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October 16 - 26, 2013 , The Helen

CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program

Twelfth Night

written by William Shakespeare
directed by Guy Stroman

"If music be the food of love, play on!” And “play on” we will! With original period blues, country and folk music enhancing the Mississippi Delta setting, you’ll enjoy Shakespeare’s hilarious romp of mismatched love and mistaken identities as you’ve never seen it.

Artists

Therese Anderberg

Therese Anderberg

(Viola/Cesario) Therese appeared at Cleveland Play House as Hadass in Yentl and Sally in the world premiere production of Eric Coble’s A Carol for Cleveland. She also performed in CPH’s Roe Green Award-winning reading of Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Daphne’s Dive. For the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program, she appeared in more(Viola/Cesario) Therese appeared at Cleveland Play House as Hadass in Yentl and Sally in the world premiere production of Eric Coble’s A Carol for Cleveland. She also performed in CPH’s Roe Green Award-winning reading of Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Daphne’s Dive. For the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program, she appeared in Twelfth Night (Viola), The Misanthrope (Célimène), In Arabia We’d All Be Kings (DeMaris) and the ensemble-created Identity Theft. Other credits include a special performance of So Far from God at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and Good Death, created in collaboration with Tectonic Theatre Project at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Anderberg received her BA in Theatre Performance from Western Michigan University, where credits include As You Like It and See What I Wanna See. She is the co-recipient of the 2012 Oldenburg MFA Scholarship.

Bernard Bygott

Bernard Bygott

(Sir Toby Belch) recently portrayed both Antipholus twins in The Comedy of Errors and Posthumus in Cymbeline for Ohio Shakespeare Festival. His performances at Cleveland Play House include Clybourne Park, Yentl, A Carol for Cleveland, Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, and The Fagin Effect (reading). He has appeared in more(Sir Toby Belch) recently portrayed both Antipholus twins in The Comedy of Errors and Posthumus in Cymbeline for Ohio Shakespeare Festival. His performances at Cleveland Play House include Clybourne Park, Yentl, A Carol for Cleveland, Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, and The Fagin Effect (reading). He has appeared in CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program productions of Twelfth Night, Identity Theft, The Misanthrope and In Arabia We’d All Be Kings. Bygott originated the role of Calandrino in the opera Decameron at Prince Music Theater. Additional credits include American Shakespeare Center ('Tis Pity She's a Whore, The Comedy of Errors, All’s Well That Ends Well, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and others); Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival; Theater For The New City; Northern New England Repertory Theater Company; Quintessence Theatre Group; Storybook Musical Theatre; Ko Festival of Performance; Mum Puppettheatre; Glimmerglass Opera; International Opera Theater (Italy and U.S.); and The Little Orchestra Society at Lincoln Center. His Bachelor of Arts is from Amherst College, and he is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Drew Derek

Drew Derek

(Orsino) Drew recently appeared in Cleveland Play House’s Production of Yentl as Zelig , and the CPH/CWRU Acting Program productions of Twelfth Night as Duke Orsino; Identity Theft as a member of the ensemble; The Misanthrope as Acaste and Dubois; and In Arabia We’d All Be Kings as Charlie, more(Orsino) Drew recently appeared in Cleveland Play House’s Production of Yentl as Zelig , and the CPH/CWRU Acting Program productions of Twelfth Night as Duke Orsino; Identity Theft as a member of the ensemble; The Misanthrope as Acaste and Dubois; and In Arabia We’d All Be Kings as Charlie, Man #2, and a Holy Roller. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from The State University of New York at Buffalo. Along with a number of acting credits in Buffalo — including Irish Classical Theatre Company, Shakespeare in Delaware Park, and The Jewish Repertory Theatre— and New York City, he also performed at the International Theatre Institute in Romania. He has worked with the New World Performance Laboratory in Chieti, Italy, and in Amelia, Italy at the famous Cienci Laboratory. He has written and directed at Manhattan Repertory Theatre on West 42nd and 8th.

TJ Gainley

TJ Gainley

(Malvolio) recently appeared in Cleveland Play House’s production of Yentl as well as the New Ground Theatre Festival’s Becoming Liv Ullmann. His CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program credits include Twelfth Night as Malvolio, Identity Theft, The Misanthrope as Oronte, In Arabia We’d All Be Kingsas Sammy and Vic, Present Laughter more(Malvolio) recently appeared in Cleveland Play House’s production of Yentl as well as the New Ground Theatre Festival’s Becoming Liv Ullmann. His CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program credits include Twelfth Night as Malvolio, Identity Theft, The Misanthrope as Oronte, In Arabia We’d All Be Kingsas Sammy and Vic, Present Laughter as Fred, An Orchard as The Stranger, and As You Like It as Adam and Silvius. This year he also appeared as Jason in scenes from Wit, featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Margaret Edson, at Cleveland Clinic's Lerner College of Medicine. Previous credits in the region include Tartuffe as Tartuffe, Much Ado About Nothing as Benedick, The Philadelphia Story and The Cure at Troy, as well as Heracles in Alcestis at the British American Dramatic Academy in London. He also performs improvisational comedy.

Tom Kondilas

Tom Kondilas

(Sebastian) is honored to participate with the MFA ensemble, especially since finishing CWRU undergrad in 2003. In the last decade he has performed throughout the region with stints as far away as New York and Hawaii. Notably, he has done about a dozen shows at Convergence-Continuum in Tremont, where more(Sebastian) is honored to participate with the MFA ensemble, especially since finishing CWRU undergrad in 2003. In the last decade he has performed throughout the region with stints as far away as New York and Hawaii. Notably, he has done about a dozen shows at Convergence-Continuum in Tremont, where he is a company member: References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot, Hunter Gatherers, Buried Child,Quake, The Internationalist, Kid Simple, Kimberly Akimbo andPoona the !@#K Dog among them. Kondilas also appeared in the 2013 film The Lifeguard. He is a native Clevelander.

Jason Leupold

Jason Leupold

(Sir Andrew Aguecheek) proudly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Kent State University (Class of 2011). He has performed in local regional theatres as well as New York City and has taught both dance and acting to local students. Audiences may remember him as Caius more(Sir Andrew Aguecheek) proudly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Kent State University (Class of 2011). He has performed in local regional theatres as well as New York City and has taught both dance and acting to local students. Audiences may remember him as Caius Lucius in Cymbeline with the Ohio Shakespeare Festival's most recent season, Tony in TrueNorth's West Side Story, or in Weathervane's productions of Next Fall playing Brandon and The Mystery of Edwin Drood as John Jasper. He has also been seen at Porthouse Theatre, Beck Center for the Arts, and other area theatres.

Aron Long

Aron Long

(Fabian) appeared in the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program’s production of Twelfth Night last season. A new arrival to Cleveland, he recently graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater. Other work includes The Big Funk, The Three Sisters, more(Fabian) appeared in the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program’s production of Twelfth Night last season. A new arrival to Cleveland, he recently graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater. Other work includes The Big Funk, The Three Sisters, Moby Dick Rehearsed, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Fools and a key role in a nationally recognized devised physical piece entitled Dromnium.

Christa Meyers

Christa Meyers

(Olivia) Christa most recently appeared in the Cleveland Play House’s production of Yentl, shortly after taking the stage as Vanda in the understudy performance of CPH’s Venus in Fur. Other recent productions include the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program’s production of Twelfth Night (Olivia) and Oberlin Summer Theatre Festival’s Light more(Olivia) Christa most recently appeared in the Cleveland Play House’s production of Yentl, shortly after taking the stage as Vanda in the understudy performance of CPH’s Venus in Fur. Other recent productions include the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program’s production of Twelfth Night (Olivia) and Oberlin Summer Theatre Festival’s Light up the Sky (Irene). Also at Cleveland Play House, Christa went on — with only four hours of rehearsal — for the lead role of Gillian in last season’s production of Bell, Book and Candle to great acclaim. Further CWRU/CPH MFA production appearances include Identity Theft (Tekla/herself), The Misanthrope (Arsinoe) and In Arabia We’d All Be Kings (Chickie). Raised in Dallas, Christa received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, English, and Linguistics from Dartmouth College. Additional theatre studies include conservatory training at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center’s National Theater Institute and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. Favorite regional theatre roles are Catherine in Proof, Sheila in Hair, and Hope Cladwell in Urinetown. Other professional acting work includes New York Musical Theatre Festival, New York Theatre Workshop, and Disney's Theater of the Stars.

Christopher Sanders

Christopher Sanders

(Valentine/Curio) graduated from the University of West Florida with his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre and also studied with the International Performing Arts Institute in Munich. Since graduating he moved to Cleveland to work with Cleveland Play House as an apprentice and got the chance to perform more(Valentine/Curio) graduated from the University of West Florida with his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre and also studied with the International Performing Arts Institute in Munich. Since graduating he moved to Cleveland to work with Cleveland Play House as an apprentice and got the chance to perform in Sons of The Prophet, West Side Story, and Spamalot with various theatres in the Cleveland area. He will be performing with the Nebraska Theatre Caravan in A Christmas Carol later this year as well as a world premiere: Titus: A Grand and Gory Rock Musical with Cleveland Public Theatre. He has also music directed and choreographed numerous productions.

Stephen Michael Spencer

Stephen Michael Spencer

(Feste) Regional credits: Yentl, A Carol for Cleveland, and Every Good Boy Deserves Favor at Cleveland Play House, Tartuffe at Triad Stage and The Tempest at NC Shakespeare Festival. Stephen spent the past two summers as a conservatory member at Chautauqua Theatre Company appearing in Clybourne Park, Comedy of more(Feste) Regional credits: Yentl, A Carol for Cleveland, and Every Good Boy Deserves Favor at Cleveland Play House, Tartuffe at Triad Stage and The Tempest at NC Shakespeare Festival. Stephen spent the past two summers as a conservatory member at Chautauqua Theatre Company appearing in Clybourne Park, Comedy of Errors and As You Like It. CPH’s New Ground Theatre Festival credits include readings of Marjorie Prime (by 2013 Roe Green Award winner Jordan Harrison) and The Fagin Effect. CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program credits include Twelfth Night(Feste), The Misanthrope (Alceste), In Arabia We'd All Be Kings(Skank) and Identity Theft. He’s a North Carolina native and toured the East Coast with NC Theatre for Young People as MC Dog in Go, Dog, Go! Spencer received his B.F.A in Acting from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is a proud co-recipient of the 2012 Oldenburg MFA scholarship.

Guy Stroman

Guy Stroman

(Director) is an award-winning director whose credits include The King and I starring Lou Diamond Phillips (Best Production, Fort Worth Star Telegram); Loot (Top Ten Productions, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; 1776 (Best Director, Dallas-Fort Worth Theater Critics Forum); and Man of La Mancha (Best Production, California Musical Theatre). Stroman has directed more(Director) is an award-winning director whose credits include The King and I starring Lou Diamond Phillips (Best Production, Fort Worth Star Telegram); Loot (Top Ten Productions, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; 1776 (Best Director, Dallas-Fort Worth Theater Critics Forum); and Man of La Mancha (Best Production, California Musical Theatre). Stroman has directed his producing partner Sandy Duncan in acclaimed productions of The Glass Menagerie and Driving Miss Daisy, as well as directing and co-starring with Duncan and her husband Don Correia in the symphony concert series Sandy Duncan Celebrates Broadway, which toured North America. His work across the U.S. includes Shakespeare’s R&J; The Lion in Winter; Art; The Gin Game; Over the Tavern; Boeing, Boeing;Twelfth Night; The Thirty-Nine Steps; Broadway Bound; Mame;Talley’s Folly; Steel Magnolias; Oliver!; and Greater Tuna, among others. In New York, Stroman has directed play festivals for Naked Angels, Cherry Lane Theatre, and the New York Musical Theatre Festival. He recently completed Neil Simon’s Comic Suites, which combined selections from Plaza, California, and London Suite into one production. He has also directed several long running productions of Forever Plaid, a show he helped develop, having originated the role of Frankie in New York, London’s West End, and Los Angeles, where he earned a Best Acting Award from the L.A. Drama Critics Circle. He is proud to know that Forever Plaid played so well here in Cleveland!

Chris Blisset

(Composer) music directed and arranged Outlaws for the 2011 New York Musical Theatre Festival. National tours and regional theatre credits include Stand by Your Man (two national tours as actor and musical director);Ring of Fire and Pump Boys and Dinettes (as director, musical director and actor — all over more(Composer) music directed and arranged Outlaws for the 2011 New York Musical Theatre Festival. National tours and regional theatre credits include Stand by Your Man (two national tours as actor and musical director);Ring of Fire and Pump Boys and Dinettes (as director, musical director and actor — all over the country); Cotton Patch Gospel; The Full Monty; Twelfth Night; Keep on the Sunny Side; Smoke on the Mountain; Plaid Tidings; Lost Highway; and Civil War (as actor, director and/or musical director in various projects). He served as composer for Felicia Finley’s rock album and live events, Sophia Loren Eyewear, and classic theatre pieces such as Our Town, Romeo and Juliet, and Antigone in New York City. He has arranged music for Tituss Burgess and Carrie Tillis, and can be seen on YouTube doing stand-up comedy. He comes from New York where he is developing the new musical Basquiat.

Jessica Lucas

(Stage Manager) Previous Stage Management credits include Twelfth Night and The Misanthrope (CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program); Memphis, Rent and Aida (All- City Musical Program). Previous Assistant Stage Management and Production Assistant credits include The Secret Garden, King Lear, Dial M for Murder, Les Misérables, A Christmas Carol and Deathtrap more(Stage Manager) Previous Stage Management credits include Twelfth Night and The Misanthrope (CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program); Memphis, Rent and Aida (All- City Musical Program). Previous Assistant Stage Management and Production Assistant credits include The Secret Garden, King Lear, Dial M for Murder, Les Misérables, A Christmas Carol and Deathtrap (Great Lakes Theater); Dial M for Murder, Secret Garden and King Lear (Idaho Shakespeare Festival). Jessica earned her BA in theater from the University of Scranton. She has also worked as the company manager for Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival.

Maureen Patterson

(Lighting Designer) returns to the Helen Theatre, having previously designed Twelfth Night for the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program. She designed numerous shows for the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting program and the Cleveland Play House Children Series from 2001-2005. Her designs and production expertise have been showcased in the more(Lighting Designer) returns to the Helen Theatre, having previously designed Twelfth Night for the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program. She designed numerous shows for the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting program and the Cleveland Play House Children Series from 2001-2005. Her designs and production expertise have been showcased in the Cleveland area and beyond for the last eighteen years at Cleveland Play House, Case Western Reserve University, John Carroll University, Cleveland Public Theatre, Cleveland Opera, Cleveland San Jose Ballet, Dallas Theatre Center, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, and many others. For over ten years, Miss Patterson has focused her talents and creativity on special event lighting and is the Owner and Lead Designer at Solus Lighting LTD. Solus Lighting is the only international award winning company in the city of Cleveland dedicated to lighting and production management for high end corporate, social, and non-profit events of all sizes. Contact Solus Lighting to bring your events to the next level.

Tiffany M. Scribner

(Scenic Designer) is celebrating her third season as charge scenic artist at Cleveland Play House, where she designed In Arabia We’d All Be Kings for the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program and Margie and Mike for the University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital Classroom Matinee Touring Program. Other set more(Scenic Designer) is celebrating her third season as charge scenic artist at Cleveland Play House, where she designed In Arabia We’d All Be Kings for the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program and Margie and Mike for the University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital Classroom Matinee Touring Program. Other set designs include Looking for the Pony and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie for Synchronicity Performance Group,The Pajama Game at The University of Findlay, as well as The Lark, Six Degrees of Separation and To Kill a Mockingbird among others. Scribner spent the summer working at Santa Fe Opera as a staff scenic artist and has worked as charge scenic artist for Utah Shakespeare Festival and Porthouse Theatre. Teaching is one of her passions; she enjoys working with others to help an idea blossom into beautiful reality.

James C. Swonger

(Audio/Visual Supervisor) has designed sound for many Cleveland Play House productions including The Good Peaches (world premiere), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Breath and Imagination, Good People, The Devil’s Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith, Bell, Book and Candle, The Game’s Afoot (world premiere), Bill more(Audio/Visual Supervisor) has designed sound for many Cleveland Play House productions including The Good Peaches (world premiere), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Breath and Imagination, Good People, The Devil’s Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith, Bell, Book and Candle, The Game’s Afoot (world premiere), Bill W. and Dr. Bob, Heaven’s My Destination (world premiere), Noises Off!, Gee’s Bend, and I Am My Own Wife. CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program credits include The Fifth of July, The Philadelphia Story, The Three Sisters, Twelfth Night, and An Orchard. Additional credits include Cleveland’s Lyric Opera Company, Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre, Pioneer Theatre Company, Centerstage Theatre, George Street Playhouse, Yale Repertory Theatre, and premiere productions of why i had to dance, The Tragic Demise of the Whaleship Essex and Swinging on a Star: A Tribute to the Music of Johnny Burke.

Cyrus C. Taylor

(Dean of CWRU College of Arts and Sciences) is the Albert A. Michelson Professor in Physics at Case Western Reserve University. He joined the CWRU faculty in 1988. He has been a member of the Faculty Senate and served as chair of the Senate's Budget Committee, as well as more(Dean of CWRU College of Arts and Sciences) is the Albert A. Michelson Professor in Physics at Case Western Reserve University. He joined the CWRU faculty in 1988. He has been a member of the Faculty Senate and served as chair of the Senate's Budget Committee, as well as a member of the SAGES Implementation Task Force. He was a member of the Steering Committee of the Academic Careers in Engineering & Science (ACES) program at CWRU, the first private university to be funded by the National Science Foundation ADVANCE program to promote full participation of women at all levels of faculty and academic leadership. Dr. Taylor earned his Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A former Truman Scholar, Lilly Foundation Teaching Fellow and Guggenheim Fellow, he has published more than 60 papers and given more than 70 invited talks. Taylor has worked in theoretical and experimental high-energy physics, serving as co-spokesman of the MiniMax collaboration (FNAL T-864) at Fermilab and as co-spokesperson of the FELIX collaboration at CERN. He created and directed the Physics Entrepreneurship Program (PEP), which he helped expand into the now internationally known Science Technology and Entrepreneurship Program (STEP) at CWRU. In 2002 he was named a Fellow of the American Physical Society for providing a new paradigm for graduate education in physics through creation of a Physics Entrepreneurship Master's Program and in 2003 was awarded the Price Institute Innovative Entrepreneurship Educators Award.

Jeffrey Van Curtis

(Costume Designer) is Cleveland Play House’s Costume Shop Manager. CPH design credits include A Carol for Cleveland, My Name is Asher Lev, Bill W. and Dr. Bob, Doubt, I Am My Own Wife, Rounding Third, Proof, Dinner with Friends, and Art. CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program design credits include Angels more(Costume Designer) is Cleveland Play House’s Costume Shop Manager. CPH design credits include A Carol for Cleveland, My Name is Asher Lev, Bill W. and Dr. Bob, Doubt, I Am My Own Wife, Rounding Third, Proof, Dinner with Friends, and Art. CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program design credits include Angels in America, Fifth of July, She Stoops to Conquer, A Philadelphia Story, The Winter’s Tale, An Orchard, and others, along with several CPH Theatre for Children productions. Other design credits include Singin’ on the Ohio and The Goblins Will Git You at The Lantern Theatre, productions at Coconut Grove Playhouse and Studio Arena Theatre, and work on the film Kansas City. He has also created wigs for a number of CPH productions. He holds his Master of Fine Arts, Costume Design and Technology from University of Missouri–Kansas City. Jeffrey thanks CPH's Costume, Wardrobe and Wigs staff for their creativity, enthusiasm and support.

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