Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival Announces Complete Casting For Summer Season

The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (Davis McCallum, Artistic Director; Kate Liberman, Managing Director) is proud to announce complete casting for the 2018 summer season. The previously announced season will include two Shakespeare classics, RICHARD II and THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, alongside David Farr's adaptation of THE HEART OF ROBIN HOOD, and the world premiere of Seth Bockley's RIP VAN WINKLE; or, CUT THE OLD MOON INTO STARS, the first-ever mainstage commission by HVSF, featuring 40-plus members of the Hudson Valley community alongside a cast of 4 professional actors. The season will also feature the HVSF Conservatory Company in an original clown piece, THE SEA-MAID'S MUSIC, devised and directed by Zachary Fine. Casting for the festival by Stephanie Klapper Casting.

HVSF artistic director Davis McCallum will direct William Shakespeare's RICHARD II, the company's first production of this title in its 32-year history. Previews begin on June 9, 2018 in advance of a June 22 opening. Performances will run through August 26.

Julia Coffey* (London Wall, Drama Desk Nomination) returns to HVSF, following her 2016 appearance as "Rosalind" in As You Like It, to lead the cast as "Richard II." Audience favorite Mark Bedard*, co-starring as "Henry Bolingbroke", returns, as do Wesley Mann* ("Lucifer," "That's So Raven," Back to the Future II), Kurt Rhoads*, Triney Sandoval*, Chris Thorn*, and Nance Williamson*. The cast will also feature appearances from Benjamin Bonenfant*, Ralph Adriel Johnson*, Biko Eisen Martin*, Britney Simpson*, and Liz Wisan*. RICHARD II will feature costume design by Charlotte Palmer-Lane, lighting design by Eric Southern, sound design by Stowe Nelson, and sets by Sandra Goldmark.

William Shakespeare's THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, directed by Shana Cooper (Woolly Mammoth's The Nether) will feature Liz Wisan* in the role of "Kate" and Biko Eisen Martin* as "Petruchio", as well as performances from Mark Bedard*, Ralph Adriel Johnson*, Kurt Rhoads*, Triney Sandoval*, Britney Simpson*, and Nance Williamson*. Performances begin on June 7 with an official opening set for June 24, and run through August 24. THE TAMING OF THE SHREW will feature choreography by Erika Chong Shuch, costume design by Ásta Hostetter, lighting design by Ji Young Chan, and set design by Sandra Goldmark.

THE HEART OF ROBIN HOOD, written by David Farr (Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams) and directed by Suzanne Agins (Jailbait) will begin previews on June 8 and open on June 16, with performances scheduled through August 25. Suzanne Agins replaces previously announced director Tyne Rafaeli, who has withdrawn from the production. The cast will include Benjamin Bonenfant*, Julia Coffey*, Liam Craig*, Robyn Kerr*, Sean McNall*, Chris Thorn*, and Wesley Mann*. Local Hudson Valley child actors Samuel Bates and Adam Cabo will alternate in the role of "Jethro," and Phoebe Bokhour and Talia Hird will alternate in the role of "Sarah."

THE HEART OF ROBIN HOOD features fight choreography by Ryan Borque, costume design by Cait O'Connor, lighting design by Ji Young Chan, sound design by Stowe Nelson, and set design by Sandra Goldmark.

HVSF's first original mainstage commission, RIP VAN WINKLE; or, CUT THE OLD MOON INTO STARS was written and will be directed by Seth Bockley (Long Wharf's February House) and is freely adapted from the story by Washington Irving. RIP VAN WINKLE will feature Liam Craig*, Robyn Kerr*, Maribel Martinez and Sean McNall*, alongside a cast of 40+ community performers. The production marks the formal launch of HVSF's FULL CIRCLE programming initiative, established to build and sustain community through free workshops, gatherings, and performance opportunities for Hudson Valley locals.

Four free performances of RIP VAN WINKLE will take place over Labor Day Weekend. RIP VAN WINKLE will feature costume design by Charlotte Palmer-Lane, lighting design by Eric Southern, and set design from Sandra Goldmark.

The season will conclude with THE SEA-MAID'S MUSIC, devised and directed by Zachary Fine. The cast will feature the HVSF Conservatory Company, including Tora Alexander, Justin Choi, Jose Gamo, Colleen Litchfield, Trace Pope, Susana Montoya Quinchia, and Nome Sidone (Ehinomen Okojie). The production will feature costume design by Jessica Wegener Shay. Three performances will be staged at the HVSF Theater Tent, including one evening show on August 13 and two free family matinees on August 14 and August 21. The production will also tour to regional venues as part of the HVSF On the Road program.

Season tickets for RICHARD II, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, THE HEART OF ROBIN HOOD, and THE SEA-MAID'S MUSIC will be available for purchase on March 19. Early access to tickets is available for members of HVSF's Saints & Poets Society and Festival Circles Program. Free tickets for RIP VAN WINKLE will be available beginning August 1.

*denotes members of Actors' Equity Association.

Celebrating its 32nd summer season in 2018, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (HVSF) is a critically acclaimed (The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal), professional, non-profit theater company based in Garrison, NY, one-hour north of Manhattan. The Festival has established a reputation for lucid, engaging, and highly inventive productions staged under an iconic, open-air Theater Tent overlooking the Hudson River at historic Boscobel House and Gardens. In recent years, the Festival has also ventured beyond the Tent, touring its work to other venues throughout the Hudson Valley as part of its HVSF On the Road series, transferring productions to other theaters, engaging its community through radically participatory art-making, and reaching over 60,000 students and educators annually through its year-round Education programs.

HVSF's mission is to engage the widest possible audience in a fresh conversation about what is essential in Shakespeare's plays. The company's theater lives in the here and now, at the intersection of the virtuosity of the actor, the imagination of the audience, and the inspiration of the text.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: WWW.HVSHAKESPEARE.ORG

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