The Observer: 'The Three Musketeers' brings swordplay and silliness to the stage

Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Rollicking ‘Three Musketeers’ take audiences for a fun ride at Asolo Rep

The Observer: Asolo Rep play tells classic tale of a clash of swords and words

Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Asolo Rep goes ‘all for one’ with comedic new ‘Three Musketeers’

• Tuesday Talksbacks: March 7
• PlayDate: Saturday, Feb 11, 2p
• Out@ Asolo Rep: Thursday, Feb 23
• Community Day: Saturday, March 11, 2p; pre-show activitiies for all ages start at noon

CAST

 

JOE AYERS, he/him

FIRST SEASON (Inn Keeper & Ensemble) has had the pleasure of working on and off stage at companies such as ACT, Asolo Rep, San Francisco Playhouse, Cal Shakes, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley Playhouse, 6th Street Playhouse, and Center REP. He holds three BA degrees from UC Berkeley in Theater and Performance Studies, Dance and Performance Studies, and English. He is currently an MFA Acting candidate at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training in Sarasota, FL.

 

LA SHAWN BANKS*, he/him

FIRST SEASON (Treville) is thrilled to make his Asolo Rep debut. Credits include Choir Boy, The Wheel (Steppenwolf), Sense and Sensibility directed by Peter Amster, Around the World in 80 Days (Indiana Repertory), Sweat (Mark Taper), Oedipus, Twelfth Night, The Book of Will, The Island, and Edward Albee's Seascape (American Players), among a host of others. Thank you to the Almighty.

 

DREAA KAY BAUDY, she/her

FIRST SEASON (Constance) is a New Orleans native, but currently resides in Sarasota, FL. She graduated from Tulane University with a BA in Philosophy and is currently a MFA candidate for a Master’s in Acting at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory. Some of her credits include Somebody in Everybody, Ophelia in Hamlet, and Maria in Twelfth Night. Besides her passion for acting, Dreaa Kay loves to travel, is a plant enthusiast, and a cat mom.

 

MACARIA CHAPARRO MARTINEZ they/them

FIRST SEASON (Fache & Ensemble) is about to conclude their final year at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory, and it has been an odyssey of an education! They love projects that are impactful and important as well as silly little works of fun. Favorite credits include Mrs. Lovett, Belise in The Learned Ladies and Telemachus in Asolo Rep On Tour’s Looking for Ithaca. Macaria also reps UC Irvine as well as Ventura College! Kindly, enjoy the show!

 

CHRIS DUVAL*, he/him

FIRST SEASON (Rochefort & D’Artagnan’s Father) Regional: 19 years as an actor/fight director/guest teacher at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Other theatres include Dallas Theater Center, South Coast Repertory, Utah/Montana/Colorado/Orange County/Idaho Shakespeare Festivals, Great Lakes Theater, Pioneer Theatre Company, Salt Lake Acting Company, Utah Opera, Sacramento Theatre Company, Laguna Playhouse, Syracuse Stage. Chris received his MFA from UC Irvine, is a Certified Teacher/Fight Director/Theatrical Firearms Instructor with the SAFD, a Master Teacher with DAI, and holds a 2^nd degree black belt in Aikido.

 

RAY HUTH, he/him

FIRST SEASON (Aramis) is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, BFA in Drama. Since graduating, he has worked around the country on two national tours and residencies at theatres such as The Fulton Theater, Virginia Shakespeare Festival, Maine State Music Theater, and Heartwood Regional, along with working as a commercial and voiceover artist in NYC. Dedicated to my loving family and Hummingbird. rayhuth.com

 

TRACIE LANE*, she/her

FIRST SEASON (Milady) is thrilled to be wintering in Sarasota and making her Asolo Rep debut! Recently, Tracie played Sarah Boyd in the world premiere production of Burst at the Alleyway Theatre. Her favorite credits include Pelagiya/Dragana in Martyna Majok’s Queens at Juilliard, Joan la Pucelle in Henry VI Pt. 1 at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Portia in The Merchant of Venice at the American Shakespeare Center, and Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers at Orlando Shakes. TV: The Good Fight. Tracie earned her MFA from the Juilliard School and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. IG: @tracielane48

 

DEAN LINNARD*, he/him

FIRST SEASON (Porthos) Regional credits include Dave Malloy’s Octet (Berkeley Rep), The Winter’s Tale (Cal Shakes), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey), Thrill Me (Luna Stage), Hand to God (Left Edge Theatre), The Rub (New Orleans Fringe Festival), Groundhog Day: The Musical and Indecent (San Francisco Playhouse), as well as five seasons with Vermont Shakespeare Festival. Dean toured to 25 states with the musical The Lightning Thief. New York credits include performances at the Guggenheim and Met museums, plus the world premiere of Dave Harris’ Tambo & Bones at Playwrights Horizons. BFA from NYU Tisch, Stella Adler Studio, RADA. deanlinnard.com

 

ERIN O’CONNOR, she/her

FIRST SEASON (Sabine) is very excited to make her Asolo Rep debut! Past credits include Viola in Twelfth Night, Armande in The Learned Ladies, Everybody in Everybody (FSU/Asolo Conservatory); Coco in The Cocoanuts, Swing/Ens. in Head Over Heels, and Cassius/Portia/Mark Antony in Julius Caesar (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). She is also an actor combatant certified in unarmed, rapier, rapier/dagger, and broadsword. Much love to her Mom, Dad, and Sean for their unconditional love and support! erincoconnor.com

 

PETER S. RAIMONDO, he/him

FIRST SEASON (King Louis XIII & Ensemble) is a third-year student with the FSU/Asolo Conservatory. He is from Buffalo, NY, and holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Niagara University. His Conservatory credits include Belleville (Zack), The Learned Ladies (Clitandre), Twelfth Night (Antonio), and Asolo Rep’s BardWired: Much Ado About Nothing (u/s perf., Claudio). Peter is grateful for the love and support of his family and thrilled to be alongside his cohort, beginning their first season with Asolo Rep.

 

MARK ROSE*, he/him

FOURTH SEASON (Ravanche) is a NY based fight choreographer, actor, and stuntman. His previous Asolo Rep credits include fight choreographing Rhinoceros, Into the Breeches, Lifespan of a Fact, Camelot, The Motherf**ker with the Hat, Romeo & Juliet, and The Tempest. Mark’s work has also been seen at Trinity Rep, Cleveland Play House, Opera North, Legoland NY, and Walt Disney World.

 

JASMINE RUSH*, she/her

FIRST SEASON (Abbess & Ensemble) is a Milwaukee-bred, Brooklyn-based, B L A C K actress/writer/director. Select credits include Off-Broadway: Joe’s Pub (Public Theater). Regional: Cleveland Play House, Hangar Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, TheatreSquared, New Repertory Theatre. Television: Bull, Blue Bloods, The Sinner, Difficult People. Jasmine is a proud company member of Quick Silver Theatre Company (NYC). Training: MFA - STC’s The Academy at The George Washington University, BA - University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. jasminerush.com

 

JAY RUSSELL*, he/him

FIRST SEASON (Cardinal Richelieu) Broadway: End of the Rainbow, The Play What I Wrote. Off-Broadway: Our Town, Travels with my Aunt, Around the World in 80 Days, The Normal Heart. National Tours: Wicked, Beauty and the Beast. International: Fully Committed (Vienna), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Frankfurt). Regional: Guthrie, Arena Stage, Long Wharf, PaperMill, Westport, Humana (Louisville), Baltimore Center Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, St. Louis Rep, Goodspeed, Alabama & Utah Shakespeare. Carbonell Award Winner: Indecent at Palm Beach DramaWorks. TV/Film: Gotham, Louie, Boardwalk Empire, Ugly Betty, The Sopranos, Law & Order, Morning Glory, Ride, In Lieu of Flowers, Queen of Knives. Jay wrote, directed, and produced the award-winning short R U OK? jay-russell.com

 

LEIGHTON SAMUELS*, he/him

FIRST SEASON (Athos) is an actor based in New York City. Theatre credits include Ransome Foster in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Onomatopoeia Theater), Sextus in The Rape of Lucrece (New York Shakespeare Exchange), Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (Theater at Monmouth), Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet (Media Theater), Robert in One Christmas Eve (NY Fringe). TV credits include Mindhunter (co-star), Gossip Girl (co-star), and Surina and Mel (guest star). VO credits include Chandler (supporting) in Fear, A Love Story. Commercial credits include Samsung Galaxy Note 10 (Host) and TD Ameritrade (Know-It-All Barista). leightonsamuels.com

 

EVAN STEVENS, he/him

FIRST SEASON (D’Artagnan) is excited to be making his debut at Asolo Rep this season. Originally from Boise, ID, Evan received most of his professional acting experience working for the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, his favorite experience of which was performing with Shakespearience (the company’s educational outreach program) in three consecutive tours. In addition to theatre, Evan enjoys guitar, Legos, and tumbling. He is grateful to the countless people who have helped him along the way.

 

SYDNEY STORY, she/her

FIRST SEASON (Septime & Ensemble) is incredibly excited to embark on this final leg of her MFA journey. Her favorite roles include Olive in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Dorothy Brown in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Maria in Love's Labour’s Lost. She has also been fortunate enough to sing backup for Kristin Chenoweth and work on a new musical with Bandstand’s Richard Oberacker. She would like to thank her mom, her stepdad, and her best friends for all their support.

 

JERALD WHEAT, he/him

FIRST SEASON (Duke of Buckingham & Ensemble) is humbled to be making his debut on the Mertz Theatre stage. Jerald is a member of the FSU/Asolo Conservatory class of 2023. He was last seen on the Cook Theatre stage, performing in all four productions of the Conservatory’s 2022 season. Jerald would like to thank the Asolo Rep administration for this opportunity.

 

IMANI LEE WILLIAMS, she/they

FIRST SEASON (Queen Anne) Raised in the south (Stone Mountain, GA), Imani acknowledges the unique effect Southern artistry has on the world and is proud to represent that. This is Imani’s final year as an FSU/Asolo Conservatory student and first year on the Asolo Rep stage. Imani thanks the educators of her past and present who present her with opportunities for greatness. She thanks her family and loved ones for reminding her of grace, joy, and dedication.

 

UNDERSTUDIES

 

JASMYN ACKAH, she/her

FIRST SEASON (u/s Queen Anne) is an actress, singer, and dancer born and raised in the heart of New York City. She is a recent graduate of Temple University, majoring in the Acting concentration. Jasmyn would like to thank her family and friends for their unwavering support and love, and she would especially like to thank her grandmother Sonia, who always pushed for her to follow her passions and who she knows is cheering her on from above.

 

JONATHAN ACOSTA

FIRST SEASON (u/s Treville) is originally from Navasota, TX. He is a recent graduate from Texas State University in Performance and Production and is now a graduate student at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory. He has been in over 20 shows and has done theatre for 10 years now. He would love to thank his family and friends for their endless support. He is extremely excited to continue his education and continue getting to know his amazing cohort.

 

WILLIAM ROWLAND-JACKSON CROWDER, he/him

FIRST SEASON (u/s Duke of Buckingham & Ensemble) is an Artist/Human from Chicago, IL. He has been acting for a few years now and continues to express himself through the human experience. He is a graduate of Morehouse College and has plans on leading the youth through artistic experience.

 

A.J. GAGLIARDI, he/him

FIRST SEASON (u/s Rochefort & Ravanche) is an actor and stunt performer that is excited to make his debut appearance at Asolo Repertory Theatre in this production of The Three Musketeers. Finally getting to tread the boards again, A.J. has most prominently performed as a stunt double in various TV shows and movies, including She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Home Team, and Leverage: Redemption. He'd like to thank his wife, Sabreena, and family for their constant love and support.

 

JOHN LEGGETT, he/him

FIRST SEASON (u/s King Louis XIII & Ensemble) is excited to be joining Asolo Rep this season by way of the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training! A native of Myrtle Beach, SC, and a graduate of the South Carolina School of the Arts in 2019, John is an Actor Combatant with The Society of American Fight Directors and is certified in six weapons. John is excited to learn with Asolo Rep and FSU for the next three years!

 

CATHERINE LUCIANI, she/her

FIRST SEASON (u/s Sabine) is honored and grateful to be a part of this year’s Asolo Rep ensemble as an FSU (’25) graduate acting student! Select credits include NY: All About Image/We Are The Elite (NY Fringe Festival); Mrs. President (Manhattan Rep); Village, My Home (DreamUp Festival!). Regional: Nevermore (Old Sturbridge Village); The Panto Games (imaginary beasts); Sisters (Keeler Tavern Museum); The Independents (Curtain Call); Julius Caesar (Curtain Call); Fall River Axe Murders (imaginary beasts).

 

ELLE MILLER, she/her

FIRST SEASON (u/s Fache, Abbess, & Ensemble) is absolutely thrilled to serve as an understudy on the Asolo Repertory Theatre stage as a first-year FSU/Asolo Conservatory student. Her recent credits include Marianne in Constellations at the Jacoby Arts Theatre in Alton, IL; co-facilitator and cast member in the Theatre for Anti-Racist Action Allegiance via Principia College; Kent in King Lear via the Globe Theatre Education Program, and Portia in The Merchant of Venice.

 

ASHLEY MCCAULEY MOORE, she/her

FIRST SEASON (u/s Constance) is from Durham, NC, and a first-year student at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory. Some of her prior work includes For Colored Girls and Once in a Wife Time. Ashley spent time in Los Angeles, CA, where she was featured in several television shows produced by Disney and ABC. Upon joining the Conservatory, she was afforded the privilege of an understudy role in The Three Musketeers as Constance and Chicken & Biscuits as La’Trice.

 

IBUKUN J. OMOTOWA, he/him

FIRST SEASON (u/s Inn Keeper & Ensemble) is a Nigerian American actor who grew up in Idaho Falls and developed a love for acting in Atlanta, GA. An actor with a love for historical fiction, being at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory program is “nothing short of a dream come true.” With a penchant for social justice, Ibukun eagerly awaits the upcoming performances this season.

 

AYDA OZDOGANLAR, she/her

FIRST SEASON (u/s Septime & Ensemble) graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BS in Biology and a minor in Drama and is thrilled to start her first year as a student at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory. At Carnegie Mellon, she performed roles such as Sophie in Mamma Mia! (2019) and Amelia in The Summerland Project (2020). With an interest in vocal performance, she has sung with the National Association for Music Education’s (NAfME) All-Eastern National Treble Choir and Pennsylvania All-State Choir.

 

CAITLIN ROSE, she/they

FIRST SEASON (u/s Milady) is grateful as a first-year FSU/Asolo Conservatory student and understudy at Asolo Rep! While they have experience in film and modeling, Caitlin’s true passions are with classical performance and developing new plays. Favorite credits: Lynn Redgrave in Shakespeare for My Father, Medea in Medea, and Judy in the world premiere of The Sniper’s Nest. Caitlin offers gratitude to their family, partner, friends, FSU staff, and patrons for their support, inspiration, and love.

 

BRIAN ZANE

FIRST SEASON (u/s Cardinal Richelieu) is a first-year student at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Regional credits include Master Class at TimeLine Theatre Company, Far from Heaven and City of Angels at Porchlight Music Theatre, Anything Goes at Music Theater Works, The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire at JPAC Theatre, The Hollow Men at NYC Fringe Festival, Picasso at the Lapin Agile at Charleston Stage Company, and Safety Net at Crossroads Rep.

 

*Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

DRAYTON ALEXANDER, he/they

FIRST SEASON (Dramaturg) is thrilled to be joining Asolo Rep as Literary Associate, following a decade working in play development in New York, London, and Singapore. Some dramaturgy highlights include world/NYC premieres of Taylor Mac’s The Fre, Kristiana Rae Colón’s good friday, Nsangou Njikam’s Syncing Ink, Idris Goodwin’s Hype Man: a break beat play, Geraldine Elizabeth Inoa’s Scraps, The Q Brothers’ Liz Estrada, and Catya McMullen’s Locked Up Bs. As Artistic Producer of Serials @ The Flea, he led The Flea Theater’s Serials Writers room for two years, and he has developed plays by Amy Ng, Tuyen Do, and Joyce Julie Lee for New Earth Theatre. Drayton has received an Olwen Wymark Award from the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain and holds an MFA from NYU Tisch Asia. 

 

PETER AMSTER, he/him

THIRTEENTH SEASON (Director) is thrilled and grateful to be returning to Asolo Rep, having been a guest director, choreographer, and performer for 13 years. He directed such shows as Morning After Grace, Born Yesterday, Living on Love, The Matchmaker, You Can’t Take It with You, and Murder on the Orient Express. He also directed Dead Man’s Cell Phone for the FSU/Asolo Conservatory, choreographed 1776, and crooned some tunes on the Terrace stage in We Need a Little Christmas. He has been directing and choreographing theatre and opera for over 50 years. In Chicago, he directed and choreographed at the Goodman Theatre, Court Theatre, Northlight, Apple Tree, Route 66, Live Bait, the Lyric Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre, Chicago Symphony, and Steppenwolf. Other directing credits include the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Utah Shakespeare Festival, American Players Theatre, Peninsula Players, Weston Playhouse, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, Syracuse Stage, Laguna Playhouse, and Gulfshore Playhouse in Naples. He’s taught at Northwestern University, Louisiana State University, CalArts, Columbia College, and Roosevelt University.

 

ALEXA BURN*, she/her

SECOND SEASON (Assistant Stage Manager) is from Cupertino, CA. She is thrilled to return to Asolo Rep after being a Stage Management Apprentice last season! Her past credits include The Great Leap (ASM), Grand Horizons (ASM), and Hood (ASM) at Asolo Repertory Theatre, A Leg Up (ASM) and Clue (ASM) at Bristol Riverside Theatre in Bristol, PA, The Code (SM) at the American Conservatory Theatre SF, as well as Chess (SM) and A Little Night Music (ASM) at 42nd Street Moon. Alexa also stage managed at the Disneyland Resort for many years, working with the Disneyland Band, Dapper Dans, and more.

 

VICTORIA DEIORIO

FIRST SEASON (Original Compositions) is a critically acclaimed sound designer and composer for theatre and film based in Chicago, making her Asolo Rep debut! Off Broadway: Nine Circles (Sheen Center), A Christmas Carol (St. Clements), Two Point Oh with Active Theatre (Primary Stages), Arnie the Doughnut at the NYMTF (The Pearl), Cassie’s Chimera at Joe’s Pub (The Public), The Bluest Eye with Steppenwolf (The Duke Theatre), Ophelia at the NYC Fringe Fest (The Connelly). Regional: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Goodman, Steppenwolf Theatre, Hartford Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, Seattle Repertory, Syracuse Stage, Cleveland Playhouse, Indiana Repertory, and many others. Victoria has won seven Joseph Jefferson Awards, two After Dark Awards, and a SALT Award. She is the head of Sound Design at DePaul University. victoria-sound-design.com

 

PATRICIA DELOREY, she/her

TWENTIETH SEASON (Resident Voice and Dialect Coach) Asolo Rep favorites include: Knoxville, Sweat, Sweeney Todd, The Cake, The Crucible, Gloria, Ragtime, Rhinoceros, Roe, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, The Great Society, Josephine, All The Way, Living on Love, West Side Story, Sotto Voce, Other Desert Cities, South Pacific, The Grapes of Wrath, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Clybourne Park, The Innocents, Twelve Angry Men, Bonnie & Clyde, Doubt, A Few Good Men, A Tale of Two Cities, Equus. Other credits include Pitmen Painters (American Stage Theatre), Studio Six’s production of Plasticine (The Baryshnikov Arts Center), Saturday Night Fever (Royal Caribbean International Cruises), Stone Cold Dead Serious (American Repertory Theatre), and the world premiere of Nocturne (American Repertory Theatre). 

 

LINDA DIGABRIELE

FIFTIETH SEASON (Managing Director) has served as Asolo Rep’s managing director since 1989. Prior to that time, she held other positions with Asolo Rep, including director of touring programs and stage manager. During her 12-year tenure with the touring programs, Linda orchestrated 26 regional and national tours for Asolo Rep’s mainstage and educational companies. She has served several terms on the board of directors for the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), a national organization of regional not-for-profit professional theatres. Linda has been an advisory panel member for the National Endowment for the Arts and, for five years, the John F. Kennedy Center’s Theatre for Young Audiences. She is a past president of the Florida Professional Theatre Association and has served the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs as a member of various panels including the Grant Awards Task Force, Theatre Grants, Arts in Educations Grants, and the Cultural Institution Programs review committee. Other boards of directors’ appointments include ASSITEJ/USA, an international theatre organization for young audiences, the Florida Cultural Alliance, and the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County. A graduate of Florida State University, Linda’s professional theatre experience includes acting and directing. She is honored to have been recognized by the Florida Professional Theatre Association’s Richard G. Fallon Award for Excellence in Professional Theatre and the Florida Theatre Conference’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

 

TRACY DORMAN, she/her

SEVENTH SEASON (Costume Design) has designed productions for the past 25 years at regional theatre and opera companies around the country. She has designed at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cleveland Play House, Syracuse Stage, GEVA, Milwaukee Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Drury Lane (Chicago), Kansas City Rep, Gulfshore Playhouse, Maltz-Jupiter, Manhattan School of Music, Virginia Opera, Kentucky Opera, Opera Omaha, Chicago Opera Theatre, Glimmerglass, and New York City Opera. From 2005-2008 she was an associate costume designer on the CBS daytime drama As the World Turns, for which she won a 2007 Emmy Award for Costume Design. For more credits, visit tracydorman.com

 

MICHAEL DONALD EDWARDS

EIGHTEENTH SEASON (Producing Artistic Director) has served as producing artistic director of Asolo Rep since 2006. He was previously the associate artistic director of Syracuse Stage and served as artistic director of Shakespeare Santa Cruz. A Garland Award and Drama-Logue Award winning director, Michael has directed at Cleveland Play House; Indiana Repertory Theatre; Geva Theatre; Syracuse Stage; The Shakespeare Theatre; San Jose Rep; Opera San Jose; the Oregon Shakespeare Festival; the Old Globe in San Diego; Virginia Stage Company; the Virginia Opera; the State Theatre of South Australia; Opera Australia; Victoria State Opera; and the Metropolitan Opera, where he staged revivals of Aida, The Barber of Seville, Porgy and Bess, and Phillip Glass’ The Voyage. In previous seasons for Asolo Rep, Michael has directed Disgraced; Our Betters; The Grapes of Wrath; Clybourne Park; My Brilliant Divorce; Hamlet, Prince of Cuba; Las Meninas; La Bête; The Last Five Years; The Life of Galileo; Perfect Mendacity; The Winter’s Tale; Equus; A Tale of Two Cities; Darwin in Malibu; Nobody Don’t Like Yogi; Amadeus; The Smell of the Kill and, most recently, The Crucible.

 

SAMANTHA EGLE, she/her

FIRST SEASON (Intimacy Coordinator) is thrilled to be joining Asolo Rep for this production! Her work has been seen on the stages of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Arvada Center for Arts and Humanities, Colorado Spring Fine Arts, Denver Children’s Theatre, Mizel Center for Arts and Culture, Athena Project Festival, Lagoon Theme Park, New York Fringe Festival, University of Northern Colorado, University of Denver, and numerous other educational institutions. She was a Resident Artist as an Intimacy Director at Arena Stage in 2019 and an apprentice with Intimacy Directors International. She is the founder of Humble Warrior Movement Arts, producing international virtual and local in-person stage combat and intimacy training. She is the Regional Representative and a Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors.

 

GREG EMETAZ, he/him

SECOND SEASON (Projection Designer) is a filmmaker and video designer. Stage: Fire Shut Up in My Bones (The Metropolitan Opera), La Fanciulla Del West (National Center for Performing Arts Beijing), Tristan Und Isolde (Croatian National Theatre). World premieres: Bel Canto (Chicago Lyric Opera), Dolores (Claiborne San Francisco Opera), Champion, An American Soldier, Shalimar, 27, The Golden Ticket (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis). Screen: feature film Camp Wedding, short films Bowes Academy, Spell Claire, Get the F K Outta Paris!, and Death by Omelette, and webseries Do it Yourselfie, co-directed with Amanda DeSimone. He’s also created behind-the-scenes documentaries for Julie Taymor's The Tempest & Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. MINORapocalypse.com

 

MICHELLE HART, she/her

TWENTY-FIRST SEASON (Resident Hair/Wig & Make-up Designer) designs for Asolo Repertory Theatre and FSU/Asolo Conservatory. Other credits: Sarasota Ballet, Palm Beach Drama Works, freeFall Theatre, Urbanite Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Banyan Theatre, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Venice Theatre, Dorset Theatre, Barrington Stage, and Open Stage Theatre. She has also done hair and/or make-up for Joan Rivers, Doris Roberts, Martin Short, Jane Russell, Arlene Dahl, Soledad Villamil, Jane Pauley, Richard Dreyfuss, Castille Langdon, Christopher Higgins, Mary Mara, Heather Robb, Lauren Sweetser, Justin Long, Paul Downs, Douglas Sills, and Nia Hills. Music videos: “Second Chance” by Shinedown, “Reverse Cowgirl” by T-Pain. Film/TV: Lady of the Manor; Paradise, FL; and The Real Stephen Blatt.

 

GEOFFREY KENT, he/they

FIRST SEASON (Fight Director) is an award-winning fight director based out of Denver, CO. Regional Theatre - Denver Center for the Performing Arts (20 Seasons): Richard III, Hamlet, Othello, Romeo & Juliet, Sweeney Todd, Pillowman, Superior Donuts, 1001; Colorado Shakespeare Festival (14 Seasons): King Lear, Macbeth, Troilus & Cressida; Utah Shakespeare Festival: Treasure Island, As You Like It, Henry 6 Part 1; Orlando Shakespeare Theatre: Cymbeline, Henry V, Taming of the Shrew; American Shakespeare Center: Julius Caesar, Antony & Cleopatra; Opera Colorado: Porgy and Bess, Macbeth, Don Giovanni; Aspen/Sante Fe Ballet: Romeo & Juliet; Curious Theatre Company: Lieutenant of Inishmore. Geoffrey is one of 20 recognized Fight Masters with the Society of American Fight Directors. geoffreykent.com, @geoffreykent.

 

ADAM KOCH

FIRST SEASON (Scenic Design) International: Dreamgirls (Seoul). United States: off-Broadway, National Tours, as well as productions at Signature Theatre, Goodspeed, Ford’s Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Baltimore Center Stage, Miami New Drama, Westport Country Playhouse, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Great Lakes Theatre, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Ogunquit Playhouse, Syracuse Stage, Music Theatre Wichita, Fulton Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Tuacahn Center for the Arts, and Portland Stage. Awards include Suzi Bass award for Outstanding Scenic Design for the outdoor production of Titanic (Serenbe Playhouse), as well as Helen Hayes Award nominations for both Kiss of the Spiderwoman (Signature Theatre), and Bat Boy (1st Stage). Education: Carnegie Mellon University. adamkochassociates.com, Instagram @instadamkoch.

 

JAMES E LAWLOR III

SECOND SEASON (Lighting Designer) is thrilled to return to Asolo Rep after designing for Eureka Day. Jimmy is a Scorpio, new father, cat owner, and a music enthusiast, who enjoys scotch and bourbon. He only runs when chased. Jimmy designs lighting for opera, theatre, dance, corporate clients, architecture, interiors, and more. New York work includes Broadway, off-Broadway, and beyond. Regional work includes opera, theatre, and dance. Jimmy’s work has been seen internationally in Abu Dhabi, Sydney, Mexico, Canada, Austria, and Germany. MFA from NYU Tisch. Member USA 829. lawlordesign.com

 

KEN LUDWIG has had six shows on Broadway, seven in London's West End, and many of his works have become a standard part of the American repertoire. His 28 plays and musicals have been performed in over 30 countries in more than 20 languages and are produced throughout the United States every night of the year. Lend Me a Tenor won two Tony Awards and was called “one of the classic comedies of the 20th century” by The Washington Post. Crazy For You was on Broadway for five years and won the Tony and Olivier Awards for Best Musical. In addition, he has won the Edgar Award for Best Mystery of the Year, two Laurence Olivier Awards, two Helen Hayes Awards, and the Edwin Forrest Award for Contributions to the American Theater. His plays have starred, among others, Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett, Tony Shaloub, Joan Collins, and Hal Holbrook. His stage version of Murder on the Orient Express was written expressly at the request of the Agatha Christie Estate, and his latest play, Dear Jack, Dear Louise, won the 2020 Charles MacArthur Award for Best New Play of the Year and is optioned for Broadway. His book How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, published by Penguin Random House, won the Falstaff Award for Best Shakespeare Book of the Year, and his essays are published in The Yale Review. He is a graduate of Harvard and Cambridge and is a frequent guest speaker for groups as varied as The Oxford-Cambridge Society, The Jane Austen Society of North America, The Folger Shakespeare Library, and The Baker Street Irregulars.

 

VICTOR MEYRICH

FIFTY-FOURTH SEASON (Director of Production & Operations) is a graduate of Carnegie Tech and worked at New York Shakespeare Festival, Brandeis, University of California Institute of Repertory, APA, American Conservatory Theater, and again in New York. As head of production and technical staffs, he is responsible for the overall technical operation of Asolo Rep and its facilities. He wrote the architecture program for both the Center for the Performing Arts and the Koski II expansion and is the owner’s representative on both projects. He has been a member of the Asolo Rep family since 1969.

 

MATTHEW T. PARKER, he/him

THIRTIETH SEASON (Sound Design) received his BFA in Theatre Production Design and Technology from Ohio University. He was the resident sound designer at Monomoy Theatre in 1990. He has worked sound and special effects at Flat Rock Playhouse in North Carolina on such shows as I Hate Hamlet, the world premiere of Gilligan's Island: The Musical, and others in the 1992 season. Since 1993, Matthew has designed sound for many of Asolo Rep's productions. In addition, he wrote and performed the musical scores for The Count of Monte Cristo and Nicholas Nickleby. Outside the theatre world he has designed and programmed the show control system for Livingston's Amusements Bazooka Ball arena and produced virtual expositions for the National Watercolor Society.

 

CELINE ROSENTHAL, she/they

SIXTH SEASON (Local Casting; Associate Artistic Director) is a Tony-nominated producer and “Key” member of The Ring Of Keys and New Georges Affiliate Artist. They are in their sixth season at Asolo Rep, having directed Camelot, The Lifespan of a Fact, Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest, and co-directed We Need a Little Christmas with Michael Donald Edwards. Celine has developed new work with NYMF, The New Georges, The Musical Theatre Factory, The Kidoons, Tamasha, and National Queer Theatre, as well as creating Asolo Rep’s premiere new work series, Asolo Rep Ground Floor. Other recent projects: Trayf (New Rep); Drowning in Cairo (N.Q.T); A Doll’s House, Spike Heels (Studio Theatre); Motherf**ker with the Hat (FSU/Asolo Conservatory); the award-winning short film Wildflower. Celine was a member of the 2018/19 MTC Directing Fellowship class and was awarded an SDC Observership and Asolo Rep Directing Fellowship. They are an alumnus of the Commercial Theatre Institute, BMI Lehman Engel Workshop, NYU Tisch (BFA), and The New School for Drama (MFA). celinerosenthal.nyc

 

NIA SCIARRETTA*, she/her

ELEVENTH SEASON (Production Stage Manager) Favorite Asolo Rep credits include stage manager for Knoxville, The Great Leap, The Sound of Music, Into the Breeches, The Music Man, Sweeney Todd, Sweat, Shakespeare in Love, Roe, and the 2020-21 Terrace Stage season, as well as assistant stage manager for Rhinoceros, Guys and Dolls, All the Way, South Pacific, and Hero: The Musical. Previous off-Broadway credits include work on Jesus Hopped the A Train, In the Blood, and The Wayside Motor Inn at the Signature Theatre. Nia has also worked with Creede Repertory Theatre, the Hangar Theatre, the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, the Flea Theatre, and Penguin Rep.

 

JACQUELINE SINGLETON*, she/her

FOURTH SEASON (Stage Manager) is so happy to be back at Asolo Rep! Previously: Our Town; The Great Leap; Terrace Season 2020-21; The Crucible; A Doll's House, Part 2; and Noises Off. American Players Theatre (Spring Green, Wisconsin), 21 seasons, including recent projects Love’s Labour’s Lost, Oedipus, and Rough Crossing. Other stage management work includes Animal Farm at Milwaukee Repertory and Baltimore Center Stage; Outside Mullingar at the Clarence Brown Theater (Knoxville, TN); three seasons at Forward Theater (Madison, WI); seven seasons at Madison Repertory Theatre; and numerous Chicago theatres, including the Goodman Theatre, Writers' Theatre, and Next Theatre.

 

BINDER CASTING

(New York Casting) was founded 40 years ago and is now a part of RWS Entertainment Group. The office has cast 150+ Broadway, off-Broadway, and National Touring productions, in addition to countless national and international projects spanning both stage and screen. Binder is a proud 11-time recipient of the Artios Award for Excellence in Casting and is a supporter of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The office holds a deep respect for their legacy, as well as a commitment to growth. To facilitate this growth, Binder has partnered with the Disruptive Equity Education Project (DEEP) to dismantle harmful practices and to carry this work into their organization, client relationships, and audition rooms. They acknowledge that the work is on-going and strive to do better. bindercasting.com

 

CLAIRE SIMON CASTING

(Chicago Casting) Regional credits include working with the Clarence Brown Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Guthrie Theatre, Indiana Rep, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Lyric Opera in Chicago, New Theatre, Kansas City Rep, Madison Rep, Milwaukee Rep, Paramount Theatre, Syracuse Stage, and Writers’ Theatre. Chicago theater credits: Broadway in Chicago’s Working; critically acclaimed The Doyle & Debbie Show; the Tony Award-winning Million Dollar Quartet; Show Boat, Carousel, and The King and I for the Lyric Opera; Old Jews Telling Jokes. TV: Empire, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Sense 8, Crisis, Betrayal, Detroit 1-8-7, Boss, Mob Doctor, Chicago Code. Recent film credits: Divergent, Contagion, Jupiter Ascending, Unexpected. She won the Artios Award for casting season one of Fox’s Prison Break.

 

 

*Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

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