Robert Joy Stars in Seattle Rep's KING CHARLES III, Opening Tonight

Seattle Repertory Theatre presents the 2015 Oliver Award-winning Best New Play, King Charles III, Mike Bartlett's runaway smash hit, a contemporary and provocative comedy drama about Prince Charles' ascension to the throne upon the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth. It is a powerful piece about press intrusion, backroom politics, and the timeless magnetism of power.

King Charles III, a co-production with American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., will run now through December 18, 2016 (opening night tonight, November 16) in the Bagley Wright Theatre. Tickets are on sale now through the Seattle Rep Box Office at (206) 443-2222 and online at SeattleRep.org.

Under the direction of David Muse, King Charles III features acclaimed actor of stage and screen, Robert Joy, in the coveted role of King Charles III. Joy was most recently seen on Broadway in the revival of the musical Side Show. Joy has worked with some of the nation's most illustrious theatre companies, including The Old Globe in San Diego, The Public Theater in New York, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts. He is best known for his screen work, most notably his role as Dr. Sid Hammerback on "CSI: NY" from 2005-2013, as well as playing opposite Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan. The complete cast includes (in alphabetical order): Michelle Beck as Jessica; Jefferson Farber as Cootsy; Bradford Farwell as Mr. Stephens; Rafael Jordan as Spencer; Martyn G. Krouse as Sir Gordon, Speaker of the House, and in the ensemble; Dan Hiatt as James Reiss; Christopher McLinden as William; Chiara Motley as Ghost and in the ensemble; Jeanne Paulsen as Camilla; Ian Merrill Peakes as Prime Minister Evans; Rudy Roushdi in the ensemble; Harry Smith as Harry; Ayo Tushinde in the ensemble; and Allison Jean White as Kate.

"Our company, led by Robert Joy, is comprised of actors from all three cities where this joint production will perform," said Seattle Rep Artistic Director Braden Abraham. "It's a thrilling collaboration with an exceptional group of artists bringing us one of the best new plays of the year."

The creative team includes David Muse (Director); Jennifer Moeller (Costume Designer); Lap Chi Chu (Lighting Designer); Mark Bennett (Sound Designer/Composer); Charles Coes (Associate Sound Designer); Lisa Townsend (Movement Director); Nancy Benjamin (Dialect Coach); Sivan Batatt (Associate Director); Jessica C. Bomball (Stage Manager); Michael John Egan (Assistant Stage Manager).

ABOUT THE CAST:

Michelle Beck (Jessica)

Michelle Beck worked on the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun, starring Denzel Washington, and was a company member of The Bridge Project (As You Like It and The Tempest), which ran at Brooklyn Academy Of Music, The Old Vic, and various theatres around the world. Other New York performances include: A Kid Like Jake at LCT3; Richard III and Love's Labour's Lost at The Public Theater; Much Ado about Nothing at Theatre for a New Audience; Measure for Measure at Epic Theatre Ensemble; Uncle Vanya at The Pearl Theatre Company; and The Changeling at Red Bull Theater. Regional performances include: San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award-nominated performance in Proof at TheatreWorks in Silicon Valley; Twelfth Night at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; Hamlet at Shakespeare Theatre Company; Tartuffe at McCarter Theatre Center/Yale Repertory Theatre; and The Winter's Tale at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Her television/film credits include "Homeland," "Madam Secretary," "Sam & Julia," "The Death of a Prince," and others.

Jefferson Farber (Cootsy, Sir Michael, Others)

Jefferson Farber makes his Seattle Repertory Theatre debut with King Charles III, also seen at A.C.T. Farber has appeared in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. Other D.C. credits include Shakespeare's R&J at Signature Theatre, All's Well That Ends Well at Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Metamorphoses at Constellation Theatre Company. Elsewhere, Farber has also appeared in Breaking the Code at Barrington Stage Company and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Sierra Repertory Theatre. He also spent three seasons with the Colorado Festival of World Theatre, where he worked with such award-winners as Stephen Sondheim, Peter Shaffer, Patti LuPone, and Zoe Caldwell. Farber received his B.F.A. from Millikin University in Illinois and his M.F.A. at Shakespeare Theatre Company's Academy for Classical Acting at The George Washington University. His television credits include "Killing Kennedy" and "House of Cards."

Bradford Farwell (Mr. Stephens)

Previously at Seattle Rep: Photograph 51,You Can't Take it With You, The Imaginary Invalid, Twelfe Night, Noises Off, The Great Gatsby. In Seattle: Intiman, ACT Theatre, The 5th Avenue, Strawberry Theatre Workshop, and Seattle Children's Theatre. Broadway credits include: Much Ado About Nothing and The Miser. Mr. Farwell was a company member at the Stratford Festival for three years. Regionally in the U.S., he has played the title roles in: Hamlet and Pericles and Iago in Othello for Nebraska Shakespeare; Tom in The Glass Menagerie at Madison Repertory; and two seasons at American Players Theatre. Television credits include "Grimm" and "Leverage." He received his training at The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts, London.

Rafael Jordan (Spencer)

Rafael Jordan makes his Seattle Rep debut in King Charles III. New York credits: Caesar and Cleopatra (off Broadway); Uncle Tom's Cabin during Metropolitan Playhouse's OBIE Award-winning season; I Feel Your Pain with multiple OBIE Award winner Kathryn Grody; the world premiere of Thunder Above, Deeps Below by A. Rey Pamatmat, recipient of a PoNY Fellowship from The Lark. Regional credits: 365 Days/365 Plays and The Open Road Anthology at Actors Theatre of Louisville; Love and Information and A Christmas Carol at American Conservatory Theater; the award-winning American Buffalo at Aurora Theatre Company; The Liar at Livermore Shakespeare Festival; King Lear and The Tempest at California Shakespeare Theater; Dogeaters and the world premiere of runboyrun at Magic Theatre. Film credits include Me, You, & the Road (C&I Studios), The Best Laid Plans (MessyHouse Moving Pictures), Othello the Web Series (Ready Set Go Theatre Company). Rafael is a graduate of the M.F.A Program at A.C.T. and an ensemble member of 2050 Legacy.

Robert Joy (King Charles)

Robert Joy studied at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, then spent three years with the Newfoundland comedy group CODCO as an actor, writer, musician, and composer. His playing Peter in The Diary of Anne Frank (with Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson) brought him to New York and, eventually, Broadway, where he has played principal roles in Side Show, The Nerd, Shimada, Hay Fever, and Abe Lincoln in Illinois. His theatre work includes several world premieres, among them Big River, The Nether, Lydie Breeze, Life and Limb, Hyde in Hollywood, and Found a Peanut. Shakespearean roles include Malvolio at The Old Globe, Prospero at Theatre by the Bay, and Mercutio at La Jolla Playhouse (which won him a Dramalogue Award). On film, he played opposite Burt Lancaster (in Atlantic City), James Cagney (in Ragtime), Madonna (in Desperately Seeking Susan), Rosie O'Donnell (in Harriet the Spy), and Denzel Washington (in Fallen). In the horror genre, Joy played a sympathetic assassin in George A. Romero's Land of the Dead and the mutant Lizard in The Hills Have Eyes. More than 200 episodes of television include guest-star appearances on "The Good Wife," "The Mentalist," "Everybody Loves Raymond," and eight seasons as medical examiner Sid Hammerback on "CSI: NY."

Martyn G. Krouse (Sir Gordon/Speaker of the House/Ensemble)

Martyn G. Krouse is a Seattle-based actor and voiceover artist. His work has been seen in acclaimed productions at several local theatres, including Intiman Theatre Festival, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Washington Ensemble Theatre, and Sound Theatre Company, among many others. He has also made a number of television, radio, and film appearances. Martyn is pleased to be making his debut at the Seattle Repertory Theatre in this groundbreaking show.

Dan Hiatt (James Reiss)

Dan Hiatt has appeared at Seattle Rep as Adrian in Private Eyes. His work in the San Francisco Bay Area includes roles in: Ah, Wilderness, Love and Information, The Cherry Orchard, and The Rivals at the American Conservatory Theater; Joe Turner's Come and Gone and Dinner with Friends at Berkeleey Repertory Theatre; The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby and many others at California Shakespeare Theater; The 39 Steps at TheatreWorks; Picasso at the Lapin Agile at Theatre on the Square; Breakfast with Mugabe at Aurora Theatre Company; and Anne Boleyn at Marin Theatre Company. Regional theatre credits include work with Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Arizona Theatre Company, the Huntington Theatre Company, The Pasadena Playhouse, Theatre Calgary, and Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C.

Christopher McLinden (William)

Christopher McLinden makes his Seattle Repertory Theatre debut with King Charles III. New York credits include Tempest (La MaMa E.T.C), Everything That Rises Must Converge (Compagnia de' Colombari), and Nicholas Maeve Marianne (New York International Fringe Festival). McLinden's regional credits include: Last of the Boys and The Diary of Anne Frank at Steppenwolf Theatre Company; The Lion in Winter, Seagull, and The Duchess of Malfi at Writers Theatre; The Taming of the Shrew at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Twelfth Night and Cymbeline at Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival; Speak American at City Theatre in Pittsburgh; Celebrity Row at American Theater Company; Vincent in Brixton at Apple Tree Theatre; A Midsummer Night's Dream at First Folio Theatre; and The Lady from the Sea at Greasy Joan & Co. Film and television credits include "Boardwalk Empire"(HBO), Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (HBO), and "Alpha House" (Amazon Studios). He is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association and The Actors Center in New York City.

Chiara Motley (Ghost, Newspaper Woman, Other)

Chiara Motley makes her Seattle Rep debut with King Charles III. She was last seen at Virginia Stage Company as Ann Deever in All My Sons. Recent credits include the title role in the world premiere of Gwydion Suilebhan's new play The Butcher (Gulfshore Playhouse) and Mary Hatch in It's a Wonderful Life (Center Stage in Baltimore). Other regional credits include: King Lear at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival; The Three Musketeers at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts; Othelloand The Comedy of Errors at Seattle Shakespeare Company's Wooden O; and the one-woman show The Syringa Tree, which she performed in Denver, Colorado. Motley received her B.A. from Stanford University and her M.F.A from the National Theatre Conservatory. Her voice can be heard on the "Nancy Drew" video games (Her Interactive). She coproduced and starred in a short film, And, Apart, which will make its festival debut this fall.

Jeanne Paulsen (Camilla)

Jeanne Paulsen was nominated for a Tony Award for her work in Robert Schenkkan's The Kentucky Cycle, directed by Warner Shook, starring Stacy Keach. Also on Broadway, she performed the role of Ann Putnam in The Crucible, directed by Richard Eyre, starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney. Paulsen has performed in theatres nationwide, including McCarter Theatre (Marceline in The Figaro Plays, directed by Stephen Wadsworth), the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (Margaret in Richard III, the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, Sister Aloysius in Doubt, Kate Keller in All My Sons, Mrs. Warren in Mrs. Warren's Profession, Penny Sycamore in You Can't Take It with You, Terry in Side Man, Molly in Molly Sweeney, and Maggie in Memory House), A Contemporary Theatre (Josie in A Moon for the Misbegotten), Intiman Theatre (Mrs. Webb in Our Town, directed by Bartlett Sher, Birdie in The Little Foxes, Grace in Faith Healer), South Coast Repertory (Rosie in Holy Days, for which she received a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Lead Performance), and many, many more.

Ian Merrill Peakes (Prime Minister Evans)

Ian Merrill Peakes is an actor based in Philadelphia. Credits in Philadelphia include: Equivocation, Something Intangible (Barrymore Award), and All My Sons (Barrymore Award) at Arden Theatre Company; The Body of an American and Invention of Love at The Wilma Theater; Side Man (Barrymore Award) at Philadelphia Theatre Company; The Invisible Hand (Barrymore Award Nomination) and Red Light Winter (Barrymore Award nomination) at Theatre Exile; Peter and the Starcatcher at Walnut Street Theatre; and work at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and People's Light. Regional credits include: The Taming of the Shrew at Shakespeare Theatre Company; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Helen Hayes Award), Othello, Henry VIII (Helen Hayes Award nomination), Macbeth (Helen Hayes Award nomination), and The Game of Love and Chance (Helen Hayes Award nomination) at Folger Theatre; The Catch, Glengarry Glen Ross, and When Tang Met Laika at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts; The Crucible and Twelfth Night at Actors Theatre of Louisville; Much Ado about Nothing at Shakespeare Santa Cruz; and The False Servant at PICT Classic Theatre. Television credits include "Still Standing," "Hack," and "Homicide: Life on the Street." Film credits include Lebanon, Pa, and A Gentleman's Game.

Rudy Roushdi (Ensemble)

Rudy is thrilled to be making his Seattle Rep debut with the company of King Charles III. Recent regional credits include: The Winter's Tale (Florizel) at Seattle Shakespeare Company; Suffering Inc.(Michael) at Pony World Theatre; Brooklyn Bridge (Sam) at Seattle Children's Theatre; Twelfth Night (Duke Orsino) at Island Stage Left; and Romeo and Juliet (Benvolio) and The Importance of Being Earnest (Merriman) at Orlando Shakespeare Theater. He is a recent graduate of the Professional Actor Training Program at the University of Washington School of Drama. For more information visit: www.rudyroushdi.com.

Harry Smith (Harry)

Harry is thrilled to be making his Seattle Rep debut in King Charles III. U.S. credits include: King Charles III on Broadway; The Body of an American, The Real Thing, and Rapture, Blister, Burn at The Wilma Theater; And Then There Were None, The Mousetrap, and An Ideal Husband at Walnut Street Theatre; The Explorers Club at Delaware Theatre Company; Pumpgirl, The Walworth Farce, and The Hand of Gaul at Inis Nua Theatre Company; Photograph 51 and Emma at Lantern Theater Company; and Pride & Prejudice at People's Light. U.K. credits include: The Merchant of Venice at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh; Twelfth Night and Les Liaisons Dangereuses at Bristol Old Vic; Serious Money at Cambridge Arts Theatre; and Gorboduc at Shakespeare's Globe. On-screen appearances include "The Good Wife," "Crossbones," and the feature film Freedom. Harry lives in Philadelphia, and trained at the University of Cambridge and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Ayo Tushinde (Ensemble)

Ayo graduated from Savannah College of Art & Design before moving to Seattle in 2011. She has enjoyed working with a number of local theatres, including Seattle Shakespeare Company, Live Girls! Theater, Theater Schmeater, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Mirror Stage, New Century Theatre, Sound Theatre Company, Washington Ensemble Theatre, and The Seagull Project. Her most recent credits include the role of Mary Magdalene in Sound Theatre Company's production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot and as part of the ensemble in WET's production of Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. Ayo is very excited to be making her Seattle Repertory Theatre stage debut as a member of the Seattle ensemble in King Charles III.

Allison Jean White (Kate)

Theatre credits include Broadway: Man and Boy (Roundabout Theatre Company); Off-Broadway: The Shaughraun (Irish Repertory Theatre); National Tour: The 39 Steps; Regional Theatre: King Charles III, The Realistic Joneses, The Imaginary Invalid, The Circle, Travesties, The Real Thing, and A Christmas Carol (American Conservatory Theater); Disgraced (Arizona Theatre Company); Orwell in America (world premiere, Northern Stage); Uncle Vanya (Living Room Theatre); Abigail's Party (San Francisco Playhouse); The Odd Couple (Virginia Stage Company); Heartbreak House (Berkeley Repertory Theatre); The Crowd You're In With and Tir na nOg (world premieres, Magic Theatre); and Red Light Winter (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater). Television and film credits include "The Blacklist," "The Slap," "High Maintenance," "I Love You...But I Lied," "As The World Turns," The Family Fang, and "We're All Gonna Die." White is a graduate oF Brown University and the A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts Program.

Mike Bartlett (Playwright)

Mike Bartlett is a multi-award-winning playwright and screenwriter whose most recent plays include: Wild (Hampstead Theatre); Game (Almeida Theatre); King Charles III (Almeida Theatre, the West End, and Broadway; Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best New Play, Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play, and Tony Award nomination for Best Play); An Intervention (Paines Plough and Watford Palace Theatre); Bull (Sheffield Theatres and off Broadway; TMA Award for Best New Play and Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affilliate Theatre); Medea (Citizens Theatre and Headlong); a stage adaptation of Chariots of Fire (Hampstead Theatre and the West End); 13(National Theatre); Love, Love, Love (Paines Plough, The Drum at Theatre Royal Plymouth, and Royal Court Theatre; TMA Award for Best New Play); Earthquakes in London (Headlong and National Theatre); c*ck(Royal Court Theatre and off Broadway; Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre); Artefacts (Nabokov and Bush Theatre); and Contractions and My Child (Royal Court Theatre). Bartlett has also written award-winning works for radio, received BAFTA nominations for two television series, and recently won Outstanding Newcomer for British Television Writing at the 2016 British Screenwriters Awards for his T.V. series "Doctor Foster."

David Muse (Director)

David Muse just began his seventh season as artistic director of Studio Theatre, Washington, D.C.'s premier venue for contemporary plays. He has directed 17 plays at Studio Theatre, including Chimerica, Tribes, The Real Thing, The Habit of Art, Frozen, Blackbird, and Mike Bartlett's Cock. Previously, Muse was the associate artistic director at Shakespeare Theatre Company, where he directed six plays by Shakespeare, including Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, and Romeo and Juliet. Other recent directing projects include Frankie and Johnny at Arena Stage, Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eyeat Theatre Alliance, and Patrick Page's Swansong for the New York Summer Play Festival. He has helped to develop new works at numerous theatres including New York Theatre Workshop, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Ford's Theatre, Arena Stage, and Geva Theatre Center. Muse has also taught acting and directing at Georgetown University, Yale University, and Shakespeare Theatre Company's Academy for Classical Acting. A seven-time Helen Hayes Award nominee for outstanding direction, he is a recent recipient of the D.C. Mayor's Arts Award. Muse is a graduate of Yale University and Yale School of Drama.

Seattle Rep was founded in 1963 and is currently led by Artistic Director Braden Abraham and Managing Director Jeffrey Herrmann. One of America's premier not-for-profit resident theatres, Seattle Repertory Theatre has achieved international renown for its consistently high production and artistic standards, and was awarded the 1990 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. With an emphasis on entertaining plays of true dramatic and literary worth, Seattle Rep produces a season of plays along with educational programs, new play workshops, and special presentations.

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