Adam Kantor, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Kristin Villanueva & More to Star in The Old Globe's TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA; Cast & Creative Team Announced

The Old Globe today announced the full cast and creative team for Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Renowned director, Globe alumnus, and Tony Award nominee Mark Lamos (Compleat Female Stage Beauty, Pentecost, Resurrection Blues) returns to the Globe with one of Shakespeare's most delightful and boisterous comedies. The final production of the 2014 Summer Season will be presented in the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, August 10 - September 14, 2014.

The acting company includes Britney Coleman (Silvia), Arthur Hanket (Antonio, Dancing Master, Outlaw 2), Adam Kantor (Proteus), Mark Pinter (Duke, Fencing Master), Hubert Point-Du Jour (Valentine), Rusty Ross (Speed), Richard Ruiz (Launce), and Kristin Villanueva (Julia). Joining them are Old Globe/USD M.F.A. Program actors Erin Elizabeth Adams (Lucetta), Lindsay Brill (Silvia's Page), Lowell Byers (Turio), Jamal Douglas (Servant to Antonio, Musician, Outlaw 3), Adam Gerber (Sir Eglamour), Kushtrim Hoxha (Panthino), Tyler Kent (Host), Robbie Simpson (Dancing Instructor to Silvia, Musician), and Patrick Zeller (Outlaw 1); and Ensemble members Meaghan Boeing, Charlotte Bydwell, Stephen Hu, Allison Layman, and Megan M. Storti. Khloe Jezbera joins the cast as Crab.

The creative team includes John Arnone (Scenic Design), Linda Cho (Costume Design; 2014 Tony Award winner for A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder), Stephen Strawbridge (Lighting Design), Acme Sound Partners (Sound Design), Fitz Patton (Original Music), Jeff Michael Rebudal (Movement), Mike Rossmy (Fight Director), David Huber (Voice and Text Coach), Tara Rubin Casting (Casting), and Bret Torbeck (Stage Manager).

Best friends Valentine and Proteus travel to the big city to seek their fortunes only to find themselves rivals, both madly in love with the beautiful Silvia, daughter of Milan's most powerful duke. A fast-paced, exuberant tale of friendship, romance, and secret identities, featuring a band of outlaws, two bumbling servants, and one unforgettable dog.

"The Globe's 2014 Shakespeare Festival got off to a roaring start with our hit production of Othello, one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies. Now we switch gears into uproarious comedy with The Two Gentlemen of Verona," said Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. "Director Mark Lamos, one of our country's most gifted Shakespeareans, finds in this beguiling play all the brightest energies of youth, and his crack cast delivers the play with huge heart and joy. I look forward to treating San Diego to this delightful summer confection."

Mark Lamos (Director) previously directed the Globe productions of Compleat Female Stage Beauty, Pentecost, and Resurrection Blues. He is currently the Artistic Director of Westport Country Playhouse. His Broadway credits include Our Country's Good (Tony Award nomination), Seascape (Tony nomination for Best Revival of a Play), Cymbeline, The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm, and The Deep Blue Sea. His Off Broadway credits include As You Like It (Shakespeare in the Park), Measure for Measure (Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Revival), and productions for Lincoln Center Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Signature Theatre Company, Primary Stages, and The Public Theater. He also served as Artistic Director for Hartford Stage, accepting the 1989 Tony for its body of work. His other theatre credits include The Kennedy Center, Stratford Festival, The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Guthrie Theater, American Conservatory Theater, and Yale Repertory Theatre, among others. His opera credits include new productions for the Metropolitan Opera, including I Lombardi and Wozzeck (both televised on "Great Performances"). His many new productions for New York City Opera include an Emmy Award-winning Madama Butterfly, Tosca, and Paul Bunyan (all for "Great Performances" and "Live from Lincoln Center"), and numerous others. He spent 12 seasons at Glimmerglass Opera and has created new productions for the opera companies of San Francisco, Santa Fe, St. Louis, San Diego, Dallas, and Washington, as well as Chicago's Lyric Opera, Opéra de Montréal, Norway's Bergen National Opera, and Sweden's Gothenburg Opera, among others. He is featured in Samuel Leiter's 100 Great Directors. He has honorary doctorates from University of Hartford, Connecticut College, and Trinity College. A former actor, he played the title role in Hamlet at the Globe under Jack O'Brien's direction and appeared in the film Longtime Companion.

Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona will run August 10 - September 14, 2014, with Opening Night on Saturday, August 16 at 8:00 p.m., in the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre. Subscription tickets to the Globe's 2014 Summer Season range from $92 to $332. 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. Performance times: Previews: Sunday, August 10 at 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, August 12 at 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, August 13 at 8:00 p.m., Thursday, August 14 at 8:00 p.m., and Friday, August 15 at 8:00 p.m. Regular performances: Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 8:00 p.m.; after September 2 Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and younger, seniors, and groups of 10 or more.

The Two Gentlemen of Verona is supported in part through gifts from Qualcomm Foundation, Rhona and Rick Thompson, HM Electronics, Inc., and Holland America Line.

Presented in the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, the Old Globe 2014 Shakespeare Festival began June 22 with Shakespeare's great tragedy Othello, directed by Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. The Summer Season also features Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Tony Award-winning musical Into the Woods. This production, which made its World Premiere at The Old Globe in 1986, is an inventive reimagining by Fiasco Theater, directed by Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld, in a production that originated at McCarter Theatre Center. Rounding out the season is Ronald Harwood's comedy Quartet, directed by Richard Seer. Into the Woods will run on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre and Quartet in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, both part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center.

Additional events taking place during the run of The Two Gentlemen of Verona include:

INSIGHTS SEMINAR: Monday, August 11 at 7:00 p.m.

The seminar series features a panel selected from the current show. Reception at 6:30 p.m. FREE

POST-SHOW FORUMS: Tuesdays, August 19 and August 26, and Wednesday, August 20.

Discuss the play with members of the cast and crew following the performance. FREE

SHAKESPEARE IN THE GARDEN: Sunday, August 17; Thursday, August 21; Tuesday, August 26; Wednesday, September 3; and Friday, September 12.

Short lectures presented by members of the artistic team reveal fascinating insights about the play and the production. Shakespeare in the Garden lectures are presented at 7:00 p.m. in the Craig Noel Garden. FREE

LOCATION and PARKING INFORMATION: The Old Globe is located in San Diego's Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. There are numerous free parking lots available throughout the park. Guests may also be dropped off in front of the Mingei International Museum. The Balboa Park valet is also available during performances ($12), located in front of the Japanese Friendship Garden. For additional parking information visit www.BalboaPark.org. For directions and up-to-date information, please visit www.TheOldGlobe.org/Directions.

PLEASE NOTE: To look up online or GPS directions to The Old Globe, please do not use the Delivery Address above. There is only a 10-minute zone at that physical address. For GPS users, please click here for the map coordinates, and here for written directions to The Old Globe and nearby parking in Balboa Park.

2013-2014 SEASON CALENDAR: Othello (6/22-7/27), Into the Woods (7/12-8/10), Quartet (7/25-8/24), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (8/10-9/14).

2014-2015 SEASON CALENDAR: Bright Star (9/13-11/2/14), The Royale (10/4-11/2), Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (11/15-12/27), Murder for Two (1/24/15-3/1), The Twenty-Seventh Man (2/14-3/15), The White Snake (3/21-4/26), Buyer & Cellar (4/4-5/3), Arms and the Man (5/9-6/14), Rich Girl (5/23-6/21).

Photo by Jim Cox

To post a comment, you must register and login.