Photo Flash: Go Inside Rehearsals of Shakespeare Theatre Company's RICHARD THE THIRD
By: Alan Henry Feb. 04, 2019
After his hit production of King Charles III, David Muse returns to Shakespeare Theatre Company to direct Shakespeare's Richard the Third, a mesmerizing chronicle of the megalomaniac's rampage to the throne. The production will play at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) from February 5-March 10, 2019.
Returning to STC in the titular role is Matthew Rauch, best known for his role on Cinemax's Banshee. Other familiar faces in the 28-person cast will include David Bishins (Twelfth Night) as King Edward IV/Ratcliffe, Cody Nickell (The School For Lies) as Duke of Clarence/Tyrrel, Todd Scofield (The Comedy of Errors) as Rivers and Harry A. Winter (Kiss Me, Kate) as the Bishop of Ely, Robynn Rodriguez (Richard II) as Queen Elizabeth and award-winning Indian Ink actor Firdous Bamji (Troilus & Cressida)) as Buckingham. Actors making their STC debut include Broadway, film and television veteran Lizan Mitchell (Electra, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) as Margaret, Broadway actress Sandra Shipley (Present Laughter ) as the Duchess of York and Broadway's Cara Ricketts (Time and the Conways) as Lady Anne.
Richard the Third is the ultimate story of villainy, charting the rise of a tyrant who will stop at nothing to gain power. As he climbs ever higher, Richard bends the world to his will until even his mother can't bear to own him. A study of both character and society, Richard the Third comments sharply on how a nation allows itself to fall into line.
"It's a great play for now," says Muse, currently Artistic Director of Studio Theatre. "It's about a heartless man, a con artist, a man obsessed with winning and power, a misogynist, a spinner of news and misinformation, a man who thrives by beating others, a man who uses and discards people. It's about how a country responds to a leader like this. We watch people negotiate with their own mortality, align themselves with power and resist secretly if at all."
Support for Richard the Third is provided by KPMG LLP and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The production restaurant partner is Rosa Mexicano.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
David Muse STC: Affiliated Artist; Associate Artistic Director, 2005-2010; Director: King Charles III (co-production with ACT and Seattle Repertory Theatre), Coriolanus, Henry V, The Taming of the Shrew (Free For All), Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, On the Eve of Friday Morning, Pericles (Free For All); Assistant Director: Othello, Lady Windermere's Fan, The Tempest, Pericles, Macbeth; director of numerous readings, galas and special events; Master Acting Class instructor. REGIONAL: The Studio Theatre: Artistic Director since 2010; Director: 20 productions including The Effect, The Father, Tribes, The Habit of Art, Frozen, Blackbird, Cock; Arena Stage: Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune; Theatre Alliance: The Bluest Eye; New York Summer Play Festival: Patrick Page's Swansong. TEACHING: Shakespeare Theatre Company's Academy for Classical Acting; Georgetown University; Yale University. OTHER: New play development at numerous theatres including New York Theatre Workshop, Arena Stage, New Dramatists, Geva Theatre, Kennedy Center, Ford's Theatre. AWARDS: Eight-time Helen Hayes Award nominee for Outstanding Direction; D.C. Mayor's Arts Award for Outstanding Emerging Artist. TRAINING: Yale University: BA; Yale School of Drama: MFA in Directing.
ABOUT THE CAST
Logan Matthew Baker (Duke of York) REGIONAL: NextStop Theatre Company: The Wizard of Oz, Once Upon a Mattress. FILM: El Viaje, America's Promise, Malice Emergence. TELEVISION: Department of Education PSA, Firearm Safety PSA, Hell Begins Tomorrow. TRAINING: Broadway Artists Alliance NYC, G. Gardner Talent Management. WEB: IG: @LoganMatthewBaker.
Firdous Bamji* (Buckingham) STC: Troilus & Cressida, Much Ado About Nothing, Richard II. NEW YORK: SubUrbia, Crocodiles in the Potomac, Measure for Measure, The Changeling, Gum, Homebody/Kabul, Indian Ink (Obie Award). NATIONAL TOURS: The King & I. REGIONAL: ACT: Indian Ink, The Birthday Party. Goodman Theatre: Dollhouse. Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Homebody/Kabul. Hartford Stage: Othello. Huntington Theatre: Mary Stuart. Center Stage: As You Like It, Galileo. Long Wharf Theatre: In the Heart of America. Studio Theatre: The Lisbon Traviata. Trustus Theatre: Drinking in America, Burn This, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, Danny & The Deep Blue Sea, Bent, Beirut. INTERNATIONAL: A Disappearing Number (Olivier, Evening Standard and Critics' Circle Theatre Awards). FILM: Ashes, The War Within (Independent Spirit Award nom.), Justice, Analyze That, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable. TELEVISION: Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, Madam Secretary, Berlin Station. AUDIOBOOKS: The Gambler, Camille, The Hungry Tide, The Echelon Vendetta, Ben-Hur, Siddhartha, The Enchantress of Florence (Audie Award nom.).
David Bishins* (King Edward IV/Ratcliffe) STC: Twelfth Night, Othello (2017 Free For All), Macbeth, The Tempest, The Winter's Tale (Free For All). NEW YORK: Off-Broadway: Clurman Theatre: The Glass House; SPF at The Public: We Declare You a Terrorist; TACT: Incident at Vichy; Lortel Theatre: Catch-22, Boys in the Band; Second Stage: Sympathetic Magic; Tectonic Theater Project: The Nest; WPA: Boys in the Band; CSC: Tower of Evil. REGIONAL: Mark Taper Forum / Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: Appropriate; Barrington Stage: Much Ado about Nothing; Old Globe: Brighton Beach Memoirs / Broadway Bound, Life of Riley; Intiman Theatre: To Kill a Mockingbird; Long Wharf Theatre: A Month in the Country, Rag and Bone; Vermont Stage: True West; Wilma Theater: Arcadia; Pittsburgh Public: The Dybbuk; Hartford Stage: Reckless. FILM: A Cure for Wellness, SALT, The Adjustment Bureau, Henry's Crime, Sorry, Haters!, The War Within, The Magic Helmet. TELEVISION: House of Cards, Homeland, Blue Bloods, Fringe, Babylon Fields (pilot), the Law & Order canon. TRAINING: The Juilliard School.
Sofiya Cheyenne * (Mayor) New York based actress, creator and disability advocate. NEW YORK: The Lilliput Troupe (Perla Ovitz) at Dixon Place, American Theater for Actors, Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, The Briefly Dead (Phyllis) at 59E59, Other World (Vendor) at Baryshnikov Arts Center, The Conspiracists (Dee Dee) at IRT, The Golden Smile (Director) at The Kraine Theater. REGIONAL: Guys and Dolls (Big Jule) at Theater Under The Stars. TELEVISON: At Home With Amy Sedaris (Doris) on TrueTV, StartUP (Doris) on Sony Crackle, Loudermilk (Louise) on DirectTV's AUDIENCENetwork. OTHER: Dwarfdom, Nothing Short of a Journey, Variety magazine, Refinery29, NowThis as an advocate. TRAINING: CUNY Brooklyn College: BFA in Acting and BA in Psychology. WEB: SofiyaCheyenne.com.
Sheldon Donenberg + (Ensemble) STC: Romeo and Juliet (2018 Free For All). REGIONAL: Shakespeare Center Los Angeles: Henry IV (Various/Hal u/s), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (O'Casey, Ensemble), Twelfth Night (Antonio); The Last Orchard Theatre Company: Waiting for Lefty (Fatt), The Bad Seed (Leroy), Dog Sees God (Charlie Brown). FILM: Mendacity, Shanty Town, Squeal. AWARDS: 2017 National YoungArts Foundation Theatre Finalist, 2014 Jerry Herman Award-Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. TRAINING: Los Angeles County HS for the Arts: Theatre Graduate 2016.
Elizabeth Erb+ (Ensemble) NEW YORK: Off-Broadway: New Light Theatre Project, Amios, Firebone Theatre. REGIONAL: Guthrie Theater, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Hangar Theatre, Public Theatre of Minnesota, BARd Shakespeare. TRAINING: University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program. WEB: ElizabethErb.com.
Jonathan Feuer * (Lord Grey) STC: As You Like It. REGIONAL: Signature Theatre: John; Theater J: The Call; Mosaic Theater Company: Charm; Rep Stage: Antigone Project; Kennedy Center TYA: How to Catch a Star, Flowers Stink; Imagination Stage: Charlotte's Web, The Freshest Snow Whyte; The Hub Theatre: Redder Blood; Forum Theatre: Passion Play, The 'T' Party,9 Circles; Keegan Theatre: A Few Good Men; Adventure Theatre MTC: A Little House Christmas; Quotidian Theatre Company: A Little Trick, Talking Pictures; Annapolis Shakespeare Company: As You Like It. OTHER: Company Member: Only Make Believe (interactive theatre for children in hospitals & care facilities). TRAINING: STC's Academy for Classical Acting at The George Washington University.
Ahmad Kamal *(Brakenbury) REGIONAL: Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: Gloria, KISS; Signature Theatre: 4,380 Nights; Olney Theatre Center: The Invisible Hand; Mosaic Theater: The Return; Forum Theatre: I Call My Brothers, Love and Information, Blackberry Winter; Adventure Theatre: Aladdin and The Wonderful Lamp; Studio Theatre: The Hard Problem (u/s). TRAINING: Bristol Old Vic Theatre School: MA in Professional Acting; University of Virginia: BFA in Theatre.
John Keabler* (Catesby) STC: Romeo and Juliet (2018 Free For All); Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2. REGIONAL: The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey: Merchant of Venice, Richard III, It's a Wonderful Life; Contemporary American Theatre Festival: A Late Morning in America (one person show as Ronald Reagan); Perseverance Theatre: Cyrano de Bergerac; Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival: As You Like It, The Three Musketeers; Syracuse Stage: To Kill a Mockingbird; The Old Globe: Romeo and Juliet, Merry Wives of Windsor, Hamlet, Measure for Measure, In This Corner (world premiere); Portland Stage Company: Arsenic and Old Lace; Virginia Stage Company: K2; Florida Studio Theatre: The Columnist (regional premiere); Creede Repertory: Crazy for You, Light Up the Sky. FILM: Sugar (starring Alice Ripley), Faith, Love and Whiskey. TELEVISION: Madam Secretary, 30 Rock, NASCAR: The Rise of American Speed, The Men Who Built America, All My Children. TRAINING: The Old Globe. WEB: JohnKeabler.com.
Mihir Kumar + (Ensemble) INTERNATIONAL: The Australian Shakespeare Company (Melbourne): The Comedy of Errors (Antipholus of Ephesus). TRAINING: UCLA: BA in Communication Studies & Theatre; American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T): Certificate in Acting; National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA): Certificate in Acting. WEB: Instagram: mihir.is.here.
Matthew Aldwin McGee* (Murderer 2) STC: King Charles III; Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2; The Merry Wives of Windsor; The Two Gentlemen of Verona; Much Ado About Nothing. REGIONAL: Studio Theatre: Translations, Rocky Horror; Constellation Theatre: Arabian Nights, Urinetown, Scapin, Taking Steps (Helen Hayes Award, Best Supporting Actor); Imagination Stage: The BFG (Helen Hayes Award Nominee, Best Supporting Actor), Wonderland: Alice's Rock & Roll Adventure; Adventure Theatre: Frosty the Snowman; WSC Avant Bard: The Good Devil, In Spite of Himself; Folger Theatre: Romeo & Juliet; LiveArt DC: The Merry Death of Robin Hood; Flying V: The Pirate Laureate 2; Edge of the Universe: Entertaining Mr. Sloane. TEACHING: Previous instructor at the National Conservatory for Dramatic Arts in Georgetown; Instructor for Smithsonian Summer Camps. STC 2011 Acting Fellow. OTHER: Award-winning puppet designer. TRAINING: BA in Theatre from Fresno State University. WEB: MattaMagical.com.
Sam Midwood (Ensemble) NEW YORK: Off-Off Broadway: Incite Productions: Waiting for Lefty. NATIONAL TOUR: The Three Musketeers. REGIONAL: Compass Rose Theatre: Disgraced, A Chorus Line; Lillian Theatre: Julius Caesar; The Magellan Project: Speed-The-Plow, The Misanthrope; 14th St. Playhouse: The One-Armed Man. TRAINING: UNC School of the Arts.
Lizan Mitchell* (Margaret) NEW YORK: Broadway credits include Electra, Having Our Say and So Long on Lonely Street. Off-Broadway credits include The First Noel, Brownsville Song, Cell, The Hurricane Katrina Comedy Festival, Rosmersholm, For Colored Girls, Gum, Salt and Ma Rose. REGIONAL: Dead and Breathing (London, Liverpool, National Black Theater and CATF), Skeleton Crew (Trinity Rep), A Raisin in the Sun (Arena Stage, Helen Hayes Award), My Lord What a Night (Premiere Stages), The Good Peaches (Cleveland Play House), The House That Will Not Stand (Yale Repertory, Berkeley Repertory, Victory Gardens), An Issue of Blood (Victory Gardens), Dead and Breathing (CATF), The Last Fall (Crossroads Theater), Having Our Say (McCarter), Fabulation (Center Stage) and Woolly Mammoth, Pittsburgh Public Theater, TheaterWorks, Goodman, Proposition Theatre, San Jose Repertory, Crossroads Theatre and the Humana Festival. FILM/TELEVISION: Of Monsters and Men, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Detroit, Brooklynification, Deadbeat, We'll Never Have Paris, Golden Boy, John Adams (HBO), The Good Wife, Law & Order, The Human Stain, The Preacher's Wife, Sesame Street and The Wire.
Charlie Niccolini (Young Prince Edward) Charlie is making his professional debut at STC. He has appeared as Danny Zuko in Grease, Sky in Mamma Mia and Baby John in West Side Story, as well as on camera commercials. He is a sophomore at Gilman School in Baltimore and is a protégé of Linda Townsend Management.
Cody Nickell* (Duke of Clarence/Tyrrell) STC: The School for Lies, Romeo and Juliet. REGIONAL: Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: Company Member, Botticelli in the Fire, Baby Screams Miracle, Stupid F***ing Bird (World Premiere), In the Next Room, Clybourne Park; Folger Theatre: Antony and Cleopatra, Mary Stuart, Taming of the Shrew, Arcadia, Macbeth; Studio Theatre: Animal (World Premiere); Portland Center Stage: Outrage (World Premiere), The Pillowman, How to Disappear Completely...(U.S. Premiere), The Merchant of Venice; Santa Cruz Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, King Lear, As You Like It; PlayMakers Rep: Playboy of the Western World, Henry IV Part I, Henry V; Arden Theatre: A Doll's House, Crime and Punishment, The Whipping Man; Wilma Theater: The Understudy; Gulfshore Playhouse: Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol, All My Sons, Art, Constellations; San Jose Rep: Mary's Wedding (U.S. Premiere). FILM: My America, Dorian Blues. TELEVISION: That 70's Show, All My Children, Celebrity Death Match. AWARDS: Connecticut Critics Circle Best Actor for Visiting Mister Green. TRAINING: Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama.
Matthew Rauch* (Richard III) STC: Henry V (Dauphin), Macbeth (Malcolm). BROADWAY: Junk, The Merchant of Venice, Prelude to a Kiss; OFF-BROADWAY includes: Signature Theater: A Particle of Dread, Book of Days; Playwrights' Horizons: Kin; Shakespeare in the Park: The Winters' Tale; Red Bull Theater:The Revenger's Tragedy, Edward the Second, The Duchess of Malfi; MCC: Still Life. REGIONAL includes: Hartford Stage: title role in Macbeth; Arena Stage: The Miser; La Jolla, Williamstown, Long Wharf, Rep. Theater of St. Louis. FILM includes: The Wolf of Wall Street, The Tale, Daddy, Labor Day, No Reservations. TELEVISION includes: 4 seasons on Banshee; recurring roles:Chambers, Blue Bloods, NCIS New Orleans, Shades of Blue, Believe, Treme; also Seven Seconds, Bull, The Good Wife, SVU, The Blacklist, Law and Order. OTHER: Kennedy Center:Henry V with the National Symphony. AWARDS: Callaway Award - Bosola in The Duchess of Malfi; Connecticut Critics Circle Award - Best Actor for Macbeth.
Cara Ricketts * (Lady Anne) In theatre, Cara has performed extensively in both Canada and the U.S. including several seasons as a leading lady at Canada's esteemed Stratford Festival, the leading role of Isabella in Measure for Measure for Theatre for a New Audience in New York, and most recently Time and the Conways on Broadway. Other selected credits include Queenie in The Wild Party (Acting UpStage) for which she was nominated for a Dora Award for Outstanding Performance, Hedda in Hedda Gabler (Necessary Angel), Marianne in Constellations and Susan in Race (Canadian Stage), opposite Jason Priestly. Ms. Ricketts can currently be seen in the recurring role of Mary in the highly acclaimed CBC / Netflix series Anne with an E, and also as a guest star in WB's DC series Titans. Her previous credits include guest stars on BBC America's Emmy Award-winning series Orphan Black, as well as NBC's Law & Order: SVU, CTV's Saving Hope, CBC's Murdoch Mysteries and E1's mini-series Book of Negroes. Her feature film credits include Jean of the Joneses, Across the Line, and The Anniversary. Cara has also developed quite a fan base the leading role of "Sayla" in Ubisoft's Far Cry Primal.
Robynn Rodriguez * (Queen Elizabeth) STC: Duchess of Gloucester in Richard II, Chorus 1/Alice in Henry V. NEW YORK: Off-Broadway: The Public Theater: Party People (dir. Liesl Tommy). REGIONAL: Berkeley Repertory Theatre: Louise in Ghost Light, Clytemnestra in The Oresteia; Guthrie Theater: Barbara in Nickel and Dimed; Repertory Theatre of St. Louis: Gertrude in Hamlet; Arizona Theatre Company: Aoife in Outside Mullingar, Virginia in Native Gardens; Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Barbara in August: Osage County, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Volumnia in Coriolanus, Aemilia in Othello, Gabriela Pecs in Pentecost, Mama in Distracted, Constance in King John, Kate in Taming of the Shrew, Barbara Undershaft in Major Barbara; Kennedy Center: Rosa In Magic Fire; Intiman Theatre: The Angel in Angels in America: Millennium Approaches/Perestroika; Denver Center Theatre Company: Arsinoe in The Misanthrope, Patricia in The Last Yankee, Mathurine in Don Juan. INTERNATIONAL: Birmingham Rep/The Barbican, England: Connie Vine/Ash in The Continental Divide: Mothers Against/Daughters of the Revolution; Represented OSF at the 43rd Annual Festival des Jeux du Theatre, Sarlat, France. OTHER: Director: Utah Shakespeare Festival: King John, Two Gentlemen of Verona, As You Like It; PCPA/Pacific Conservatory Theatre: Richard III; University of Texas, Austin: Twelfth Night; Dartmouth College: She-Wolf of France; American Players Theatre: A Lovely Sunday For Creve Coeur (Summer 2019). AWARDS: Garland Award: Kate in Taming of the Shrew; SF Bay Area Critics' Circle Award: Connie Vine in Continental Divide: Mothers Against. Training: American Conservatory Theatre, MFA in Acting. WEB: RobynnRodriguez.com.
Michael Rudko * (Lord Stanley) STC: Twelfth Night (Feste), Cymbeline (Belarius), Hedda Gabler (Tesman), Lorenzaccio, The Tempest. NEW YORK: Broadway: The Audience, Saint Joan, Romeo & Juliet, Mary Stuart, The Best Man, Timon of Athens, Serious Money. Off-Broadway: Titus Andronicus, As You Like It, Love's Labor's Lost, Henry V (TFANA); As You Like It, King Lear, Richard II (Public/NYSF), House for Sale (Transport Group). INTERNATIONAL: Richard III (Bridge Project); We Are Not These Hands (Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus); True West (Donmar Warehouse); Antony & Cleopatra, Julius Caesar (Globe Theatre, London). REGIONAL: ART, Arena Stage, California Shakespeare, Center Stage, Dallas Theater Center, Folger, Geva, Mark Taper Forum, McCarter, New Jersey Shakespeare, Old Globe, Pioneer, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Yale Rep, Wilma Rep, Wilma.
Billy Saunders Jr. (Ensemble) NATIONAL TOUR: Encore!! (produced by Spring Sirkin). NEW YORK: The Evoke Festival. REGIONAL: Hartford Stage, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Monomoy Theatre, Capital Classics Theatre Company, 4615 Theatre Company, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. TELEVISION: Evil Kin (Investigation Discovery). FILM: Dinner Party VR (Digital Cave Media). TRAINING: The Hartt School: BFA Actor Training; Drama Studio London. WEB: BillySaundersJr.com.
Todd Scofield* (Rivers) STC: The Comedy of Errors, As You Like It, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, As You Like It, Cymbeline, The Taming of the Shrew, The Imaginary Invalid, Twelfth Night, The Way of the World, Design for Living, Lady Windermere's Fan, Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2. REGIONAL: Kennedy Center: Mister Roberts; Round House Theatre: The Book of Will, Beauty Queen of Leenane, This, Double Indemnity, Tabletop; Folger Theatre: Mary Stuart, Othello, Cyrano, Henry VIII, Ghost in Hamlet, Caliban in The Tempest, King Lear, Measure for Measure; Theater J: C.S. Lewis in Freud's Last Session, Bal Masque; Olney Theatre Center; Ford's Theatre; Everyman Theatre; Imagination Stage; Adventure Theatre; Arden Theatre: C.S. Lewis in Freud's Last Session; four seasons at North Carolina Shakespeare Festival; Barter Theatre; Charlotte Repertory Theatre; PlayMakers. TELEVISION: The Wire (recurring role, Seasons 3 and 5).
Stephen G. Shelter (Ensemble) Stephen holds an MFA from the Catholic University of America and a certificate in Shakespearean performance from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Credits include over 50 roles in plays from Turgenev to Beckett to Tagore. In addition to acting, Stephen enjoys creating puppet plays with his wife, Julia.
Sandra Shipley * (Duchess of York) NEW YORK: Broadway: Present Laughter (Tony nomination Best Revival), The Importance of Being Earnest, Blithe Spirit, Equus, Pygmalion, Retreat From Moscow, Vincent In Brixton, The Deep Blue Sea, Indiscretions. Off-Broadway: Roundabout: Arms And The Man, Suddenly Last Summer. The Public Theatre: Venus, Stuff Happens. Lincoln Center: The Carpetbagger's Children. Manhattan Theatre Club: Kindertransport. Second Stage: The Clearing, Once Around The City. Mint Theatre: Hindle Wakes, Rutherford and Son. City Center Encores: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. NATIONAL TOURS: Anything Goes, Blithe Spirit. REGIONAL: A.R.T., Boston Shakespeare Company, Dallas Theatre Center, Geva, Guthrie, Gloucester Stage, Humana Festival, Huntington, La Jolla, Long Wharf, McCarter, Merrimack Rep., Old Globe, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Yale Rep. INTERNATIONAL: U.K. Royal Court/West End: Look Back In Anger, Royal Shakespeare Company: Twelfth Night, The Winter's Tale, When Thou Art King, London Assurance, Major Barbara. Regional Rep. Tour: Private Lives. FILM: Monument Avenue, Mermaids. Television: Law and Order and Law and Order S.V.U., Third Watch, Lipstick Jungle. AWARDS: Elliot Norton Medal for Sustained Theatre Excellence. L.A. Robbie Award, I.R.N.E's for Mary Tyrone in Long Day's Journey Into Night, Medea, Kath in Entertaining Mr. Sloane. EDUCATION: London University, New College of Speech and Drama.
David Ryan Smith* (Murderer 1/Scrivener) NEW YORK: Broadway: One Man, Two Guvnors; Passing Strange. Off-Broadway: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry V, Twelfth Night, Romeo & Juliet, The Comedy of Errors, Pericles (The Public Theater), Gone Missing (City Center/Encores! Off Center), Mankind (Playwrights Horizons), The Death of the Last Black Man...(Signature Theater), The Glory of the World (BAM), Marat/Sade (Classical Theater of Harlem). REGIONAL: Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Actors Theater of Louisville, Barrington Stage, American Conservatory Theater, Dallas Theater Center, Triad Stage, Crossroads Theater Company, etc. FILM: The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Bee Season. TRAINING: MFA, American Conservatory Theater; BFA, University of Evansville.
Evelyn Spahr* (Richmond) NEW YORK: Off-Broadway: New York Theatre Workshop: Light Shining in Buckinghamshire. NATIONAL TOURS: Remarkably Normal. REGIONAL: Hartford Stage: Henry V. FILM: The Post. TV: Vinyl TRAINING: NYU: BFA in Acting.
Andrew Thornton+ (Ensemble) AWARDS: KCACTF Region 7 (Northwest) winner for Irene Ryan's scholarship. TRAINING: University of Wyoming: BFA in Musical Theatre.
Derrick Lee Weeden* (Hastings) STC: Henry IV Part 1 and Part 2 (Lord Chief Justice), Coriolanus (Sicinius), Wallenstein (Kolibas ), Richard II (Northumberland), Henry V (Exeter). REGIONAL: Guthrie Theater: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (John Prentice Sr.); Syracuse Stage / Seattle Repertory Theatre: The Piano Lesson (Doaker Charles); Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts: Fences (Troy), The Whipping Man (Simon), Cyrano De Bergerac (Cyrano); Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Othello (Othello); 22 Seasons at Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Hamlet (Polonius), Great Expectations (Magwich), Antony and Cleopatra (Mark Antony), Death and The Kings Horseman (Elesin), The Tempest (Prospero), Gem of the Ocean (Ceasar), The Philanderer (Leonard Charteris), Julius Caesar (Brutus), The Three Sisters (Vershinin), Othello (Othello), Seven Guitars (Headley), Le Blancs (Tshembe Matoseh), Coriolanus (Coriolanus), Measure for Measure (Duke Vincentio), Richard II (Bolingbroke), among others; Milwaukee Repertory Theatre; Portland Center Stage; Great Lakes Theatre Festival; Alabama Shakespeare Festival; Berkeley Repertory Theatre. NATIONAL TOURS: Barbican Theatre Center (London) / La Jolla Playhouse / Birmingham Rep (U.K.) / Berkeley Repertory / Oregon Shakespeare Festival: The Continental Divide: Daughters of The Revolution (Kwesi Ntuli) and Mother's Against (Vincent Baptiste). AWARDS: Back Stage Garland Awards for Othello and Les Blancs. TRAINING: Southern Methodist University: MFA.
Harry A. Winter* (Bishop of Ely) STC: Kiss Me, Kate; The Government Inspector; A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; The Tempest (u/s Alonso/Gonzalo). NATIONAL TOURS: Gigi, Jolson the Musical. REGIONAL: Signature Theatre: Allegro, 110 in the Shade, Pacific Overtures, Xanadu; Kennedy Center: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Mame; Olney Theatre Center: Racing Demon, Laramie Project, Bringing Up Amy; Washington Jewish Theatre: Pins and Needles, Forum. TELEVISION: Homicide, The Wire. TRAINING: Midwestern University; Edinboro University; Berklee College of Music; Johns Hopkins University: BA in music education
THE DESIGNERS
Scenic Designer Debra Booth returns to STC following her work on The Lover and The Collection. REGIONAL: Humana Festival at The Actors Theatre of Louisville: This Beautiful City; Children's Theater Company: Lost Boys of the Sudan; Milwaukee Repertory Theater: I Just Stopped By to See the Man; Studio Theatre: Hambone, Privates on Parade, The Shape of Things, Far Away, A Number, Caroline or Change, Fat Pig, Russian National Postal Service, This Beautiful City, Road to Mecca, Blackbird, Afterplay, Moonlight, Adding Machine: A Musical, Reasons to Be Pretty, Circle Mirror Transformation; Geva Theatre: Rough Crossing, Famous Orpheus; WPA Theatre: Spread Eagle; Hartford Stage: Marisol; New York Shakespeare Festival: Marisol; Portland Stage: The Illusion, The Baltimore Waltz, Happy Days, My Children My Africa; The Juilliard School: Angels in America, Part 1; Berkshire Theatre Festival: Game of Love and Chance; Philadelphia Theatre Company: Broken Glass; Yale Repertory Theatre: Moon for the Misbegotten; Actors Studio: Salomé, Oedipus. OPERA: Marco Polo (world premiere, comp. Tan Dun, dir. Martha Clarke, commissioned by the Edinburgh Festival and toured internationally); The Hindenburg (world premiere, comp. Steve Reich, dir. Roman Paska, European and U.S. tour); Skylight Opera Theatre: Pelléas and Mélisande. AWARDS: Recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts/Theatre Communications Group Set Design Fellowship; Helen Hayes Nomination; Barrymore Award Nomination. OTHER: Director of Design at Studio Theatre. TRAINING: Yale School of Drama.
Costume Designer Murell Horton returns to STC following his award nominated work on STC's The School for Lies, The Critic and The Real Inspector Hound (2017 Helen Hayes nomination), The Metromaniacs, Coriolanus, Wallenstein (Helen Hayes nomination), The Government Inspector (Helen Hayes nomination), The Heir Apparent, The Liar (Helen Hayes nomination), The Alchemist, Edward II (Helen Hayes nomination), Hamlet (2007), Titus Andronicus, Lorenzaccio (Helen Hayes nomination), Richard III (2003), Hamlet (2002), The Silent Woman, Hedda Gabler (Helen Hayes nomination), Camino Real (Helen Hayes nomination). NEW YORK: Jeffrey Finn Productions; The Acting Company; The Juilliard School; Pearl Theatre Company. REGIONAL: Guthrie Theater; Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Denver Center Theatre; Cleveland Playhouse; Philadelphia Theatre Company; Berkshire Theatre Festival; Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey; Madison Repertory Theatre; Indiana Repertory Theatre. OPERA: New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera. AWARDS: 2007 Irene Sharaff Young Master Award for Costume Design. WEB: MurellHorton.com.
Award-winning Lighting Designer Lap Chi Chu collaborates again with David Muse following his work on King Charles III. Additional STC credits include Romeo and Juliet. NEW YORK: Public Theater; New York Theatre Workshop; Signature Theatre; Second Stage Theatre; Performance Space 122; Kitchen Theatre Company. REGIONAL: Mark Taper Forum; Geffen Playhouse; South Coast Repertory; Oregon Shakespeare Festival; La Jolla Playhouse; Old Globe; Berkeley Repertory Theatre; Goodman Theatre; Arena Stage; Hartford Stage; Dallas Theater Center. AWARDS: 2018 Obie for Sustained Excellence in Lighting Design, recognition from Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Angstrom Award for Career Achievement in Lighting Design, multiple San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards, a Drammy Award for Best Lighting. TEACHING: Lighting design faculty, California Institute of the Arts.
Sound Designer Lindsay Jones returns to STC following his work on last seasons Twelfth Night. NEW YORK: Broadway: A Time To Kill, Bronx Bombers. Off-Broadway: Public Theater: Privacy, Dry Powder, Barbecue; Playwrights Horizons: Bella, Bootycandy; LCT3: Mr. Joy; New York Theatre Workshop: Top Secret; Primary Stages: Discord, Rx; and many others. REGIONAL: Guthrie Theater; Hartford Stage; Alliance Theatre; Goodman Theatre; Old Globe; ACT; Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Steppenwolf Theatre; La Jolla Playhouse; Arena Stage; and many others. INTERNATIONAL: Stratford Shakespeare Festival (Canada) and Royal Shakespeare Company (England), as well as productions in Ireland, Austria, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Scotland. AWARDS: seven Joseph Jefferson Awards and 24 nominations; two Ovation Awards and three nominations; L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award; Craig Noel Award and two nominations; three Drama Desk Award nominations; two Helen Hayes nominations; 2 Barrymore nominations; as well as nominations for AUDELCO, Henry Hewes Design, Connecticut Critics Circle, and many others. OTHER: Film scoring credits include Magnolia Pictures' The Brass Teapot and HBO Films' A Note of Triumph (2006 Academy Award, Best Documentary, short subject). WEB: LindsayJones.com.
Movement Director Stephanie Paul makes her STC debut. REGIONAL: Studio Theatre: The Wolves; Actors Theatre of Louisville: How to Defend Yourself; St. Louis Repertory Theatre / City Theatre Company / American Theater Company: The Royale; Chicago Shakespeare: Short Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet; Court Theatre: Water by the Spoonful; Northlight Theatre: Mansfield Park; Chicago Children's Theatre: Last Stop on Market Street; Albany Park Theater Project and Third Rail Projects: Learning Curve; Albany Park Theater Project: Ofrenda; Feast; Northwestern University: In the Red and Brown Water. INTERNATIONAL: Albany Park Theater Project; National Theatre of Scotland (Inverness, Scotland): Ofrenda. AWARDS: 3Arts Make A Wave Grantee, St. Louis Theater Circle Award Nomination for Outstanding Choreographer, Joseph Jefferson Award Nomination for Artistic Specialization. OTHER: Resident Director, Albany Park Theater Project; Artistic Associate, Chicago Dance Crash. TRAINING: Northwestern University. WEB: StephPaul.com.
Original Fight Choreographer Robb Hunter returns to STC following his work on Othello, Salomé, The Panties, the Partner and The Profit, As You Like It, Measure for Measure, The Alchemist, The Winter's Tale, Man of la Mancha (Asst. FD), Hamlet (Asst. FD). NEW YORK: Theatre Harlem: Love Child (world premiere); Black Spectrum Theatre: A Soldier's Play; Chekhov Theatre Ensemble: Cyrano. REGIONAL: Arena Stage: King Hedley II, Ruined, Stick Fly, Noises Off, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, The Heidi Chronicles, et. al.; Woolly Mammoth: Gloria, Botticelli in the Fire, HIR, An Octoroon, Zombie the American; The Studio Theatre: Vietgone, The Effect, Bad Jews, Belleville, Red Speedo, The Motherf**ker with the Hat, Invisible Man, The Walworth Farce, Superior Donuts, American Buffalo, et. al.; Olney Theatre: The Invisible Hand, The Piano Lesson, Bus Stop, Oliver, et. al.; Signature Theatre, Rep Stage, Washington Shakespeare, Baltimore Shakespeare, et. al. OPERA: Washington National Opera: Carmen, Moby Dick, Hamlet, Don Giovanni; Regina Opera: Otello, Carmen, I Pagliacci. TELEVISION: Spin City (stunt double, Michael J. Fox). AWARDS: Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Choreography: HIR; Helen Hayes nominations: An Octoroon, Red Speedo, The Walworth Farce; ACTF award, Fight Direction: Ubu Roi (American), Likhachev Foundation Cultural Fellowship to Russia. TEACHING: The Shakespeare Theatre's Academy for Classical Acting (Faculty); American University (Artist in Residence). TRAINING: Virginia Commonwealth University: MFA Theatre Pedagogy; Certified Fight Director, Teacher and Firearms Instructor for the Society of American Fight Directors.
Rounding out the artistic team is Carter C. Wooddell, Casting Director; Drew Lichtenberg, Production Dramaturg; Lisa Beley, Voice and Text Coach; Craig Baldwin, Assistant Director; Christopher Michael Borg*, Stage Manager; Rebecca Shipman*, Assistant Stage Manager.
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