Stuff That Happens

Prior to the play, Prospero, the Duke of Milan, is usurped by his brother Antonio with the help of Alonso, King of Naples. He escapes Milan with his infant daughter Miranda to a seemingly abandoned island. There Prospero subjugates Caliban (the island’s only inhabitant) and Ariel (a spirit).

At the top of the play, a ship carrying Antonio and several others passes near the island. Prospero conjures a storm to destroy the ship and strand the passengers. Prospero, determined to regain his dukedom, uses Ariel to separate the shipwrecked survivors into groups on the island:

• Ferdinand, son of Alonso, is found by Prospero and Miranda.
• Trinculo, Alonso’s jester, and Stephano, Alonso’s butler, are found by Caliban. These three conspire against Prospero throughout the play.
• Alonso, his brother Sebastian, Antonio, courtier Gonzalo, and two attendants are left to wander the island. Antonio and Sebastian conspire to kill Alonso and Gonzalo so that Sebastian can become King, but Prospero has Ariel thwart these attempts.
• The captain, boatswain, and sailors are kept in a magical sleep.

Ferdinand and Miranda fall in love shortly after meeting, and Prospero has Ariel produce a small play (a masque) to bless and celebrate their betrothal, as well as instruct the couple on premarital chastity and marriage itself.

The masque is interrupted to deal with the conspiring of Caliban, Trinculo, and Stephano, who are chased into the swamps of the island by spirits led by Ariel. Ariel then brings in the lords Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian, who have been chased around the island hounded by guilt over their crimes against Prospero. Prospero forgives them and his title as Duke of Milan is restored.

Ariel is freed from his servitude and the Italians return to Naples. Caliban is presumed left on the island, and viewers are left to wonder on the lasting effects of Prospero’s presence and subjugation.

Stuff That Happens

Following the plot of The Tempest, this story focuses on the original inhabitants of the island prior to Prospero and Miranda’s arrival, Caliban and Ariel, who have both been enslaved after his arrival.

Caliban favors revolution against the bonds of slavery, pushes back against being renamed by Prospero, and fights against his enslavement. Ariel focuses on non-violence, attempting to appeal to Prospero for independence.

Opposed to the Shakespearean counterpart, when the other shipwrecked Italians and Miranda leave the island, Prospero stays, retaining control over the island and Caliban even as he grants Ariel freedom.

The Tempest  Music

PRESHOW:
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds – The Beatles
Natural Mystic – Bob Marley & The Wailers
Kick it to Me – Sammy Rae & The Friends
Thunderstruck – AC/DC

INTERLUDE:
I Think We’re Alone Now – Tommy James & The Shondells
Chain of Fools – Aretha Franklin
Hooked on a Feeling – Blue Swede, Björn Skifs

Pericles  Music

1. This Must be the Place — Talking Heads
2. I Say a Little Prayer — Aretha Franklin
3. Take Me There — Delta Rae

INTERLUDE:
1. Sea of Heartbreak — Don Gibson
2. Darling — Rothwell
3. Light of a Clear Blue Morning — Dolly Parton

Une Tempête  Music

Special Thanks

THIS SEASON: Director – Une Tempête

BIO: Dawn [she/her] is the Associate Artistic Director at Aurora Theatre Company in Berkeley, CA. Recent directing credits include the world premiere of Marcus Gardley’s LEAR (Cal Shakes), the world premiere of THE INCREMENTALIST by Cleavon Smith, an audio version of Toni Morrison’s THE BLUEST EYE adapted by Lydia R. Diamond, BULL IN A CHINA SHOP (Aurora), BEEHIVE: THE 60’S MUSICAL (CenterREP), Lauren Gunderson’s THE HALF-LIFE OF MARIE CURIE (TheatreSquared), SWEET WATER TASTE (Orlando Shakespeare Theatre), LETTERS TO KAMALA (American Stage Company), EARTHRISE (Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts), THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), MOON MAN WALK, TIJEAN AND HIS BROTHERS, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (American Conservatory Theatre, MFA program), an audio version of Lynn Nottage’s LAS MENINAS, THE SECRETARIES (Profile Theatre), ROMEO & JULIET (Chautauqua Theatre), August Wilson’s THE PIANO LESSON (Le Petit), Lynn Nottage’s BY THE WAY, MEET STARK (Douglas Morrisson and UNCO), and WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN (Town Hall).

Dawn’s awards include a Princess Grace Theatre Fellowship, a TCG Leadership U Residency Grant, and a Drama League Directing Fellowship. She holds an MA in Dramatic Literature and an MFA in Directing. Dawn is a proud member of SDC.

Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA).

THIS SEASON:

Master, Ensemble in The Tempest, Fisherman, Leonine, Ensemble in Pericles, Eshu in Une Tempête

BIOGRAPHY:

Brandon Carter is the American Shakespeare Center’s (ASC) third artistic director. He is a Virginia native originally from Heathsville in the Northern Neck.

Prior to his appointment in January 2022, he became an ASC company member in Spring 2018, collaborating in more than 40 roles, from lovers (Orlando, As You Like It) to fighters (Menas, Antony & Cleopatra), schemers (Cassius, Julius Caesar) and incomprehensible scholars (Hugh Evans, Merry Wives of Windsor). At ASC, Carter made history as the first Black man in the United States to follow the journey of a wayward prince to King (Hal/Henry V). This journey eventually led him to the forefront of artistic leadership, where he served as ASC’s Interim Director of Artistic Development and briefly as an Actor-Manager. In collaboration with a fearless ensemble of theatremakers and staff, he has navigated the ASC through the uncertainties of producing in a pandemic.

Carter was an original cast member and Production Manager of Dominique Morisseau’s Blood at the Root directed by Steve H. Broadnax III, winner of the Graham F. Smith Peace Foundation Prize for its promotion of human rights. He also served as an Artistic Associate and actor with the Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH), under mentors Ty Jones and Carl Cofield. Productions with CTH include: The Tempest, Macbeth, The First Noel, and The Three Musketeers. Other Off-Broadway credits include: Drunk Shakespeare NYC as Macduff, and Black Angels Over Tuskegee as Theodore.

Carter’s expertise and passion is classical work. His mission is to “break the legacy” and culture surrounding the classics by creating a symbiotic relationship between classical texts and innovative voices. Alongside his executive duties as Artistic Director, Carter will continue to act as an ASC company member and will continue to take on roles with other theatres.

Carter holds a B.A. in Theatre and Communications from Longwood University and an M.F.A. in Acting from Penn State University.

https://www.brandoncarter.actor/

@mistercart3r

AWARDS: Hip Hop Theater Creator Award (Kennedy Center); Graham F. Smith Peace Foundation Award (Adelaide Fringe Festival); Holden Street Theatres Edinburgh Award (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

PRONOUNS:He/Him

THIS SEASON: Ariel – The Tempest; Antiochus’s Daughter, Marina, Ensemble – Pericles; Ariel – Une Tempête

PREVIOUSLY AT ASC: Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet and Angelo (u/s Adriana, Luciana) in Comedy of Errors.

OTHER THEATER: Miranda in The Tempest (Firebrand Theatre Co), Juliet in the touring production of Romeo and Juliet, Luciana in Comedy or Errors, and Perdita in The Winter’s Tale (Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre); Ellison in Crying on Television and Emmy in A Doll’s House pt.2 (Nashville Repertory Theatre).

BIO: Corrie Green is delighted to return to the American Shakespeare this season. Corrie is an Arkansas native where she graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Theatre Arts and Dance program with a B.A in Theatre Arts. She would like to give a special thanks to her husband, family and friends for their encouragement and support in each of her endeavors, and to the ASC for this opportunity to bring these characters to life.

Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA).

THIS SEASON: Stephano – The Tempest; Antiochus, Bolt, Ensemble – Pericles; Stephano – Une Tempête. 

PREVIOUSLY AT ASC: Nurse, Lady Montague in Romeo and Julietand Emilia, First Merchant, Second Merchant in The Comedy of Errors

OTHER THEATER: The Winter’s Tale, Measure for Measure (Illinois Shakespeare Festival), and Cymbeline u/s (American Players Theatre). Additional collaborations and credits include: The New Harmony Project, St. Louis, and Arkansas Shakespeare Festivals, Dipped in Honey (Teatro Bravo, AZ), Cabaret, Titus Andronicus, Because I Am Your Queen (Illinois Theatre), Aguijón Theater’s bilingual production of Soldaderas (Goodman Theatre Latinx Theatre Festival), and the Festival de Mujeres en Escena por la Paz in Bogotá, Colombia.

BIO:Erica Cruz Hernández’s recent regional credits include: The River Bride, Hamlet, and Assistant Directing The Moors with American Players Theatre Company. She’s thrilled to be back at ASC where she was last seen in The Comedy of Errors, and Romeo and Juliet. Additional credits and collaborations include The Winter’s Tale, Measure for Measure (Illinois Shakespeare Festival), Cymbeline u/s (American Players Theatre), The New Harmony Project, St. Louis, and Arkansas Shakespeare Festivals, Aguijón Theater’s bilingual production of Soldaderas (Goodman Theatre and Festival de Mujeres en Escena por la Paz in Bogotá, Colombia). TV/Films include: LAW & ORDER: SVU, EN ALGUN LUGAR, and the upcoming MIDWESTERN. Erica is a recipient of the Kate Neal Kinley Fellowship, and an ensemble member with Chicago’s Aguijón Theater Company, producing Spanish-language works for over 30 years. AMOR a mi familia y mi Jess!!

Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA).

THIS SEASON:

Antonio in The Tempest; Cleon, Simonides, Ensemble in Pericles; Prospero in Une Tempête

PREVIOUSLY WITH ASC:

More than 90 roles in more than 55 productions, including the title roles in Macbeth, King Lear, Titus Andronicus, and Tamburlaine the Great; Shylock in The Merchant of Venice; Prospero in The Tempest; Falstaff in Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, The Merry Wives of Windsor; Iago in Othello;Dromio of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors; Bosola in The Duchess of Malfi; Barabas in The Jew of Malta; Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest; and King Henry in The Lion in Winter, Mister/Ossifer in Pass Over. 

OTHER THEATRES:

James Tyrone in Long Day’s Journey into Night (American Stage Theater); Bruce Bechdel in Fun Home (Clearspace Theater); Moriarty/Holmes in Holmes & Watson (Kinetic Theater); Mark Antony in Antony and Cleopatra (Theatreworks); Pistol in Henry V (The Folger Shakespeare Theatre, DC); King Lear in King Lear (University of South Carolina Graduate Program in Acting, Visiting Artist, SC); Mick Dowd in A Skull in Connemara (Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, PA); and Tenet/McCain in Stuff Happens (Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theater, PA).

EDUCATION:

Classical Acting Workshop, The Shakespeare Theater, Washington, DC; PhD in English Literature, University of Delaware.

Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA).

Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA).

THIS SEASON: Sebastian – The Tempest; Thaisa – Pericles; Sebastian – Une Tempête. 

PREVIOUSLY WITH ASC:

Feste, Fabian in Twelfth Night and Jeanne 2, Bougainville in Thrive, Or What You Will; Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Dromio of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors, Lady Macduff, Donalbain, 1st Murderer, Caithness in Macbeth; Katherine, Dauphin, Court, Cambridge in Henry V; Helena in All’s Well That Ends Well. Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing; Lady Northumberland, Peto, Silence, Prince Humphrey in Henry IV, Part 2; 2nd Swordsman, 2nd Gentleman in A King and No King; Peto, Vernon inHenry IV, Part 1; Performer in Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!); Meg Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor; Peto, Vernon in Henry IV, Part 1; Anne Page in Anne Page Hates Fun; Dennis, Audrey, Lord in As You Like It; Jane Fairfax in Emma; Dorset/Grey, Mayor, Blunt in Richard III; and Lady Townley in The Man of Mode; Mrs. Cratchit in A Christmas Carol

OTHER THEATRE:

Viola in Shakespeare in Love; Mabelu in The Old Man and The Old Moon; Clarice in West Side Story (Hope Summer Repertory); Lady Macbeth, Lady Macduff, Witch 3 in Macbeth; Queen Elizabeth in Richard III; Olivia in Twelfth Night; Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing (Houston Shakespeare Festival, Houston, TX); Tatyana in Enemies (Main Street Theater, Houston, TX); Lysander, Flute, Mustardseed in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Rec Room, Houston, TX).

EDUCATION:

MFA in Acting, University of Houston Professional Actor Training Program

PRONOUNS: She/Her

Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA).

THIS SEASON: Music Director; Alonso – The Tempest, Helicanus, Ensemble – Pericles; Alonso – Une Tempête

PREVIOUSLY WITH ASC: Musician/Music Director Every Brilliant Thing, Thrive, Or What You Will, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, The Comedy of Errors;  Tybalt, Apothecary, Paris’s Page in Romeo and Juliet;  Antipholus of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors, Music Director (A Christmas Carol). Fundraiser, Dick Wilkins, Belle’s Fiancé, Peter, Man in A Christmas Carol. Bloody Captain, Seyton, 3rd Murderer in Macbeth; Constable, MacMorris, Bedford, ensemble in Henry V; Bertram in All’s Well That Ends Well, Ensemble in A Christmas Carol, Musician/Swing inTwelfth Night; Musician/Swing in Othello; Understudy in Much Ado about Nothing; Musician, Understudy in Henry IV, Part 2; Musician, Understudyin A King and No King; Musician, Understudy in Henry IV, Part 1

OTHER THEATRE: Billy, Eamon, Svec, and Emcee in Once (John W. Engeman Theatre; and 2019 US National Tour); Nate in Oil (Olney Theatre Center); Philip in The Lion in Winter, Narrator/Pianist in Billy Bishop Goes to War (Cape May Stage); White Rabbit in Wonderland: Alice’s Rock n’ Roll Adventure (Atlantic Theatre Company); Music Director/Composer for various productions of The Tempest, Twelfth Night,As You Like It, The Yellow Boat, and The Lion in Winter (Recess Theatre; Cape May Stage; and James Madison University)

AWARDS: Nominated for Outstanding Ensemble, Production—Helen Hayes, for Olney Theatre’s Oil

EDUCATION: B.A. in Theatre and Dance with a Music minor from James Madison University

PRONOUNS: He/Him

Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA).

THIS SEASON:

Prospero – The Tempest, Dionyza, Marshall, Diana – Pericles; Antonio – Une Tempête

PREVIOUSLY WITH ASC:

More than 90 roles in 68 productions, including Voltemand, Reynaldo, Player Lucianus, Captain, Ambassador in Hamlet; Richard in Richard II; Tragedian, Player Poisoner, Ambassador in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead; Foible, Betty in The Way of the World; Forobosco, Senator in Antonio’s Revenge; Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra; Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Paulina in The Winter’s Tale; Lady Macbeth in Macbeth; Queen Isabella in Edward II; Celia in As You Like It; Cassius in Julius Caesar; Katherine in Henry VIII; Dido in Dido, Queen of Carthage; Beatrice in Much Ado about Nothing; Margaret in Henry VI, Parts 1-3 and Richard III; Rosalind in As You Like It; Portia in The Merchant of Venice; Ophelia in Hamlet.

OTHER THEATRES:

Katherine in Henry V (Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington DE); Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Portia in Julius Caesar, Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Kate in The Taming of the Shrew, Rosalind in As You Like It, Regan in King Lear, Ophelia in Hamlet (Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Boulder, CO).

EDUCATION:

MFA in Acting, University of Delaware Professional Theatre Training Program; BA in Theatre, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX.

Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA).

THIS SEASON: Miranda – The Tempest, Thaliard, Cerimon, Ensemble – Pericles, Miranda – Une Tempête

PREVIOUSLY WITH ASC: Belle, Belinda, Woman in A Christmas Carol, Keene (2019 workshop), Maria in Twelfth Night; Bianca in Othello

OTHER THEATRE: Much Ado About Nothing (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Richard III and Pericles (Utah Shakespeare Festival), One Nightand The Triumphant (Target Margin Theater, NY), Our House is Haunted(Dixon Place, NY); Hootenanny Twelfth Night and Cradle Two Grave(Corkscrew Theater Festival, NY)

EDUCATION:  BA in Theater, Barnard College, Columbia University

https://www.sarahrosesuzuki.com/

ASSISTANT MUSIC DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER – The Tempest, Pericles

THIS SEASON: Choreographer/Assistant Music Director; Boatswain, Adrian, Ceres, Ensemble – The Tempest; Lychorida, Bawd, Ensemble – Pericles

PREVIOUSLY WITH ASC: Assistant Choreographer/Assistant Music Director; Understudy in Twelfth Night and Thrive, Or What You Will; u/s for Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet and u/s for Dromio of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors, Dance Captain (A Christmas Carol). Fundraiser, Mrs Fezziwig, Martha, Charwoman in A Christmas Carol; Angus, Lord, Murder, and understudy in Macbeth; Jamy, Grandpre, Attendant, and understudy in Henry V, understudy in All’s Well that Ends Well.

OTHER THEATRE: Gertrude in Hamlet; Regan in King Lear; Thaisa/Dionyza/Lysimachus in Pericles; Titania/Starveling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Clarinda in The Sea Voyage (Mary Baldwin University, MFA)

Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA).

THIS SEASON: Caliban in The Tempest, Lysimachus, Ensemble, U/S Pericles in Pericles, Caliban in Une Tempête.

PREVIOUSLY AT ASC: U/S Moses and Kitch – Pass Over, Music Director – Pass Over; Prince, Peter, u/s Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and Duke Solinus and Officer in The Comedy of Errors. 

OTHER THEATER: VIRGINIA REPERTORY THEATRE: Pinocchio, The Wiz, Fences, RICHMOND TRIANGLE PLAYERS: Sugar in Our Wounds,VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY: Sense and Sensibility, Little Shop of Horrors, Two Gentlemen of Verona, In the Red and Brown Water,UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND: Blues for Mister Charlie

TV: The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Songs and Stories (PBS)

FILM: Welcome to the Show

EDUCATION: B.F.A. in Theatre Performance from Virginia Commonwealth University.

BIO:Tevin would like to thank God, his parents, family, friends, lifelong supporters, and of course Whitney Houston.

Website: TevinDavis.com

Instagram: Tevin.M.Davis

THIS SEASON: Acting Fellow

BIO: Amy (she/her) is originally from Manorville, New York who received her BA in Dance and Theater from Manhattanville College before heading to Staunton for Mary Baldwin’s Shakespeare and Performance Program. She recently graduated with her Master of Letters and Master of Fine Arts Degree from Mary Baldwin University where she was an Acting Concentration. With her MFA Company she had the joy of playing Rosalind in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Volumnia and Cominius in Shakespeare’s Coriolanus and Estela in Ana Caro’s The Courage to Right a Woman’s Wrongs. Some of her past credits include Isabella in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure with Northeast Stage, Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and Lady Anne in Shakespeare’s Richard III with East End Mobile Theater for which she recently received a Broadway World Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2021. While learning lines Amy enjoys crocheting and a cup of peppermint tea.

THIS SEASON: Acting Fellow

OTHER THEATRE: Juliet – Romeo and Juliet, Elizabeth – You on the Moors Now, Ensemble – Love of the Nightingale, Evil Gabbi – She Kills Monsters (Mary Baldwin University Undergraduate Theatre)

EDUCATION: BA in Business Economics and English, minor in Theatre, Mary Baldwin University

THIS SEASON: Acting Fellow

BIO: Haley Davis is an understudy in The Tempest, Pericles, and Une Tempête. Her recent roles include Banquo and Porter in Macbeth at Hoosier Shakespeare Festival, Mistress Quickly and Host in The Merry Wives of Windsor at Hoosier Shakespeare Festival, Leonor in The Courage to Right a Woman’s Wrongs with Polaris Shakespeare Company, and Queen, Cymbeline, and Guiderius in Cymbeline with Polaris Shakespeare Company. Haley earned her MLitt and MFA from Mary Baldwin University’s Shakespeare and Performance graduate program, and her BA in Theatre from Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi.

THIS SEASON: Acting Fellow

PREVIOUSLY AT ASC: Understudy Twelfth Night, Thrive, Or What You Will. 

BIO: Molly Martinez-Collins is excited to be part of this season at the American Shakespeare Center. Her most recent roles include Flora in The Courage to Right a Woman’s Wrongs with Polaris Shakespeare, Thaisa in Pericles, and Michael in Arden of Faversham. Molly will start her second year in the Shakespeare and Performance graduate program at Mary Baldwin University this upcoming Fall.

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA).

THIS SEASON: Production Manager

ASC STAGE MANAGEMENT:  Acting as the Tour Manager from 2015-Covid, Thomas has been the resident SM for the last two years. Previously at the ASC: Production Manager: Twelfth Night, Thrive, Or What You Will. Stage Management: Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Winter’s Tale, Comedy of Errors (x2), Macbeth (x2), Taming of the Shrew, Romeo & Juliet (x2), Two Gentlemen of Verona, Henry V (x2), Julius Caesar, Othello, Twelfth Night, All’s Well That End’s Well. Additional ASC SM credits: Every Brilliant Thing, The Grapes of Wrath, Our Town, The Importance of Being Earnest, Antigone, Equivocation, Goodnight Desdemona, Arms and The Man, the World Premier of Emma Whipday’s Sense and Sensibility and seven productions of A Christmas Carol! Thomas is a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Love to M&D, & KRM. www.thomasjcoppola.com #BLM Proud Member of Actor’s Equity.

REGIONAL CREDITS: Cinderella, The Wizard of Oz (American Family Theatre, National Tour) The Fall of The House of Usher, The Most Dangerous Game (Chamber Theatre Productions, National Tour)Spamalot, Les Miserables, They’re Playing Our Song, Falsettos, and Next Thing You Know (Sharon Playhouse); CATS, Hairspray, Crazy For You, HAIR, Once on This Island, Sunset Boulevard (Cohoes Music Hall); Into The Woods, All Shook Up, Seussical, Laramie Project: Epilogue (Barrington Stage Company)

PRONOUNS: He/Him

STAGE MANAGER

Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA).

THIS SEASON: Stage Manager

BIO: Brendan M. Cullen* is happy to be back for fall at ASC. Over the years Brendan has worked as a Stage Manager in Colorado, New York, Tennessee, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Virginia. Past and favorite credits include Twelfth Night, Thrive or What You Will(ASC) In The Middle (LARK Play Development Center), Rock of Ages(Lake Dillon Theatre Company) and {my lingerie play} at Joe’s Pub. When not on the road, Brendan resides in Astoria, Queens, NYC and has a BFA from Syracuse University.

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA).

THIS SEASON: Assistant Stage Manager

Madison Lindy grew up on a small farm in Maryland where she spent her time feeding baby goats and getting lost in good books. She found her niche in Staunton, Virginia at the American Shakespeare Center. She has worked with the ASC in multiple capacities over the last several years and is thrilled to rejoin the company as the Assistant Stage Manager.

PRONOUNS: She/Her

@madslindytheartist

Bio Coming Soon

BIO: Alaina Smith (she/her) is a theatre artist hailing from Nashville, TN. After completing a dual Bachelor’s in Theater Performance and Art at Freed-Hardeman University, she has worked for companies such as Stages St. Louis, Sacramento Theatre Company, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Crane River Theatre, Act 1, Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre, Nashville Children’s Theatre, and Nashville Rep as a performer and scenic painter. Beginning in the fall of 2021, Smith began studying at Mary Baldwin’s Shakespeare and Performance Program to earn an MLitt and MFA in Shakespeare and Performance.

Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA).

Benjamin has been a resident company member with the American Shakespeare Center since 2014. He has served as Fight Director for 3 seasons and has performed over 56 roles in 10 seasons; including Laertes in Hamlet; Antonio in Antonio’s Revenge; Arbaces in A King and No King; Peter in Peter and the Starcatcher; and Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing.Other theatre credits include Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, The Alley, Houston Shakespeare Festival, Tennessee Repertory Theatre, and others. He is a proud member of the American Society of Fight Directors and Actors Equity Association. Benjamin studied under SAFD Fight Master Bryan Byrnes at the University of Houston Professional Actor Training Program where he earned his MFA in acting.

BIO: Anna Lien has been costuming and creating theater for the past twenty years, starting in 2002 with a summer camp of Much Ado About Nothing, which cemented her love of Shakespeare. She graduated in 2008 from the College of William & Mary With a B.A. in Theater/History. She has been an ASC camp counselor, a stitcher for William & Mary’s Summer Shakespeare Festival, an interim artistic director for The Old Michie Theater for Children & Youth, and from 2011-2019 she founded and served as Artistic Director for Gorilla Theater Productions in Charlottesville, VA, where she directed, designed, acted, and taught for what that began as a youth theater group and grew into an LGBTQIA+ focused non-profit for youth & adults. Anna is delighted to be serving as ASC’s costume shop manager and works daily to contain her enthusiasm for all aspects of production.

Associate Artistic Director, INTIMACY Director

THIS SEASON:

Intimacy Choreographer

PREVIOUSLY WITH ASC: First Witch in Macbeth, and Mariana in All’s Well that Ends Wellas other various roles; Intimacy Choreographer (A Christmas Carol, Romeo and Juliet, The Comedy of Errors). Beggar Boy, Fan, Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol. 

OTHER THEATER: Natasia has been seen previously as Mistress Quickly with Richmond Shakespeare Festival and Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati’s 2017-2018 season.

EDUCATION: Natasia recently graduated with her MFA from Mary Baldwin University with an MFA where she had the joy of performing the roles of Mercutio, Oberon, and King Lear.

PRONOUNS: She/Her

Doreen joined the ASC as an actor and choreographer in 2002 with the first Resident Troupe and then served as Director of Youth Programs, where she ran summer camps and educational programming for several years. She famously descended from the “heavens” in a circus hoop as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and previous ASC roles include Calphurnia in Julius Caesar, Olivia in Twelfth Night, Queen Margaret in Richard III, Christmas Present/Martha/Movement in A Christmas Carol 2002, Goneril in King Lear, Boy / Circus Choreographer in The Knight of the Burning Pestle, Margaret / Dance Choreographer in Much Ado About Nothing, and Marianne in Tartuffe.

Doreen is Co-Program Director of the Shakespeare and Performance MLitt / MFA program at Mary Baldwin University, where she also manages the MFA company and oversees training.  As a director and movement practitioner, she enjoys both working in classical theatre and devising original work. Most recently, she directed Macbeth for Hoosier Shakespeare Festival, Romeo and Juliet for MBU’s undergrad drama department, co-directed Pericles for the MLitt program, and co-directed the devised show C.Q.D. with the MFA company Treehouse Shakespeare Ensemble, and directed Chapatti for the Virginia Theatre Festival. Doreen is also a founding member of the Performers Exchange Project, a company dedicated to developing and performing original works.

THIS SEASON: Cutter/Draper/Wardrobe/Asst. Designer

BIO: Marie Lupia is new to ASC, serving as the Cutter/Draper and Wardrobe Assistant for Twelfth Night, Thrive, Pass Over, and the upcoming productions of The Tempest, Pericles, Une Tempête, and A Christmas Carol. Marie has previously worked as a seamstress at Colonial Williamsburg, and spent two summers as a Stitcher and Assistant Costume Designer at Shenandoah Summer Music Theater. She has designed shows for CAT Theater and John Tyler Community College, as well as assisted with costumes for several LARP groups throughout the US.

She received her BFA in Technical Theatre from Longwood University in 2015, and is a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with her MFA in Costume Technology.

https://www.marielupia.com/

BIO: Finding her niche in theatrical costume from a young age, she graduated from Longwood University as a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Costume Design and Technology.  Her design and construction credits include A Masterpiece of Comic…Timing!, No Exit, Berlin to Broadway, The Tempest, and Chicago. Outside of the playhouse, she enjoys vintage movies, gourmet coffee, and creating fashion illustrations.

THIS SEASON: Wardrobe & Crafts Assistant

BIO: Jess Snellings is a Stage Management Fellow and current second-year student in Mary Baldwin University’s Shakespeare and Performance Studies graduate program. Prior to joining the ASC team, Jess was a high school English teacher in the Shenandoah Valley, where she read Shakespeare’s plays and academic articles to a bearded dragon and her cat. ASC credits include working as SM fellow on Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare; Thrive, or What You Will by LM Feldman, and Pass Over by Antoinette Nwandu.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-snellings-208a906b/

THIS SEASON: Stage Management Fellow

BIO: Austen Bell is absolutely delighted to be at the ASC for the first time ever! Austen is a multi-disciplinary artist who has worked previously in various capacities with Greenbrier Valley Theatre and the Barter Theatre; other professional credits include work with the Drifting Theatre in Elizabethton, Tennessee and the brand-new Only Human Theatre Collective in Abingdon, Virginia. Austen comes from a directing background, with a degree from Emory & Henry College in Emory, Virginia, and is currently pursuing an M.Litt in Shakespeare & Performance at Mary Baldwin University.

THIS SEASON: Props Artisan

BIO: Sam is excited to join the ASC’s technical team. He is a woodworker focused on carpentry, furniture making, and carving. In addition to his life in wood, Sam has also worked for the last decade as a touring singer-songwriter. He has released several solo albums, which you can find anywhere you listen to music. www.sammoss.net

THIS SEASON: Props Artisan Pass Over

BIO:A “storyteller of all-mediums”, Sarah White (she/her) is a second year in Mary Baldwin University’s MFA Shakespeare & Performance program with a focus on acting (under the stage name Sarah Scarborough). She holds a BA in English and Theater Studies from Anderson University, and an MFA in Scenic Design at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Her work as an Actor, Scenic Designer, Painter and Properties Artisan has been seen regionally at companies such as Summit Performance, Hollins University, Earlham College, Wisdom Tooth Theatre Project, The Coterie Theatre, Texas Shakespeare Festival, Crane River Theater Company, New Harmony Theater, The Berkshire Theatre Group, The Unicorn Theatre, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, and The Lied Center for Performing Arts. Catch her onstage in Puffs at Silverline Theatre Exchange this fall!

ASC has partnered with local wineries and breweries for a special pre-show experience. Enjoy a tasting of the best libations in the area in our upper lobby on select Saturdays this fall. These tastings are available on their own, or with a special souvenir glass to take with you.

There will be two tasting times each evening—but spaces are limited, so grab your tickets today.

October 8th: Blue Mountain Brewery

October 15: Hark Vineyards

October 29: Barren Ridge Vineyards

November 5: Cider From Mars

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Playhouse Tours

• LEARN about Shakespeare’s company and Playhouses.
• DISCOVER the inner workings of our 21st-century professional company.
• EXPLORE the world’s only re-creation of Shakespeare’s indoor theatre.

Tours are available at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM Monday – Saturday. Advanced ticketing is required.

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ASC GIft Shop

From T-Shirts to Cookie Cutters—the gift shop has something from everyone. Check out the new Actors’ Renaissance Summer inventory!

Shop from your seat, select pick up at checkout, and your order will be ready for you when you leave!

Shop now

Be in the know! 

Be the first to know upcoming shows, special announcements, news, and promotions from the ASC. Sign up for our mailing list!

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ASC Memberships are still available! Members receive:

• 25% off all ticket purchases for you and your guests.
• Early access to ticket sales—get the best seats!
• Free Prep for the Play access for each show title.
• Explore more with 10% (or more) off select additional ASC programming.
• Quarterly Membership email with exclusive content and opportunities from our actors, designers, staff, and education department.
• Quarterly members-only discount code at the Gift Shop.

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PREP FOR THE PLAY

A two night crash course in ASC’s approach to the text with interactive workshops that will help you approach the play like an actor, deepening your understanding of the play and enriching your experience when you visit us to see the show. Meeting on Zoom, there is a Prep for the Play for each of our 2022 titles, and each night covers a different topic. Join for one night or both!

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FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS ON

A weekly series of lectures, panels, and workshops featuring a line up of scholars, industry experts, ASC familiar faces, and powerful partnerships. On the Blackfriars stage every Friday of our show weeks at 5:00 PM.

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TEACHER SEMINARS

Spend a weekend at the Blackfriars Playhouse where you will rediscover the joy and accessibility of teaching Shakespeare. Beginning Friday afternoon and ending Sunday, this weekend is curated with workshops, lectures, performances, and more with our team of Shakespeare performance and scholarship experts.

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Spend Your Summer Performing Shakespeare in the world’s only re-creation of his indoor theatre- The Blackfriars Playhouse. Located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, this residential camp combines scholarship and performance for the Shakespearean summer of your dreams.

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