News From the Festival
The Festival Announces the Cast of The Greenshow
A beloved tradition and free gift to our community, The Greenshow is the heart of the Festival Experience, bringing laughter, music, dance, and storytelling to life on summer evenings for thousands of our guests. We’re thrilled to share the cast of our evening pre-show performing company, who will be directed and choreographed by returning artist Trey Plutnicki. He is a familiar face at the Festival, having choreographed the past two years of The Greenshow following two successful seasons as a performer.
“The Greenshow has always been about welcoming audiences to the Utah Shakespeare Festival,” says Plutnicki. “This year, we have three brand-new themed Greenshows coming to the lawn: Stratford Night, Celtic Night, and Americana Night. I love coming to the Festival for The Greenshow, creating three original works that can only be performed in Cedar City, and dancing on the lawn with the community.”
Helping create the wonderful Greenshow productions with Plutnicki are Writer Britannia Howe, Scenic Designer Ben Hohman, Costume Designer Diana Girtain, Music Director Brandon Grayson, Voice/Speech/Text Coach Steven Eng, Fight Director/Intimacy Director Caitlyn Herzlinger, and Stage Manager Grace Porter.
Both new and returning actors make up this cast, which is as follows:
Kyleen Doman is new to the Festival and is a Featured Performer in The Greenshow. She is currently pursuing a BFA in acting at Southern Utah University and will appear this season courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program, a partnership between SUU’s Theatre Department and the Festival. She has performed roles in The Three Sisters, Julius Caesar, and The Prom.
Luke Elison is also appearing courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program and is pursuing a BFA in musical theatre at SUU, where he recently played Pippin in Pippin and roles in Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play and The Secret Garden. Debuting at the Festival, his roles this season include being a Featured Performer in The Greenshow.
Ivy Robbins is new to the Festival and is a Featured Performer in The Greenshow. She has been in Pippin; Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play; Sweet Charity; and The Secret Garden, all at Southern Utah University, where she is currently pursuing a theatre degree. She is appearing courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program.
Veronique Robledo makes her Festival debut as a Featured Performer in The Greenshow. She has performed in Sweet Charity, Pippin, and The Secret Garden at Southern Utah University. She has also worked at The New Play Lab at Kayenta Center for the Arts. She is a current musical theatre major and is appearing courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program.
Ty Saunders is also a Southern Utah University musical theatre major, appearing courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program for the first time at the Festival, and will be seen as a Featured Performer in The Greenshow. His work at SUU include Mr. Burns in Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play and various other roles in Pippin, Cloud 9, and Black Comedy.
Matthew Wangemann returns for his third season, as a Featured Performer in The Greenshow. Previously at the Festival he was in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Greenshow in 2023 and 2024. He has performed Off-Broadway at the Vital Theatre Company, as well as at Alliance Theatre, Shakespeare in the Woods, Hale Center Theatre, and Pickleville Playhouse. He earned a BFA in musical theater from SUU.
Celebrating its 65th season from June 18 through October 3, the Festival offers main stage tickets online at bard.org or via 800-PLAYTIX. Please note that while the season continues into October, the free, public performances of The Greenshow conclude on September 5.
The Festival Announces the Cast of She Loves Me
Meet the cast of this season’s charming and heartwarming musical, She Loves Me, an enemies-to-lovers story set in a 1930s perfume shop. Michael Perlman returns to direct this production in the Randall L. Jones Theatre, after helming Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise last season.
“I could not be more delighted to help bring the magic of She Loves Me to Utah this summer,” says Perlman. “Widely considered one of those rare ‘perfect’ musicals, it’s a true romantic comedy with heart, rich and recognizable characters, and gorgeous music. The exemplary design team has created a world that will transport you, and the extraordinary cast will guarantee an experience that captures what musical theatre can do.”
Collaborating with Perlman as lead artistic staff are Music Director/Conductor/Track Creator Brad Carroll, Choreographer Leigh Scheffler, Scenic Designer Jo Winiarski, Costume Designer Jen Gillette, Lighting Designer Tom Mays, Sound Designer Joe Payne, Intimacy Coordinator Caitlyn Herzlinger, and Stage Manager Terence Orleans Alexander.
Both returning and new cast members make up the performing company for She Loves Me:
Zac Barnaby returns to the Festival for his third season, as Ensemble/Busboy in She Loves Me. He was previously in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, The Winter’s Tale, and The Greenshow. He is currently a musical theatre student pursuing a BFA at Southern Utah University, and has performed in Falsettos; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown; and Ride the Cyclone.
Ilana DeAngelo debuts at the Festival as Ensemble in She Loves Me. She has performed at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Kentucky Shakespeare Schools and Parks Tour, and Little Theatre of the Rockies. She earned a BA in musical theatre from the University of Northern Colorado and a classical acting degree from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Ali Ewoldt makes her main stage debut as Amalia Balash in She Loves Me. She previously performed as Mei in the Festival’s 2021 world premier of the musical Gold Mountain at West Valley Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City. Broadway credits include Christine in The Phantom of the Opera and Cosette in Les Misérables. She has also performed Off-Broadway and regionally, specifically at Pioneer Theatre Company, Sacramento Music Circus, The Muny, and Goodspeed, among others. She has appeared on The Michael J. Fox Show and in the short films Yield, Mia, and The Cactus. Other performing credits include with the NY Pops at Carnegie Hall, with Houston Symphony, and with Kaohsiung Symphony and the Boston Pops. She earned a BA in psychology from Yale University and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Brian Gonzales debuts at the Festival as Ladislav Sipos in She Loves Me. His Broadway credits include Mister Saturday Night, Aladdin, Shrek The Musical, and 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He has also performed at The Fulton, Dallas Theater Center, and 5th Avenue Theater, among others. His television credits include Elementary and Law & Order, and he is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Henry Hawes makes his first appearance at the Festival as Arpad Laszlo in She Loves Me. He has also performed at Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Manoa Valley Theatre, Creede Repertory Theatre, and American Stage Theatre Company. He has a BA in musical theatre from the University of Northern Colorado.
Matt Koenig returns as Georg Nowak in She Loves Me. Previously he was in the Festival’s productions of Clue, The Comedy of Errors, Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, and Twelfth Night. He has performed at Cleveland Play House, Pioneer Theatre Company, PCPA, and Oregon Cabaret Theater, among many others. He can be seen in The Chosen and Alien Abductions, as well as the films California King and Homestead. He is the head of the BFA program in acting at Baldwin Wallace University, has an MFA from UC Irvine, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Colden Lamb appears as Ensemble/Headwaiter in She Loves Me in his first appearance at the Festival. He has also worked at San Diego Musical Theater, PCPA, and Sierra Rep, among other theatres. He has also worked with youth, teaching at SDMT Academy, Moonlight Youth Theater, and Saint Augustine High School. He earned a BA from San Diego State University.
André Love returns to the Festival as Ensemble in She Loves Me. He was previously seen in Sweeney Todd, Big River, Ragtime, Clue, and The Greenshow, among others. Other places he’s performed are Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Denver Center, and Suncoast Broadway. He attended Otterbein University and is a member of Uzima African Dance Troupe.
Sophia Lynn is new to the Festival, and will perform as Ensemble in She Loves Me. She has also worked at the American Gothic Performing Arts Festival, New Perspectives Theatre Company, and One Hundred Acre Wood Theatre. Other credits include productions for the Ultimate Bublė Experience in Times Square and the North Pole Express-NYC with TopView Entertainment. She has also been involved with industry workshops for Dolly Parton’s Smokey Mountain Christmas Carol National Tour, Frozen at Papermill Playhouse, and Matilda at Flatrock Playhouse. She was trained at the Institute for American Musical Theatre (IAMT).
Chris Mixon returns for his 14th season, as Mr. Maraczek in She Loves Me. He favored audiences last season with his performances in Antony and Cleopatra, Macbeth, and As You Like It. Other Festival productions include The Taming of the Shrew, The Winter’s Tale, The Play That Goes Wrong, The Book of Will, and The Foreigner. He also performed in the national Broadway tour of How to Succeed…Trying, as well as eight seasons at Off-Broadway’s Pearl Theatre Company. Mixon has also worked at The Denver Center, Milwaukee Rep, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, among many others. He has been on All My Children, Law & Order, and in The Rosa Parks Story, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.
Ash Moran debuts at the Festival, as Ensemble in She Loves Me. Other roles include Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Maureen in Rent, Queen of Heart in Alice By Heart, and Annie in The Play That Goes Wrong, among others. Moran is a two-time winner of the Michigan Regional Wilde Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, and earned a BFA in musical theatre from Oakland University.
Pascal Pastrana makes his Festival debut as Steven Kodaly in She Loves Me. His work on Broadway includes The Great Gatsby, A Beautiful Noise, and Mean Girls; his Off-Broadway credits include Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion and Rock and Roll Debauchery. He has also worked at Paper Mill Playhouse, Theater Raleigh, The MUNY, Syracuse Stage, and Colonial Theater. HIs screen credits include the Netflix show Uncoupled and the films Silk and Eighty-Sixed. He earned his BFA in musical theatre and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Jackson Poulin is new to the Festival and is Ensemble in She Loves Me. He performed in the first National Tour of Miracle on 34th Street, and has done work on Off-off-Broadway as well as regionally at Tibbits Opera House and Syracuse Stage. He has teaching/directing credits at Northwestern University NHSi and Clarkstown Theatre Company, and holds a BFA from Syracuse University.
Jason Rexx is debuting as Ensemble in She Loves Me. He has also performed as Charley Kringas in Merrily We Roll Along at Vintage Theatre, Shakespeare in Something Rotten! at StageDoor Theatre, Joseph in Joseph…Dreamcoat at Performance Now Theatre Company, and other productions at The Denver Center, Arvada Center, and Town Hall Arts Center. He holds a double BA in vocal music education and psychology from Concordia College-Moorhead, and a MS in educational leadership from Western Governors University.
Meggie Siegrist debuts as Ilona Ritter in She Loves Me. She has also performed at Phoenix Theatre Company, San Luis Obispo Rep, over a dozen productions at Arizona Broadway Theatre, and five years at The Palace Theatre in the Dells. She holds a BFA from the University of the Arts.
Heidi Carann Snider is new to the Festival, as Ensemble in She Loves Me. She has performed in shows at Lone Tree Arts Center, Creede Repertory Theatre, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company, and Town Hall Arts Center. She earned a BFA in musical theatre from Colorado Mesa University.
Emily Song Tyler returns as Ensemble in She Loves Me after previously understudying for the Festival’s 2021 world premier of the musical Gold Mountain at West Valley Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City. She also worked at Signature Theatre, Geva Theatre Center, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and Cygnet Theatre. Her screen credits include the film Paw Patrol Live at Home and the HBO show That Damn Michael Che. She received training at the American Musical Dramatic Academy.
The Festival’s 65th season runs June 18 through October 3, 2026. She Loves Me plays in rotation with See How They Run and Something Rotten! in the Randall L. Jones Theatre. Don’t miss these outstanding productions, as well as more shows in our other two amazing theatres. Get your tickets online at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849).
The Festival Announces the Cast of Something Rotten!
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is excited to announce the cast of this season’s musical comedy, Something Rotten! Hilariously connected to the world of Shakespeare, the story follows two brothers who are determined to outshine the Bard by inventing the first musical. Directed by Alan Muraoka, known for his longtime work on Sesame Street, this delightful musical is a shout out to theatre, filled with lots of heart and romance.
“I am so excited to share the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s premiere of Something Rotten! with our audiences of all ages!” says Muraoka. “This show is a love letter to both Shakespeare and Broadway musicals, with wonderful songs, antic comedy, and big, splashy production numbers. And those who are familiar with the works of Shakespeare will get the clever nods to many of his famous works. But even if you aren’t familiar with these works, you’ll still have a toe-tapping good time. And (spoiler alert) there will be tap dancing eggs!”
Lead artistic staff who are collaborating with Muraoka are Music Director Jeremy Mann, Choreographer Alli Betsill, Conductor Brad Carroll, Scenic Designer Jo Winiarski, Costume Designer Tracy Christensen, Lighting Designer Tom Mays, Sound Designer Joe Payne, Track Creator Brandon Grayson, Voice/Speech/Text Coach Steven Eng, Fight Director/Intimacy Coordinator Caitlyn Herzlinger, and Stage Manager Tanya J. Searle.
The cast for Something Rotten! includes both new and returning actors and is as follows:
Zac Barnaby returns to the Festival for his third season, as Ensemble in Something Rotten! He was previously in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, The Winter’s Tale, and The Greenshow. He is currently a musical theatre student pursuing a BFA at Southern Utah University, and has performed in Falsettos; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown; and Ride the Cyclone.
Ilana DeAngelo debuts at the Festival as Ensemble in Something Rotten! She has performed at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Kentucky Shakespeare Schools and Parks Tour, and Little Theatre of the Rockies. She earned a BA in musical theatre from the University of Northern Colorado and a classical acting degree from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Ali Ewoldt makes her main stage debut as Portia in Something Rotten! She previously performed as Mei in the Festival’s 2021 world premier of the musical Gold Mountain at West Valley Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City. Broadway credits include Christine in The Phantom of the Opera and Cosette in Les Misérables. She has also performed Off-Broadway and regionally, specifically at Pioneer Theatre Company, Sacramento Music Circus, the Muny, and Goodspeed, among others. She has appeared on The Michael J. Fox Show and in the short films Yield, Mia, and The Cactus. Other performing credits include with the NY Pops at Carnegie Hall, with the Houston Symphony, and with Kaohsiung Symphony and the Boston Pops. She earned a BA in psychology from Yale University and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Brian Gonzales debuts at the Festival as Nostradamus in Something Rotten! His Broadway credits include Mister Saturday Night, Aladdin, Shrek The Musical, and 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He has also performed at the Fulton, Dallas Theater Center, and 5th Avenue Theater, among others. His television credits include Elementary and Law & Order, and he is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Henry Hawes makes his first appearance at the Festival as Ensemble in Something Rotten! He has also performed at Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Manoa Valley Theatre, Creede Repertory Theatre, and American Stage Theatre Company. He has a BA in musical theatre from the University of Northern Colorado.
Clara Hevia is new to the Festival, as Ensemble in Something Rotten! She performed in the national tour of Cats, and at Umbrella Stage, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Saratoga Shakespeare Company, and Lyric Stage Company of Boston/Lyric Back Stage, among others. She received her BM in vocal performance/musical theater from NYU Steinhardt.
Luke Sidney Johnson returns for his ninth season, as Ensemble in Something Rotten! Last season he was in The Importance of Being Earnest and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and other favorite Festival roles include Younger Brother in Ragtime, Simeon in Joseph…Dreamcoat, and King of France in King Lear. He has also performed at Pioneer Theatre Company, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and Playmill Theatre. He earned a BFA in musical theater from Southern Utah University.
Matt Koenig returns as Nick Bottom in Something Rotten! Previously he was in the Festival’s productions of Clue, The Comedy of Errors, Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, and Twelfth Night. He has performed at Cleveland Play House, Pioneer Theatre Company, PCPA, and Oregon Cabaret Theater, among many others. He can be seen in The Chosen and Alien Abductions, as well as the films California King and Homestead. He is the head of the BFA program in acting at Baldwin Wallace University, has an MFA from UC Irvine, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Colden Lamb appears as Ensemble in Something Rotten! in his first appearance at the Festival. He has also worked at San Diego Musical Theater, PCPA, and Sierra Rep, among other theatres. He has also worked with youth, teaching at SDMT Academy, Moonlight Youth Theater, and Saint Augustine High School. He earned a BA from San Diego State University.
André Love returns to the Festival as Ensemble/Minstrel in Something Rotten! He was previously seen in Sweeney Todd, Big River, Ragtime, Clue, and The Greenshow, among others. Other places he’s performed are Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Denver Center, and Suncoast Broadway. He attended Otterbein University and is a member of Uzima African Dance Troupe.
Sophia Lynn is new to the Festival, and will perform as Ensemble in Something Rotten! She has also worked at the American Gothic Performing Arts Festival, New Perspectives Theatre Company, and One Hundred Acre Wood Theatre. Other credits include productions for the Ultimate Bublė Experience in Times Square and the North Pole Express-NYC with TopView Entertainment. She has also been involved with industry workshops for Dolly Parton’s Smokey Mountain Christmas Carol National Tour, Frozen at Paper Mill Playhouse, and Matilda at Flatrock Playhouse. She was trained at the Institute for American Musical Theatre (IAMT).
Chris Mixon returns for his 14th season, as Brother Jeremiah in Something Rotten! He favored audiences last season with his performances in Antony and Cleopatra, Macbeth, and As You Like It. Other Festival productions include The Taming of the Shrew, The Winter’s Tale, The Play That Goes Wrong, The Book of Will, and The Foreigner. He also performed in the national Broadway tour of How to Succeed…Trying, as well as eight seasons at Off-Broadway’s Pearl Theatre Company. Mixon has also worked at the Denver Center, Milwaukee Rep, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, among many others. He has been on All My Children, Law & Order, and in The Rosa Parks Story, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.
Ash Moran debuts at the Festival, as Ensemble in Something Rotten! Other roles include Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Maureen in Rent, Queen of Heart in Alice By Heart, and Annie in The Play That Goes Wrong, among others. Moran is a two-time winner of the Michigan Regional Wilde Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, and earned a BFA in musical theatre from Oakland University.
Pascal Pastrana makes his Festival debut as Shakespeare in Something Rotten! His work on Broadway includes The Great Gatsby, A Beautiful Noise, and Mean Girls; his Off-Broadway credits include Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion and Rock and Roll Debauchery. He has also worked at Paper Mill Playhouse, Theater Raleigh, the Muny, Syracuse Stage, and Colonial Theater. HIs screen credits include the Netflix show Uncoupled and the films Silk and Eighty-Sixed. He earned his BFA in musical theatre and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Jackson Poulin is new to the Festival and is Ensemble in Something Rotten! He performed in the first National Tour of Miracle on 34th Street, and has done work on Off-off-Broadway as well as regionally at Tibbits Opera House and Syracuse Stage. He has teaching/directing credits at Northwestern University NHSi and Clarkstown Theatre Company, and holds a BFA from Syracuse University.
Jason Rexx is debuting as Nigel Bottom in Something Rotten! He has also performed as Charley Kringas in Merrily We Roll Along at Vintage Theatre, Shakespeare in Something Rotten! at StageDoor Theatre, Joseph in Joseph…Dreamcoat at Performance Now Theatre Company, and other productions at the Denver Center, Arvada Center, and Town Hall Arts Center. He holds a double BA in vocal music education and psychology from Concordia College-Moorhead, and a MS in educational leadership from Western Governors University.
Meggie Siegrist debuts as Bea in Something Rotten! She has also performed at Phoenix Theatre Company, San Luis Obispo Rep, over a dozen productions at Arizona Broadway Theatre, and five years at the Palace Theatre in the Dells. She holds a BFA from the University of the Arts.
Heidi Carann Snider is new to the Festival, as Ensemble in Something Rotten! She has performed at Lone Tree Arts Center, Creede Repertory Theatre, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company, and Town Hall Arts Center. She earned a BFA in musical theatre from Colorado Mesa University.
Emily Song Tyler returns as Ensemble in Something Rotten! after previously understudying for the Festival’s 2021 world premier of the musical Gold Mountain at West Valley Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City. She also worked at Signature Theatre, Geva Theatre Center, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and Cygnet Theatre. Her screen credits include the film Paw Patrol Live at Home and the HBO show That Damn Michael Che. She received training at the American Musical Dramatic Academy.
The Festival’s 65th season runs June 18 through October 3, 2026. Something Rotten! plays in rotation with See How They Run and She Loves Me in the Randall L. Jones Theatre. Don’t miss these outstanding productions, as well as more shows in our other two amazing theatres. Get your tickets online at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849).
The Festival Announces the Cast of The Book Club Play
Get ready for some serious fun with the cast of The Book Club Play! Directed by returning actor and director Matt Zambrano in the Anes Studio Theatre, this witty and high energy comedy by Karen Zacarías explores a tight-knit group of friends who become the subject of a documentary during their book club get-togethers.
“I am so incredibly thrilled for Festival audiences to experience this side-splitting comedy, written by one of the most prolific playwrights in the American theater and starring an amazing group of actors,” says Zambrano. “There’s something for everyone in The Book Club Play, and I can’t wait to get started on it. I think it will be the perfect companion piece to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, with more twists and turns than Kolob Canyon.”
Collaborating with Zambrano are Scenic Designer Jason Simms, Costume Designer Devon Painter, Lighting Designer Claire Chrzan, Sound Designer/Composer Melanie Chen Cole, Choreographer/Fight Director/Intimacy Coordinator Christina Traister, and Stage Manager Emily Marie Wilke.
The cast for The Book Club Play includes both new and returning actors:
Travis Ascione is new to the Festival, and is debuting as Rob/Sam in The Book Club Play. His work has been seen at Texas Shakespeare Festival, Citadel Theatre, YPT Chicago, and Shakespeare & Company. His voiceover credits include The Saints with The Merry Beggars and he has an MFA in acting from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Sean Dale debuts at the Festival as Alex/Carl in The Book Club Play. He has performed at Alliance Theatre, Texas Shakespeare Festival, Atlanta Shakespeare Company, and in the United Kingdom at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Arcola Theatre, and Tristan Bates Theatre. His teaching credits include Kennesaw State University and Emory University, and he holds an MFA in acting.
Emily Fury Daly appears for her inaugural season at the Festival as Ana in The Book Club Play. Her Off-Broadway work includes La Mama Experimental Theatre and Soho Playhouse, and she has also performed at American Players Theatre, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Pittsburgh Public, Pacific Conservatory Theatre, and Chautauqua Theater Company, among others. She has been on NBC’s Chicago Med, appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Jacob Dresch makes his first appearance at the Festival as Will/Frank in The Book Club Play. He performed Off-Broadway at Red Bull Theatre in School for Scandal, and has also been seen at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and Denver Center, among others. His teaching credits include MSU Denver, CU Boulder, DeSales University, New York Film Academy, and UC Irvine. He received Colorado Theatre Guild’s Henry Award and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Chloe McLeod returns for her second season at the Festival as Jen/Elsa in The Book Club Play. Audiences may remember her in The Taming of the Shrew, The Winter’s Tale, and Henry VIII in 2024. In addition, she has performed in four seasons at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and several shows at the Denver Center, where she has also taught. She has participated in multiple new play workshops across the country and received training at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.
Regan Sims makes her Festival debut as Lily/Mrs. Simpson in The Book Club Play. She has worked Off-Broadway at 59E59 and ART/NY Theater, as well as at Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Huntington Theater Company, Two River Theater, and in the United Kingdom at Shakespeare’s Globe in London and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Other credits include work with Recent Cutbacks, Story Pirates, and Broken Box Mime Theater. She received her BFA in acting from Rutgers and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
The Festival’s 65th season runs June 18 through October 3, 2026. The Book Club Play performs in rotation with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in the Anes Studio Theatre starting July 14. Don’t miss these incredible productions, as well as more shows in our other two amazing theatres. Get your tickets online at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849).
The Festival Announces the Cast of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Meet the cast of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein! Director Risa Brainin and this talented group of newcomers make their Utah Shakespeare Festival debuts this summer, bringing a visceral new energy to David Catlin’s haunting Gothic adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic tale.
“I’m honored to be directing at the Utah Shakespeare Festival for the first time with David Catlin’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. And what a prescient moment to be in conversation with this great masterpiece,” says Brainin. “A central question of the story is ‘what is one’s responsibility to one’s creation and its life thereafter’? With the growing use of AI, that question is on everyone’s minds. The innovations of today will affect everything about tomorrow. So, what is our responsibility to the future? Catlin’s fresh, unique, rich adaptation of the novel brings the Frankenstein story in conversation with Percy and Mary Shelley’s own lives. The play has something for everyone: mystery, humor, pathos and love.”
The lead artistic staff who are creating the world of this play are Scenic Designer Jason Simms, Costume Designer Devon Painter, Lighting Designer Claire Chrzan, Sound Designer/Composer Melanie Chen Cole, Voice/Speech/Text Coach Steven Eng, Choreographer/Fight Director/Intimacy Coordinator Christina Traister, and Stage Manager Emily Marie Wilke.
The cast for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein includes all new actors to the Festival, as follows:
Travis Ascione is debuting as Byron/Creature/Others in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. His work has been seen at the Texas Shakespeare Festival, Citadel Theatre, YPT Chicago, and Shakespeare & Company. His voiceover credits include The Saints with The Merry Beggars and he has an MFA in acting from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Sean Dale debuts at the Festival as Polidori/Others in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. He has also performed at Alliance Theatre, Texas Shakespeare Festival, Atlanta Shakespeare Company, and in the United Kingdom at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Arcola Theatre, and Tristan Bates Theatre. His teaching credits include Kennesaw State University and Emory University, and he holds an MFA in acting.
Jacob Dresch makes his first appearance at the Festival as Percy/Victor/Felix in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. He performed Off-Broadway at Red Bull Theatre in School for Scandal, and has also been seen at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and Denver Center, among others. His teaching credits include MSU Denver, CU Boulder, DeSales University, New York Film Academy, and UC Irvine. He received Colorado Theatre Guild’s Henry Award and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Emily Fury Daly appears for her inaugural season at the Festival as Mary/Elizabeth in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Her Off-Broadway work includes La Mama Experimental Theatre and Soho Playhouse, and she has also performed at American Players Theatre, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Pittsburgh Public, Pacific Conservatory Theatre, and Chautauqua Theater Company, among others. She has been on NBC’s Chicago Med, appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Regan Sims makes her Festival debut as Claire/Others in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. She has worked Off-Broadway at 59E59 and ART/NY Theater, as well as at Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Huntington Theater Company, Two River Theater, and in the United Kingdom at Shakespeare’s Globe in London and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Other credits include work with Recent Cutbacks, Story Pirates, and Broken Box Mime Theater. She received her BFA in acting from Rutgers and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
The Festival’s 65th season runs June 18 through October 3, 2026. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein plays in rotation with The Book Club Play in the Anes Studio Theatre starting July 13. Don’t miss these incredible productions, as well as more shows in our other two amazing theatres. Get your tickets online at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849).
The Festival Announces the Cast of See How They Run
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is excited to announce the cast of this season’s production of Philip King’s zany comedy See How They Run. Never before produced at the Festival, this play is under the direction of returning artist Geoffrey Kent, who most recently performed in the 2024 and 2025 seasons and directed The Play That Goes Wrong in 2023.
“I’m delighted to helm another comedy for the Utah Shakespeare Festival,” says Kent. “See How They Run builds to an incredible final act with an epic laugh per minute finale. It is a perfect comic fit for the Randall Theatre and Festival audiences, especially with our cast, chock full of clowns with heart that will keep the show brisk, bright, and laugh out loud funny.”
Not only is Kent directing, he is also the Fight Director for this production. Working alongside him are Scenic Designer Jo Winiarski, Costume Designer Tracy Christensen, Lighting Designer Tom Mays, Sound Designer/Composer Lindsay Jones, Voice/Speech/Text Coach Steven Eng, Intimacy Coordinator Caitlyn Herzlinger, and Stage Manager Caleb Thomas Cook.
The cast for See How They Run has both new and returning actors, as follows:
Calvin Adams returns for his first full season with the Festival, after performing as Falstaff in last year’s Shakespeare in the Schools tour of Henry IV. This summer he will perform as Rev. Arthur Humphrey in See How They Run. He has worked at Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, Guthrie Theater, and Chicago’s Lifeline Theatre, among others. He holds a theater degree from the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program.
Gabriel W. Elmore returns for his second season, as Cpl. Clive Winton in See How They Run. He performed last summer as Orlando in As You Like It and Octavius Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra, among other roles. He has appeared with Fulton Theater, Quintessence Theatre Group, InterAct Theatre Company, and Delaware Shakespeare Festival, among others. Elmore was also in the film Alice Heart and taught at Temple University where he received his MFA in acting.
Emily Hawkins makes her Festival debut as Penelope Toop as See How They Run. She performed numerous roles at Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, including Rosalind in As You Like It, Hermione in The Winter’s Tale, and Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers. Other regional credits include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Great River Shakespeare Festival, and The House Theatre of Chicago. She received her BFA in acting from Oklahoma City University.
Clara Hevia debuts at the Festival as Ida in See How They Run. She performed in the national tour of Cats, and regionally at the Umbrella Stage, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Saratoga Shakespeare Company, and CommShakes CSC2. She earned a BM in vocal performance/musical theatre from NYU Steinhardt.
Mat Hostetler makes his Festival debut this season as Rev. Lionel Toop in See How They Run. His Broadway work includes Death of a Salesman and the North American Tour/Japan Tour of War Horse. Off-Broadway he has performed at Lincoln Center and NYTW Next Door, while his regional credits include La Jolla Playhouse, Denver Center, and Colorado Shakespeare Festival. His television work includes The Gilded Age, Boardwalk Empire, The Blacklist, and Six Feet Under, among others. He was also seen in the film The Utopian Society. He is the creator and host of the Sometimes It Rains Podcast. He received his MFA from the National Theatre Conservatory, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.
Avery Michael Johnson is debuting at the Festival as Sergeant Towers in See How They Run. His work at Montana Shakespeare in the Parks includes roles in Henry V, The Winter’s Tale, and The Three Musketeers. He has also performed at Richmond Shakespeare and Signature Theatre and received his BFA in theatre from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Loren Jones will be performing the role of The Intruder in See How They Run. He was an external understudy for numerous roles last season for all the shows in the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. He has also worked at the Goodman Theatre, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, and Boise Contemporary Theatre, as well as in the film Sharing Air. He has a master’s degree in acting from Northern Illinois University and is a member of the Society of American Fight Directors.
Rodney Lizcano returns to the Festival as Bishop of Lax in See How They Run after directing The Importance of Being Earnest last season and performing in Much Ado About Nothing and The Taming of the Shrew in 2024. They also spent 24 seasons with the Denver Center Theatre Company and 10 seasons at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, among many other theatres. They received an MFA from The National Theatre Conservatory and are a member of Actors’ Equity Association and Society of Directors and Choreographers.
Caitlin Wise returns for her third season, as Miss Skillon in See How They Run. Audiences may remember her from last season as Hecate in Macbeth; Louise in Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise; and Octavia in Antony and Cleopatra. Other Festival roles include Kate in The Taming of the Shrew and Emilia in The Winter’s Tale in 2024. Wise has also done numerous productions at The Denver Center, Theatreworks, and Creede Repertory Theatre. She has an MFA from National Theatre Conservatory and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
The Festival’s 65th season runs June 18 through October 3, 2026. See How They Run plays in rotation with Something Rotten! and She Loves Me in the Randall L. Jones Theatre. Don’t miss these outstanding productions, as well as more shows in our other two amazing theatres. Get your tickets online at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849).
The Festival Announces the Cast of Twelfth Night
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is eager to announce the cast of this season’s production of Shakespeare’s popular romantic comedy, Twelfth Night. This delightful and profound play has been produced at the Festival nine times during the last 65 years. This year for its tenth time it will be directed by Festival Artistic Director John DiAntonio, who also directed Macbeth last season.
“Twelfth Night was the first Shakespeare I saw live, and I remember falling in love with everyone onstage,” says director John DiAntonio. “That’s still true for me today. It’s rare that a play lets you love the entire ensemble, flaws and all. This year’s production in inspired by Venetian Carnival, a world that’s bold, decadent, slightly chaotic, and that’s filled with masks, music, and social inversion. But underneath the mayhem, it’s always about longing — about people’s desire to be seen and loved for their true selves.”
Collaborating with DiAntonio to create the gorgeous world of this show are Scenic Designer Apollo Mark Weaver, Costume Designer Bill Black, Lighting Designer Michael Gilliam, Sound Designer/Composer John Nobori, Music Director Brandon Grayson, Voice/Speech/Text Coach Philip Thompson, Dramaturg Lezlie Cross, Choreographer/Intimacy Coordinator Sacha Comrie, Aerial Choreographer Eileen Little, Fight Director Caitlyn Herzlinger, and Stage Manager Caleb Thomas Cook.
New and returning actors make up this cast, which are as follows:
Lavour Addison is returning for his second season at the Festival as Orsino in Twelfth Night. Audiences may remember him as Macduff in last season’s Macbeth, among other roles. He has also worked at Creede Repertory Theatre; Idaho, Lake Tahoe, and Colorado Shakespeare Festivals, Cleveland Playhouse, and Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company. Addison received his MFA in acting from Case Western Reserve and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Gabriel W. Elmore returns for his second season, as Feste/Sailor in Twelfth Night. He performed last summer as Orlando in As You Like It and Octavius Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra, among other roles. He has appeared with Fulton Theater, Quintessence Theatre Group, InterAct Theatre Company, and Delaware Shakespeare Festival, among others. Elmore was also in the film Alice Heart and taught at Temple University where he received his MFA in acting.
John Harrell returns for his third Festival season, this time as Sir Andrew/Sailor in Twelfth Night. Audiences may remember him as Hortensio in 2024’s The Taming of the Shrew and Autolycus in The Winter’s Tale, among others. He has also performed the title characters in Hamlet, Cyrano de Bergerac, Richard II and more at the American Shakespeare Center. Harrell received a Bachelor of Arts in English from James Madison University. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Emily Hawkins makes her Festival debut as Olivia Attendant/Sailor in Twelfth Night. She performed numerous roles at Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, including Rosalind in As You Like It, Hermione in The Winter’s Tale, and Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers. Other regional credits include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Great River Shakespeare Festival, and The House Theatre of Chicago. She received her BFA in acting from Oklahoma City University.
Blake Henri returns for his fourth season, playing Sir Toby/Sailor in Twelfth Night. He was previously seen at the Festival in Macbeth, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, The Play That Goes Wrong, and A Raisin in the Sun. He has worked at the American Shakespeare Center; the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa; Cleveland Playhouse; and Dallas Theatre Center, among many others. He has appeared in numerous television shows such as The Chosen, Walker, and HBO’s Love and Death, as well as the films American Underdog and Great Plains. He holds a BFA from the University of Oklahoma.
Mat Hostetler makes his Festival debut this season as Antonio/Sailor in Twelfth Night. His Broadway work includes Death of a Salesman and the North American Tour/Japan Tour of War Horse. Off-Broadway he has performed at Lincoln Center and NYTW Next Door, while his regional credits include La Jolla Playhouse, Denver Center, and Colorado Shakespeare Festival. His television work includes The Gilded Age, Boardwalk Empire, The Blacklist, and Six Feet Under, among others. He was also seen in the film The Utopian Society. He is the creator and host of the Sometimes It Rains Podcast. He received his MFA from the National Theatre Conservatory, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.
Avery Michael Johnson is debuting at the Festival as Valentine/Second Officer in Twelfth Night. His work at Montana Shakespeare in the Parks includes roles in Henry V, The Winter’s Tale, and The Three Musketeers. He has also performed at Richmond Shakespeare and Signature Theatre and received his BFA in theatre from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Luke Sidney Johnson returns for his ninth season, this time as Curio/First Officer in Twelfth Night. Last season he played Lane/Merriman in The Importance of Being Earnest and Man 1 in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. Other favorite roles at the Festival include Younger Brother in Ragtime, Simeon in Joseph…Dreamcoat, and Samson in Romeo and Juliet. He has also performed at Pioneer Theatre Company, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and Playmill Theatre, among others. He earned a BFA in musical theater from SUU and is an Actors’ Equity Membership Candidate.
Kayland Jordan returns for her third season at the Festival, playing Olivia in Twelfth Night. She previously performed as Rosalind in last year’s As You Like It and Second Weird Sister in Macbeth, along with other shows including A Raisin in the Sun and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She has also acted Off-Broadway and at Asolo Repertory Theatre, Theatre SilCo, and American Stage Theatre Company, among many others. She has appeared in HBO’s Betty, ABC’s Emergence and The Brides, and in the films Gap Year and Keep Me At Bay. She is a resident teaching artist at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, earned a BFA in acting from Pace University, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Rodney Lizcano returns to the Festival as Malvolio in Twelfth Night after directing The Importance of Being Earnest last season and performing in Much Ado About Nothing and The Taming of the Shrew in 2024. They also spent 24 seasons with the Denver Center Theatre Company and 10 seasons at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, among many other theatres. They received an MFA from The National Theatre Conservatory and are a member of Actors’ Equity Association and Society of Directors and Choreographers.
Brianna Miller is debuting at the Festival, playing Olivia Attendant/Sailor in Twelfth Night. She has performed at Cleveland Play House, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, among others. She has received the KCACTF Irene Ryan Regional Award and the Janicka Zuck Richards Playwriting Award. She earned an MFA in acting from Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House.
Thom Rivera is making his first appearance at the Festival as Captain/Priest in Twelfth Night. His Off-Broadway work includes The Acting Company, Culture Project, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Roundabout, among others. He has performed regionally at Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, The Denver Center, and South Coast Rep, including numerous others. He has been in many television shows such as Law & Order, Bunk’d, New Girl, Lucifer, and The Mindy Project, and films like Eddington, El Tigre, and Once Upon a Time in Venice. He has taught at UCI Irvine, SUNY Albany, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.
Kathryn Tkel is returning for her second season at the Festival, and will be performing the role of Maria in Twelfth Night. She was seen last season as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra, Audrey in As You Like It, and Lady Macduff in Macbeth. Other work includes productions at Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre, Folger Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, and many more. She was seen in the film Harriet and currently teaches at Southern Utah University. She has an MFA from The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy for Classical Acting and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Matthew Wangemann returns for his third season, playing Sebastian in Twelfth Night. Previously at the Festival he was in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Greenshow in 2023 and 2024. He has performed Off-Broadway at the Vital Theatre Company, as well as at Alliance Theatre, Shakespeare in the Woods, Hale Center Theatre, and Pickleville Playhouse. He earned a BFA in musical theater from SUU.
Caitlin Wise returns for her third season, as Viola in Twelfth Night. Audiences may remember her from last season as Hecate in Macbeth; Louise in Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise; and Octavia in Antony and Cleopatra. Other Festival roles include Kate in The Taming of the Shrew and Emilia in The Winter’s Tale in 2024. Wise has also done numerous productions at The Denver Center, Theatreworks, and Creede Repertory Theatre. She has an MFA from National Theatre Conservatory and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
The Festival’s 65th season runs June 18 through October 3, 2026. Twelfth Night plays in rotation with Troilus and Cressida and Hamlet in the outdoor Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. Don’t miss these remarkable productions under the stars, as well as more shows in our other two amazing theatres. Get your tickets online at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849).
The Festival Announces the Cast of Hamlet
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is excited to announce the cast of this season’s production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. As one of the Bard’s most extraordinary and psychologically rich plays, it explores conscience, power, and how burdens of the past shape choices for the future. First produced during the Festival’s inaugural 1962 season, Hamlet has returned ten times over the past 65 years. In this anniversary season, it finally takes the stage of the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre for the first time. Beth Lopes, who directed As You Like It last season, directs this production.
“I’m honored to be guiding this iteration of Shakespeare’s masterful Hamlet for the Festival’s thrilling 65th season,” says Lopes. “In this rendition audiences can look forward to deeply felt relationships, edge-of-your-seat intrigue, and a healthy dose of horror. We’ve assembled an exquisite team of artists that have already been working around the clock to bring this haunting rendition to life.”
Lead artistic staff who are collaborating with Lopes are Scenic Designer Apollo Mark Weaver, Costume Designer Bill Black, Lighting Designer Michael Gilliam, Sound Designer/Composer John Nobori, Music Director Brandon Grayson, Voice/Speech/Text Coach Philip Thompson, Dramaturg Lezlie Cross, Choreographer/Intimacy Coordinator Sacha Comrie, Fight Director Caitlyn Herzlinger, and Stage Manager Martinique M. Barthel.
Hamlet features both new and returning cast members, as follows:
Lavour Addison is returning for his second season at the Festival as Marcellus/Player King in Hamlet. Audiences may remember him as Macduff in last season’s Macbeth, among other roles. He has also worked at Creede Repertory Theatre; Idaho, Lake Tahoe, and Colorado Shakespeare Festivals, Cleveland Play House, and Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company. Addison received his MFA in acting from Case Western Reserve and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Kyleen Doman is new to the Festival and is cast as Player Queen/Ensemble in Hamlet. She is currently pursuing a BFA in acting at Southern Utah University and will appear this season courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program, a partnership between SUU’s Theatre Department and the Festival. She has performed roles in The Three Sisters, Julius Caesar, and The Prom.
John Harrell returns for his third Festival season, this time as Polonius in Hamlet. Audiences may remember him as Hortensio in 2024’s The Taming of the Shrew and Autolycus in The Winter’s Tale, among others roles. He has also performed the title characters in Hamlet, Cyrano de Bergerac, Richard II and more at the American Shakespeare Center. Harrell received a BA in English from James Madison University. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Blake Henri returns for his fourth season, playing Laertes in Hamlet. He was previously seen at the Festival in Macbeth, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, The Play That Goes Wrong, and A Raisin in the Sun. He has worked at the American Shakespeare Center; the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa; Cleveland Play House; and Dallas Theatre Center, among many others. He has appeared in numerous television shows such as The Chosen, Walker, and HBO’s Love and Death, as well as the films American Underdog and Great Plains. He holds a BFA from the University of Oklahoma.
Luke Sidney Johnson returns for his ninth season, this time as Rosencrantz/Gravedigger 2 in Hamlet. Last season he played Lane/Merriman in The Importance of Being Earnest and Man 1 in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. Other favorite roles at the Festival include Younger Brother in Ragtime, Simeon in Joseph…Dreamcoat, and Samson in Romeo and Juliet. He has also performed at Pioneer Theatre Company, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and Playmill Theatre, among others. He earned a BFA in musical theater from SUU and is an Actors’ Equity Membership Candidate.
Kayland Jordan returns for her third season at the Festival, playing Horatio in Hamlet. She performed as Rosalind in last year’s As You Like It and Second Weird Sister in Macbeth, along with A Raisin in the Sun and A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2023. She has also acted Off-Broadway and at Asolo Repertory Theatre, Theatre SilCo, and American Stage Theatre Company, among many others. She has appeared in HBO’s Betty, ABC’s Emergence and The Brides, and in the films Gap Year and Keep Me At Bay. She is a resident teaching artist at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, earned a BFA in acting from Pace University, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
John Keabler is making his Festival debut as Claudius in Hamlet. He has performed Off-Broadway at Cherry Lane Theatre, as well as at Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Old Globe, Berkeley Rep, and Cincinnati Playhouse, among many others. His on-screen work includes many television shows including 30 Rock; Madam Secretary; All My Children; and The Men Who Built America; as well as films like Faith, Love and Whiskey; SUGAR!; and Where The Snow Fell. He earned an MFA at The Old Globe Professional Actors Program, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG.
Walter Kmiec returns for his third season, as Hamlet in Hamlet. Audiences will remember him as Macbeth in last year’s production of Macbeth, Touchstone in As You Like It, and Canidius in Antony and Cleopatra. Before that, he portrayed Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing and Norfolk in Henry VIII. He has also worked at Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Orlando Shakespeare Festival, Endstation Theater Company, and People’s Improv Theater, among others. He has taught at Stetson University and Florida State University, where he received an MFA in directing. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Brianna Miller is debuting at the Festival, playing Guildenstern/Gravedigger 1 in Hamlet. She has performed at Cleveland Play House, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, among others. She has received the KCACTF Irene Ryan Regional Award and the Janicka Zuck Richards Playwriting Award. She earned an MFA in acting from Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House.
Thom Rivera is making his first appearance at the Festival as Ghost in Hamlet. His Off-Broadway work includes The Acting Company, Culture Project, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Roundabout, among others. He has performed regionally at Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, The Denver Center, and South Coast Rep, including numerous others. He has been in many television shows such as Law & Order, Bunk’d, New Girl, Lucifer, and The Mindy Project, and films like Eddington, El Tigre, and Once Upon a Time in Venice. He has taught at UC Irvine, SUNY Albany, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.
Kathryn Tkel is returning for her second season at the Festival, and will be performing the role of Ophelia in Hamlet. She was seen last season as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra, Audrey in As You Like It, and Lady Macduff in Macbeth. Other work includes productions at Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre, Folger Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, and many more. She was seen in the film Harriet and currently teaches at Southern Utah University. She has an MFA from The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy for Classical Acting and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Mare Trevathan is making her Festival debut as Gertrude in Hamlet. She has performed at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and Denver Center Theatre Company, and is a founding member of the Local Theater Company in Boulder, Colorado. She has worked with Sundance Lab, Saratoga International Theater Institute (SITI), and P3, and was seen in the film Silver City.
Matthew Wangemann returns for his third season, playing Barnardo/Player Villain in Hamlet. Previously at the Festival he was in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Greenshow in 2023 and 2024. He has performed Off-Broadway at the Vital Theatre Company, as well as at Alliance Theatre, Shakespeare in the Woods, Hale Center Theatre, and Pickleville Playhouse. He earned a BFA in musical theater from SUU.
Braedon Young returns for his fourth season at the Festival, as Francisco/Priest/Player Musician in Hamlet. His previous roles include George Seacole in Much Ado About Nothing, Robin Starvling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Abram in Romeo and Juliet, among others. Other performing credits include She Loves Me, Don’t Stop Me, and Drowsy Chaperone, as well as being a two-time soloist at Carnegie Hall. He received his BM in musical theater from The Manhattan School of Music.
The Festival’s 65th season runs June 18 through October 3, 2026. Hamlet plays in rotation with Troilus and Cressida and Twelfth Night in the outdoor Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. Don’t miss these remarkable productions under the stars, as well as more shows in our other two amazing theatres. Get your tickets online at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849).
The Festival Announces the Cast of Troilus and Cressida
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is thrilled to announce the cast of this season’s production of Shakespeare’s rarely-performed tragedy Troilus and Cressida. As one of the final plays in our 14-year goal to “Complete the Canon," this will be only the third time in the Festival’s 65-year history that this story––based on the Trojan War––will grace our stage. At the helm is director Carolyn Howarth, who directed Antony and Cleopatra last season and The Winter’s Tale in 2024.
“Troilus and Cressida is one of my favorite plays,” says Howarth. “I so enjoy how it deconstructs traditional love stories and heroic myths, and simultaneously feels incredibly modern. It is so rarely performed and yet this darkly-witty satire offers a critical and sarcastic take on war and love, is full of humor and song, and overall is quite the thriller! It feels relevant in that it highlights how powerful countries can lose their soul when consumed by pride, greed, and a relentless pursuit for victory. Plus the characters are so intriguing! And there are high-octane sword fights! I think it’s a great night in the theatre!”
Working alongside Howarth to create the world of this show are the following lead artistic staff: Scenic Designer Apollo Mark Weaver, Costume Designer Jen Gillette, Lighting Designer Michael Gilliam, Sound Designer/Composer Lindsay Jones, Music Director Brandon Grayson, Voice/Speech/Text Coach Philip Thompson, Dramaturg Lezlie Cross, Choreographer/Intimacy Coordinator Sacha Comrie, Fight Director Geoffrey Kent, and Stage Manager Martinique M. Barthel.
Both new and returning actors make up the cast of Troilus and Cressida, which is as follows:
Calvin Adams returns for his first full season with the Festival, after performing as Falstaff in last year’s Shakespeare in the Schools tour of Henry IV. This summer he will perform as Patroclus/Myrmidon in Troilus and Cressida. He has worked at Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, Guthrie Theater, and Chicago’s Lifeline Theatre, among others. He holds a theater degree from the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program.
Lavour Addison is returning for his second season at the Festival as Ajax in Troilus and Cressida. Audiences may remember him as Macduff in last season’s Macbeth, among other roles. He has also worked at Creede Repertory Theatre; Idaho, Lake Tahoe, and Colorado Shakespeare Festivals, Cleveland Playhouse, and Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company. Addison received his MFA in acting from Case Western Reserve and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Kyleen Doman is new to the Festival and is playing Alexandra/Trojan Attendant/Soldier in Troilus and Cressida. She is currently pursuing a BFA in acting at Southern Utah University and will appear this season courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program, a partnership between SUU’s Theatre Department and the Festival. She has performed roles in The Three Sisters, Julius Caesar, and The Prom.
Luke Elison is also appearing courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program and is pursuing a BFA in musical theatre at SUU, where he recently played Pippin in Pippin and roles in Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play and The Secret Garden. His roles this season include Trojan Attendant/Greek Soldier in Troilus and Cressida.
Gabriel W. Elmore returns for his second season, as Diomedes/Myrmidon in Troilus and Cressida. He performed last summer as Orlando in As You Like It and Octavius Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra, among other roles. He has appeared with Fulton Theater, Quintessence Theatre Group, InterAct Theatre Company, and Delaware Shakespeare Festival, among others. Elmore was also in the film Alice-Heart and taught at Temple University where he received his MFA in acting.
John Harrell returns for his third Festival season, this time as Pandarus/Myrmidon in Troilus and Cressida. Audiences may remember him as Hortensio in 2024’s The Taming of the Shrew and Autolycus in The Winter’s Tale, among others. He has also performed the title characters in Hamlet, Cyrano de Bergerac, Richard II and more at the American Shakespeare Center. Harrell received a Bachelor of Arts in English from James Madison University and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Emily Hawkins makes her Festival debut as Helen of Troy in Troilus and Cressida. She performed numerous roles at Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, including Rosalind in As You Like It, Hermione in The Winter’s Tale, and Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers. Other regional credits include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Great River Shakespeare Festival, and The House Theatre of Chicago. She received her BFA in acting from Oklahoma City University.
Blake Henri returns for his fourth season, playing Thersites in Troilus and Cressida. He was in last season’s Macbeth and As You Like It, as well as The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, The Play That Goes Wrong, and A Raisin in the Sun from earlier seasons. He has worked at the American Shakespeare Center; the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa; Cleveland Playhouse; and Dallas Theatre Center, among many others. He has appeared in numerous television shows such as The Chosen, Walker, and HBO’s Love and Death, as well as the films American Underdog and Great Plains. He holds a BFA from the University of Oklahoma.
Mat Hostetler makes his Festival debut this season as Paris/Myrmidon in Troilus and Cressida. His Broadway work includes Death of a Salesman and the North American Tour/Japan Tour of War Horse. Off-Broadway he has performed at Lincoln Center and NYTW Next Door, while his regional credits include La Jolla Playhouse, Denver Center, and Colorado Shakespeare Festival. His television work includes The Gilded Age, Boardwalk Empire, The Blacklist, and Six Feet Under, among others. He was also seen in the film The Utopian Society. He is the creator and host of the Sometimes It Rains Podcast. He received his MFA from the National Theatre Conservatory, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.
Avery Michael Johnson is debuting at the Festival as Troilus in Troilus and Cressida. His work at Montana Shakespeare in the Parks includes roles in Henry V, The Winter’s Tale, and The Three Musketeers. He has also performed at Richmond Shakespeare and Signature Theatre, and received his BFA in theatre from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Loren Jones will be performing the role of Menelaus this season in Troilus and Cressida. He was an understudy for numerous roles last season for all the shows in the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. He has also worked at the Goodman Theatre, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, and Boise Contemporary Theatre, as well as in the film Sharing Air. He has a master’s degree in acting from Northern Illinois University and is a member of the Society of American Fight Directors.
Kayland Jordan returns for her third season at the Festival, playing Aeneas in Troilus and Cressida. She performed as Rosalind in last year’s As You Like It and Second Weird Sister in Macbeth, along with previous shows including A Raisin in the Sun and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She has also acted Off-Broadway and at Asolo Repertory Theatre, Theatre SilCo, and American Stage Theatre Company, among many others. She has appeared in HBO’s Betty, ABC’s Emergence and The Brides, and in the films Gap Year and Keep Me At Bay. She is a resident teaching artist at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas, earned a BFA in acting from Pace University, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
John Keabler is making his Festival debut as Hector in Troilus and Cressida. He has performed Off-Broadway at Cherry Lane Theatre, as well as at Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Old Globe, Berkeley Rep, and Cincinnati Playhouse, among many others. His on-screen work includes many television shows including 30 Rock; Madam Secretary; All My Children; and The Men Who Built America; as well as films like Faith, Love and Whiskey; SUGAR!; and Where The Snow Fell. He earned an MFA at The Old Globe Professional Actors Program, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG.
Walter Kmiec returns for his third season, as Achilles in Troilus and Cressida. Audiences will remember him as Macbeth in last year’s production of Macbeth, Touchstone in As You Like It, and Canidius in Antony and Cleopatra. Before that, he portrayed Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing and Norfolk in Henry VIII. He has also worked at Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Orlando Shakespeare Festival, Endstation Theater Company, and People’s Improv Theater, among others. He has taught at Stetson University and Florida State University, where he received an MFA in directing. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Rodney Lizcano returns to the Festival as Agamemnon in Troilus and Cressida, after directing The Importance of Being Earnest last season and performing in Much Ado About Nothing and The Taming of the Shrew in 2024. He also spent 24 seasons with the Denver Center Theatre Company and 10 seasons at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, among many other theaters. He received an MFA from The National Theatre Conservatory and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and Society of Directors and Choreographers.
Brianna Miller is debuting at the Festival, playing Cressida in Troilus and Cressida. She has performed at Cleveland Play House, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, among others. She has received the KCACTF Irene Ryan Regional Award and the Janicka Zuck Richards Playwriting Award. She earned an MFA in acting from Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House.
Harry B. Reid makes his debut as part of the ensemble in Troilus and Cressida. He is currently pursuing a BFA in acting at Southern Utah University, is appearing courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program, and was part of the Festival’s house management team last season. He has performed in Three Sisters; Cloud 9; Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play; The Comedy of Errors; and Alice by Heart, among others.
Thom Rivera is making his first appearance at the Festival as Priam/Nestor in Troilus and Cressida. His Off-Broadway work includes The Acting Company, Culture Project, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Roundabout, among others. He has performed regionally at Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, The Denver Center, and South Coast Rep, including numerous others. He has been in many television shows such as Law & Order, Bunk’d, New Girl, Lucifer, and The Mindy Project, and films like Eddington, El Tigre, and Once Upon a Time in Venice. He has taught at UCI Irvine, SUNY Albany, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.
Ivy Robbins is new to the Festival and will be part of the ensemble in Troilus and Cressida. She has been in Pippin; Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play; Sweet Charity; and The Secret Garden, all at Southern Utah University where she is currently pursuing a theatre degree. She is appearing courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program.
Veronique Robledo makes her Festival debut as part of the ensemble in Troilus and Cressida. She has performed in Sweet Charity, Pippin, and The Secret Garden at Southern Utah University. She has also worked at The New Play Lab at Kayenta Center for the Arts. She is a current Musical Theatre major and is appearing courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program.
Ty Saunders is also a Southern Utah University Musical Theatre major, appearing courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program, and will be seen as Greek Page in Troilus and Cressida. His work at SUU includes Mr. Burns in Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play and other roles in Pippin, Cloud 9, and Black Comedy.
Kathryn Tkel is returning for her second season at the Festival, and is performing the role of Cassandra/Ensemble in Troilus and Cressida. She was seen last season as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra, Audrey in As You Like It, and Lady Macduff in Macbeth. Other work includes productions at Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre, Folger Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, and many more. She was seen in the film Harriet and currently teaches at Southern Utah University. She has an MFA from The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy for Classical Acting and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Mare Trevathan is making her Festival debut as Ulysses in Troilus and Cressida. She has performed at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and Denver Center Theatre Company, and is a founding member of the Local Theater Company in Boulder, Colorado. She has worked with Sundance Lab, Saratoga International Theater Institute (SITI), and P3, and was seen in the film Silver City.
Braedon Young returns for his fourth season at the Festival, as Antenor/Myrmidon in Troilus and Cressida. His previous roles include George Seacole in Much Ado About Nothing, Robin Starvling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Abram in Romeo and Juliet, among others. Other performing credits include She Loves Me, Don’t Stop Me, and Drowsy Chaperone, as well as being a two-time soloist at Carnegie Hall. He received his BM in Musical Theater from The Manhattan School of Music.
The Festival’s 65th season runs June 18 through October 3, 2026. Troilus and Cressida plays in rotation with Hamlet and Twelfth Night in the outdoor Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. Don’t miss these remarkable productions under the stars, as well as more shows in our other two amazing theatres. Get your tickets online at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849).
Celebrating 65 Years: Shakespeare and the Fluffy Bundle
By Ryan Paul, guest writer and Festival Orientation/Seminar Moderator
Walt Disney, at the height of his popularity, advised his animators to “remember that it all started with a mouse.” In the case of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, it all started in a laundromat. In the spring of 1960, Fred Adams, a young (and the only) drama professor at the College of Southern Utah sat with his fiancée Barbara Gaddie in the Fluffy Bundle Laundromat and on a yellow note pad designed their dream. The notes on that pad would become the blueprint for the Utah Shakespeare Festival. The events that culminated with this Fluffy Bundle planning session had taken root years before.
Fred Adams had begun to build a successful drama program that the Cedar City, Utah, community enthusiastically supported and which would eventually evolve into the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Coming from a family that actively encouraged his dramatic ambitions, Fred brought some of the biggest shows of the New York theater scene to rural Southern Utah and its small college. The only looming difficulty became the cost of continually purchasing royalty rights for newer shows. The solution: produce Shakespeare. The plays of William Shakespeare existed in the public domain, so no royalties needed.
Fred had spent a few weeks in the summer of 1959 living with friends in Ashland, Oregon. There he developed a life-long friendship with Angus Bowmer, the founder of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Fred spent all his time taking notes, watching rehearsals, and sketching sets. He began to notice similarities between Ashland and Cedar City. Both were similar in size, had small junior colleges, and were surrounded by scenic wonder. If a Shakespeare festival could work in Ashland, Oregon, why not Cedar City, Utah?
In 1960, Fred took his college acting company on a barnstorming tour of rural Utah and Nevada. They performed Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit in cultural halls and rented auditoriums to great acclaim. This cast became the foundation for the first Festival productions.
The pieces began to fall together. Fred and Barbara wanted to stay in Cedar City. Shakespeare worked in the community. The drama program had expanded and the students were enthusiastic. However, there were some storm clouds on the horizon. Cedar City had begun to suffer some economic troubles. The iron mines, which had brought large amounts of tax revenue into the city and county coffers, were beginning to close.
Additionally, the proposed route of the new Interstate 15 bypassed Cedar City by over 15 miles to the west. If the freeway did not have an interchange in Cedar City, it would be a devastating blow to the local business community.
Fred and Barbara envisioned a Shakespearean festival that would draw tourists into the community––tourists that would stay in motels, eat at restaurants, buy gas for their cars, and shop in the local stores. A festival could provide leverage for bringing the freeway closer and making Cedar City a destination point for travelers. Shakespeare could help Cedar City survive. Fred and Barbara took the ideas written on the yellow note pad, finished their laundry, and set to work.
Since it’s inaugural season sixty-five years ago, the Utah Shakespeare Festival has evolved from three plays over two weekends on a temporary stage into an internationally recognized, Tony Award-winning theatre company. The Festival now presents in three diverse theaters, eight plays in repertory through the summer and fall bringing quality professional theater to hundreds of thousands of people from around the world.