Shakespeare in the Schools: Meet the Team for Hamlet
CEDAR CITY, UT – The Utah Shakespeare Festival is thrilled to announce its 2024 team of Shakespeare in the Schools, its annual education touring production. This year, a team of nine will travel and bring one of the world’s most recognized plays to K-12 students: Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Throughout the Intermountain West, the Festival’s touring program serves both rural and urban students and communities, providing access to professional theatre. This year, a condensed version of Hamlet will highlight themes of authenticity and reality under the ever-scrutinizing eye of the media and societal expectations. For more about the play, click here.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Stewart Shelley, Director
Along with directing this year’s Shakespeare in the Schools tour, Shelley is the Festival’s Associate Education Director. He was also Interim Education Director, Education Programs Manager, and Summer Camp Coordinator for the Festival.
Shelley received a Master of Arts in Education Administration from Grand Canyon University and is part of both the Utah Advisory Council of Theatre Teachers and the Shakespeare Theatre Association.
Kellie M. Beck, Tour Manager
Beck appeared Off-Broadway in Ars Nova and has worked for NYU Meisner, Signature Theater, and Philadelphia Orchestra, to name a few.
They received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance-Directing from the University of Michigan.
Fiona Misiura, Stage Manager
Previously at the Festival, Misiura was the Production Assistant for Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical and The Play That Goes Wrong in 2023. She has also worked at Urban Stages and United Solo Festival as a Stage Manager, and American Academy of Dramatic Arts Company as a Production Stage Manager.
Misiura received a Bachelor of Arts in Theater and History from Ramapo College of New Jersey.
Blaize Adler-Ivanbrook, Actor
Adler-Ivanbrook will be taking on the roles of Horatio/First Player in Hamlet. He has also been in Two Gentlemen of Verona at American Theatre of Actors, Bliss Street at Theater for the New City, Uncle Vanya at Columbia University, and more.
He received a Bachelor of Arts in Theater and Geology from Colorado College and trained at Stella Adler Shakespeare and Chekhov Intensives.
Darin F. Earl II, Actor
Playing Claudius/Ghost of Hamlet, Earl II has also been in Timon of Athens and Coriolanus at the Festival, as well as tackling the role of Othello in last year’s Shakespeare in the Schools Education Tour.
He has also been in productions of Ye Bear & Ye Cubb Off-Broadway, and A Midwinter’s Night Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and more at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Earl II received a Bachelor of Arts from Rider University.
Isa Guitian, Actor
Guitian is playing Polonius/Osric/Gravedigger. They have also been in productions of A Christmas Carol at Guthrie Theater, Measure for Measure at Illinois Shakespeare Festival, and The Old Man and the Old Moon at Door Shakespeare.
Guitian received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Minnesota.
Adam Koda, Actor
Throughout the tour, Koda will play Hamlet. Some other productions have included Romeo and Juliet at Texas Shakespeare Festival, Sense and Sensibility at Pittsburgh Playhouse, and Twelfth Night at The Playground Theatre in London.
Koda received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Point Park University and has been in American Rust on Showtime.
Abigail Rose Nakken, Actor
Playing Gertrude/Marcellus, Nakken has also been a part of the Festival’s previous Shakespeare in the Schools productions of Macbeth and Othello. Other mainstage productions at the Festival include Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare in Love, and Cymbeline.
Nakken has also worked for Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Kentucky Shakespeare, and Northern Stage. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Classical Acting and Shakespeare Studies from Southern Utah University.
Gianna Porfano, Actor
Playing Ophelia and more in this production, Porfano also boasts acting credits from productions of We Will Rock You at Scranton Shakespeare Festival, A Christmas Carol at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and Sherlock Holmes Returns at Hunterdon Hills Playhouse.
Porfano received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from NYU Tisch Schools of the Arts.
Darci Ramirez, Actor
Playing Laertes/Rosencrantz/Player, Ramirez has held many roles at the Festival, including Seminar Manager from 2018 to 2022. She also understudied in Festival productions of Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, All’s Well That Ends Well, and more.
Ramirez directed Wood Painting at Brigham Young University, where she also received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. She has also understudied at Salt Lake Acting Company, Brigham Young University, and Noorda Center for the Arts.
Artistic Team
Other members of the team include designers and artisans who work to create the visual and auditory world of the production. Sound design is by Ernesto Salamanca; scenic design is by Benjamin Hohman; props design is by Marielle Boneau; costume design is by ArianMarie Moye; costume construction is by Diana Girtain (draper), Amanda Castanon (costume technician), and Madison Granger (costume technician); voice and text coaching is by Evelyn Case; and fight choreography is by Amie Root.
ABOUT THE TOUR
Shakespeare in the Schools “brings quality Shakespeare performances and workshops to schools and communities throughout the Intermountain West,” and has been doing so for thirty years.
The tour offers either a 75-minute fully produced performance of the play, or an interactive 45-minute assembly designed for elementary audiences that explores elements of theatre and Shakespeare. Post-performance talkbacks and educational workshops are also included in the tour.
Funded by the State of Utah, the tour is offered free to all Utah public and public charter schools. At-cost and discounted rates are also available for private schools, public venues, and out-of-state locations.
The tour will start February 1 and run through April 20, 2024. Although the tour is fully booked, schools can request a place on the wait-list or reach out with questions to usfedcuation@bard.org or call 435-865-8333.
ABOUT FESTIVAL TOURS
The Festival will actually have two different touring productions on the road around the same time: Hamlet and Every Brilliant Thing, which is not part of Shakespeare in the Schools, but is also funded by the state legislature. While the audiences are similar, the goals for each show are different.
Shakespeare in the Schools is designed for audiences to have a condensed yet complete theatrical experience, with costume, scenic, and sound designs. Every Brilliant Thing, however, is a much smaller production with only two rotating narrators that aims to reach students with important messages about mental health and hope. More information about the latter show can be found at bard.org/brillianttour.
