Mel Cobb** (Abbess, Claudius, Ghost, Producing Artistic Director/Director) is in his fourth season with the Worcester Shakespeare Festival, as an actor and Producing Artistic Director. He has performed the title role in 2009′s production of Macbeth and the role of Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing. He has had an acting career on both sides of the Atlantic. US theater: Shakespeare & Company, Lenox MA (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, King John, As You Like It, Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello et al.), the American Shakespeare Festival, Stratford CT (Julius Caesar and The Tempest), the New York Shakespeare Festival (Hamlet), Theater Virginia in Richmond VA (Macbeth, Jacques Brel is Alive & Well, The Blood Knot), and Broadway/Kennedy Center, Washington DC (Semmelweis and Outrage). UK theatre: Shakespeare’s Globe (Two Gentlemen of Verona), the Rose Playhouse (Boccaccio’s Decameron), and the West End (Annie Get Your Gun, Bus Stop, To Kill a Mockingbird) of London, Fringe/Regional theatres (Gypsy, Ordinary People, Lend Me a Tenor, Party to Murder, The Last Sortie, Bronte, Zero Positive). US and UK film and television: The Passion of Darkly Noon, King of the Olympics, Jack & the Beanstalk – The Untold Story, Jerusalem, Superman, Hawaii Five-0 and The Edge of Night (Ben Everett). *Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, appearing under a Special Appearance Contract. **Member of British Actors’ Equity
Vasilios Asimakos (Guildenstern, u/s Osric, Cato the Pinchman) is a native of Lowell, MA and is in his second season with the Worcester Shakespeare Festival. In 2009, he appeared in Macbeth as the Sergeant and the Porter, and Much Ado About Nothing as Don John. He has also recently appeared in the Bill Taylor- directed dinner theater mystery Murdering the Mob. He graduated with a B.A. in Theatre and English from theCollege of the Holy Cross, where he featured in plays such as The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Good, Dinner at Eight, Pericles, and The Cherry Orchard. He would like to thank his family and friends for their enduring support, and offer a special dedication to Dan and Cassie: this summer is for you.
Michael Burnet * (Antipholus of Ephesus, Hamlet, Producer/Director) Worcester Shakespeare Festival: Much Ado About Nothing (Benedick) and Macbeth (Macduff). Regional credits include: The Servant of Two Masters (title role), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Valley of Decision, The Merchant of Venice, Troilus and Cressida (title role), House of Mirth, Comedy of Errors, Henry VI part 1, The Other Two at Shakespeare & Co; Amadeus (title role) Persephone Theatre Co; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead at Weston Playhouse; Cyrano at Barrington Stage Company; Romeo and Juliet at Worcester Foothills; The Mystery Plays with Boston Revels; Arcadia and Escape From Happiness at The Wilma Theatre; The Taming of the Shrew and A Little Night Music at Arden Theatre Co; Cymbeline at Hampshire Shakespeare; Hobson’s Choice and Dracula at Mt. Holyoke Summer Theatre; Time of My Life at The Depot Theatre; The Last Night of Ballyhoo at Vineyard Playhouse. Broadway/Off-Broadway: Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, Marco Polo. He is an accomplished Fight Director and teaches Stage Fighting and Clown. Michael is the author of the musical farce The Mad Pirate and the Mermaid (composer: Bill Barclay), The Too Tight Pants of King John, What Would Hamlet Do? (all produced at S&Co.) and the yet-to-be-produced drama The Difference Engine. For Clare Reidy. *Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, appearing under a Special Appearance Contract.
Danny Goodman (Nell, Rosencrantz, u/s Hamlet) is excited to return for a second season with the Worcester Shakespeare Company. Past credits include: The Time of Your Life (Joe), Hay Fever, and The Servant of Two Masters at College of the Holy Cross, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oberon) at Summerstage of Delafield, WI, and Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing (Claudio) at the Worcester Shakespeare Festival. Danny is a recent graduate of College of the Holy Cross with a B.A. in Theatre. Love and gratitude for the boundless support of family, friends, and mentors.
Jamie Greenland (Ophelia, Luciana, Associate Producer) is delighted to be returning to Worcester’s Green Hill Park. Worcester audiences may remember her as Beatrice in Worcester Shakespeare Festival’s 2009 production of Much Ado About Nothing. Credits include: The Mad Pirate and the Mermaid (Mad Pirate Prettyboy Bart), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Shakespeare and the Language that Shaped a World at Shakespeare & Company; Pride & Prejudice (Mary) and Othello (Desdemona u/s) at Pioneer Theatre Company; The Busybody (Miranda) and Caucasian Chalk Circle (Aniko) at the Babcock Theatre; Measure for Measure (Juliet) with Salt Lake Shakespeare; Iphigenia at Aulis (title role) and Agamemnon (Chorus) at The Salt Lake Greek Theatre Festival; Street Scene at Kingsbury Hall; Half Moon Rising (Priestess), Endgame (Nell), and others at the University of Utah. Television: Voices of Hope (Narrator) PBS/KUED. She is a graduate of the University of Utah’s Actor Training Program.
Kaitlin J. Henderson (Adriana) is thrilled to be making her Worcester Shakespeare Company debut. A Massachusetts native, she worked as an Actor/Teacher/Director at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA from 2005-2010 and is a proud alumnus of their Month Long Intensive training program. Kaitlin is now persuing her M.F.A in Acting from Northern Illinois University (second year), where she also teaches undergraduate Acting and puts to use her classical vocal training, teaching Voice and Speech. Next summer she is excited to travel to Russia and study/intern at the prestegious Moscow Art Theatre. Credits include: Spring Awakening (Frau Bergman), The Amorous Quarrel (Lucilla), Romeo and Juliet (Benvolio/Lady Capulet), The Wind in the Willows(Marigold, Cheif Weasel), Othello (Bianca), Twelfth Night (Olivia, featured u/s) and many more. Upon her return to Illinois in August, she will begin rehearsals for Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, playing the role of Paulina. She would like to thank Lauren and Robbie, her greatest supporters.
Andrew Hitzhusen (Balthazar, Bernardo) is appearing in his second season with the Worcester Shakespeare Company, and he is grateful for the opportunity to work with such great actors. He is a rising senior at Bancroft School and an active participant in Bancroft’s theater productions and Speech team. In past shows, he has played Ching Ho in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Prince Harry in Once Upon a Mattress and John Procter in The Crucible.
John Macey (Pinch, First Player, Player King) hails from Latrobe PA – the home of Rolling Rock, Arnold Palmer and Mister Rogers. John is a jack-of-all-trades who enjoys acting, directing, writing, editing, singing, songwriting, filmmaking, and painting. Most notably he’s appeared as a member of Improv Asylum’s Touring Company, as Saul in Sam Shepard’s True West with his own non-profit theatre company, The Boiler Company, as a chorus member in Forum Theatre’s Man of La Mancha, and as Estragon in Waiting for Godot with Clark University’s Visual and Performing Arts Department. John’s directing credits include True West, Action, Killer’s Head, The Dumb Waiter, Home Free!, Ludlow Fair and Two Ex-Smokers: A Casual Conversation at a Cocktail Party. Most recently, John graduated from the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University with a certificate in digital filmmaking and has formed a production company, Unknowneye Productions, with his wife Georgia Macey. Unknowneye Productions’ first short film, “Call the Clock,” was screened at Showcase Cinemas Worcester North and garnered the prestigious Award of Merit from the Accolade Film Competition. In his spare time, John likes to play harmonica and saxophone.
Eric McGowan (Caius the Pinchman, Marcellus/Norwegian Captain) lives in Wellesley, MA and is excited for another summer of the Worcester Shakespeare Company, having worked previously with the company on productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Francis Flute), Macbeth( Malcolm), Twelfth Night (Curio), and Much Ado About Nothing (Friar Francis). Eric graduated this past May from College of the Holy Cross, where he majored in English and Theater and took part in several productions, including The Cherry Orchard (Yepikhodov), Pericles (Helicanus/Ensemble), And Then There Were None (Lawrence Wargrave), Hay Fever (Simon Bliss) and The Time of Your Life (Nick). Eric also worked with The Dragonfly Theater Company in Dedham, MA last summer and is currently involved in their production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Demetrius). Eric looks forward to the upcoming productions and couldn’t be happier to be working with such an amazing cast.
Laura Menzie (Player Queen, 2nd Courtezan) is happy to be making her debut with the Worcester Shakespeare Company. As a recent graduate of Clark University, Laura has appeared in Rabbit Hole (Becca), Tales of the Lost Formicans (Evelyn), The Clean House (Lane) and Blue Window (Alice). Besides receiving her BA in theatre from Clark University, Laura has also studied commedia dell’arte at the Accademia dell’arte in Italy. She is elated to be in the company of such talented actors.
Cameron Miller (Duke Solinus, Fortinbras, Lucianus, u/s Laertes/First Player/Player King) is in his first season with the Worcester Shakespeare Company. A native of Akron, Ohio, he recently graduated from Clark Unversity with a B.A. in Theater Arts. Credits include: punkplay (Marcel, Jack Sawtelle),columbinus (Jock), Facing Karma (ensemble), As Bees in Honey Drown (Skunk, Photographer). While at Clark, he also worked with a number of talented student playwrights and directors, appearing in several premiers. He is currently developing the title role in John Patrick Shanley’s Danny and the Deep Blue Sea under the direction of fellow Worcester Shakespeare Company member, Danny Zeliger; Danny will debut in Worcester in late August. In September, he will continue his training overseas, pursuing a M. Phil. in Theatre and Performance at Trinity College, Dublin. For Mom and Dad and all his instructors, who let him speak.
Eamon Pac (Antipholus of Syracuse, Osric, Set Designer/Technical Director) is pleased to be a part of the Worcester Shakespeare Festival for a third year. In 2009, he designed the sets for Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing for the Company, while making his stage debut as Donalbain and Second Murderer. Last summer, he played Lucentio in The Taming of the Shrew. Eamon is presently a student at Worcester State; and will be designing the set for the Calliope Theatre production, Affairs of a French Afternoon.
Ehren Remal (Horatio, Dromio of Syracuse) This is his first season with Worcester Shakespeare Company. Credits Include: The Mad Pirate and the Mermaid (Hubert “Poop Deck” Dawkins, Bertrand the Bald, Crysella) at Shakespeare & Co; The Taming of the Shrew (Biondello) for Salt Lake Shakespeare; Othello (Senator and Brabantio u/s) and Lost in Yonkers (Eddie u/s) at Pioneer Theatre Company; A Street Car Named Desire (Mitch), Assassins (John Hinckley), and Caucasian Chalk Circle (Prince Kazbeki) at the Babcock Theatre. Recently, he has been seen in three promotional shorts that were picked by the UtahFilm Comission and screened at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. He is a graduate of the University of Utah Actor Training Program.
Anne Elezabeth Pluto (Gertrude) makes her debut with Worcester Shakespeare Company this season. Anne trained at Shakespeare & Company and the Linklater Studio. She is Professor of Literature and Theatre and one of the founding mothers and Artistic Director of the Oxford Street Players of Lesley University, where she has directed 19 shows since 1994. She has done staged readings for Shakespeare & Company and ATHE – Association of Theatre in Higher Education and acted in several Playwright Platform festivals in Boston. She is very happy to be working with such dedicated and talented actors this summer.
Jennifer Riedell (Calphurnia, Player, u/s Gertrude) is returning for her second season with the Worcester Shakespeare Company after playing Bianca in last year’s The Taming of the Shrew, Too. Previously, she appeared in The Vagina Monologues at 119 Gallery in Lowell, Adventures in Venice with the Common Room Players of London, and Uncommon Women and Others with the Ithaca College Drama Club. Directing credits include: The King Stag and Heart’s Desire with the Titan Thespians of Nashua High School North, and The Marriage of Figaro, where she also worked as the Dramaturge in a joint venture between the Ithaca College Theatre and History departments. Many thanks to John for all his support, to Ethan for being mostly self-sufficient, and everyone else for helping to keep me going.
Chuck Schwager Aegeon, Gravedigger) Chuck makes his debut with Worcester Shakespeare Company this season. He has appeared in the Boston area in numerous theatrical productions and been fortunate to participate in 4 world premieres. His credits include web commercials and independent films. Chuck’s Shakespearean appearances include: Macbeth (Duncan/Lennox/Doctor), Twelfth Night( Ship Captain/Priest), King John (Chatillon/Melun), Much Ado About Nothing (Duke), Romeo and Juliet (Friar Laurence) and Love’s Labor’s Lost (Holofernes). Other roles include: Tribute (Scott Templeton), Dinner with Friends (Gabe), Indian Ink (Fenton), Book of Days (Walt), Spring Awakening (Herr Stiefel in the play not the musical), Diary of Anne Frank (Van Daan) and Sub-Zero (Fenton – a world premiere written especially for him), among others.
Douglas Seldin (Laertes, Dromio of Ephesus, Company Fight Director) is thrilled to return to Worcester for another summer in Green Hill Park. Worcester Shakespeare Co.: Macbeth (Ross), Much Ado About Nothing (Borachio). Regional: Richard III, The Winter’s Tale, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, All’s Well That Ends Well, Wild and Whirling Words, A Little Music (Shakespeare & Company); The Winter’s Tale (Shakespeare on the Sound); Three Sisters (Saratoga Arts Festival). Doug holds a BS in Theatre from Skidmore College and is a founding member of The Conservatory at Shakespeare & Company. He is also a Certified Advanced Actor-Combatant through Dueling Arts International & The Society of American Fight Directors.
Bill Taylor has worked as an actor at Foothills, Boston Comedy Theater, Counterpoint Theatre in Boston, Forum Theater of Worcester, Shakespeare & Co in Lenox and Theater Ludicrum in Cambridge.
Alexandra Tennant (Courtezan, Player, u/s Ophelia) is participating in her second season as a member of the Worcester Shakespeare Company. She is a proud alumna of the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities where she studied performance violin in her hometown Greenville, SC. Currently, she is pursuing her degree in Theater Arts and Art History at Clark University where she most frequently participates in student-directed and student-written shows and enjoys her part in Clark’s short-form improv troupe The Peapod Squad. She was a recipient of The Loring Holmes and Ruth Dodd Playwriting Award for Third Place in 2011, and she also presented at The Tenth Annual Undergraduate Shakespeare Conference of New England on the topic of Commedia Dell’Arte in The Taming of the Shrew.
Danny Zeliger (Angelo, Second Gravedigger) is returning for a second season with the company after playing the Pedant in last year’s Taming of the Shrew. He is entering his senior year at Clark University, where he studies Theatre and English. Some recent roles include The Rabbit Hole (Howie), punkplay (Mickey), Blue Window (Tom), Columbinus (Prep), Welcome to the Moon (Ronny). He is a member of Clark’s improv troupe The Peapod Squad. He is directing and producing Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, which will premier late August in his basement.
