The Greenshow: A Celebration of Community
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is excited to announce the cast members for this summer’s production of The Greenshow, written and directed by Britannia Howe, who also directed Cymbeline in 2021 and The Greenshow in 2018, 2019, and 2021. The themes for Howe’s two Greenshows are The Hills of Appalachia and English Regency Garden Party.
In addition, a third Greenshow theme will be Paiute Heritage and Celebration and will be produced and performed by the Paiute Tribal Youth Performers from five local Paiute Bands.
Native Youth Coordinator Roger Clark explained that different youth performers will rotate through the summer’s performances and include (pictured, starting top left, then clockwise) Ashton Aguayo, Reggie Harjo, Charlie Parashonts, Sully John, Lydia Fisher, and Mars Jake. This Greenshow will include drumming, singing, dancing, and flute playing, along with audience participation. This is the first time in the Festival’s history that another organization has produced an entire Greenshow, and Clark and his youth performers are very excited about the opportunity.
Howe comments that “The Greenshow celebrates community at the Utah Shakespeare Festival by audience participatory storytelling. And I hope that you join us to help tell those stories. I hope to see you on The Green.”
For the Greenshows directed by Howe, the cast is as follows:
Ashley Aquino, new to the Festival, will perform as a Featured Performer in The Greenshow and Mustardseed in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and is an understudy for Lady Montague/Paris Page/Female Ensemble in Romeo and Juliet. She was recently seen as Frenchie in Cabaret, Lucy in You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, Mary Amnesia in Nunsense, and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Southern Utah University; Janet in The Drowsy Chaperone and Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods with Broadway Bound; and Glory/Marvalyn/Rhonda in Almost Maine with Simon Fest Theatre Company. She is appearing courtesy of the Southern Utah University Fellowship Program.
Taylor Hendricks, who is also new to the Festival, will be seen as a Featured Performer in The Greenshow and Moth in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and is understudying the roles of Snout/Starveling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Sampson in Romeo and Juliet. He recently performed in Matilda and The Play That Goes Wrong for Syracuse Stage, as Barnaby Tucker in Hello, Dolly! by Douglas Morrisson Theater, and as Robert Martin in The Drowsy Chaperone for Los Positas Theater.
Avery Peterson is also new to Festival audiences and appears courtesy of the Southern Utah University Fellowship Program. She will be seen as a Featured Performer in The Greenshow and Ensemble in Romeo and Juliet, and is also understudying the roles of Mrs. Elton/Mrs. Weston/Elizabeth Martin in Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical and Peaseblossom/Cobweb in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She has appeared as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Sister Mary Hubert in Nunsense, Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Gentlewoman/Apparition in Macbeth at Southern Utah University, as well as Ariel in The Little Mermaid and and Gertrude McFuzz in Suessical at Lifehouse Performing Arts.
Marissa Swanner is new to the Festival as well and is a Featured Performer in The Greenshow and Mrs. Elton/Ensemble in Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical. She is also understudying Miss Bates in Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical. Previous experience include directing and choreographing Tick, Tick… BOOM! at Lyrique Music Productions, and performing in The King and I with Drury Lane Theatre, South Pacific and All Shook Up at Flat Rock Playhouse, Breakfast at Tiffany’s at Dinah Washington Center, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime.
Matthew Wangemann, also new to the Festival, will be seen as a Featured Performer in The Greenshow and as Thistleweed in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He is also understudy for the Musician Fairy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Montague/Friar John/Capulet Cousin/Friar Lawrence/Abram in Romeo and Juliet. He appears courtesy of the Southern Utah University Fellowship Program, and has performed in such productions at SUU as Cabaret, Falsettos, Into the Woods, Macbeth, and Radium Girls. He has also been in productions at Hale Center Theatre (Orem), Pickleville Playhouse, and Catalyst Theatre.
Spencer Watson returns after being a Featured Performer in last year’s Greenshows. He will again be seen as a Featured Performer in The Greenshow. He is also understudying the roles of Mr. Elton/Frank/Robert in Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical and Chris/Robert/Max in The Play That Goes Wrong. He has performed as Smee in Peter Pan at Pickleville Playhouse, and Betty/Edward in Cloud 9, Whizzer in Falsettos, the Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods at Southern Utah University.
The 2023 season of the Utah Shakespeare Festival runs from June 21 to October 7 and includes Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical, A Raisin in the Sun, The Play That Goes Wrong, Timon of Athens, and Coriolanus, 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 visiting bard.org.
