News From the Festival
Festival Acknowledges Passing of Former Employee Cherene Heap
With deep sorrow, the Utah Shakespeare Festival shares the news that Cherene Heap passed away this November 6 at the age of 66.
From 1981-2013, Heap worked to develop and formalize processes that established Festival Child Care. Working with Kris Cooley, this program became a beloved part of the Festival experience for patrons and their families.
“Cherene was a person without guile,” Cooley said. “She was kind, understanding, and very loving. She put her whole heart into anything that she did.”
Cooley expressed that Heap developed close relationships with the children and their families they worked with in childcare, receiving wedding invitations and graduation announcements often from these children as they grew up.
Heap became an integral part of these children’s lives, and she will be sorely missed.
“There were hundreds of children that passed through Cherene’s classroom during the school years, and then nightly at the Festival through the summers. Cherene welcomed these children as their families attended the plays,” Interim Managing Director Michael Bahr said. “Patrons grew up, starting as infants, who would later attend the plays and then bring their own children.”
Bahr expressed that Heap was gracious and loving and played a fundamental role in the Festival for many families.
“Patrons and company members, actors and technicians, all benefited from [her] loving care,” Bahr said.
Company Manager Denise Stiegman echoed these sentiments from Bahr.
“This is hard news to hear. Ms. Heap was my oldest daughter’s third grade teacher,” Stiegman said. “She was so loving and helpful and kind. Such a wonderful human. She will be missed.”
The Festival sends its condolences, love, and gratitude to Cherene’s family and friends. Heap’s viewing and funeral were held in Cedar City last weekend but her obituary can be read, memories left, and the funeral services viewed by visiting this link.
Festival Honors and Remembers Audrey Whipple
It is with saddened hearts that we acknowledge the passing of our dear Festival friend Audrey Jean Wallace Whipple.
Audrey was born in Salt Lake City on July 22, 1932, and passed away on October 28 of this year.
She ran Bard’s Inn Bed and Breakfast in Cedar City for many years and was a beloved partner of the Festival. Audrey and her husband John Roberts Whipple, known as Jack, operated the bed and breakfast for nearly 20 years before retiring to Salt Lake City to be near family.
In addition to being an extremely active patron of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, she held various positions in her church, the Red Cross, United Good Neighbors, and March of Dimes throughout communities in Montana, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah.
General Manager Kami Terry Paul said she met Audrey when she was new to the Festival and Cedar City.
“She was kind and gracious, and it was easy to see why [she and Jack] had Festival guests returning to stay with them each year during the Festival,” Paul said.
Interim Managing Director Michael Bahr thoughtfully recalled Audrey’s friendship with the Festival.
“We loved Jack and Audrey! [They] were wonderfully supportive patrons who developed relationships with Festival patrons, company members and community members,” Bahr said.
Bahr recalled that the couple were active members of the community, delivering large plates of homemade fudge to Festival staff during the Holidays and even hosting guests who visited Cedar City to speak at Southern Utah University.
“Chuck Metten [former Festival and Southern Utah University employee] utilized their home as he invited special guests to speak at the university, one I especially remember is Karl Malden,” Bahr said. “Oh, how generous and gracious [Audrey] was.”
Bahr recalled that their home was a place where artists and patrons met and discussed plays and themes over breakfast.
“Audrey’s breakfasts were amazing,” Bahr said. “One of my favorite memories was laughing with Chuck Metten and Karl Malden while eating a luscious egg soufflé that was served with an apricot pastry.”
We will miss Audrey and her friendship, and express our condolences to her loved ones.
For more information on her life and to view her obituary, visit audrey-whipple-obituary.
What We’re Thankful For: Memorable Moments from the 61st Season
By Liz Armstrong
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, Utah Shakespeare Festival staff and patrons have been reflecting on moments from the season that left a lasting impression.
Director of Development and Communications Donn Jersey said that he is a better person because of the play Trouble in Mind.
“At the end of the play, Wiletta says, ‘I always wanted to do something real grand in the theatre,’” Jersey said. “Well, she did, and the cast has too. It’s one of the most important pieces of work the Festival has ever produced.”
It is moments like these that the Festival is most grateful for. It is the goal of this organization to reach inside the hearts of those in attendance and offer moments of change and growth– to help others become more compassionate, better human beings.
We are grateful to our patrons for attending this past season, and express our thanks to the staff and company members that made those magical moments happen.
Here are some of those memorable moments:
All’s Well That Ends Well
Director Melinda Pfundstein’s ending in All’s Well That Ends Well was memorable for Education Assistant Victoria Whitaker.
“She got the audience thinking. . . did it all really end well?” Whitaker pondered.
In Pfundstein’s question and answer session as the director of the play, she voiced that this was the goal.
“I [considered] the behavior and choices of these characters, and the way human beings sometimes behave when we believe that we have time, health, power, and privilege on our sides,” Pfundstein said. “All’s well that ends well … or does it, actually? How long before we are faced with the consequences of the reality we create for ourselves?”
Clue
Development Assistant Kortney Okelberry couldn’t stop replaying the backwards somersaults by Andre Spathelf-Sanders and the silly transitions between scenes the cast participated in.
“I loved the reverse rewind in Clue,” Okelberry said.
Patron Sandy Parris Mill’s enjoyed the utter silliness in Clue and the belly laughs that could be heard from audience members.
King Lear
Publications Manager Marlo Ihler was in awe seeing Anthony Heald as King Lear this year.
“What a masterful performance to witness his portrayal of the king’s demise, along with an incredible cast. Every moment of recognition of his deterioration was heartbreaking,” Ihler said. “The end with Cordelia always tears me up and this year it was no different.”
The Sound of Music
“Watching [Daria Pilar-Redus] was pure joy. Her smile and presence was infectious,” said Development Associate Emily Cacho. “She was the perfect Maria for the Festival.”
Cacho’s favorite moment from The Sound of Music was watching Maria sing “I Have Confidence.”
Patron Gayle Kuzmich said she was thankful to see such wonderful shows at the Festival, but was especially ecstatic to see her daughter Julia Kuzmich onstage as Liesl.
Sweeney Todd
Marketing Assistant Astrid Bacy’s favorite moment of the season was witnessing “the snap” Sweeney Todd experienced onstage.
“You just have this realization that you are totally sympathizing with someone who wants revenge and plans to act on it,” Bacy said. “Art can be a very gray line sometimes.”
The Tempest
General Manager Kami Terry Paul’s favorite moment on stage this year was when Ariel asked Prospero, “Do you love me?”
“There was this beautiful, human moment of vulnerability and then joy when Prospero said, ‘Dearly, my delicate Ariel,’” Paul said. “I think we all have moments that we feel the same vulnerability and question our place in the world, and I want so much for everyone who questions the love of those around them to receive the same kind of message of love that Prospero gives to the faithful Ariel.”
Patron Jesse Witt was thankful for Trinculo, played by Kevin Kantor.
“Trinculo captured my heart and opened my mind about who can [perform] Shakespeare,” Witt said.
Thurgood
Patron Lisa Hardy recalled Interim Artistic Director Derek Livingston’s performance as Thurgood.
“His portrayal and ability to show the progression of age was . . . exceptional,” Hardy said.
Livingston performed the journey of Thurgood’s life. But in addition to chronicling the passing of time as Thurgood, Livingston played a plethora of characters, so studying individual dialects and becoming a student of history was critical as he prepared for the show.
Trouble in Mind
Marketing Manager Brittney Corry was moved by so many moments, but Wiletta’s motherly pleas in Trouble in Mind touched her heart the most.
“As a mom, I could completely relate,” Corry said. “Scenes like those that make me think and deepen my perspective are the moments I’m so grateful for.”
To share moments of gratitude from the season, visit @utahshakespeare on Facebook or Instagram and comment on the “Moments We Are Thankful For” post from November 2. Have a happy Thanksgiving!
2022 Season in Review: Successes and Challenges
By Liz Armstrong
With the 2022 season officially over, we’d like to thank our patrons and donors for attending and supporting us once again this year. It was a challenging season, battling COVID-19 cases, shipping problems, record-breaking understudy performances, and more. But in the words of Frank Mack, outgoing Festival Executive Producer, it was also a joyful season, filled with the magic only good theatre can bring.
Here is what our leadership and other staff members at the Utah Shakespeare Festival have to say in retrospect of the 61st season:
Executive Producer Frank Mack
“There was a whole lot of joy at the Festival,” Mack said. “Of course we faced challenges with COVID-19 early in the season, but we got through that. Our audiences and artists were quite amazing and we completed a full season.”
With an unheard of amount of understudies and swings utilized this season, it took a huge commitment on the part of the entire company and staff to manage all those replacements and changes on a daily basis, according to Mack.
“I thought the Paiute Tribal Youth Performers before the Greenshow were just incredible. The Greenshows are fabulous already, but with the continued addition of [Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah] and their expanded role, I loved it,” Mack said.
Mack added that he felt the Greenshows were particularly exciting and fun and wonderful this season and that the patrons seemed to enjoy them greatly.
Interim Artistic Director/Director of New Play Development Derek Livingston
Livingston echoed how understudies stepped up extremely well this year. In a typical season, less than 10 understudy performances is average. This season, there were over 100.
“We had 136 understudy performances this season,” Livingston said. “ We had an equal number or more backstage coverings and doublings by our amazing crew members.”
Additionally, Livingston is proud that the Festival provided at least $15/hour wages to all of our non-student fellow workers, and that student fellows received above-minimum wage compensation as well as course credit.
Properties Director Ben Hohman
Hohman and his team were busy this year, having produced 956 props this season. Thurgood had the least amount of props at 21, while Sweeney Todd had the most, boasting 153.
Sweeney Todd was particularly challenging to prepare for.
“Almost everything from Sweeney Todd was built from scratch because the design was so specific,” Hohman said. “We even built razors.”
With over 50 percent of his staff new to the team this season, they had to work extra hard, battling learning curves. Additionally, the shipping delays made their job even harder.
“The shipping issues were pretty bad, we ordered weapons for All’s Well That Ends Well that didn’t arrive until August,” Hohman said. “It seemed that things in the past that hadn’t been easy, but that weren’t super challenging proved this year to be even more challenging than we would’ve liked.”
One thing Hohman was particularly proud of was the success of the dummies in Clue.
“A lot of people after seeing the show didn’t realize that there were duplicates of the actors," Hohman said.
Although this season wasn’t the biggest or most complicated that he’s had to prepare for, the challenges proved to make it the hardest season the props director has had in the 28 years he’s worked at the Festival.
“But the fact that we were able to make that happen and get through the season is pretty astounding and a testament to the entire organization,” Hohman said.
Director of Development and Communications Donn Jersey
“The fuel in our tanks to produce a season against all odds was our community and Festival friends/patrons that needed live theatre in their lives,” Jersey said.
Jersey is proud of that the plays were made at the level they were this season, despite the challenges.
“The obstacles were many, and the outomes were extraordinary; hats off to the entire Festival team and our wonderful supporters,” Jersey said. “The Festival has the best patrons, staff, and seasonal company worldwide!”
People In Our Neighborhood: Director of Economic Development Danny Stewart
By Liz Armstrong
Director of Economic Development Danny Stewart has lived in Cedar City his entire life, attending his first play, As You Like It, at the Utah Shakespeare Festival while a student at North Elementary School.
“As the director, I’m talking to a lot of people that are considering moving companies and employees here, and the Festival is one of the things that gives Cedar City a remarkable quality of living,” Stewart said.
His main priority is to make sure that local companies have a good environment, help them find resources to grow and expand, and improve and restore the historic downtown in Cedar City. Stewart also does business recruitment, and said that the Festival is a huge selling point when discussing what Cedar City has to offer.
“You can visit National Parks and [participate] in outdoor recreation, and then see world-class theatre,” Stewart said. “It really sets us apart.”
Throughout his career, Stewart expressed that the Festival has been a great host and partner, as he often brings guests to the plays.
“I entertain a lot of guests from other communities in the state, from state government agencies, my economic development partners, and have had the pleasure of making sure that a number of them get to [attend the Festival],” Stewart said.
He graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in communications, and worked as an editor at The Spectrum before moving to a local publishing company. Stewart has been the Director of Economic Development for Cedar City and Iron County for eight years.
Founder Fred C. Adams was one of Stewart’s neighbors growing up, and he had friends whose families were involved with the Festival. Because of this, Stewart spent a lot of time watching plays and attending Greenshows.
“My friends who did Punch and Judy shows during the Greenshow had a younger brother who played Fleance in Macbeth. At the end of the season, the brothers got to keep Macbeth’s head,” Stewart recalled. “Teenage boys can find lots of mischief with a realistic looking severed head and the recipe for stage blood…”
Stewart recalled many of his favorite productions from the Festival, some of which include Les Miserables, The Foreigner, Man of La Mancha, Charley’s Aunt, The Merchant of Venice, and Every Brilliant Thing.
Stewart is not only a long time fan of the Festival, but of Cedar City and its community.
“We’ve had opportunities to go elsewhere, but Cedar City has been my family’s home for a long time and it would take an awful lot to pull us away from this community,” Stewart said. “I feel very privileged to not only live here, but to represent the city.”
Spooky Moments From The 2022 Season
By Liz Armstrong
Happy Halloween! To celebrate the spooky season, here are some of the scariest moments from our stage this 2022 season. Beware: there are spoilers here!
As our Fun Facts article noted, Clue, King Lear, and Sweeney Todd were full of murder, with 27 deaths total between the three plays. That’s pretty scary. Yikes!
Full of twists, turns, betrayal, and murder, Clue was filled to the brim with scary scenes. But its comedic moments lightened the mood, adding laughter and fun to the stage. This Halloween, curl up on the couch with some apple cider and a cozy blanket and reminisce with us. Afterwards, check out the film from 1985.
Here are some of our favorite scary moments from the play (that was based on said film):
The dead cook (Daria Pilar Redus) falling out of the refrigerator onto Mr. Green (Michael Doherty) was both terrifying and hilarious. So was the falling chandelier that he skillfully avoided in slow motion. That was a close call if we’ve ever seen one!
Oh, and the poor motorist (Andrew Fehrenbacher, Augusto Guardado, and Jeremy Thompson) that was bludgeoned to the death with the wrench was frightening. So was seeing the pipe impaled in Mr. Boddy’s head (Fehrenbacher, Guardado, and Thompson), nauseatingly-so. Mr. Green’s stomach would agree with that statement.
Perhaps the most unexpected death was the abrupt murder of the Singing Telegram girl (Daria Pilar Redus). The shot that rang out across the stage had audience members jumping in their seats.
Many of Shakespeare’s plays include murder, suicide, and poison, and King Lear was no exception. The king’s madness alone was spine-chilling enough. Disowning your own daughter? Shocking
Cornwall (Tim Fullerton) and Regan (Stephanie Lambourn) gouging out Gloucester’s (Chris Mixon) eyes was disturbingly terrifying. It belonged in a horror movie of its own.
Offstage, Goneril (Lisa Strum) stabs herself, but the screams that were heard were blood-curdling.
The tragedy ends in the frightening death of King Lear (Anthony Heald). The king dies because of the grief he feels for the death of Cordelia (Kendall Cafaro) as well as the betrayal of his other daughters, resulting in an unnerving and eerie ending to another one of Shakespeare’s tragedies.
Where do we begin with Sweeney Todd? This Demon Barber of Fleet Street is the epitome of all that is evil and disturbing . . . and perfect for Halloween.
The play is probably burned into patrons’ memories, but for a refresher, watch the Johnny Depp adaptation from 2007. Maybe avoid grabbing a snack though. Knowing the secret ingredient for the meat pies will result in a loss of appetite.
Watching Sweeney Todd (J. Michael Bailey) slice his unsuspecting victims throats was quite reminiscent of a slasher film.
After Sweeney Todd murdered Adolfo Pirelli (Aaron Galligan-Stierle), his hand thrashed about, sticking out of the trunk he was thrown into. Pirelli’s dead but moving hand was . . . petrifying.
A more mild death, but perhaps just as disturbing, was when Johanna’s (Lucy Austin) beloved bird’s neck was snapped. Nervous chuckles and dropped jaws could be observed in the audience after this.
At the end of the play, after Mrs. Lovett (Bree Murphy) and Sweeney Todd’s deaths, the Ensemble appeared onstage with vacant, ghostly looks in their eyes. The haunting singing was both blood-curdling and extremely memorable.
Have other favorite scary moments from the 2022 season? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @utahshakespeare and let us know on our related post! We hope you have the spookiest, scariest Halloween of them all.
16 Fun Facts from the 61st Season
By Liz Armstrong
To all who attended plays this season, many thanks. We hope it was an enjoyable and memorable experience and can’t wait for next season! Here is a list of fun facts from our 61st season below:
1- Sweeney Todd was the first ever musical produced in the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. A massive upgrade to the sound system was implemented, setting the stage for musicals to come in the outdoor space.
2- Clue was the best-selling play, with approximately 24,800 tickets sold. The Sound of Music was the second most-sold title of the season with approximately 16,500 tickets.
3- More understudies and swings backstage were used this season than any before, highlighting the resilience and dedication of Festival actors and crew.
4- The Tempest was the first sensory-friendly performance to be produced in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre, with approximately 101 guests in attendance. The Sound of Music had approximately 116 guests in attendance during its sensory-friendly performance. In an effort to serve those with autism spectrum disorders, sensory sensitivities, or other similar disabilities, sensory-friendly performances allow for a more relaxed space, where house lights are kept on, sounds are lowered, and patrons can take as many breaks as they need.
5- Clue, Sweeney Todd, and King Lear were, well, murder-heavy, with a startling 27 deaths between the three shows.
6- 913 students purchased Student Access Passes. In total, including Student Access Pass tickets, approximately 14,837 tickets were sold to elementary to college age students. For information on the pass and other discounts, visit bard.org/tickets/.
7- The Tempest was the most performed play, with 74 performances produced over the course of the season.
8- 190 tickets were reserved at no charge for active military personnel and veterans during Military Appreciation Day.
9- Derek Charles Livingston, interim artistic director and director of new play development, tackled the one-man show Thurgood, speaking and acting the entire 90-minute length by himself.
10- The ticket office received approximately 11,182 phone calls from June 1, 2022 through October 9th.
11- The Education Department works with the Southwest Utah Youth Center studying and performing Shakespeare with incarcerated youth each week throughout the year.
12- Michael Sharon returned to the Festival after a 15 year absence, playing Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music and Professor Plum in Clue. After 21 years, Michael Fitzpatrick (Henry in Trouble in Mind and Max in The Sound of Music) also returned.
13- Keenon Hooks, who directed The Sound of Music, choreographed Ragtime last season.
14- 3,250 students attended the 46th annual Shakespeare Competition from Sept. 29-Oct. 1. 109 schools participated in the competition, from 5 states.
15- During a seminar with patrons, interim education director, Stewart Shelley, and Michael Bahr, former education director, discovered they both got their start in theatre playing Kurt in The Sound of Music in elementary school.
16- Distinguished author, professor, and Shakespeare scholar, Evelyn Tribble, was the keynote speaker at the 2022 Wooden O Symposium.
Extra: Visit our Instagram page @utahshakespeare to watch Properties Director Ben Hohman’s “A Prop Minute” videos for fun facts about props, set design, and more!
People in Our Neighborhood: Cedar High Counselor Jennifer Denhalter
By Liz Armstrong
Jennifer Hunter Denhalter grew up in Cedar City down the street from the Festival and has been a counselor at Cedar High School for 24 years. She also has an immense love for Shakespeare.
Denhalter’s thread of connections to the Festival weave an intricate and heartwarming tapestry. Her mother was a ticket office manager at the Festival growing up, and her parents were dear friends of the late Festival founder Fred C. Adams and his wife Barbara. She went to plays as a child, and became a tart-seller at the Greenshow in high school.
Now, Denhalter volunteers as an usher in the summer with her husband and attends plays every season.
“I think the Festival is such an important part of our community,” Denhalter said. “As someone that has spent most of my life here, isn’t it cool that we have this platform that brings in so many people to see our town?”
She’s passed a love of theatre down to her children, with all three children having been involved in the Festival at one point or another. Her daughter was in Playmakers at age 10, working with Interim Managing Director Michael Bahr. Although Lauren is more athlete than actress, she continues to attend countless theatre productions.
Her son Nick is a student at Southern Utah University studying theatre, and was in King Lear and The Sound of Music appearing courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program. He got his start at the Festival when he was a child, cast in A Midsummer Night’s Dream as an imp when Adams directed it in 2011. In 2012, he was Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Noah, her youngest son, worked at the ticket office this season. He has been heavily influenced by the Festival, as he also started theatre as a child in Playmakers with Bahr. In 2016, Noah and Nick were cast together in the Cedar High School production of Les Miserables.
Although he isn’t from Cedar City, her husband Matt has his own ties to the Festival. In addition to ushering every season to give back to the community, he is the grandson of Carol Adams Wright who is related to the Adams family. In the 70’s, his uncle was an actor and spent a summer employed at the Festival.
For Denhalter herself, she has attended around 50 seasons of the Festival. Her favorite plays are Henry IV Parts One and Two and Henry V. This season, she especially enjoyed Sweeney Todd and King Lear.
What she loves most about Shakespeare and theatre is the storytelling.
“I think people get so focused on the language that they don’t listen to the stories. And I think the stories of Shakespeare are so wonderful,” Denhalter said. “For example, Henry V encompasses his love for his soldiers, God, romance, overcoming disadvantages in battle. So many modern day movies have been made from Shakespeare plays because his stories are so good.”
Denhalter encourages those who are nervous about attending Shakespeare plays out of fear of not understanding to just go.
“I think the Shakespeare Festival makes the language so easy to understand,” Denhalter noted. “There’ve been so many people I’ve given tickets to that have never seen a Shakespeare play and have said ‘Oh that was easier to understand than I thought.’ I encourage people to also go to the seminars before the plays.”
Denhalter expressed that the Utah Shakespeare Festival is an important part of her and her family’s life, and they will continue to be lovers of theatre for years to come.
Festival Announces Michael Bahr to be Interim Managing Director
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is excited to announce that Michael Bahr will return to the Festival to serve as the interim managing director starting on November 1.
“I am so pleased Michael has accepted this important appointment," said Southern Utah University President Mindy Benson. “He has a long history of audience development, creative programming, and cultivating connections to art not only within the community and on campus but with patrons, donors, and those with whom he works daily. As a result, I have confidence and optimism about the future of the Festival.”
“I am humbled and grateful that President Benson reached out and asked me to serve in this critical role,” said Bahr. “The Festival has been a large part of my life, and I felt compelled to return and help during this transition.”
Bahr served as Education Director for the Festival for more than twenty years before retiring and becoming the Director at Gateway Preparatory Academy where he has served since July. He said it was a tough decision to leave the school.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my work at Gateway. It is a school of choice, and I still choose to support it. I will stay on in a partial capacity at the school until they can find the best replacement,” Bahr said.
“Of course, we are sorry to see Michael go,” said Brittany Jensen, chair of the Gateway Board of Directors. “As a strong educational advocate, Michael has played a big part in our school’s growth this fall and, to a large extent, the continual healing after the passing of Andy Burt, our previous director.”
During his years at the Festival, Bahr worked to establish the annual Shakespeare Competition, the Shakespeare in the Schools annual touring productions, the Playmakers youth theatre program, Wooden O Symposium, sensory-friendly performances, and juvenile justice outreach programs. As a community builder, he stresses that all Festival productions, orientations, seminars, and Greenshows are designed to bring artists and the community together and to expand perspectives.
“With his background in education, Michael is uniquely positioned to succeed in this new role due to his many years of experience building successful educational programs,” said Bryan Watabe, Utah Shakespeare Festival Board of Governors Chairperson. “His deep academic roots in understanding the importance of Shakespeare as a teaching tool and how to employ it to build future audiences are critical to the viability and growth of the Utah Shakespeare Festival.”
Bahr is thrilled to rejoin the Festival staff. “These hard-working and dedicated Festival employees are friends with whom I have had the honor to create during the past twenty years. In the shops, on the stages, and in the offices - they are the true heroes who work tirelessly around the clock to make the magic happen.”
Bahr was very close to late Festival Founder Fred C. Adams and has enjoyed sharing the origin story of the Festival in orientations and seminars.
“Fred’s vision has been passed to thousands of artists and patrons through the years,” said Bahr. “It has increased in breadth and scope, and I’m honored to continue that legacy. We are all part of building this dream and I’m thrilled to work side by side closely with the Festival’s Interim Artistic Director Derek Charles Livingston.”
Livingston moved to Utah to work at the Festival because of its stellar reputation, its commitment to great art, and its engagement with the community. “Michael Bahr spent more than twenty years contributing to that legacy, and he is a wonderful choice to carry it forward. Our partnership will propel the Festival forward on a solid footing. I welcome him home to USF as my friend, my brother, and my colleague.”
The children of Fred C. Adams are also elated with the news of Bahr’s appointment. “We are thrilled Michael has accepted this role! We couldn’t have chosen a better mentor and Shakespearean scholar to be in this position than Michael,” said Glynis Neves on behalf of her siblings. “Dad would be so happy and proud to have Michael continue his legacy and steer the Festival toward a bright and hopeful future. Michael is uniquely qualified to bring both continuity and unity to the entire company.”
“‘The play’s the thing,’” Bahr said, quoting Shakespeare. “Plays are tools that we can use to celebrate and elevate our humanity. The Festival tells universal and classic stories through authentic theatrical experiences. We are about personal connections with our audiences, amplified by the artists and administrators who design and create productions that connect in meaningful and innovative ways.”
Bahr will fill this role until a nationwide search is conducted.
Festival Announces New Publications Manager Marlo Ihler
By Liz Armstrong
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is thrilled to announce Marlo Ihler as the new Publications Manager.
Following Bruce Lee’s retirement from the position after 31 years, Ihler will be taking over the position after working part time at the Festival for 16 years as part of the Communications and Marketing team.
“After recently retiring as Festival publications manager for over three decades, I am thrilled to see Marlo as the new director,” Lee said. “She has the perfect combination of creativity, knowledge, and dedication to lead Festival publications into the coming decades.”
Ihler has been a longtime patron of the Festival, attending plays since she was nine years old.
“When I was young, we would visit our grandparents in Cedar City where my mother grew up. I remember seeing my first Greenshows and plays at the Festival with my family and cousins, and falling in love with the theatre in part because of the time we spent there.”
The first Shakespearean play she recalls seeing was The Merry Wives of Windsor, and while she has seen nearly the whole canon since then, her favorite Shakespeare plays are Henry V, Hamlet, and Much Ado About Nothing.
She’s an alumna of Southern Utah University, with a Bachelor of Arts in Music with an emphasis on voice. She also earned her Master of Fine Arts in Arts Administration and was part of the inaugural class that graduated with this degree at SUU.
Ihler has also been part of the performing company at the Festival, as she was in the 1996 production of The Mikado and in The Pirates of Penzance in 2001. She began working as a part of the Festival administration in 2006.
Ihler was born and raised in Littleton, Colorado. She now calls Cedar City home and resides there with her husband Wyett of 23 years and their three children, ages 11, 14, and 18.
“I am really excited to continue Bruce’s legacy of amazing work behind the scenes and to contribute to this organization I love,” Ihler said.