Announcing the 2022 Season!

Melinda Parrett (left) as Ariel and Henry Woronicz as Prospero in the Festival’s most recent production of The Tempest in 2013. The popular romance is returning, in the Anes Studio Theatre, in 2022.

The 2021 season of the Utah Shakespeare Festival just got underway, but on opening night Festival administrators raised the overall excitement another level by announcing the season for next year.

The 2022 season will feature eight plays from June 20 to October 8. In an effort to make it easy for loyal Festival guests to order their tickets well in advance, tickets are now on sale online at www.bard.org, by phone at 800-PLAYTIX, or at the Ticket Office near the Anes Studio Theatre.

“The lineup of shows for the 2022 season is an exciting mixture of Shakespeare, two beautiful musicals (including one outdoors for the first time ever), and magnificent contemporary plays,” said Executive Producer Frank Mack. “Festival audiences will be absolutely delighted with this combination of great shows.”

Here’s the lineup:

In the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre

All’s Well That Ends Well
By William Shakespeare

Although the king forces the young Count Bertram to marry orphaned Helena, he cannot make him love her. Only by completing an impossible task can Helena win that affection. But Shakespeare, in one of his famous “dark” comedies, once again shows us that, impossible task or not, callow youth is no match for true love and a determined woman.

King Lear
By William Shakespeare

Deluded by lies and flattery, old King Lear has sorely misjudged his daughters, placing himself into the cruel hands of his two ambitious daughters and spurning the youngest, the one who truly loves him. Only when alone and driven mad on the English heath, does he realize his epic mistakes in Shakespeare’s stormiest tragedy.

Sweeney Todd
By Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler

Sweeney Todd, an unjustly imprisoned barber, escapes and returns to nineteenth-century London, seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which he opens a new barber practice. Mrs. Lovett’s luck sharply shifts when Todd’s thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient into her meat pies that has of London lining up—and the carnage has only just begun in this dark and delicious musical!

In the Randall L. Jones Theatre

The Sound of Music
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse

Maria, too exuberant to be a proper nun, is sent to the Von Trapp family as a governess for seven unruly children. There she teaches the children to sing and Captain Von Trapp to love, only to have the singing family hounded by the Nazis when they invade Austria. Known and loved the world over, The Sound of Music reminds us that with high-spirited hope, heartfelt compassion, and unwavering determination, life’s mountains can always be climbed.

Trouble in Mind
By Alice Childress

It’s 1957 in New York City, and Wiletta May—an African American actor in rehearsal for a new Broadway play—doesn’t intend to cause trouble.  But this time, the writer has gone too far, and, well, Wiletta rebels against one more stereotypical role in a “well-meaning race play.”  Will the other African American actors join in her fight against the improbable play-within-a-play, or must she fight alone?  The stakes are high, but this satire of backstage drama and racial tropes will make you both laugh and stop to think.

Clue
Based on the Screenplay by Jonathan Lynn
Written by Sandy Rustin
Additional Material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price

It’s a dark and stormy night, and you’ve been invited to a very unusual dinner party. Each of the guests has an alias, the butler offers a variety of weapons, and the host is, well . . . dead. So whodunnit? Join the iconic oddballs known as Scarlet, Plum, White, Green, Peacock, and Mustard as they race to find the murderer in Boddy Manor before the body count stacks up. Based on the cult classic film and the popular board game, Clue is a madcap comedy that will keep you guessing until the final twist.

In the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre

The Tempest
By William Shakespeare

Teeming with fairies, monsters, shipwrecks, and magic, The Tempest is Shakespeare’s last and most imaginative romance. The deposed Duke Prospero and his lovely daughter, Miranda, are shipwrecked on a small island where nothing is quite as it seems. But as they separate fantasy from authenticity, they eventually discover a “brave new world” of love, harmony, and redemption.

Thurgood
By George Stevens Jr.

Meet Thurgood Marshall: Lawyer. Civil rights activist. The first African American Supreme Court justice. In this acclaimed play, you witness as Marshall tells stories from his life and his transformation from a young and spirited dissenter to a pensive justice full of wisdom. From his early days as the civil rights lawyer to his appointment to the highest court in the land, Thurgood Marshall stood for justice while lifting the standing of his race and all Americans.

“The 2022 season is a season centered on survival in the wake of cruelty. It exemplifies our enduring human spirit to move forward with strength, determination, and resolve,” said Artistic Director Brian Vaughn. “Three Shakespeare offerings, two musicals (indoor and outdoor), and three humorous and profound contemporary plays, combined with nightly Greenshows, play seminars, and orientations, make for an exciting 2022 that audiences won’t want to miss.”

Opening Night: Over a Year in the Making

Return to the Stages Marks Sixty Years and Will Be Dedicated to Founder Fred C. Adams

Photos from Pericles, which opened the 2021 season, top to bottom: Sarah Suzuki (left) as Antiochus’s Daughter, Todd Denning as Antiochus, and Danforth Comins as Pericles; Chris Mixon as Pander and Sarah Shippobotham as Bawd.

Thursday was a night over a year in the making—the resumption of plays at the Utah Shakespeare Festival after the 2020 season was canceled because of COVID-19. After a joyous opening night of The Greenshow, audiences were invited into the theatre by the traditional trumpet fanfare, and the stage soon exploded with action and color.

The opening play was Shakespeare’s Pericles in the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. It will be followed in the days to come by Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors.

But before the stage was turned over to the actors, Executive Producer Frank Mack and Artistic Director Brian Vaughn made a quick appearance to express heartfelt thanks to patrons, donors, company members, and others for making this season happen. They also spoke about Festival Founder Fred C. Adams who passed away in 2020. This season is dedicated to his vision, friendship, and memory. A celebration of his life is being planned for later this summer.

Also, in an act of faith and joy, the pair announced the 2022 season. Details can be found on the Festival’s website.

 “The confluence of many circumstances will combine to make 2021 a special season—celebrating sixty years of great professional theatre in beautiful Cedar City, honoring our visionary founder who made all this possible, and getting to produce shows for our wonderful audiences, by our amazing artists, after a year-long hiatus,” said Mack when discussing the season.

“The 2021 season marks sixty glorious years producing Shakespeare under the stars at the Utah Shakespeare Festival,” added Vaughn. “It will be a season filled with celebration and reflection, including honoring the legacy of Fred and the incredible achievements of his remarkable life.”

The season will run through October 9 in three theatres. Tickets are $23 to $85 and are on sale now: go to the Festival website at bard.org, call 800-PLAYTIX, or visit the Ticket Office at the Beverley Center for the Arts.

Casting Announced for The Comedy of Terrors

Michael Doherty

Alex Keiper

Husband and wife Michael Doherty and Alex Keiper will be taking over the Randall L. Jones Theatre stage in the Festival’s last play of the 2021 season. The spooky and frenetic farce (featuring the two actors playing five roles) will open July 29 and run through October 9.

The plot of this frantic play begins with hyper, over-the-top shenanigans and heats up from there: Jo Smith arrives at her local theatre for an audition with the director Vyvian Jones, but it turns out that she has actually been invited there by Beverley, Vyvian’s twin brother, who wants her to impersonate her own twin sister Fiona in order to squelch the rumor that Beverley has slept with Fiona. And that’s just the first act. Whew!

Comic actors Doherty and Keiper are just the duo to pull off this high-energy comedy.

Michael Doherty, who will be playing the three Joneses, is well known at the Festival for his comic roles. He played Speed in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Tranio in The Taming of the Shrew, and Lord Fancourt Babberley in Charley’s Aunt in 2015; Tom Sawyer in Big River and Charlie Baker in The Foreigner in 2018; and the Narrator in Every Brilliant Thing in 2019.

He has also appeared off-Broadway in Dublin by Lamplight and in other theatres such as Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Denver Center, Cleveland Play House, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and Connecticut Repertory Theatre. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Playing the two Smiths,Alex Keiper, is appearing at the Festival as an actor for the first time this summer; however, she worked as an assistant director on the Festival tour of Every Brilliant Thing. She has worked in theatres across the country, including Milwaukee Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arden Theatre Co., Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Co., Gulfshore Playhouse, 11th Hour Theatre Co., Theatre Horizon, Theatre Exile, and InterAct.

She also has been awarded an Independence Foundation Fellowship and a Barrymore Award for Best Lead Performance in a Musical for LIZZIE: A Rock Musical. She is also a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Complete casting for all shows, as well as bios and photos of all actors, is available on the Festival website at www.bard.org/actorsartist.

The Festival’s 2021 season is June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.

Casting Announced for Intimate Apparel

Jasmine Bracey

Afua Busia

Yao Dogbe

Josh Innerst

Tiffany Scott

Constance V Swain

“I’m so excited to direct Intimate Apparel again with a new group of performers,” said director Tasia A. Jones as rehearsals started for the 2021 season at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. “Some of them are reprising roles they have played in previous productions of the play and some are new to this story, but all of these actors are invested in bringing the journey of these characters to life.”

Intimate Apparel is a heart-rending, gentle play which weaves an intricate tapestry of our human need for intimacy, and at the same time explores our social divisions. It takes a group of talented artists to bring this show to the stage, and the six actors in the production are excited and up to the task. They are:

Jasmine Bracey will be making her Festival debut, playing Mrs. Dickson, the widowed owner of a boarding house which acts as the geographical center of the story. She has worked in many other regional theatres, including Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, American Blues Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Alley Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Resident Ensemble Players, and The Acting Company. She has also appeared in the television series New Amsterdam and Chicago P.D. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Afua Busia is also at the Festival for her first time, playing Esther, an African-American seamstress in 1905 lower Manhattan who makes her living sewing intimate apparel for ladies at all levels of society. Before her appearance at the Festival, she has worked as Ama in School Girls at Berkeley Rep, Mary in A Christmas Carol at A.C.T., Grace in An Octoroon at Berkley Rep, and others. She earned her M.F.A. from American Conservatory Theater and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Yao Dogbe, in his first appearance at the Festival, is playing George, who becomes Esther’s love interest. Regionally, he has appeared in Intimate Apparel at Northlight Theatre, Fences at American Players Theatre, Homebound and Ohio State Murders at Round House Theatre, Macbeth at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and many others. In 2017 he was listed as one of Houston’s best actors for his performance as Booth in Topdog/Underdog. He is an Equity Membership Candidate.

Josh Innerst, who is playing Mr. Marks, a Jewish fabric seller and friend to Esther, has appeared at the Festival in over a dozen roles, most recently as Earl of Suffolk and Earl of Salisbury in Henry VI Part One, Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice, and Robert in The Merry Wives of Windsor in 2018. He has also worked in theatres across the country including Cleveland Playhouse, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and American Shakespeare Festival. He has also done extensive audiobook and commercial voiceover work. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Tiffany Scott last worked at the Festival in 2005 when she played Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This year in Intimate Apparel she is playing Mrs. Van Buren, a wealthy white woman who orders fancy corsets from Esther. Other theatres she has worked at include National Theatre D.C., Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Berkeley Repertory, McCarter Theatre Center, Seattle Repertory, Goodman Theatre, American Players Theatre, and Illinois Shakespeare Theatre. She also has appeared on television in Chicago Med. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Constance V Swain is making her Festival debut this summer as Mayme, a prostitute who has become friends with Esther through her orders of lingerie. Regionally she has performed in such plays as Caesar and Cleopatra, Antigone, The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, Grimm Lives, and the world premiere musical Willard Suitcases. She also played the role of Zoe in the movie To Love and to Cherish. She was honored with the 2019 Broadway Regional Award for Best Actor in a Play.

The Festival’s 2021 season is June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.

Casting Announced for Cymbeline

Jasmine Bracey

Afua Busia

Yao Dogbe

Josh Innerst

Howard Leder

Tiffany Scott

Constance V Swain

Jeremy Thompson

What happens when you take a show like Shakespeare’s Cymbeline with over twenty characters and numerous locations, and you stage it in the intimate Anes Studio Theatre with only eight actors? Not surprisingly, if you have eight actors with the talent of those cast for this summer’s production at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, you have magic.

Cymbeline has been called a fairy tale, a classic story book, full of wonderment and charm; and these actors are excited to be working at the Festival and bringing this Shakespearean romance to the Anes theatre stage. “Over the years, I’ve had many friends work at the Festival as actors and designers, and I’ve always listened to their stories and seen their photos with awe and just a little envy.” said actor Howard Leder. “The chance to come here this summer—and make my debut with the Festival—is really kind of a dream come true.”

The eight actors in Cymbeline are:

Jasmine Bracey will be making her Festival debut, playing Belarius. She has worked in many other regional theatres, including Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, American Blues Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Alley Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Resident Ensemble Players, and The Acting Company. She has also appeared in the television series New Amsterdam, and Chicago P.D. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Afua Busia is also at the Festival for her first time, playing Pisanio, British Soldier, Musician, and other roles in Cymbeline. She has also appeared as Ama in School Girls at Berkeley Rep, Mary in A Christmas Carol at A.C.T., Grace in An Octoroon at Berkley Rep, and others. She earned her M.F.A. from American Conservatory Theater and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Yao Dogbe is playing the roles of Posthumus and Cloten in his first appearance at the Festival. Regionally, he has appeared in Intimate Apparel at Northlight Theatre, Fences at American Players Theatre, Homebound and Ohio State Murders at Round House Theatre, Macbeth at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and many others. In 2017 he was listed as one of Houston’s best actors for his performance as Booth in Topdog/Underdog. He is an Equity Membership Candidate.

Josh Innerst, who is playing Iachimo, has appeared at the Festival in over a dozen roles, most recently as Earl of Suffolk and Earl of Salisbury in Henry VI Part One, Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice, and Robert in The Merry Wives of Windsor in 2018. He has also worked in theatres across the country including Cleveland Playhouse, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and American Shakespeare Festival. He has also done extensive audiobook and commercial voiceover work. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Howard Leder is appearing for his first time at the Festival this season. He will play the roles of Philario and Ghostly Father. Work at other theatres has included Beverly Hills Playhouse (Duet for One), Actors Rep of Simi Valley (Our Country’s Good), Oberlin College and Conservatory (Antigone, Waiting for Godot, The Beggar’s Opera, Time and the Conways, The Marriage of Figaro, and The Yeomen of the Guard). He has worked as a film and television editor for This Is Us (NBC), The Newsroom and Big Love (HBO),and others.

Tiffany Scott last worked at the Festival in 2005 when she played Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This year she is playing Queen and Arviragus in Cymbeline. Other theatres she has worked at include National Theatre D.C., Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Berkeley Repertory, McCarter Theatre Center, Seattle Repertory, Goodman Theatre, American Players Theatre, and Illinois Shakespeare Theatre. She also has appeared on television in Chicago Med. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Constance V Swain is making her Festival debut this summer as Imogen in Cymbeline. Regionally she has performed in such plays as Caesar and Cleopatra, Antigone, The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, Grimm Lives, and the world premiere musical Willard Suitcases. She also played the role of Zoe in the movie To Love and to Cherish. She was honored with the 2019 Broadway Regional Award for Best Actor in a Play.

Jeremy Thompson is returning to the Festival this year as Caius Lucius and Frenchman. Previously at the Festival he has played Horatio in Hamlet, Seyton in Macbeth, Philiste in The Liar, Lodovico/Soldier in Othello, Brutus in the Julius Caesar education tour, and Narrator in the Every Brilliant Thing tour. He has also worked at the Oregon Shakespeaer Festival, Island Shakespeare Festival, Book-It Repertory Theatre, and more.

The Festival’s 2021 season is June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.

Check Out These Discounts from the Festival

By Liz Armstrong

With the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s sixtieth anniversary season right around the corner, it’s time to purchase tickets for your next visit to the Festival. But before making that purchase, you may want to check out some discounts the Festival offers. You’ll enjoy the same brilliant plays with extra savings.

All discounts are based on availability and cannot be combined with other discounts. Other exclusions may apply.

To purchase tickets and take advantage of these discounts or for more information, call the Festival Ticket Office at 800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849) or visit bard.org/tickets (some discounts are not available online).

Discounts for Students

• The Student Access Pass is available for students of any age, including those who are homeschooled, for only $40. Students can redeem their pass for a single ticket per performance on the day of the show, with unlimited use throughout the season. Tickets are subject to availability and exclude premier seating. Only one pass per student is allowed, with no refunds or exchanges. The pass expires October 9, 2021. Students must provide valid proof of student status to purchase.

• Half-Price Student Rush Tickets are available starting one hour before each performance with a valid student ID.

• For tickets purchased in advance, the Festival offers a $10 discount for children under eighteen and students of any age.

Discounts for Local Residents

• Residents of Iron, Beaver, Washington, Kane, Garfield, Piute and Lincoln (Nevada) counties can purchase half-price tickets for Monday-Thursday performances. Tickets must be purchased on the day of the show.

• Iron County residents may also purchase the Iron County Pass for $200, which can be redeemed for eight admissions throughout the season. The pass can be purchased any time, and tickets can be reserved in advance, excluding premier and center orchestra seating. Proof of residency is required to purchase, and the pass has a limit of two passes per resident. There are no refunds or upgrades, ticket purchases are subject to availability, and the pass expires October 9, 2021.

Discounts for Groups

• For groups of twelve of more, discounts starting at $4 per ticket are available.

• School groups and students are eligible for the Festival’s Back-to-School discount. Half-price tickets can be purchased for Monday-Thursday evening performances from August 1 to October 9.

• Schools and education groups are also eligible for $12 tickets on qualifying Shakespearience performances, good for Monday-Thursday matinees from August 1 to October 9. Shakespearience tickets exclude premier seating. Call 435-865-8333 or email groups@bard.org to ask about Shakespearience add-on events.

Other Discounts and Offers

• Discounts for seniors (aged sixty-two and over), AAA members, and past or present members of the military are eligible to receive a $2 discount per ticket to all performances. Tickets in premier seating are excluded.

• For those with sensory needs, Sensory-Friendly performances are offered for The Comedy of Errors on September 8 at 8 p.m. and The Pirates of Penzance on September 18 at 2 p.m. These performances are offered at a reduced ticket price and are only available by calling the ticket office. Modifications include increased lighting in the seating area, lower sound levels, and a more relaxed audience atmosphere.

• Discounts are available for guests purchasing tickets to five or more titles. Ask about our Play More Discount when placing your order ($4 off all tickets on orders containing five or six titles and $5 off all tickets on orders containing seven or more titles).

The Festival’s 2021 season is June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.

Casting Announced for Ragtime

Ezekiel Andrew

Aaron Galligan-Stierle

Perry Ojeda

Melinda Pfundstein

Daria Pilar Redus

“This is a dream ensemble,” said director Brian Vaughn as he began rehearsals last week for the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2021 production of Ragtime. “I can’t wait for them to share their remarkable talent with our audience.”

Ragtime is, indeed, a large production. It is supported by twenty-nine amazing actors playing over sixty roles. Yet, there are three families and cultures represented by five astonishingly talented actors who will anchor much of the show, and most of them will be familiar to Festival audiences.

Ezekiel Andrew will be taking on the role of Coalhouse Walker Jr., a talented and proud African-American musician who believes that his ragtime music will help him achieve the American dream. Andrew appeared at the Festival in 2018 as Jim in Big River and in the ensemble of The Conclusion of Henry VI Part One. He has appeared in numerous regional theatres and received several awards for his portrayal of Ragtime’s Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Theatre under the Stars in Houston, Texas. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Aaron Galligan-Stierle will play Tateh, a poor Jewish immigrant who comes to America to make a better life for himself and his daughter. Galligan-Stierle has appeared at the Festival in eight previous seasons, playing such roles as Dromio of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors, Smee in Peter and the Starcatcher, and Clown #2 in The 39 Steps. He has also appeared on Broadway as Monsieur Andre in The Phantom of the Opera, Henry Ford in Ragtime, and Papa Who in The Grinch, and in theatres across the country. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Perry Ojeda, who is new to the Festival this year, will be playing Father, a wealthy businessman and head of a household which seems to have achieved the American dream. Ojeda has appeared on Broadway in On the Town, Blood Brothers, and Imaginary Friends, as well as in numerous roles off-Broadway, regionally, and on television, including roles in Desperate Housewives, All My Children, Guiding Light, One Life to Live, and Days of Our Lives. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Melinda Pfundstein is well-known to Festival audiences as both a director and actor. She is appearing this year as Mother, the heart of her and Father’s family. Favorite acting roles at the Festival include Constance in King John, Hermione in A Winter’s Tale, Roxane in Cyrano de Bergerac, Kate in The Taming of the Shrew, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, and Fantine in Les Misérables. She also directed The Book of Will (2019) and The Merchant of Venice (2018). She is the founding executive director of StateraArts. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Daria Pilar Redus is also returning to the Festival this year. She will be performing the role of Sarah, a young, beautiful, and innocent woman who falls in love with Coalhouse. Redus has worked at the Festival in the past as Cassius in the 2021 Julius Caesar education “tour” (which was presented entirely online), in the ensemble of Big River in 2018, and as a Featured Performer in The Greenshow in 2018. She recently appeared as Sandy Cheeks in the first national tour of The Spongebob Musical: Broadway’s Award Winning Hit!

Other members of the “dream ensemble” are:

·      Ian Allred as Ensemble

·      Bailey Blaise as Evelyn Nesbit and Ensemble

·      Landon Tate Boyle as Ensemble

·      Cordell Cole as Ensemble

·      Todd Denning as Henry Ford and Willie Conklin

·      Tafadzwa Diener as Sarah’s Friend and Ensemble

·      Raven Flynn as Ensemble

·      Devin Galligan-Stierle as Young Boy

·      Shannon Galligan-Stierle as Ensemble

·      Zoe Galligan-Stierle as Young Girl

·      Rhett Guter as Houdini and Ensemble

·      Richard R. Henry as J. P. Morgan and Admiral Peary

·      Cecilia Iole as Ensemble

·      Luke Sidney Johnson as Younger Brother

·      Peter Reid Lambert as Ensemble

·      Kat Lee as Ensemble

·      Jalon Mathews as Ensemble

·      Chris Mixon as Grandfather and Ensemble

·      Marlene Montes as Emma Goldman and Baron’s Assistant

·      Trey Plutnicki as Ensemble

·      Olivia Sham as Ensemble

·      André Spathelf-Sanders as Ensemble

·      René Thornton Jr. as Booker T. Washington and Ensemble

·      Amara Webb as Ensemble

The Festival’s 2021 season is June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.

Casting Announced for The Pirates of Penzance

Rhett Guter

Richard R. Henry

Cecilia Iole

Jalon Matthews

Marlene Montes

Five talented actors will be taking on the major roles in The Pirates of Penzance when it hits the stage June 25 at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. They will sing and dance their way into our hearts as the largely unsuccessful but kind-hearted pirate king, his duty-bound apprentice and his nursery maid, and a befuddled major-general and his lovely and high-spirited ward. They (and a chorus of sentimental pirates, bumbling policemen, and giggling maidens) will bring to colorful life this family-friendly comedic operetta by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan.

“As my first time at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, I am beyond excited to work with this incredible group of artists who all offer unique perspectives and will bring a fresh take to The Pirates of Penzance,” said director Cassie Abate as she began rehearsals May 10.

Rhett Guter will be returning to the Festival this year as the Pirate King. Past Festival performances include Peter in Peter and the Starcather (2013), Tommy Djilas in The Music Man (2011), Flute in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2011), Peter in The Diary of Anne Frank (2010), Lysimachus in Pericles (2010) and many others. He has appeared in regional theatre across the country, received BFA and BS degrees from Southern Utah University, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Richard R. Henry is making his debut at the Festival in the role of Major-General Stanley, a character famous for his full-speed rendition of “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General.” He has appeared off-Broadway in Drift at New World Stage and Two Gentlemen of Verona the Musical at The Public. He has worked at numerous regional theatres as well as in the national tours of Urinetown, Sweet Charity, Man of La Mancha, and Jesus Christ Superstar. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

Cecilia Iole will also be debuting at the Festival, playing the role of Mabel, the Major-General’s youngest ward and Frederic’s love-interest. She has performed across the country in such roles as Rapunzel in Into the Woods at Writers Theatre (directed by Garry Griffin); Johanna in Sweeney Todd at Paramount Theatre; Cunegonde in Candide at Clarence Brown Theatre; Ariel in The Little Mermaid; and Cosette in Les Misérables.

Jalon Matthews will be appearing for his first time at the Festival as Frederic, the duty-bound apprentice pirate. He has performed as Sebastian in Disney’s The Little Mermaid at Musical Theatre West, Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors at PCPA, Bobby in Company at University of California–Irvine, and more. He holds a BA in acting degree from Pepperdine University and an MFA in acting from the University of California–Irvine.

Marlene Montes is also new to the Festival and will be playing the role of Ruth, Frederic’s confused nursery maid and the pirates’ maid. She has performed at numerous theatre companies, including Arizona Theatre Company, South Coast Repertory, San Diego Repertory Theatre, Moonlight Stage Productions, Performance Riverside, Cygnet Theatre, New Village Arts, Starlight Theatre Derby Dinner Playhouse, and others. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Fifteen other actors will join these five to complete this charmingly silly operetta. They are:

·      Ian Allred as Sergeant of Police

·      Bailey Blaise as Sister

·      Landon Tate Boyle as Pirate

·      Lena Conatser as Edith

·      Trent Dahlin as Samuel

·      Tafadzwa Diener as Sister

·      Sophia Guerrero as Sister

·      Peter Reid Lambert as Pirate/Police

·      Nathan Myers as Pirate

·      Connor Padilla as Pirate

·      Andrew Plinio as Pirate/Police

·      Trey Plutnicki as Pirate/Police

·      Daria Pilar Redus as Kate

·      André Spathelf-Sanders as Pirate/Police

·      Amara Webb as Sister

The Festival’s 2021 season is June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.

Announcing the Cast of The Greenshow

Raven Flynn

Sophia Guerrero

Peter Reid Lambert

Kat Lee

Connor Padilla

Trey Plutnicki

Olivia Rylan Sham

André Spathelf-Sanders

Four new faces and four faces familiar to Utah Shakespeare Festival audiences will make up the 2021 cast of the popular pre-play entertainment, The *Greenshow.*The free and fun show opens on June 21 and plays Mondays to Saturdays through September 11, starting at 7:10.

“The Greenshow will return with many familiar faces from last year, and it will be a beautiful reunion to be in the rehearsal hall with them again in addition to some new blood!” said director Britannia Howe. “These actors are some of the hardest working artists in the business. Not only do they dance, act, and sing their faces off every night in The Greenshow, but then they have fifteen minutes to run to change costumes and perform in the mainstage shows. They are hardworking, talented to boot, and such team players.”

These talented and hard-working artists are:

Raven Flynn (also in the ensemble of Ragtime) appears at the Festival courtesy of the Southern Utah University Fellowship Program. This is her first time at the Festival, but she has appeared as Ariel in Footloose at the Playmill Theatre in West Yellowstone and in Seven Brides for Seven Brother and Tarzan at Playmill Theatre. She graduated from SUU with a BFA in theatre arts this spring.

Sophia Guerrero (also in the ensemble of The Pirates of Penzance) is celebrating her first year working at the Festival this summer. She has played Jane in Tarzan at the Hale Center Theatre in Sandy, Utah and Miss Dorothy in Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Hale Centre Theatre in Orem, Utah. She has also appeared at Brigham Young University where she was the senior finalist for the BYU Outstanding Theatre Award.

Peter Reid Lambert (also in the ensemble of both The Pirates of Penzance and Ragtime) is working at the Festival for his first time. He has appeared off-Broadway as Thomas Briggs in An Enchanted April and originated the role of Johnny in Beulah Land. He has also played Freddy Benson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Davey in Newsies, Ernst in Cabaret, Eric Liddle in Chariots of First, and more.

Kat Lee (also in the ensemble of Ragtime) appeared at the Festival as the Narrator in the Every Brilliant Thing very successful educational tour. She has also played Lorrell Robinson in Dreamgirls at Short North Stage and Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia! and The Witch in Big Fish at Otterbein University. She received her BFA in musical theatre from Otterbein University in 2019.

Connor Padilla (also playing various roles in Pericles and The Pirates of Penzance) appeared at the Festival in 2019 as Gad in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Featured Performer in The Greenshow. He has worked at a number of regional theatres including Taffety Punk Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., Annapolis Shakespeare Theatre, Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Orlando Repertory Theatre, Winter Garden Theatre, and Theater Lab.

Trey Plutnicki (also in the ensembles of both Ragtime and The Pirates of Penzance) was at the Festival in the ensemble of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Featured Performer in The Greenshow in 2019 and Mercutio/Friar Laurence in the education tour of Romeo and Juliet in 2020. He has also played at other theatres as Ensemble in All Is Calm, Ali Hakim in Oklahoma!, and Woodstock in Snoopy! The Musical.

Olivia Rylan Sham (also in the ensemble of Ragtime) is working at the Festival for the first time. She is appearing courtesy of the Southern Utah University Fellowship Program. She has performed at the Simonfest Theatre Company as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors and Nora in Brighton Beach Memoirs, as well as various roles at Southern Utah University and Patricia in The Last Yankee at Universitatea Babes Bolyai in Cluj, Romania.

André Spathelf-Sanders (also in the ensembles of both The Pirates of Penzance and Ragtime) is celebrating his third year at the Festival and as a Featured Performer in The Greenshow. He has also played in the ensemble of Big River and as Asher and the Butler in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He has choreographed and danced for other theatres, including Otterbein University where he received a BFA in musical theatre and dance.

The Festival’s 2021 season is June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.

Announcing the Cast of The Comedy of Errors

Michael Doherty

Mauricio Miranda

Andrew Plinio

Marco Antonio Vega

Three faces familiar to audiences and one actor making his debut at the Utah Shakespeare Festival will lead the celebration in this season’s 1970s Greek island-themed version of The Comedy of Errors which takes the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre stage beginning June 23.

“I am very excited to be working with Festival favorite Michael Doherty again after our collaborations on The Foreigner and Every Brilliant Thing at the Festival,” said director Vincent J. Cardinal. “It’s a terrific cast of Festival veterans and newcomers who are ready to have great fun sharing one of Shakespeare’s silliest plays.”

Doherty will be playing Dromio of Syracuse, one fourth of two sets of zany twins. Andrew Plinio will play his twin brother, Dromio of Ephesus; and Mauricio Miranda and Marco Vega will play the other set of twins, Antipholus of Syracuse and Antipholus of Ephesus.

Michael Doherty (Dromio of Syracuse) first appeared at the Festival in 2015 as Lord Fancourt Babberley in Charley’s Aunt, Speed in The Two Gentlemen of Verono, and Tranio in The Taming of the Shrew and in 2018 as Charlie Baker in The Foreigner and Tom Sawyer in Big River. However, he is probably most remembered for his performance as the Narrator in the one-man show Every Brilliant Thing in 2019. He has also appeared off-Broadway in Dublin by Lamplight and in various regional theatres across the country. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Mauricio Miranda (Antipholus of Syracuse) appeared at the Festival in 2019 as Curio in Twelfth Night and numerous roles in The Book of Will, including Ralph Crane. He has also played John Proctor in The Crucible and Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath at Connecticut Rep and various roles at New Frontiers International, Indiana Rep, Kansas City Rep, and Phoenix Theatre. He is an Equity Membership Candidate.

Andrew Plinio (Dromio of Ephesus) is new to the Festival this year, but he has worked at numerous other theatres including playing the role of Patrick in The Radio City Christmas Spectacular and appearances as Oliver in As You Like It and Sebastian in Twelfth Night at the London Academy of Music and Performing Arts and several roles at the University of Michigan. He also appeared on television as Billy in HBO’s The Young Pope.

Marco Antonio Vega (Antipholus of Ephesus) has appeared in numerous roles at the Festival the past few years including Marco/Puck in William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (Abridged), Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bardolph in Henry V and Henry IV Part Two, Hugh Oatcake in Much Ado about Nothing, and Lord of Burgundy in King Lear. He is also the recipient of the Festival’s Michael and Jan Finlayson Acting Award.

Fourteen other actors will join these four to inhabit a madcap Greek island paradise, ala Mamma Mia! They are:

·      Finley Caciola as Citizen, Servant, Guard, and Pinch Acolyte

·      Lena Conatser as Luce and Messenger

·      Trent Dahlin as Balthazar and Merchant

·      Jovan Davis as Jailer, Office, and Executioner

·      Kristina C. Harding as Courtesan

·      Michael A. Harding as Egeon

·      Alex Keiper as Luciana

·      Howard Leder as Duke Solinus

·      Desirée Mee Jung as Adriana

·      Nathan Myers as Citizen, Servant, Guard, and Pinch Acolyte

·      Aidan O’Reilly as Angelo

·      Sarah Shippobotham as Abbess and Emilia

·      Jeremy Thompson as Dr. Pinch and Merchant

The Festival’s 2021 season is June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.