Download Shakespeare in the Streets Artistic Team/Cast Alec Wild: Director

Shakespeare in the Streets
Artistic Team/Cast
Alec Wild: Director
Alec Wild was Founder and Artistic Director of the critically acclaimed, award-winning
Folio Theater in Chicago, where he directed Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Othello,
Hamlet, and Henry IV: Part 1, Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,
George F. Walker's Zastrozzi, and the Midwest premiere of Frontiers. As the recipient of
a 1997 Fox Fellowship, Mr. Wild traveled to Saint Petersburg, Russia, to work as the
Assistant Director of The Revizor Project, an international, cross-cultural effort to
examine the work of Vsevolod Meyerhold, and to re-create his seminal 1926 production
of Gogol’s The Inspector General. While in Russia, he studied Directing and
Biomechanics at the Saint Petersburg Academy of Theater. Most recently, he has
directed the critically acclaimed Taming of the Shrew at the Orpheum Theater in Los
Angeles, Titus Andronicus and Richard II for Milwaukee Shakespeare, Macbeth for the
UMN/Guthrie Training Program, and The Winter's Tale, Richard III, Twelfth Night,
Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, Othello, and A Midsummer Night's Dream at The
Great River Shakespeare Festival, which he founded and where he served as Producing
and Associate Director for eight years. Mr. Wild has taught and directed at American
Conservatory's Advanced Training Program in San Francisco, University of
Minnesota/Guthrie Conservatory, Fordham University, and Manhattanville College in
New York. He was a guest lecturer on Shakespeare at New York University, and was an
Adjunct Professor in the Theater Department at University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
He holds an M.F.A. in Directing from the Yale School of Drama, and a B.F.A. in Acting
from Chicago's Goodman School of Drama.
Justin Barisonek: Production Designer
Justin Barisonek is a freelance Theatrical Designer based in St. Louis. His designs
include musical theatre, drama, and opera productions. A graduate from Washington
University in St. Louis in 2002, Justin quickly became an in-demand artist designing with
several professional theaters. Local credits include The New Jewish Theatre, Max &
Louie Productions, (Mostly) Harmless Theatre, New Line Theatre, HotCity Theatre, and
Union Avenue Opera. He proudly served as Resident Lighting Designer with
Historyonics for three years. As a founding member of the International Theatre
Collective, he has worked with fellow ensemble members to produce the original work
“Saltwater;” he then toured with the company to Montana, St. Louis, Seattle and British
Colombia. Justin has been a guest artist for university theatre programs including
Bemidji State University in Minnesota, Washington University in St. Louis, SIU-
Edwardsville, and Saint Louis University. Chicago credits include work with Chicago
Shakespeare Theatre, Lookingglass, Live Bait, Chicago dell’Arte, and The House
Theatre of Chicago.
In 2005, Justin was named Best Scenic Designer in St. Louis by Playback Magazine – a
St. Louis entertainment publication.
Justin completed his MFA in Scenic Design from the University of Cincinnati CollegeConservatory of Music in 2010. His designs for CCM have been recognized with multiple
Cincinnati Acclaim Awards, a Peggy Ezekiel Award for Outstanding Achievement
(USITT/Ohio Valley), and a Cincinnati Entertainment Award nomination. In 2010, he was
invited to take part in the USITT Young Designer’s Forum in Kansas City, MO.
Currently, he is a Resident Assistant Scenic Designer at the Muny.
Justin returns to the Festival after last year's Shakespeare in the Streets Production "The
New World" and working as Assistant Scenic Designer on 2011′s “The Taming of the
Shrew.”
Nancy Bell: Playwright
Nancy Bell is a transplant to St. Louis from Los Angeles, where she had been living and
working as an actress for 13 years. New York theatre credits include work onstage at
Manhattan Theatre Club, New York Theatre Workshop, Ensemble Studio Theatre,
Tribeca Lab and elsewhere. She has worked in regional theaters all over the country,
including Berkeley Repertory, Geffen Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse, Hartford Stage
Company, The Old Globe, Dallas Theatre Center, McCarter Theatre, Baltimore Center
Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, and ACT, among many others.
Last year, her performance in Clybourne Park at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
garnered her a St. Louis Theatre Circle Award for Best Actress. Elsewhere in town, she
has appeared at the New Jewish Theatre and at the St. Louis Actors' Studio. In the
Spring she will appear in the new Rebecca Gilman play, Soups, Stews and
Casseroles:1976, also at the Rep. On TV, she portrayed the role of Susan Bates on the
long-running Numbers,The Medium, Huff, The Bold and the Beautiful, Law and Order,
Law and Order SVU, Star Trek Voyager, Chicago Hope, Mad About You, and
NewsRadio, among others. As a playwright, two of her one acts, Venus and Never
Wake a Sleeping Marine, both based on original research and interviews of Iraq
veterans and their families, were produced at California Repertory Theatre in Long
Beach, California. Her full length play, Venus was a finalist for the Next Generation
Playwriting Prize 2012. Her one act with Peter Grandbois, Present Tense, is one of the
winners of this year's LaBute New Play Festival, in production now at the St. Louis
Actors' Studio.
Ryan Moore: Costumes Designer
Ryan Moore is an accomplished Costume Designer, based in St Louis. He is currently
enrolled at The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University studying Costume
Design with a second emphasis in Wig & Make-up Design; he expects to earn his BFA in
Costume Design in May 2014.
Richard Agnew (Stage Manager)
Richard Agnew has worked with numerous companies including The Black Rep, HotCity
Theatre, Avalon and Upstream Theatre. He is also teaching a Stage Management course
at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.
Grace McCammond: Muralist
McCammond has created all types of artwork since childhood. In the mid 80’s, while
working full-time as a photo retoucher and black and white print lab technician, she
attended school part-time, completing her bachelor’s degree from the University of
Montana in 1993. In 1997, hoping to pursue art full-time McCammond moved to St.
Louis, purchased and rehabbed a building with friends and opened Signature Arts
(murals, portraits, photo retouching, graphic design and custom framing). Initially
supplementing artistic income with part-time construction work, in 2004 the business
became self-supporting.
McCammond does not work exclusively in any particular style or medium and has
produced some of her best work in response to the constraints and demands of various
commissions. She has secured a wide range of commissions, from murals, signs,
posters, and logos, to portraits and sculptures that have challenged her to stretch as an
artist in both imagination and technique.
As part of the Old Hearts Fresh story written by Nancy Bell, a large mural painted
by McCammond will be unveiled during each of the three performances in the Grove.
The mural will be painted on the side of the building located at 4226 Manchester Avenue.
McCammond has created the other familiar well-known murals in the Grove
neighborhood including the “evolution of the bike” mural at Manchester and Tower Grove
avenues and the St. Louis-themed mural inside Sweetie Pie’s.
Nathan Hershey (Music Director)
Tom Martin (Production Manager)
CAST
Professional Performers
Wendy Greenwood (Perdita)
Wendy Greenwood marks her first role with Shakespeare in the Streets. Greenwood
holds a B.A. in Theater Performance, is dually certified in Secondary Theater Education,
teaches Theatre for Parkway, serves as the Artistic Director for SIUE’s Cougar Theater
Company, has worked locally with St. Louis Actors’ Studio (Season’s Greetings &
LaBute Festival '13), Mustard Seed Theatre (The Winter’s Tale), Muddy Waters Theatre
(Bug), That Uppity Theatre Co (Brief’s Festival '12-'13), HotCity Theatre (Connected &
Whammy!), Upstream Theater (The Hairy Ape), and recently directed The Sound of
Music, for SIUE's 2013 Summer Showbiz season.
Drew Battles* (Leontes)
Drew Battles is pleased to be making his St. Louis stage (street) debut with
Shakespeare in the Streets, having newly arrived to this great city with his wife, Joanna,
and son, Quincy. Regional credits include The Seafarer (Sharky) and Opus (Alan) at
Southern Repertory Theatre; Macbeth (Macbeth) and King Lear (Egar) at New Orleans
Shakespeare Fest at Tulane; August: Osage County (Bill), A Free Man of Color
(Pincepousse/Tallyrand), King Lear (Edmund), Design for Living (Earnest), A Doll’s
House (Torvald), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Berowne), Pride and Prejudice (Mr. Darcy) at
Swine Palace; Doubt (Regional Premiere, Hangar Theatre, SALT Award winner: Best
Actor); My Fair Lady (Virginia Stage Company); Curse of the Starving Class, The
Seagull, The Winter’s Tale, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V
(The Henriad), Annie, Songs of Innocence, Songs of Experience (Trinity Repertory
Company and Brown/Trinity Rep). Film/TV: Pitch Perfect, Thunderstruck, Law and
Order: SVU, Breakout Kings. M.F.A. Acting, Brown University/Trinity Rep (inaugural
class and Stephen Sondheim Fellow); B.F.A. Music Theatre, Illinois Wesleyan University.
Proud member of Actor’s Equity Association.
Don McClendon (Old Shepherd)
A versatile veteran St. Louis actor, Don McClendon has worked in several areas of
theater, film, television and radio, all in the St. Louis area. Just this past year,
McClendon was cast in several area shows including playing the role of “Larry” in Chrys
Yvette’s Production of The Dating Game at the Regional Arts Commission performance
space, A Senator in St. Louis Shakespeare Company’s production of Coriolanus,
Reverend Sykes in InSight Theater’s production of To Kill A Mockingbird at the Heageny
Theater, and revisiting the role of Joseph Asagai (Season 2000) in Unity Theater
Ensemble’s production of A Raisin In The Sun. And earlier that year, cast in the role of
Special Agent Lewis in Richard LaVolette’s one-act play, The Kepash Affair at First Run
Theater. McClendon has also appeared in several films shot in St. Louis. The latest
being Shadowland by Pirate Pictures, and Up In The Air Executive Produced by George
Clooney. Recently finished a city-wide tour of Julius Caesar with the St. Louis Black
Repertory Theater,and an award winning film short produced by Pirate Pictures titled,
Green Thumb for a month-long showing at St. Louis CityGarden in downtown St. Louis.
Currently producing my podcast show on Spreaker.com and Soundcloud.com titled,
"Don's Really Cheap Show".
Jacqueline Thompson (Hermione)
Jacqueline Thompson is a theatre artist passionate about providing students
opportunities to explore their creativity and embrace their individuality. She received her
B.A. in Speech Communications from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Thompson holds a Master in Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Louisville as well
as a graduate certificate in African American Theatre. She also earned a certification in
Broadcast Performance from the Broadcast center in St. Louis. This actor, singer,
director and poet has utilized her collective experiences to work as a teaching artist for
regional theaters such as Actors Theatre of Louisville (2011-2012) and The Black Rep
(2001). Thompson has performed in a myriad of productions throughout her career.
Some past credits include Princess Oshunana in The Orphan of Chao which debuted at
the 2011 National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Other
productions include The Seamstress on St. Francis Street, As You like It, A Song for
Coretta, Blues For An Alabama Sky, Quilters, and Insidious. She is currently an
assistant professor of acting and directing at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She is
thrilled to be performing in her first production with Shakespeare in the Street.
Nathan Bush (Camillo)
Nathan Bush recently moved to the St. Louis area after completing a Masters of Fine
Arts from Western Illinois University. He debuted in St. Louis this summer during the
annual Neil LaBute Festival with the St. Louis Actors’ Studio at the Gaslight Theatre in
Two Irishmen Digging a Ditch and Kink. He is excited and immensely grateful for the
experience to work with Shakespeare Festival St. Louis. He would like to express
thanks to all of the wonderful new artists who have graciously accepted him into this
wonderful community.
Marty Casey* (Paulina)
Playwright and Director Marty Casey began her career over 15 years ago as a National
Touring Actress. Marty has been a proud member of the Actors Equity Association, since
2006. She has toured with many productions nationwide. Casey has also toured
Germany and France singing with the popular Gospel group, The Golden Gospel
Singers. She has been awarded and recognized for her unique and creative style as an
Actress and Writer. Her credits include; The Last of the Red Hot Momma’s, Actress;
Molly, P.H.A.T. Girls Don’t Cry, Writer/Director/Producer; A House Divided,
Writer/Director/Producer; Menopause the Musical, Actress; Power Woman; Lord Knows
I’ve Tried, Writer/Director/ Producer; Looking for Mr. Do Right, Actress; Loletha ; Be
Careful What U Pray 4, Actress; Mother Lucille. Marty’s television appearances include;
Don’t Forget The Lyrics, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and The Price is Right. Marty is very
excited to be casted for SITS. The Winter’s Tale; Paulina. Marty would like to dedicate
her performances to her beloved grandson, Mason E. High.
Professional Performer/Local Resident
Antonio Rodriguez (Polinixes)
Antonio Rodriguez is ecstatic to be performing with Shakespeare Festival St. Louis again,
last appearing in their educational tour in 2011. Since his graduation from Washington
University in 2009 with a degree in music, he has been performing on St. Louis stages
as an actor and singer. St. Louis credits include work with OnSite Theatre, New Jewish
Theatre, Max and Louie Productions, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Upstream
Theater, and Stray Dog Theatre, among many others. He is also a St. Louis Theatre
Circle Award winner for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for his performance as
Gidger in The Violet Hour at Max and Louie Productions and was nominated for Best
Lead Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Bobby in Urinetown at Stray Dog Theatre.
You can catch him in November at Mustard Seed Theatre in All is Calm. Many thanks to
SFSTL, Alec, Nancy the cast and crew, friends, family, and as always, Mom, for never
missing a show.
Grove Residents
Karla Boresi (Ensemble)
Karla Ogrodnik Boresi (ensemble) is a huge fan of St. Louis theater in general, and the
Shakespeare Festival St. Louis in particular – every SFSL production poster hangs in her
courtroom. She is an Administrative Law Judge by profession and a Zumba teacher for
fun. Boresi currently resides in the Grove.
Sara Figueroa (Ensemble)
Sara Figueroa has been a resident of Forest Park Southeast since October 2012. She
currently works for the City of St. Louis as the Disaster Response Coordinator for the St.
Louis Area Agency on Aging. Sara and her husband Jesse have one daughter, Selah.
De’Airra Pelt (Mopsa)
Grove resident De’Airra Pelt, 14, is a graduate of Confluence Academy Old North and is
currently attending Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. She is a member of
Adams Park Boys & Girls Club. Upon graduation from high school, Pelt plans to pursue
a career in vocal music.
Lamont Rogers (Young Shepherd)
Fourteen-year-old Lamont Rogers currently attends Compton-Drew ILC and is a member
of the Adams Park Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club.
LaQuilah Sharp (Dorcas)
LaQuilah Sharp, 16, is a junior at Kirkwood High School. She has been a member of the
Adams Park Boys & Girls Club for the past seven years and is currently employed there
as a junior staff member. After graduation, Sharp plans to study physical therapy at
Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Michael Shreves (Time)
This is the first time Michael Shreves/ Michelle McCausland will be performing with
Shakespeare in the Streets. Shreves’ most recent performance was the role of Peanut
in Southern Baptists Sissies. He has had numerous musical roles in the theater such as
King Herod, (Jesus Christ Superstar), Pseudolus, ( A Funny Thing Happened on the way
to the Forum), Pharaoh and Potifar (Joseph ..... Amazing Dreamcoat), Bud Frump (How
to Succeed in Business.....), Scarecrow, (Wizard of Oz), 6 different Productions in
(Godspell), Emcee (Cabaret), Rolf, (The Sound of Music), (Man of LaMancha), (Into The
Woods). In between all this singing and dancing, he has created a character called
Michelle McCausland, that he performs as part of "The Painted Ladies" and can be seen
every Friday and Saturday night at Meyers Grove at 10 p.m. Michelle captured the title
of Miss Gay Missouri in 2012, something he waited for, for almost 30 years. Shreves is
also an Interior Designer,(Enchanting Embellishments) who's work has been on
television and numerous magazines.
Kevin Williams (Archadamus)
Kevin Williams has worked in the Grove for the past two years at the Adams Park
Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club. He is a graduate of CBC High School and Southern
University of Illinois. Williams is a native St. Louisan.