2013 Shakespeare Festival Cast & Creative Team Announced

The Old Globe today announced the complete cast and creative team for the 2013 Shakespeare Festival. Festival Artistic Director Adrian Noble returns to San Diego for his fourth and final year of Festival programming. The internationally acclaimed director will helm productions of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and Tom Stoppard's classic farce, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Laurence Olivier Award-nominated director Ian Talbot will make his Old Globe debut with the enduring Shakespeare favorite A Midsummer Night's Dream. The 2013 Shakespeare Festival, performed in repertory in the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, runs June 2 - Sept. 29. Subscription tickets from $66 to $270. Single tickets start at $29. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.

"Seeing Shakespeare outdoors on a balmy summer night is one of the most magical experiences it's possible to have in the theater, and the Globe's annual Shakespeare Festival is as good as that experience gets," said Old Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. "One of the reasons it's so special is the talent of our own Adrian Noble, and while he will be leaving the Globe once this summer's Festival is open, all San Diegans will be able to cheer and salute him for giving us another fantastic season with two supERB Productions of his own, and a third from the gifted Ian Talbot. The Globe and I thank Adrian for four summers of beautiful work, and we look forward to welcoming him back soon."

Adrian Noble has served as the Artistic Director of The Old Globe Shakespeare Festival since 2010. In addition to The Merchant of Venice and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, he has directed the Festival productions of King Lear, The Madness of George III, The Tempest, Amadeus, As You Like It and Inherit the Wind. As Festival Artistic Director, he has also overseen productions of The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing and Richard III. Noble's most recent work includes The King's Speech (on tour and the West End) and The Tempest (Theatre Royal, Bath). He was Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the Royal Shakespeare Company between 1991 and 2003.

Ian Talbot was Artistic and Managing Director of the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park, London from 1987 to 2007. In addition to his numerous Laurence Olivier Award-nominated productions, he has many acting credits in television and theater including the Royal Shakespeare Company and the West End. In 2007 Talbot was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his services to the Open Air Theatre.

Craig Noel Award winner Miles Anderson (The Madness of George III, Amadeus, The Tempest) returns to the Festival as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice and as Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Fellow Craig Noel Award winner Jay Whittaker (King Lear, Richard III, Amadeus) returns for his fourth consecutive Festival season as Oberon in Midsummer. Whittaker will also star as Guildenstern, joining Festival newcomer John Lavelle as Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Lavelle will also appear as Snug in Midsummer and Lancelot Gobbo in Merchant. Also making her Festival debut is Krystel Lucas who will appear as Titania in Midsummer as Portia in Merchant.

Lucas Hall, last seen on the Festival stage as Hamlet, will reprise the role in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, as well as play Puck in Midsummer and Bassanio in Merchant. Midsummer's quartet of star-crossed lovers is comprised of Festival vets Winslow Corbett (The Tempest, Amadeus) as Hermia, Ryman Sneed (Much Ado About Nothing) as Helena and newcomers Nic Few as Demetrius and Adam Gerber as Lysander. In addition to these roles, The Merchant of Venice will feature Corbett as Jessica, Sneed as Nerissa, Few as Prince of Morocco, and Gerber as Lorenzo. In Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Corbett will appear as Ophelia, Sneed as Gertrude and Few as Horatio.

The repertory company also features Donald Carrier, Sherman Howard, Old Globe Associate Artist Charles Janasz and Triney Sandoval, as well as The Old Globe/University of San Diego Graduate Theatre Program candidates Erin Elizabeth Adams, Matthew Bellows, Meaghan Boeing, Jeremy Fisher, Adam Gerber, Kushtrim Hoxha, Stephen Hu, Allison Layman, Danielle O'Farrell, Stephanie Roetzel, Christopher Salazar, Robbie Simpson, Whitney Wakimoto and Sean-Michael Wilkinson.

The creative team includes Old Globe Associate Artist Ralph Funicello (Scenic Design), Deirdre Clancy (Costume Design), Alan Burrett (Lighting Design), Dan Moses Schreier (Sound Design, Original Music), Peter Golub (Original Music), Elan McMahan (Music Direction), George Yé (Fight Director), James Vásquez (Movement), Jan Gist (Voice and Dialect Coach), Samantha Barrie, CSA (Casting) and Bret Torbeck (Stage Manager).

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