News | Utah Shakespeare Festival

Announcing the Cast of Clue

May 2, 2022 · 6 min read

“The key to comedy is finding good actors,” said director Hunter Foster. “And we definitely found them!” Indeed, the Utah Shakespeare Festival has assembled an inspired group of actors to play the iconic oddballs in this season’s production of the madcap comedy, Clue. Almost all have appeared at the Festival in past seasons, and most are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the professional actors union.

They are:

Cherita Armstrong will be making her first appearance at the Festival. She will be playing Miss Scarlet in Clue and Millie Davis in Trouble in Mind. She has appeared off-Broadway at American Place Theatre, MCC, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Theatre for the New City, and New York Theatre Workshop and at such other theatres as St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Yale Repertory Theatre, Public Theatre, and Hollywood Fringe Festival. On television she has been in 9-1-1, Pretty Little Liars, Law & Order: SVU, and Law & Order: Trial by Jury. She is a member of both Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.

Bailey Blaise returns for her third season at the Festival. She will play the maid Yvette in Clue and Judy Sears in Trouble in Mind. In 2021 she played Evelyn Nesbit and Ensemble in Ragtime and a Sister in The Pirates of Penzance; in 2019 she was in various roles in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Featured Performer in The Greenshow. Other theatres she has worked at include Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre (Funny Girl, Oliver!, The Music Man); Hunterdon Hills Playhouse (Sherlock Holmes Returns!); Musical Theatre West (Catch Me If You Can); Opera San Luis Obispo (Carousel); Rubicon Theatre Company (South Pacific); and Musical Theatre Guild (Zorba!, Minnie’s Boys). She received aB.A. in musical theatre from the University of Alabama and is an Equity Membership Candidate.

Michael Doherty is returning to the Festival in the role of Green in Clue. He will also appear as Lavatch, the clown, in All’s Well That Ends Well and Jonas Fogg in Sweeney Todd. In past seasons at the Festival he has played Dromio of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors and The Joneses in The Comedy of Terrors (2021); the solo performer in Every Brilliant Thing (2019); Charlie Baker in The Foreigner and Tom Sawyer in Big River (2018); and more. He has appeared at many other theatres, including Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, and the Denver Center. A member of Actors’ Equity Association, he is also the showrunner for Mythic Thunderlute: A D&D Podcast Musical.

Aaron Galligan-Stierle is returning for his tenth season at the Festival. He will be playing Wadsworth in Clue and Adolfo Pirelli in Sweeney Todd. In past Festival seasons, he has appeared as Tateh in Ragtime, Clarence in Richard III, Dromio of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors, Feste in Twelfth Night, Smee in Peter and the Starcatcher, Grumio in The Taming of the Shrew, Launcelot Gobbo in The Merchant of Venice, Clown #2 in The 39 Steps. On Broadway he played Monsieur Andre in The Phantom of the Opera, Henry Ford in Ragtime, and Papa Who in The Grinch and acted in the White Christmas national tour, as well as at the Kennedy Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Papermill Playhouse, The Rev, TUTS, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, and more. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Bree Murphy is returning to the Festival after an absence of several years—to play Mrs. Peacock in Clue and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. Most recently at the Festival she appeared as Miss Andrew and Mrs. Corry in Mary Poppins and Queen Isabel and Mistress Quickly in Henry V in 2016. She has also been in such Festival productions as South Pacific, The Taming of the Shrew, Henry IV Part Two, Measure for Measure, Henry IV Part One, and Into the Woods. A member of Actors’ Equity Association, she has appeared in the national tour of Les Misérables and in many other theatres, including Musical Theatre West, 3D Theatricals, PCPA, Swine Palace, New Swan Shakespeare, Kentucky Shakespeare, and Okoboji Summer Theatre.

Melinda Parrett is another actor returning to the Festival this season. She will play Mrs. White in Clue and Elsa Schraeder in The Sound of Music. Previously at the Festival, she has played numerous roles, including Titania/Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, Ariel in The Tempest, Belinda in Noises Off!, Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, and many more. She has also acted across the country at such theatres as Denver Center, Goodspeed Opera House, Geva Theatre, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, PCPA Theaterfest, Sacramento Music Circus, Capital Stage, SLO Rep, B Street Theatre, Sierra Repertory Theatre, StageWorks Fresno, New Helvetia Theatre, Sacramento Theatre Company, Oregon Cabaret Theatre, Phoenix Theatre, Odyssey Theatre LA, Long Beach CLO. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Michael Sharon is returning to the Festival after a fifteen-year absence, this year to play the roles of Professor Plum in Clue and Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music. In past seasons he has played Orsino in Twelfth Night and Tullus Aufidius in Coriolanus in 2007; Antonio in The Merchant of Venice and The Dancin’ Kid in Johnny Guitar in 2006; and Lancelot in Camelot and Theseus/Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2005. He has performed off-Broadway in The Fantasticks (Jerry Orbach Theatre), The Most Happy Fella (NYCity Opera), and Happy Hunting and Josephine’s Song (The York). Regionally he has appeared across the country in theatres such as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Folger Theatre, Los Angeles Theatre Center, and Milwaukee Rep. His training was at the University of Southern California and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and he is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Rex Young is also a veteran of the Festival stages. This year he will play Colonel Mustard in Clue and Al Manners inTrouble in Mind. In past seasons he has taken on the roles of Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest, 2003; Antipholus of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors, 2003; Macduff in Macbeth, 2004; Cassius in Julius Caesar, 2016; and Murray in The Odd Couple, 2016. Off-Broadway he has appeared as Paddy O’Dowd in A Touch of the Poet at The Irish Repertory Theatre and Goering/Ensemble in Flight at The Lucille Lortel Theatre. He has worked extensively at regional theatres, including twenty-three seasons as an acting company member at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and work at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Indiana Repertory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, and more. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG.

Other actors in this year’s production are:

Andrew Fehrenbacher as Mr Boddy and other roles
Daria Pilar Redus as Cook and other roles
André Spathelf-Sanders as Unexpected Cop and Cop

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Announcing the Cast of Trouble in Mind

April 30, 2022 · 7 min read

For an extraordinary play about backstage drama and racial tropes, the Utah Shakespeare Festival has brought together a cast of diverse and experienced actors. The nine actors in Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress include many who will be familiar to Festival fans and several others who will soon become “Festival favorites.”

The cast members are:

Cherita Armstrong will be making her first appearance at the Festival. She will be playing the quick-witted Millie Davis in Trouble in Mind, as well as Miss Scarlet in Clue. She has appeared off-Broadway at American Place Theatre, MCC, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Theatre for the New City, and New York Theatre Workshop and at such other theatres as St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Yale Repertory Theatre, Public Theatre, and Hollywood Fringe Festival. On television she has been in 9-1-1, Pretty Little Liars, Law & Order: SVU, and Law & Order: Trial by Jury. She is a member of both Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.

“I’m so excited to be joining Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2022 season!” said Armstrong. “I’m a huge fan of Alice Childress’s work and looking forward to taking on the role of Millie in Trouble in Mind and continuing the fun as Ms. Scarlett in Clue. Groovy times ahead!”

Bailey Blaise returns for her third season at the Festival. She will play Judy Sears in Trouble in Mind and Yvette in Clue. In 2021 she played Evelyn Nesbit and Ensemble in Ragtime and a Sister in The Pirates of Penzance; in 2019 she was in various roles in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Featured Performer in The Greenshow. Other theatres she has worked at include Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre (Funny Girl, Oliver!, The Music Man); Hunterdon Hills Playhouse (Sherlock Holmes Returns!); Musical Theatre West (Catch Me If You Can); Opera San Luis Obispo (Carousel); Rubicon Theatre Company (South Pacific); and Musical Theatre Guild (Zorba!, Minnie’s Boys).

She received aB.A. in musical theatre from the University of Alabama and is an Equity Membership Candidate.

Yvette Monique Clark will be at the Festival for her first season this summer, playing the lead role of Wiletta Mayer in Trouble of Mind and Countess of Rossillion and Citizen in All’s Well That Ends Well. She has had extensive experience across the county including appearing in the world premiere of In the Upper Room (Denver Center for the Performing Arts), as well as in The Mountaintop (Depot Theatre), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (international tour and regional), Little Mermaid and To Kill a Mockingbird (Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre), Gun and Powder (world premiere, Signature Theatre), Smokey Joe’s Café (national tour and regional), Hairspray (national tour and regional), Chicago, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Showboat (McHaydyn Theatre), and The Wiz, Unison, and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Oregon Shakespeare Festival).

On television she has appeared in Orange Is the New Black. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Michael Fitzpatrick is returning to the Festival after a twenty-one year hiatus to play Henry in Trouble in Mind and Max Detweiler in The Sound of Music. He last appeared at the Festival in 2001 as Launce in The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Stephano in The Tempest. In 1999 he played Frankie in Forever Plaid, Oswald in King Lear, Snug in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Daniel in The Compleat Works of Wllm. Shkspr (Abridged).

In New York City, he has appeared in Theodore & Co, Gross Indecency, and The Taming of the Shrew; and he was in the national tours of Beauty and the Beast (Cogsworth) and 42nd Street (Bert Barry). He has played at numerous regional theatres including Great River Shakespeare, Denver Center, GEVA Theatre Company, and Willamette Rep. Company. He has appeared as a featured guest on television’s Six Degrees (ABC) and Nash Bridges (CBS) and in movies such as Remission, Pearl, and Fame Whore. He is a member Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.

Maurice-Aimé Green is making his Festival debut in the roles of John Nevins in Trouble in Mind, Oswald in King Lear, and various characters in All’s Well That Ends Well. He has also worked at Great River Shakespeare Festival, Nevada Conservatory Theatre, Las Vegas Composer’s Showcase, and Polyphone Festival of New and Emerging Musicals. On television he appeared on 2022 NFL Draft Open. He received his B.A. in stage and screen acting from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

“I’m very excited to be making my debut at Utah Shakes with such great company and strong material!” Green said in talking about the upcoming summer.

Antonio TJ Johnson is also appearing at the Festival for the first time this year. He will be playing Sheldon in Trouble in Mind. Some recent work includes La Jolla Playhouse, Blueprints to Freedom; San Diego Repertory Theatre, Sweat; Cygnet Theatre, Gem of the Ocean, Fences, Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, King Headley. He has also appeared at numerous regional theatres, including Pittsburgh Playwright, Moxie Theatre, Kansas City Repertory, Intrepid Theatre, Lamb’s Players, Old Globe Theater, North Coast Repertory, and S D Black Ensemble.

He is a recent recipient of the San Diego Critics Circle Best Actor Award for Fences, as well as many other awards over the past thirty years. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association

Chris Mixon has appeared in numerous Festival roles over the past two decades. This year he is playing Bill O’Wray in Trouble in Mind and Gloucester in King Lear. Favorite productions from past years include Pericles; Ragtime; Richard III; Big River; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown; The Foreigner; Dracula; Twelfth Night; Book of Will; Mary Poppins; The Cocoanuts; and ‘Art’. He appeared in the Broadway national tour of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying and off-Broadway at The Pearl Theatre Co. (eight seasons), The Mint, Riverside Shakespeare, and Manhattan Theatre Club. He has appeared in television in Law & Order, One Life to Live, and All My Children and on film in The Rosa Parks Story. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.

“I am thrilled to be working with director Melissa Maxwell and cast in Alice Childress’s Trouble in Mind,” he said. “It is a vitally important play for our times, even—and perhaps especially—sixty years after its first production. I am always thrilled and honored to be a part of the Festival season, but even more so with this incredible team in 2022.”

Jeremy Thompson is also a Festival alumnus, returning this year to play Eddie Fenton in Trouble in Mind, G. Dumaine in All’s Well That Ends Well, and Burgundy/Herald in King Lear. In past seasons at the Festival, he has played Caius Lucius/Arviragus in Cymbeline; Doctor Pinch/First Merchant in The Comedy of Errors; Horatio in Hamlet; Seyton in Macbeth; Lodovico in Othello; and Philiste in The Liar. He has also worked at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Island Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Repertory Theatre, Book-It Repertory Theatre.

“I’m particularly excited for Trouble in Mind’s style of tragicomedy,” Thompson said. “All the characters’ words cut, sometimes on purpose, sometimes carelessly, and sometimes to themselves. As their armor gets chipped away, I’m interested in how they’ll react to uncomfortable truths about themselves.”

Rex Young is also a veteran of the Festival stages. This year he will play Al Manners in Trouble in Mind and Colonel Mustard in Clue. In past seasons he has played Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest, 2003; Antipholus of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors, 2003; Macduff in Macbeth, 2004; Cassius in Julius Caesar, 2016; and Murray in The Odd Couple, 2016.

Off-Broadway he has appeared as Paddy O’Dowd in A Touch of the Poet at The Irish Repertory Theatre and Goering/Ensemble in Flight at The Lucille Lortel Theatre. He has worked extensively at regional theatres, including twenty-three seasons as an acting company member at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and work at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Playmakers Rep, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Cincinnati Playhouse, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Virginia Stage Company, Long Wharf Theatre, and American Repertory Theatre. On television he has made appearances in Designing Women and All My Children Association and SAG.

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Announcing the Cast of The Sound of Music

April 27, 2022 · 6 min read

Almost everyone has heard the songs and knows the story of The Sound of Music, including performances as Maria and Captain Von Trapp by Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in the movie or Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel on Broadway. It is, indeed, a grand story with many memorable actors. The Utah Shakespeare Festival’s production this summer will have all of that—and just a bit more: this cast will feature actors of color in the roles of Maria, the Mother Abbess, and others.

“I’m excited to bring non-traditional casting into our version of The Sound of Music,” said director Keenon Hooks. “We have assembled an excellent cast to help bring this story to life. Rarely will you find classic stories like this told with casting actors of color at large scale regional theatres, and I couldn’t be happier to share our story this way.”

The cast will include the following:

Daria Pilar Redus is returning to the Festival after a standout performance last year as Sarah in Ragtime. She will be playing the role of Maria in The Sound of Music and will be in the ensemble of Clue. Other Festival roles from the past have included Kate in The Pirates of Penzance, Featured Soloist in Big River, and Featured Performer in The Greenshow. In the first national tour of The Spongebob Musical she took on the role of Sandy Cheeks and has also played Regina in Rock of Ages at the John W. Engeman Theatre, Ensemble in Kinky Boots at the Arvada Center, and more. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

“To me, Maria embodies what it means to be beautifully flawed, sincere, courageous, nurturing, candid and self-loving,” she said in talking about the starring role. “And the very things that make Maria ‘a problem’ that some may feel the need to ‘solve’ could be the key to her happiness and freedom. I can’t wait to share this heartwarming story with you and hope that it inspires us all to pursue our dreams!”

Michael Sharon is returning to the Festival after a fifteen-year absence, this year to play the roles of Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, as well as Professor Plum in Clue. In past seasons he has played Orsino in Twelfth Night and Tullus Aufidius in Coriolanus in 2007; Antonio in The Merchant of Venice and The Dancin’ Kid in Johnny Guitar in 2006; and Lancelot in Camelot and Theseus/Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2005.

He has performed off-Broadway in The Fantasticks (Jerry Orbach Theatre), The Most Happy Fella (NYCity Opera), and Happy Hunting and Josephine’s Song (The York). Regionally he has appeared across the country in theatres such as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Folger Theatre, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Milwaukee Rep, Pioneer Theatre Company, and more. In additional he played Leontes in The Winter’s Tale at GBS Theatre in London. His training was at the University of Southern California and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Lisa Strum is “overjoyed to be joining the Utah Shakespeare Festival season!” In her first year at the Festival, she will be playing Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music and Goneril in King Lear. Her theatre credits are wide ranging and include work at Lincoln Center, Public Theatre, The Acting Company, Classical Theatre of Harlem, Resident Ensemble Players, Detroit Public Theatre, People’s Light, Julliard, Intiman Theatre, MECA Arts Festival (Puerto Rico), International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival (Dublin), and National Black Theatre. Television credits include Law & Order: SVU, New Amsterdam, The Blacklist, and Citizen Baines. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA

Interestingly, she said, “I played Mother Abbess when I was sixteen years old in high school. To return to the character decades later is a full-circle moment!”

Ilyssa Rubin will be joining the Festival for the first time this season, appearing as Liesl in The Sound of Music, Ensemble in Sweeney Todd, and Featured Performer in The Greenshow. She has appeared at Cortland Repertory Theatre (Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Hunterdon Hills Playhouse (Christmas at the Playhouse), Rider University (Margo in Bright Star), and others. She received a BFA in musical theatre from Rider University in 2021.

“I am so excited to be a part of the Festival’s 2022 season,” Rubin said. “Growing up, The Sound of Music movie was played on a constant loop at my house. I was in love with it! One of the first songs I ever worked on with a voice teacher was ‘Sixteen Going on Seventeen,’ so it . . . really is a dream come true!”

Ethan Van Slyke is also appearing at the Festival for the first time this season. He will be playing the roles of Rolf Gruber in The Sound of Music, Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd, and Featured Performer in The Greenshow. He has appeared in regional theares around the country, such as Arena Stage (Newsies, Watch on the Rhine, and Oliver!); Forestburgh Playhouse (Altar Boyz, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and And the World Goes Round); NextStep Theatre (Singin’ in the Rain); and the University of Michigan (A Midsummer Night’s Dream).

He is studying at the University of Michigan, working on a BFA in musical theatre.

Other members of the cast include:

Lucy Austin as Ursula
Liz Baxley as Sister Margaretta
Andrew Fehrenbacher as Admiral Von Schreiber
Michael Fitzpatrick as Max Detweiler
Tim Fullerton as Herr Zeller
Shannon Galligan-Stierle as Frau Schmidt
Augusto Guardado as Ensemble
Nathan Haltiwanger as Ensemble
Luke Sidney Johnson as Baron Elberfeld
Samantha Paredes as Ensemble
Melinda Parrett as Elsa
Mark Saunders as Franz
Taylor Tveten as Sister Berthe and Baroness Elberfeld

In addition, twelve young actors will be taking on the roles of the younger children in the Von Trapp family. Each role is double cast as follows:

Gwynn Christ and Rubey Pearson as Gretl
Shelby Fawson and Molly Pearson as Louisa
Liv Harter and Kate Sowards as Brigitta
Penny Hodson and Ridley Hulse as Marta
Mack Lawrence and Ian Wilson as Kurt
Brooke Mellen and Joel Wilson as Friedrich

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Announcing the Cast of King Lear

April 25, 2022 · 7 min read

This season’s King Lear at the Utah Shakespeare Festival will feature a number of Festival veterans and audience favorites, but will also showcase some amazing actors who bring a wealth of experience to the Festival stages. “I am excited to see the Festival’s veteran actors bring the full power of their talent and experience to one of Shakespeare’s most towering and challenging works,” said director Vincent J. Cardinal. “There is nothing like seeing a professional company who have worked together for many seasons play a masterpiece.”

Anthony Heald, who is playing the powerful role of King Lear, is new to the Festival this year. But he will be recognized by many from his roles as Hannibal Lecter’s jailer, Dr. Frederick Chilton in the movie The Silence of the Lambs and for playing assistant principal Scott Guber in the popular television series Boston Public. He has twice been nominated for a Tony Award: as Best Actor in a Featured Role–Musical for a revival of Anything Goes in 1988 and as Best Actor in a Featured Role–Play for Love! Valour! Compassion! in 1995.

He has also appeared off-Broadway in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; and The Foreigner. Other Broadway credits include The Elephant Man, and film credits include The Pelican Brief. He has also had a long career in regional theatre at such venues as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the California Shakespeare Theater. Heald is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Kendall Cafaro, who is also making her Festival debut this summer, is playing Lear’s loving daughter, Cordelia, in addition to Helen, the spurned but determined lover in All’s Well That Ends Well. She has previously acted in New York City in The Ugly Kids at The Wild Project; The Recruiting Officer at The Center at West Park; and Into the Woods, Much Ado about Nothing, and Cymbeline at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Regional theatre work includes Shrew! at Sun Valley Shakespeare Festival; La Traviata at Metropolitan Opera; and The Winter’s Tale and The Owl Answers/Sun at Fordham University.

Additionally, she is in a film version of As You Like It which currently in post-production. She received her BA in theatre performance from Fordham University and is an Equity Membership Candidate.

Stephanie Lambourn is returning to the Festival to take on the roles of Regan in King Lear, as well as Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd and Rinalda in All’s Well That Ends Well. In prior seasons at the Festival, she has played Margaret in Henry VI (Parts One, Two, and Three), Mistress Paige in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Miss Watson/Sally Phelps in Big River, and Lady Macduff in Macbeth. She was in the first national tour of Broadway/SF’s A Christmas Carol and has appeared in such theatres as Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Aurora Fox, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, and various theatres in the United Kingdom and Australia.

“It’s an honor to be returning to the Festival for a third season,” she said in discussing the season. “I’m thrilled to be playing such diverse and colorful characters and collaborating with such an extraordinary group of artists. This will be my second time in a production of King Lear, and I’m excited to be tackling the intriguing character of Regan.”

Lisa Strum will be playing Lear’s third daughter, Goneril, in King Lear, as well as Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music. New to the Festival, she has appeared off-Broadway atLincoln Center, Public Theatre, and The Acting Company. She has also acted at numerous theatres across the country and on television in such shows as Law & Order: SVU, New Amsterdam, The Blacklist, and Citizen Baines; and she has directed extensively. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA

“I am overjoyed to be joining the Utah Shakespeare Festival season!” she said. “Playing Goneril in King Lear has been on my bucket list for years. I am beside myself that I get to live in the skin of this incredibly complex character.”

Chris Mixon is another popular actor returning to the Festival this year. He will be playing Gloucester in King Lear and Bill O’Wray in Trouble in Mind. In past Festival seasons, he has appeared in Pericles, Ragtime, Richard III, Big River, The Foreigner, The Book of Will, Mary Poppins, The Cocoanuts, ‘Art’ and many others. He was in the national tour of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying and has also appeared off-Broadway at The Pearl Theatre, The Mint, Riverside Shakespeare, and the Manhattan Theatre, as well as at numerous regional theatres.

“Playing Gloucester in King Lear is a bucket-list role for me and I feel very lucky to play him,” said Mixon, who is a member of Actors’ Equity Association. “I feel Gloucester is a complex and flawed father. . . . But in his heart he is a very good and deeply caring person. It takes courage to live your convictions, but even more courage to admit you were wrong.”

Aidan O’Reilly is returning for his second year at the Festival to play the Fool in King Lear and Caliban in The Tempest. In the 2021 season, he played Cerimon in Pericles, Richard in Richard III, and Angelo in The Comedy of Errors. Other theatres he has worked at include Prague Shakespeare Company, Marin Shakespeare Company, American Shakespeare Center, City Lights Theatre Company, Renegade Players, Avalon Players, Sonoma Valley Shakespeare Company, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, and Studio Theatre of Little Rock. A graduate with honors from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

“Shakespeare’s plays have meant a great deal to me ever since I was a little kid (my favorites were all the stories that had ghosts and assassins and lovers and sword fighting in them—they still are), and I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the team here at the Festival and to help bring these plays alive this summer,” said O’Reilly. “There is an enormous amount of compassion, humor, and wisdom in King Lear; and those are things the world always needs. And, yes, there’s some good sword fighting in it too.”

René Thornton Jr. is also a beloved actor at the Festival and is returning this year to play Kent in King Lear and Alonso in The Tempest. In five previous seasons he has acted in a various roles, including Henry Condell in The Book of Will, Buckingham in Richard III, and Orsino in Twelfth Night. He has worked at numerous theatres and completed Shakespeare’s entire canon in 2017, having performed professionally in all the plays in Shakespeare’s Folio. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

“Cedar City has become home away from home in the last few years, and I’m grateful to always feel welcome there,” said Thornton in talking about this summer. “King Lear is quite simply one of Shakespeare’s best plays, and the passion and power struggles that drive it are thrilling to behold. Families are complicated and few as complicated as Lear’s. It’s an honor to be able to bring Kent, with his loyalty and love, to life in what I’m sure will be a fantastic production.”

Other members of the cast include:

John Bixler as Albany
Phillip Brown as Messenger and Knight
Nicholas Denhalter as Curan and Knight
Tim Fullerton as Cornwall
Maurice-Aimé Green as Oswald
Nathan Haltiwanger as Servant and Knight
Steven Jensen as Knight
Luke Sidney Johnson as King of France and Captain
Freedom Martin as Edgar
Philip Orazio as Edmund
Mark Saunders as Attendant, Messenger, and Knight
Jeremy Thompson as Burgundy and Herald
Rob Tucker as Doctor, Old Man and Knight
Braedon Young as Messenger and Knight
Brandon Zicker as Messenger, Attendant, and Knight

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Announcing the Cast of Sweeney Todd

April 22, 2022 · 6 min read

“I have waited (and lobbied) for over a decade to collaborate on a production of Sweeney Todd with Brian Vaughn,” said director Brad Carroll when casting was finalized for this wickedly funny Stephen Sondheim musical. “I am beyond thrilled that it’s finally becoming a reality this season.”

Vaughn will be in the title role of Sweeney this summer at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, but he will have lots of company onstage with a number of extraordinarily talented actors: “The musical and vocal requirements of Sweeney Todd being as complex and demanding as they are, the Festival has assembled a cast of truly remarkable voices,” added Carroll. “They guarantee to give Mr. Sondheim’s score the epic, soaring, powerful sound it so richly deserves. Very exciting!”

The cast will include the following:

Brian Vaughn has been the artistic director at the Festival since 2011, but he has been an actor for twenty years longer than that. This season he adds one more role as Sweeney in Sweeney Todd. His past roles at the Festival have included such notables as Hamlet, Henry V, Iago, Benedick, Petruchio, Leontes, Cyrano de Bergerac, Poet in An Iliad, Harold Hill in The Music Man, Javert in Les Misérables, Baker in Into the Woods, Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, Arthur in Camelot, Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance, Charlie in Stones in His Pockets, Richard Hannay in The 39 Steps, and both Oscar and Felix in The Odd Couple. In addition, he has directed numerous plays at the Festival. He has also appeared at such theatres as Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Denver Center Theatre Company, Northlight Theatre, PCPA, and South Coast Repertory Theatre.

A graduate of Southern Utah University, he has been a guest artist/director at Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, University of California–Irvine, Nevada Conservatory Theatre–UNLV, Utah State University, University of Michigan, and Western Michigan University. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Bree Murphy is returning to the Festival after an absence of several years—to play Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Peacock in Clue. Most recently at the Festival she appeared as Miss Andrew and Mrs. Corry in Mary Poppins and Queen Isabel and Mistress Quickly in Henry V in 2016. She has also been in such Festival productions as South Pacific, The Taming of the Shrew, Henry IV Part Two, Measure for Measure, Henry IV Part One, and Into the Woods. A member of Actors’ Equity Association, she has appeared in the national tour of Les Misérables and in many other theatres, including Musical Theatre West, 3D Theatricals, PCPA, Swine Palace, New Swan Shakespeare, Kentucky Shakespeare, and Okoboji Summer Theatre.

“Playing Nellie Lovett has been a dream since first falling in love with Stephen Sondheim’s works as a conservatory student at PCPA in 1997,” she said. “To be collaborating with both a director [Carroll] and musical director [Jeremy Mann] who have been part of my professional journey since that time is surreal and thrilling.”

Tim Fullerton last appeared at the Festival in 1996 in Macbeth, The Three Musketeers, and The Mikado. This season he will be playing the dastardly Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd, as well as Cornwall in King Lear and Herr Zeller in The Sound of Music.

He has appeared in numerous other plays in other theatres, including Henry IV Part One, Les Blanc, As You Like It, and Cymbeline at Oregon Shakespeare Festival; The Book of Will and The Bridges of Madison County at Texas Shakespeare Festival; Translations at Rep Stage; The Winter’s Tale at Shakespeare Santa Cruz; Mamma Mia, The (Curious Case of the) Watson Intelligence, Newsies, Julius Caesar, The Pirates of Penzance, Stand-Up-Tragedy, Man of La Mancha, The Secret Garden, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Death of a Salesman at Pacific Conservatory Theatre; Jesus Christ Superstar at Santa Barbara CLO; and Three Musketeers the Musical, andVictor/Victoria at American Musical Theatre.

Lucy Austin is making her debut appearance at the Festival this season, playing Johanna in Sweeney Todd, Ursula in The Sound of Music and Featured Performer in The Greenshow. She has appeared in Into the Woods, Much Ado about Nothing, Cymbeline, and The General from America at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, as well as in Cabaret, Macbeth, Good Kids, Little Women, Cagebirds, and Carousel at The Boston Conservatory. She also acted in the film Little Women. She received her B.F.A. from The Boston Conservatory.

“It feels like a gift to be a part of Sweeney Todd, one of Stephen Sondheim’s masterpieces, at this time when our community is grappling with his passing and celebrating the singular intricacy and compassion he brought to theatre,” said Austin. “I am thrilled to explore how Johanna will come to life in this production, and lean into her curiosity and boldness as she fumbles through challenges and ways through.”

Rob Tucker is also making his first appearance at the Festival. He is playing Judge Turpin’s cruel sidekick, The Beadle, in Sweeney Todd as well as Lefeu and Duke of Florence in All’s Well That Ends Well and various roles in King Lear. A member of Actors’ Equity Association, he has acted at such notable theatres as Shakespeare in Clark Park, Theatre Horizon, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Rep, Arden Theatre, EgoPo, Prince Music Theater, and Opera Philadelphia.

“I’ve always joked that if I could live my entire artistic life in the worlds of Stephen Sondheim and William Shakespeare I’d be happy,” he said. “I’m thrilled to be doing just that at a place I’ve wanted to work at since I was in college! How lucky can you get?”

The Sweeney Todd cast is large and will include many actors who have appeared at the Festival in the past. All these actors play other roles in the repertory season. They are:

Phillip Brown as Ensemble

Michael Doherty as Jonas Fogg

Shannon Galligan-Stierle as Ensemble

Aaron Galligan-Stierle as Pirelli

Sophia Guerrero as Ensemble

Nathan Haltiwanger as Anthony Hope

Luke Sidney Johnson as Ensemble

Stephanie Lambourn as Beggar Woman

Samantha Paredes as Ensemble

Ilyssa Rubin as Ensemble

Mark Saunders as Ensemble

André Spathelf-Sanders as Ensemble

Taylor Tveten as Ensemble

Ethan Van Slyke as Tobias Ragg

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Announcing the Cast of All's Well That Ends Well

April 20, 2022 · 5 min read

The Utah Shakespeare Festival has announced the cast members for this summer’s All’s Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare, including some actors Festival audiences will be familiar with, as well as a number of new-to-the-Festival actors. “I want our audience to see themselves represented on the stage in this production of All Well That Ends Well,” said director Melinda Pfundstein. “I am thrilled to have a beautiful gathering of artists to that end.”

The cast is as follows:

Kendall Cafaro is making her Festival debut, appearing as Helen, the spurned but determined lover in All’s Well That Ends Well, in addition to Cordelia in King Lear. She has appeared off-Broadway in The Ugly Kids and The Recruiting Officer, as well as at numerous regional and university theatres: Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Sun Valley Shakespeare Festival, Metropolitan Opera, and Fordham University to name a few.

“Each time I look at the role of Helen, I’m met with questions that I find challenging to grapple with on my own,” she said in speaking about the play. “This is why I am excited to explore this character and the ideas of this play with the team at the Festival.”

Michael Doherty is returning to the Festival in the role of as Lavatch, the clown in All’s Well That Ends Well. He will also appear as Jonas Fogg in Sweeney Todd and Mr. Green in Clue. In past seasons at the Festival he has played Dromio of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors and The Joneses in The Comedy of Terrors (2021); the solo performer in Every Brilliant Thing (2019); Charlie Baker in The Foreigner and Tom Sawyer in Big River (2018); and more. He has appeared at many other theatres, including Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, and the Denver Center. A member of Actors’ Equity Association, he is also the showrunner for Mythic Thunderlute: A D&D Podcast Musical.

“Scholars have criticized Lavatch as one of Shakespeare’s ‘most lascivious and expendable fools’ (which, to be fair, has also been said of me),” laughed Doherty. “I love the challenge that comes with serving this language up to be understood by a modern ear, and I’m so looking forward to exploring this complicated and fascinating play.”

Kevin Kantor is new to the Festival and will be appearing as Paroles in All’s Well That Ends Well and Trinculo in The Tempest. They have appeared in Macbeth (Actors Theatre of Louisville); Things I Know To Be True, The Legend of Georgia McBride, and A Christmas Carol (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre); Othello, Twelfth Night, and Sense & Sensibility (Island Shakespeare Festival); Lovers & Executioners, The Sword in the Stone, and The Legend of Georgia McBride (B Street Theatre); and in ABC Television’s American Crime. A member of Actors’ Equity Association, Kantor has also written a full-length poetry collection, Please Come Off-Book, published by Button Poetry.

Philip Orazio is also new to the Festival, appearing this summer as Bertram, the sometimes dastardly lover, in All’s Well That Ends Well, in addition to Edmund in King Lear. Other theatres he has worked at include Artist Repertory Theatre, The Road Theatre, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, Texas Shakespeare Festival, Nomadic Theater, and Queer Classics Theater. On television, he has acted in Minx (HBO), Gasit (STARZ), Leverage (TNT), Combat Report (Netflix), My Human Experience (Amazon), My Crazy Ex (Lifetime), and Three Days to Live (Oxygen). In addition, he has taught at the Actors Studio of Orange County and has received an MFA in acting from the University of Houston.

Amara Webb returns the the Festival after appearing as Sister in The Pirates of Penzance and Ensemble in Ragtime in 2021. In All’s Well That Ends Well, she will perform the role of as Diana; and in The Tempest, Miranda. She has played numerous roles at other theatres, including Henriette in The Learned Ladies and Sarah Chandler in The Living, both at Sargent Conservatory at Webster University.

Other members of the cast are:

Whitney Black as Soldier, French Lady, and Ensemble

Anatasha Blakely as E. Dumaine and Ensemble

Yvette Monique Clark as Countess and Ensemble

Maurice-Aimé Green as Soldier, Attendant, French Lord, and Ensemble

Anthony Heald as King of France, Citizen, and Ensemble

Stephanie Lambourn as Renalda, Soldier, Citizen, and Ensemble

Sophia Metcalf as Citizen, Musician, and Ensemble

André Spathelf-Sanders as French Lord, Soldier, and Ensemble

Arizsia Staton as Widow, Citizen, and Ensemble

Elise Thayn as Mariana, Citizen, and Ensemble

Jeremy Thompson as G. Dumaine and Ensemble

Rob Tucker as Lafew and Duke

Braedon Young as French Lord, Soldier, and Ensemble

The 2022 season of the Utah Shakespeare Festival runs from June 20 to October 8 and includes All’s Well That Ends Well, Sweeney Todd. King Lear, The Sound of Music, Trouble in Mind, Clue, The Tempest, and Thurgood, as well as all the experiences surrounding the plays, such as The Greenshow, seminars, orientations, and backstage tours. Tickets and information are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or going online to bard.org.

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Trouble in Mind