Rod Special); Wolf Play, soft, Charm (MCC); Only An Octave Apart (St. Ann’s Warehouse); The Underlying Chris (Second Stage), Public Works’ Hercules, Julius Caesar, The Gabriels Trilogy (The Public); If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be…, Men On Boats, The Christians, Bootycandy (Playwrights Horizons); Continuity, India Pale Ale (MTC). Regional productions, workshops, and readings for NY Stage and Film, Berkeley Rep, The Old Globe, and Shakespeare Theatre Company. Many thanks to HVSF, the cast and crew, and especially Tyler, Dani, and Colt.

Josh Foreman

Tent Facilities Manager

20 years installing and removing HVSF.

Anna Giacalone she/her

Box Office & Customer Service Manager

Anna is thrilled to return to HVSF for her second season! Anna most recently served as the Associate Producer for Hudson Stage Company’s Off Peak, which had a successful run at 59E59 Theaters this past fall. She has previously held positions at Hudson Stage Company in Armonk, where she worked for three seasons, and Arc Stages in Pleasantville. She holds a BA in English and Communications from Pace University.

Sandra Goldmark

Scenic Advisor (Henry V)

Sandra Goldmark is a former scenic and costume Designer who began working on issues of sustainability, circularity, and climate change over a decade ago. She began by changing her own design practices, then advocating for change in the performing arts industry. She now serves as Senior Assistant Dean for Interdisciplinary Engagement at the Columbia Climate School, and Director of Sustainability and Climate Action and Associate Professor of Professional Practice

at Barnard College. From 2013–2019, Sandra founded and operated Fixup, a social enterprise repair service dedicated to healthy and circular patterns of consumption. Sandra is a co-creator of the Sustainable Production Toolkit, a free climate action and sustainability resource for performing arts organizations, and serves on the Board of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, the BBC, The Sunday Times of London, The Daily News, CNN, Forbes, and many more. A graduate of Harvard College and Yale University, Sandra is the author of Fixation: How to Have Stuff without Breaking the Planet

Patrice Hatch she/her

Assistant Box Office Manager

Patrice is very excited to be back at HVSF for her second season! Patrice has previously volunteered for numerous positions, including box office, at Pinewood School of Dance, where her three daughters all danced. She lives in Stormville with her husband and their bunny Pancake.

Palmer Hefferan

Sound Designer (Penelope)

Palmer is a Tony Award® nominated sound designer and composer for theater, audio dramas, and podcasts. She has designed over 75 productions on stages in New York and across the country. In 2022, she was an honorary chair of the American Theatre Wing Gala, which celebrated women theatre practitioners. She received a 2019 Obie Award® for Sustained Excellence in Sound Design from the American Theatre Wing. Highlights from the last decade include seven collaborations with director Lileana Blain-Cruz (Select productions: The Skin of Our Teeth, Tony nomination; Fefu and Her Friends, Drama Desk nomination; Marys Seacole, Obie Award; Death of the Last Black Man In The Whole Entire World), 11 collaborations with director Margot Bordelon and nine with director Saheem Ali.

Mike Inwood

Lighting Designer (Henry V)

Mike is delighted to return to HVSF, where he previously designed The Arabian Nights, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, An Iliad, Our Town, and Rip Van Winkle. With Davis McCallum, Mike designed the New York premiere of Stupid Fucking Bird at the Pearl Theatre Company. Other past designs include productions with Playwrights Horizons, Signature Theatre, Ars Nova, BAM, Philadelphia Theatre Company, The Arden, People’s Light, The Bearded Ladies Cabaret, Opera Philadelphia, Boston Lyric Opera, and Portland Opera.

Angie Janas she/her

Education Associate

Angie Janas is a New York-based actor and educator and is thrilled to be back at HVSF this summer! OffBroadway: Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Macbeth, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (The Acting Company) and Stuffed (Westside Theatre). Regional: The Play That Goes Wrong and Pride and Prejudice (Syracuse Stage), The Glass Menagerie (Barrington Stage Company), The Lion in Winter (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis), Romeo & Juliet, The Three Musketeers, and King Lear (HVSF), In Game or Real and The Winter’s Tale (Guthrie Theater) and Steel Magnolias, The Revolutionists and The Merchant of Venice (Gulfshore Playhouse). Angie has served as an HVSF Teaching Artist, led student workshops across the country while touring with The Acting Company and currently teaches Shakespeare for the Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program. Training: University of Minnesota/Guthrie BFA. Big love to Carl, glad to be back where it all began. angiejanas.com

Rebecca Kanach she/her

Costume Designer (Penelope)

Rebecca is a Barrymore Award-winning costume designer. Theatre Includes: New York: Lincoln Center, Ars Nova’s ANT Fest, La MaMa, The New Ohio, The Guggenheim and Joe’s Pub. Regional includes: The Arden Theatre Company, Baller X, Inis Nua, Opera Philadelphia, Orbiter 3.Academic work includes: Bryn Mawr College, Drexel University, Temple, Swarthmore, UArts. Rebecca is a co-founder and the resident costume designer of The Bearded Ladies Cabaret, and a company member of Lightning Rod Special, She is a MFA graduate from NYU Tisch, USA 829 proud.

Daniel Kelly

Music Director (Penelope)

Composer and pianist Daniel Kelly creates work that explores the meeting place of music with literature, visual art and journalism. He has toured the world as a jazz musician and has been commissioned by performing arts centers throughout the country to transform peoples’ stories into concert-length works celebrating our shared human experience. His Shakespeare in Jazz project sets the Bard’s words to engaging jazz songs. He has performed with GRAMMY-award winning jazz legends Joe Lovano and Michael Brecker, hip-hop star Lauryn Hill, among many others. danielkellymusic.com

@danielkellypiano

Anya Klepikov

Costume Designer (Henry V)

Anya Klepikov designs clothes and spaces for theater, opera, dance, and performance, and is on the faculty at UMass Amherst. Recent theatrical collaborations include the scenery for Diana Oh’s My H8 Letter to the Gr8 American Theater directed by Diana Oh at Smith College and costumes for Anne Carson’s version of Bakkhai directed by Mike Donahue with original music by Diana Oh at Baltimore Center Stage. Anya’s work on this production of Henry V is dedicated to the memory of Tim Vasen, a fearless demystifier of the classics. anyaproductiondesign.com

Tyler Larson he/him

Assistant Stage Manager (Henry V, Love’s Labor’s Lost, Penelope)

Tyler is joyed to be making his HVSF debut! Shout out and thank you to my dear friend Kasson Marroquin!

Broadway: Leopoldstadt, Ain’t No Mo’, Diana: The Musical Broadway Workshops: The Outsiders: A new musical, Bliss Regional: Diana: A New Musical, Coast Starlight, Cambodian Rock Band, The Squirrels (La Jolla Playhouse), Almost Famous (The Old Globe). Regional Workshops: SLAM (La Jolla Playhouse). Education: MFA in Stage Management from UC San Diego, BFA with an emphasis in Stage Management from Texas State University.

Colt Luedtke

Production Stage Manager - HVSF debut!

(Love’s Labor’s Lost)

Broadway: Funny Girl, Chess in Concert OffBroadway: What The Constitution Means To Me (New York Theatre Workshop), Atlantic Theater Company, New York City Center, The Public Theatre Regional: Northern Stage, Two River Theatre, The 5th Avenue Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Arvada Center, Illinois Shakespeare Festival

Grace Maclean

Bookwriter (Penelope)

Grace McLean is a performer, writer, composer. Broadway: Bad Cinderella; Natasha, Pierre.... Off-Broadway and Regional: New Group, MCC, LCT3, The Public, Vineyard, La MaMa, BAM, Weston Playhouse, ART, WTF. TV: The First Lady (Showtime), The Other Two (HBOMax). Her musical In The Green earned her a Richard Rodgers Award for her writing and a Lortel for her performance.

Lincoln Center Writer-in-residence, Larson Grant (‘21), Broadway Women’s Fund’s Woman to Watch (‘21), Civilians R&D Group (‘19-’20), MacDowell Fellow (‘18), Lincoln Center Emerging Artist (‘17). gracemclean.com

Sean McNall he/him Associate Artistic Director / Director of Education

Before joining HVSF’s administrative staff in 2014, Sean spent 12 years as a member of The Pearl Theatre Resident Acting Company in New York City, where he appeared in over forty productions, receiving an OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance and a Drama Desk Award. His recent productions include 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. Sean is a member of the Haldane School Board.

Nora McNally-Reif she/her Director of Production

Nora lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband and son. Before joining the team at HVSF, Nora worked as a production manager in New York City. Nora is a graduate of Fordham University and has previously worked at Atlantic Theater Company, Roundabout Underground, Play Company, and most recently as the Associate Production Manager at Second Stage Theater. Nora is a member of Less Than Rent Theater and is passionate about exploring sustainable producing practices.

Yolanda Medina she/her Finance Associate

Yolanda is currently celebrating her 1st year under the tent. She graduated from Lehman College with a BS in Accounting and from Hostos Community College with a AAS in Accounting. She has held positions as a Staff Accountant at HH Brown Shoe Company, Accounting Manager at Structural Contracting Services Inc and Assistant Controller at Atlantic Westchester Inc. After being involved in finance for commerce and construction she is thrilled to apply her financial background in the not for profit sector. She has a daughter Sophia, who is heavily involved in the art of dance.

Tyler Mell he/him Operations Assistant

Tyler has been working with the festival for the last 11 years! Previous credits include Barrett (Titanic), Mr. Boddy (Clue The Musical), Sir Henry (Hound Of The Baskervilles) at Jeans Playhouse. Nicely Nicely (Guys And Dolls) at Priscilla Beach Theatre. CC (Flashdance), Steve Fox (Game Show), Ensemble (Mame) at Arizona Broadway Theatre. BFA Musical Theater from The Boston Conservatory. Favorite productions at HVSF include 39 steps, Richard II, Pride and Prejudice, and Our Town. Love and thanks as always to Mom and Dad. Enjoy! Tylermell.com

Susannah Millonzi

Movement Director (Henry V)

Bedlam: Fall River Fishing, Hedda Gabler, The Crucible (Drama League nom. Distinguished Performance), Uncle Romeo Vanya Juliet, Peter Pan, New York Animals (WSJ Performance of the Year), Dead Dog Park, Twelfth Night(s);

Classic Stage Company: Prometheus Bound (w/ David Oyelowo); David Neumann/Advanced Beginner Group: tough, the tough, 21st Annual Bessie Awards; Clubbed Thumb: Pageant; Regional: HVSF; Shakespeare & Company; Seattle Shakespeare Company (Footlight Award: Best Actor); Georgia Shakespeare Festival; Orlando Shakespeare Company. Choreographer: Bedlam, American Academy of Dramatic Art, HVSF, Orlando Shakespeare Company, Georgia Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Esperance. For my mom and dancing babuhs.

Dan Mullins he/him/his

Lighting Director

Dan is pleased to be returning for another season under the tent. When he’s not at HVSF, Dan is the Lighting & Sound Supervisor for Manhattan Theatre Club Stage I & II, as well as other projects in NYC. Dan enjoys spending his time off with his wife and children, Katy, Lucy, and Oliver.

Julia Ohara she/they

Executive Assistant

Julia Ohara is thrilled to be spending her first season under the tent with the HVSF company and patrons. She has been working in non-profit arts and education for ten years, with her most recent role as the A/V Department Assistant at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies. Julia lives her life guided by creativity, sustainability, embodied play, and collaborative endeavors. Outside of HVSF, you can find her alchemizing with foraged materials, rock climbing, or reading while a delicious candle burns.

Charlotte Palmer-Lane she/her

Costume Shop Manager

Recent Credits: HVSF (Twelfth Night, Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, King Lear, The 3 Musketeers, Winters Tale, An Iliad, As You Like It, Our Town, The General from America, Richard II); Pennsylvania Shakespeare (Blithe Spirit); Mint Theatre (Rutherford & Son); Syracuse Stage (Pride & Prejudice); Hudson Stage Co (Family Reunion, Other Desert Cities, You will Remember Me); Barrington Stage (Camping with Henry & Tom); Shakespeare & Co (God of Carnage, Heisenberg, Hir); Folger Shakespeare (As you Like it, Bedlam, Pygmalion, The Crucible). Film & TV: Dr Who, “Miss Marple,” The Chronicles of Narnia, “Quiz Show,” “Sneaky Pete.” charlottepalmerlane. squarespace.com

Samir Patel he/him

Development Manager

Samir joined HVSF in March 2021 after a decadelong career in the NYC non-for-profit sector. One of his proudest accomplishments came in the wake of the 2016 presidential election, where a community of artistic supporters came together to develop an unique take on the standard arts fundraiser. Geared towards feminist protest art, over 700 women around the country donated their art to raise critical funds for reproductive rights. Through a spectacular weekend event, the show sold out! Currently, a Hudson Valley iteration is in the works.

Linda Patterson she/her Controller

Linda has been working in the entertainment industry for over 30 years in all areas of finance management, and is currently celebrating her 14th season under the tent. Linda oversees HVSF’s financial operations, including budgeting, expense management, reporting and audits. Before joining HVSF, she worked as a Finance Manager and Coordinating Producer on dozens of critically-acclaimed, nationally-broadcast documentaries. Linda graduated from the University of Delaware with a BA in English Literature, and holds an MBA in Accounting from the Fordham Gabelli School of Business.

Fitz Patton

Original Music & Sound Design

Upcoming Broadway: I Need That Broadway: The Rose Tattoo (Tony Nomination), Choir Boy (Tony & Drama Desk Awards), Bernhart/Hamlet, Three Tall Women, Meteor Shower, Present Laughter, The Little Foxes, The Humans (Drama Desk Award), Our Mother’s Brief Affair, Blackbird, The Father, An Act of God, It’s Only a Play, Airline Highway, The Other Place, Outside Mullingar, Casa Valentina OffBroadway: Greater Clements, The Mother, Torch Song; Napoli,Brooklyn; Yen; Prodigal Son; The Other Place (Drama Desk nomination); and When the Rain Stops Falling (Drama Desk; Lortel Awards). He is the founding editor of Chance Magazine, a serialized art book on performance and design.

Alithea Phillips

Voice Coach

André Pluess

Composer (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

Projects include the Broadway productions of The Minutes, 33 Variations, I Am My Own Wife and Metamorphoses, as well as the Lincoln Center production of The Clean House. His designs/ compositions have been featured at regional theaters throughout the country including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, McCarter Theatre, Center Theatre Group, Seattle Repertory, Yale Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage, Steppenwolf Theatre, the Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, The Huntington, South Coast Repertory and Playwrights Horizons. He has received numerous awards for composition and sound design including multiple Joseph Jefferson Awards, an Ovation Award, a Barrymore Award, a Lortel Nomination and Drama Critics Circle Award. Film credits include the score for Showtime’s feature length documentary The Business of Being Born, as well as the short films Cell Watch, Netuser and War Words. Based in Chicago, André is an ensemble member of Lookingglass Theatre Company.

Melle Powers

Season Facilitator

Melle Powers’ current and recent projects include DEI/Culture for “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window” (BAM & Broadway), Co-Producing the “Celebration of Black Voices” festival for Barrington Stage Company; the development of anti-racism trainings for several NYC metro school districts (working with Boards of Ed, Leadership Teams, faculty and students), and others. Melle teaches at NYU, delivering a course she created called “Resilience.” Melle is a “Certified Diversity Professional” (Diversity Society of America: MFA from NYU.

Rebeca Ramirez she/her

Audience Services Manager

Ms. Ramirez enjoys herself a good meeting or a hike! She is the proud Co-Chair of the Philipstown Trails Committee.

Jack Richards he/him

Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor

Jack is thrilled to be making his debut at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. After graduating with a B.F.A. In Costume Design from Hofstra University in 2019, Jack has gone on to design/work for several theatres in New England (Connecticut Repertory Theatre, ACT of CT, Ridgefield Playhouse, Seven Angels) as well as film & television (American Horror Story, Call Jane, The Independent, Code Name Banshee).

Raven Robledo she/her

Company Manager

Raven Robledo is a New York City-based artistic producer and theater-maker from Los Angeles, CA. Her creative practice was cultivated in Chicago where she earned a BFA in Theater Management from The Theater School at DePaul University, focusing on special programming and events. She has since supported the Producing/Programming teams of major not-for-profits such at The Public Theater, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

Alejandro Rodriguez

Season Facilitator

theatre for social change. They are also a leading innovator of Neutral Mask and Grotowski courses for K–12 classrooms. Recent teaching includes: Anne Frank Center USA, The Dalton School, Tom Todoroff Studio.

Andrew Rovner he/him/his

Audio Director

Andrew is a sound designer, composer, and audio engineer for live performance. His work has been heard at Audible Theater, Yale Repertory Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Jackalope Theatre Company, First Floor Theater, Walkabout Theater Company, and others. MFA: Yale School of Drama. BA: Vassar College. andrewrovner.com.

Lana Russell she/her

General Manager

she/her

HVSF: Romeo and Juliet, Mr. Burns a Post-Electric Play, The Tempest, Cymbeline, Much Ado About Nothing, R2, Taming Of The Shrew, The Heart Of Robin Hood, Rip Van Winkle. Other coaching credits include: The Public Theater, The Delacorte: Troilus and Cressida, King Lear, Love’s Labour’s Lost . TFANA: Midsummer Night’s Dream. She is the Head of Voice and Text at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting where she has taught since 1997

Rebeca Ramirez is thrilled to be joining the team at HVSF this year! She has been everything from a theater director and dancer to an arts administrator, small business owner, and advocate for equitable economic development. Prior to opening Cold Spring Cheese, a specialty cheese shop in the Hudson Valley region with her husband, she spearheaded marketing and sponsorship at a variety of business improvement districts. She led commercial revitalization efforts for the awardwinning non-profit cultural partnership of Brooklyn’s central institutions including Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, and others. With her husband Timothy Haskell, she co-founded Nightmare NYC’s Premier Haunted House, pioneering the movement for haunted houses in New York City. In her spare time,

Alejandro is a writer, director and facilitator. He’s created numerous roles off-Broadway, played the title role in The Acting Company’s national tour of Romeo and Juliet, and the part of Edgar opposite Billy Porter’s King Lear. His writing has been featured in award-winning collaborations with musicians, choreographers and filmmakers all across the globe. As a facilitator, Alejandro specializes in inclusive communication across diverse populations. The son of two Cuban immigrants, Alejandro earned his degree from The Juilliard School where he received the Michel St. Denis Prize for Outstanding Achievement.

Wolf Clarke Roth she/they Assistant Company Manager

Wolf is thrilled to be returning to HVSF, having played Mercutio in the 2017 touring production of Romeo and Juliet. Wolf has been a Brooklynbased multi-disciplinary artist and educator for over a decade, including being a co-founding producer of the Vainglory Theatre Team, a non-profit Shakespeare company dedicated to performances and workshops free to the public. She has her MFA from the New School for Drama and is a proud member of AEA. Wolf teaches K–12 and undergraduate courses in acting, movement, and

Lana Russell is a producer, director and arts administrator focusing on artistic programming, new play development and advocacy. She is committed to producing theater that is artist/community driven and empowering in practice, process and performance. She has directed, produced and/or developed plays with The Fifth Avenue Theatre, The Civilians, The Lark, Primary Stages, Cal Shakes, Woolly Mammoth, The Public Theater of San Antonio, All For One, Naked Angels, Gettysburg College, Bedlam, New York Stage and Film and Broadway and Beyond Theatricals. Lana is also the creator and Director of OP Forward at The Orchard Project which focuses on actionable futures for artists and works to reimagine and reframe arts resources in order to form new collaborations between industries, expanding the potential for further growth of new work in theatre, audio and TV storytelling. Member, Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab. MFA Directing, The New School.

Jessica Wegner Shay

Costume Designer (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

HVSF: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Cyrano; New York: Lewiston/ Clarkston (Rattlestick); The Performers (Broadway); A Kid Like Jake, All-American (LCT3); Outside People (Vineyard); Suicide, Inc., The Dream of the Burning Boy (Roundabout Underground); OohRah! (Atlantic); Measure for Measure (Acting Co); Next Fall, Armed & Naked in America Selected Regional: Bad Dates, Shipwrecked!, Underneath the Lintel (Long Wharf); Revenge Song (Geffen Playhouse) and Resident Costume Designer (Vampire Cowboy Theatre). Jessica is also a Mom, a Farmer, and Costume Supervisor and Instructor at Fordham University at Lincoln Center.

Claudia Stefany she/her/hers

Wardrobe Supervisor

Claudia Stefany is a freelance Costume Designer and Wardrobe Supervisor in the greater NY/NJ/CT area. She previously served as the Associate Artistic Director at the SHAPE Performing Arts Centre outside of Brussels, Belgium and is currently on the Board of Directors at Elmwood Playhouse in Nyack, New York.

Michele Torres she/her/they/them

Deck Electrician

Michele is a Sophomore Lighting Design major at Marymount Manhattan College. She is so excited to be spending the summer here at the Hudson Vally Shakespeare Festival. Michele has worked on a numerous amount of shows with positions varying between stage-manager, Lighting designer, scenic painter, run crew and front of house staff. At Marymount Michele has worked on Carrie, Head Over Heels, Mr. Burns and Uncle Vanya. Outside of Marymount she has been a part of shows such as A Chorus Line at Talent Unlimited High school and Alessandra Corona Performing Works: Klytaimnestra at the JREC Theater in New York City. She is also a playwright and enjoys working in all mediums. Michele is so excited to be a part of the team as Deck Electrician.

Ken Travis Sound Design (Love’s Labor’s Lost)

KEN TRAVIS Broadway Designs: Aladdin, Jekyll and Hyde, A Christmas Story the Musical, Scandalous, Newsies, Memphis, The ThreePenny Opera, Barefoot in the Park, Steel Magnolias. Numerous New York and regional theaters and companies including: Asolo Rep, The Old Globe, The 5th Avenue Theater, McCarter Theater, Seattle Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, LA Center Theater Group, ACT Seattle, Guthrie Theater, KC Rep, Dallas Theater Center, Playwrights Horizons, The New Group, NYSF Public Theater, CSC, Signature Theater NYC, SoHo Rep,Vineyard Theater, The Civilians, Mabou Mines, and national and international festivals and tours.

Cassandra E. Zeugin Lighting Supervisor

Cassandra E. Zeugin is excited to return for an 8th season at HVSF! She is a production electrician and lighting designer based in New Jersey. Cassandra has worked on numerous Off-Broadway shows, including The Seagull/Woodstock, NY (New Group), Americano (New World Stages), Is God Is (Soho Rep), A Sherlock Carol (2022 and 2021, New World Stages). MBA, Rutgers University, Rutgers Business School. BFA, Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts. Cassandra would like to thank electrician Bob Morf (1953-2021) for doing the “Bob jobs.” His contribution to the festival remains immeasurable, and he is missed dearly.

The Orchard Project (Penelope)

Over 15 years, The Orchard Project has developed a reputation as a preeminent artistic development laboratory and accelerator for creators of performance and dramatic stories. Works developed at OP have gone on to Broadway to the West End to independent theaters across the world, and include All The Way, Bhangin’ It, An Octoroon, 33 Variations, The Aliens, In the Green, The Appointment, Manual Cinema’s Frankenstein, Amélie: The Musical, and Savion Glover’s BaRoQUe’BLaK TaP CaFe. Work developed at the Orchard Project has gone on to win awards including Obies, Drama Desks, Olivier Awards, and the 2014 TONY Award for Best Play for All The Way.

This Theatre operates under an agreement between the League Of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

CC Member of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival Conservatory Company

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HVSF Board of Directors

Board of Directors Advisory Board

Robin Shelby Arditi, President

Laura Jean Wilson, Vice President

Edward B. Whitney, Secretary

Heather Hopkins, Treasurer

Suzanne Baker

Raoul Bhavnani

Mary Elizabeth Bunzel

Luis Castro

Heidi Ettinger

Pepper Evans

Marie Fabian

Randy Florke

Krystal Ford

Sandra Goldmark

Steven L. Holley

Patricia King

Daniel J. Kramer

Chip Loewenson

Nat Prentice

Frederic C. Rich

James Stanford

Byron Stinson

Sarena Straus

Dr. Elliott Sumers

Lauri Washington Sawyer

Vernon Wilson

Christine Wong Lent

Lee Balter

Sarah Griffin Banker

Nancy Meiselas

Berner

Mary Beth Cresci

Patrick J. Driscoll, Ph.D.

Elizabeth Flinn

Don Foster, Ph.D.

Sarah Geer

Peter Gergely, M.D.

Jerry Gretzinger

Marit Kulleseid

Susan Landstreet

Melissa Stern Lourie

Carol Marquand

Jason D. McManus

Belle Blanchard

Newton

Anne Todd Osborn

Katharine Plummer

Sheila Rauch

Betsy Simons

Kristin Sorenson

Jennifer Stebbins

Carolyn Clark Tenney

Terrence O’Brien, Founding Artistic Director

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Open Friday-Monday, 9:00 AM - Sunset September 1-10 Boscobel Chamber Music Festival tickets + info at boscobel.org