Cast & Crew

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2008 Summer Tour Cast & Crew
	BRIAN ALLARD – is a professional actor, director and educator who lives in Portland, OR. Back for a second time at NESF, Brian appeared two years ago in A Midsommer Nights Dreame. A certified teacher in three states, Brian holds a BA in theatre from Viterbo College in La Crosse, Wisconsin and has further trained with the New England Shakespeare Festival and the Brave New Workshop. Brian is the former head of Drama at Cumberland School in the East End of London and currently is the theatre teacher at the Northwest Academy and the Education Director at Blue Monkey Theater, both in Portland. Acting credits include The Tempest (Caliban) and Aurora Leigh (Romney), both Off-Broadway; the nationally-known improv troupe Monkeys in the Atrium; and earlier this year he appeared as Peter in the US Premiere of the immensely popular Czech play Tales of Ordinary Madness. Brian is an SAFD certified fight combatant.
	COLLIN BIDDLE – is really delighted to be back with New England Shakespeare Festival. Shows with NESF: Romeo & Juliet and Taming of the Shrew, and co-productions with NESF Twelfe Night (w/ WildBard) and Comedie of Errors (w/ Oberon Theatre Ensemble). Other recent productions include Othello (Firebird Prods.), All's Well That Ends Well (Moonbeam Prods.), An Actor Prepares & Three Tables (K. Janowitz Prods.), and King Kong and War of the Worlds with Radiotheatre. In addition, Collin has appeared in a number of films, including And Then Came Love, and numerous independent films, industrials, branded content and so on and so forth. With love and thanks to Ann and the girls.
	JENIFER BORNTRAGER – is thrilled to return this season for Much adoe about Nothing. She worked with NESF last summer in Comedie of Errors as the Courtesan. NYC credits include the roles of Lady Macbeth and Katherine (Shrew) in "Bardolatry" (Algonquin Theatre), and numerous shows with the Looking Glass Theatre, trip ensemble, and Impetuous Theatre Group. Regional credits include Aggie in Grapes of Wrath (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Sally Bowles in Cabaret (USA Theatre), and Luciana in Comedy of Errors (USA Theatre). Love and gratitude to Mom, Dad, and Kenny.
	JENNIFER BROWN – originally hails from Atlanta, Georgia and is pleased to be joining New England Shakespeare for the fourth year in a row! While in Atlanta, Jennifer has stage managed with Synchronicity Theatre Company, Essential Theatre Company, 7 Stages, and the Center for Puppetry Arts, among others, as well as having spent several years working with the Shakespeare Tavern in a variety of capacities. It is through her first involvement with the Tavern back in 1998 (Two Gentlemen of Verona) that Jennifer discovered her love of the Bard's works, and she is pleased to be revisiting his work in such company as this and getting to share the joy she discovered years ago with audiences throughout New England.
	AMANDA BRUTON – is happy to be performing with New England Shakespeare Festival again after playing Adriana last summer in The Comedie of Errors. Recent credits include Melody in The Quiver of Children for Voice and Vision, Topsy in Last Call on Bourbon Street at Theatre Row, and the Leader of Old Women in Lysistrata at the Gallery Players. Amanda holds a BFA in Theatre from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Love to Mom, Dad, the Fam, and Kristen.
	CRAIG COLFELT – New York & Regional: Merchant of Venice (Launcelet Gobbo) & Winter’s Tale (Shepherd’s Son) with Actors Shakespeare Co.; Peter & the Starcatchers adpt. Rick Elice, dir. Roger Rees, for Williamstown Theatre Lab; Hell House at St. Ann’s Warehouse dir. Alex Timbers; Midsommer Nights Dreame (Theseus/Oberon) & Richard III (Tyrrel/Ely) with New England Shakespeare Festival, dir. Demitra Papadinis; Measure for Measure (Lucio, understudy) for The Pearl Theatre Company; The Witching Hour and Dance, Dance Revolution for Williamstown Theatre Festival 2005; Dracula dir. Matt Hancock at Urban Stages; The Bacchae dir. Tracy Bersley. Film: All Saints Day by Brooke Berman. Trained: London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA).
	LAWRENCE CRANOR – as John the Bastard, some would say typecast again. Actually, Lawrence has been active with the New England Shakespeare Festival for many years, playing a variety of roles including the female parts. John the Bastard loves the female parts. Lawrence has been active in theatre since the early 1970's and has the good fortune to have received an award for Best Supporting Actor among the New Hampshire Community Theatre Association, have a minor speaking role in a made for television movie, and get the chance to perform on stage with both of his children.
	MEGHAN DALTON – is proud to be working with New England Shakespeare for the first time. Meghan graduated from Boston University's School of Theatre in 2007. Favorite credits there include Push, 'Cross the Water; A Dream Project, Measure for Measure (Mistress Overdone), The King Stag (Cigolotti), The Trojan Women (Poseidon), Playing for Time (Marianne), and Antigone (Teiresias). She currently lives in Cambridge, MA and is a founding member of the Breaking Stage Company.
	ALDEN FORD – Alden is happy to be reunited with The New England Shakespeare Festival. He is an actor, improvisor and photographer in NYC. He holds a BA in Theater from Whitman College and spent a semester at The Globe Theater in London studying Shakespeare. Alden performs in NYC with improv/sketch trio Sidecar. He also has a dog. Alden currently lives in Brooklyn where he takes headshots.
	WAYNE FRITSCHE – is very grateful to be making his New England Shakespeare Festival debut in Much Ado About Nothing. Recent local performances include Birdboot in The Real Inspector Hound (Apollinaire Theater Company), Trigorin in The Seagull (11:11 Theatre Company), Marcus Lycus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Boston TheatreWorks), Male Greek Chorus in How I Learned to Drive (Devanaughn Theatre), and Body in the world premier of Monsters the Musical (Centastage). Other favorite roles include Baker in Into the Woods, Harold Hill in The Music Man, Japheth in Two By Two, Albert in Bye Bye Birdie, Snoopy in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Hysterium in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Reverend Mother in Nunsense A-Men.
	JENIFER GARTNER – is a graduate of Circle in the Square's Professional Workshop. Credits at Circle include Top Girls (Marlene) and Tenderloin (Jessica). She is also a graduate of Boston College where she majored in theater.
	CHRISTOPHER GOOLEY – is very excited to be spending his summer with New England Shakespeare. Off Broadway: Starmites (original revival, directed by Barry Keating who wrote the show and music), Twelfth Night (Sir Andrew), Happy Hour, Day of Mime (Lead Player). Regional Theater: Oliver (Artful Dodger), Grease (Eugene), Pirates of Penzance and many more. Christopher has also performed in Aida last year at The Metropolitan Opera in NYC. He also works with The Maritime Pirates Theater Group located in Hamptons, NY. Television: Damages, Cashmere Mafia and Nickelodeon. Training: American Musical and Dramatic Academy and The Juilliard School. Proud member of the actors union AFTRA. Much thanks to his agent Sonia and his manager Mark. Hey Mom!!
	WILLIAM GREEN – is very happy to be performing with New England Shakespeare. Most recently he was seen in Tom Stoppard's A Separate Peace. Other favorite roles include Dromio in Comedy of Errors; Bruno in Krankenhause Blues; and Studs Terkel in Studs. He's done a couple of Law & Orders and other TV and film. A native Chicagoan, he lives in NYC with Susanna Sophie & Daisy.
	NICOLE GREENBAUM – just finished up a (rehearsed) production of Midsummer Night's Dream, and is thrilled to be back to the cue script. She has been seen performing recently in New York at the Algonquin Theatre and in Central Park. She has eternal gratitude for her family, without whom none of this would be possible. www.nicolegreenbaum.com.
	CHRISTINE A. KAHLER – a recent graduate from Indiana University of Pennsylvania; last summer she was the wardrobe intern for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (CLO) for actors Shirley Jones, Sally Struthers, Michael York, and helped mount High School Musical: National Tour. She was also a National Barbizon nominee for Theatrical Design by the Kennedy Center for her costume design for IUP’s production of Citizen/Soldier. Other technical credits include: Stage Manager for 3 Penny Opera, La Perichole, and Visiting Hours. Chrissie was also the Production Manager for the student sketch comedy group, The Company.
	ANDY KIRTLAND – is happy to return to NESF after appearing in Comedie of Errors, As You Like It and Richard III. Some Chicago credits include: The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Speaking Ring Theatre), Stop Kiss (Black Dove Ensemble Theatre), The Serpent Woman (Tantalus Theatre Group) and The Jungle Book (AlphaBet Soup Productions). Other credits incluce: Macbeth, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, The Winter's Tale, The Tempest, The Cherry Orchard, The Importance of Being Earnest (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company) and Encore! (Chamber Theatre Productions). Andy earned his BA in Theatre from Dickinson College and studied at the British American Drama Academy.
	ZAK KOSTRO – is thrilled to make his debut with NESF. Recent credits include The Adventures of Don Quixote (Cardenio) with The National Theater for Arts and Education; Stan and Illy Await the Coming (Stan) with The Milk Can Theater Company (NYC); China Doll (Dino Bianchi), a short film from A-Line Productions; and The Best Party Ever (Chet) at The Richmond Shepard Theater (NYC). Zak would like to thank Demi, the cast, his friends, and his family.
	KIMBERLY IRENE MILLER – is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Acting. Some of her favorite roles include: Kate in Taming of the Shrew at The Acting Loft, Catherine in The Foreigner with Branch River Theater, and Meg in Little Women at Peterborough Players. She is ecstatic to be working with New England Shakespeare! Much love to her parents for the use of their house and car!
	DEMITRA PAPADINIS – is the Producing Artistic Director of NESF. She founded the company in 1994 and has worked in some capacity on every show since its inception. An ardent First Folio enthusiast, she encourages and inspires students, teachers, directors, actors and audiences through workshops and performances across the country. She is also the proud mother of four felines and two-thousand-some-odd rubber duckies.
	KAREN PECK – Originally from San Diego, CA, Miss Peck grew up in theatre. Her years were spent performing in plays, musicals and dance, as well as working in technical theatre. She began her professional career as a Stage Manager upon completion of her B.A. in Dramatic Arts. She has worked throughout the U.S., in both regional productions and national tours. Miss Peck loves the complexities and challenges of her job and currently holds the title of Assistant Production Manager with Shakespeare & Company. She is very excited to be involved in this production, her second with New England Shakespeare.
	ADAM REICH – Recent New York City credits include: High School Musical (New World Stages), Miss Julie (Cherry Lane Theater), The Tempest (Public), Fools In Love (BAM/Manhattan Ensemble Theater). Love and thanks to all of my friends and family.
	ALEXANDER RICHARD – hails originally from the theatre mecca of Oklahoma. He's thrilled to be making his debut with NESF. Many thanks to Demi, Peter Westerhoff, and Kevin Otos.
	JAY RHODERICK – trained at the William Esper Studio in New York and has performed improv for over 12 years. He is thrilled to be throwing most of his traditional training out the window and bringing the improv energy in the Shakespearean window for this rollicking unrehearsed production! His credits include Ibsen's Ghosts, Henry V, The Odyssey, and the original production of Urinetown. Jay is glad to be in New England.
	ELIZABETH RUELAS – - is so excited to be doing another tour with NESF! She is based in New York City, and trained in classical theatre at the University of Arkansas. Previous NESF roles include Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Bianca in Taming of the Shrew, Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream (sometimes she was Helena instead), and Olivia in Twelfth Night. This year in NYC, Elizabeth Understudied the role of Gwendolen in The Importance of Being Earnest at The Pearl Theatre, played Penelope in Fluid Motion Theater & Film, Inc.'s The Penelope Project, and Cara in Small Pond Entertainment's Because of Beth. For more info, please visit www.elizabethruelas.com.
	JASPER SOFFER – recently moved from London, where he trained at Webber Douglas Academy. He has bounced around from Aeschylus' The Persians to new writing. He toured New England with Midsummer Nights Dream and welcomes the chance to explore New Hampshire. Although he was a little familiar with Shakespeare, he is very excited to be part of an Unrehearsed First Folio production.
	MELINDA STEWART – New York Theatre: Cressida in Troilus and Cressida, Bette in The Marriage of Bette and Boo, Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet. Regional/National Tour: Adriana and Dromio of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors, Southern Belle in We Three Kings, Narrator and Madame Forestier in Encore!. Writer, Director and Actor in Sketch Comedy Troupe-The Other Baldwins, performing all over NYC including Performance Space 122, Gotham City Improv, Under St. Mark's and the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre. Film sketches online at funnyordie.com. NYU Tisch graduate with Honors.

2008 Summer TourCast & Crew

2008 Summer Tour
Cast & Crew