 Frank Astran
(Egeus | Lepidus)
This is Frank's debut with Shakespeare by the Sea. Frank earned a degree in theatre arts from Cal State Fullerton, where he was valedictorian and a two-time Irene Ryan Nominee. His past Shakespeare shows include: Merry Wives of Windsor (Master Frank Ford), The Tempest (Gonzalo), and As You Like It (Oliver). Other noted roles: Tom Stoppard's Arcadia (Ezra Chater); Moliere's The Learned Ladies (Chrysale), Bill Irwin's Scapin (Octave), and Israel Horowitz's Indian Wants the Bronx (Gupta).
Back to top |
 Corina Bowler
(Hippolyta)
graduated from Southern Oregon University. After moving to Los Angeles, she found a home with Shakespeare by the Sea and is now an integral part of the summer festival as well as Little Fish Theatre. Little Fish credits: Wacky Wednesdays (developed and produced), Veronica's Room (co-produced), The Lion in Winter (co-produced), Simply Shakespeare (co-produced/directed) and was recently seen in Pick of the Vine. SBTS credits: A Comedy of Errors, Hamlet The Merchant of Venice, Taming of the Shrew, and various production assistant work. Corina is also back for her second year as a cast member of Shaking it up with Shakespeare, SBTS's educational school assembly program.
Back to top |
 Matthew Brenher
(Mark Antony)
This is Matthew's first production with SBTS and he's very excited to be part of such a fine cast. Originally from London, England, Matthew recently located to Los Angeles where he has played Claudius in Hamlet (HFC) and Cassio in Othello (LASC). In London, Matthew's Shakespearean roles included: Romeo - Romeo and Juliet; Andrew Aguecheek - Twelfth Night; Aaron in Titus Andronicus; Banquo in Macbeth; Cassius in Julius Caesar; Jacques in As You Like It and Henry in Henry V. He has also worked at the famous Globe Theater in London on new writing. Other theater includes: Wuthering Heights; Three Sisters; The Cherry Orchard; The Seagull; and Dracula. Television: Rules of Engagement (CBS) opposite David Spade; The Grid (HBO); Brookside (UK); Starhunter (Sci-Fi Channel); and EastEnders (BBC1). Matthew has also worked in commercials and short films and is a voice-over artist.
Back to top |
 Benjamin "BJ" Clark
(Caesar)
BJ is a recent alumni guest artist in the LATA productions of Recent Tragic Events and Within Us. In September of last year, he happily made his New York debut to warm reviews as The Narrator and Professor Leder in the musical The Brain from Planet X - just weeks after finishing the roles of Bassanio in Merchant of Venice and Lucentio in Taming of the Shrew with Shakespeare by the Sea. BJ currently works with the educational groups Shaking it Up with Shakespeare and Shakespeare at Play. "It is our errors that make us different, and our differences that make us perfect."
Back to top |
 Megan Cordero
(Snug | Soothsayer)
Megan is currently attending California Lutheran University for her BA in theatre arts. Some of her past roles include: Maids of Honor (Pat Weinhardt), Threepenny Opera (Vixen), Marriage Proposal (Tschub), Midsummer Night's Dream (Puck), and many more. This is her first season with Shakespeare by the Sea and she is excited to be a part of its magical tradition.
Back to top |
 Jackson Corey
(Demetrius | Dolabella)
This is Jackson's first experience with the wonderful Shakespeare by the Sea. He recently graduated from Carnegie Mellon University's prestigious drama program where he attained a BFA in acting. Previous classical roles include Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet and Aegisthus in The Orestia. In 2003, Jackson earned the title of Presidential Scholar in the Arts - one of only two people nation-wide to receive the Presidential Medallion and perform at the Kennedy Center for the President of the United States.
Back to top |
 Suzanne Dean
(Cleopatra)
has performed with SBTS since 2000 and is a founding member of Little Fish Theatre. With LFT: Veronica's Room, The Lady's Not For Burning, The Lion in Winter, Blithe Spirit, Peg & Garrick, Laundry & Bourbon, The View from Anderson Park. Roles with SBTS: Beatrice, Olivia, Bianca, Queen Elizabeth, Prospero, Kate, Mistress Page, Lady Capulet. Elsewhere LA: Macbeth at TheatRevolution; Les Parents Terrible at ART; Hay Fever, Present Laughter at Long Beach Playhouse. NYC credits: The Glass Menagerie, Look Back in Anger, Crimes of the Heart, Fifth of July and 1984. Elsewhere in the US: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Bus Stop, The Dresser, All in the Timing. In the UK: A Coupla White Chicks at 2005 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Pinter's Mountain Language at Oxford. Film/TV: Black Dawn, Silk Stalkings, Power Rangers and Another World. Training: BADA- Oxford, Shakespeare & Co., Theatricum Botanicum, The Old Globe, Hofstra University.
Back to top |
 Julian Diaz
(Flute | Eros)
Julian is thrilled to be making his debut with Shakespeare by the Sea. He recently graduated from UCLA with a degree in History and a minor in English. There he was also involved with a student-run theatre company, Shakespeare at UCLA, where he acted in Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, and Twelfth Night, and most recently directed As You Like It. He has studied Shakespeare from theatrical and literary perspectives through The Old Globe San Diego's summer youth program, culminating in a performance of The Tempest, and at UCLA's summer English program in Stratford-upon-Avon. Some of his favorite non-Shakespearean credits include Twelve Angry Men, Blithe Spirit, Diary of Ann Frank, SMASH and The Laramie Project.
Back to top |
 Kevin Gonzales
(Lysander | Dercetas)
made his debut with Shakespeare by the Sea last year playing Gratiano in Merchant of Venice and Hortensio in The Taming of the Shrew. Kevin was born and raised in beautiful Southern California and was bit by the acting bug at a very young age. He received his training at Cal Poly Pomona where he played John Procter in The Crucible, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Johnny in Growing Up with Johnny and Stosh, among other roles.
Back to top |
 Matt Guerra
(Snout | Alexas)
Matt graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a BA in theatre with an emphasis on acting. This is his first year with Shakespeare by the Sea, and he is very excited and thankful for the wonderful opportunity to be a part of such a great company!
Back to top |
 Scott Hartman
(Oberon | Enobarbus)
Scott is thrilled to be joining the stellar cast and crew of Shakespeare by the Sea this year. Even in college, Scott marveled at how a persistent compulsion to be in the theater kept interrupting his developing career as a psychologist. (Can anyone say, "catharsis"?) Indeed, Scott received the bulk of his actor training at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, where he focused primarily on Shakespearean tragedy. In recent years, he has played such roles as Marc Antony in Julius Caesar, Chris Keller in Arthur Miller's All My Sons, and Friar Laurence in the Hawaii Shakespeare Festival's 2005 production of Romeo and Juliet.
Back to top |
 Jeff Holden
(Bottom | Agrippa)
A graduate of Emory University, Jeff has been on a bit of a Shakespearean "binge" over the last two years, playing Iago in Othello, the title roles in the Declan Adams productions of Hamlet and Macbeth, and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. Some of Jeff's other favorite roles include the omniscient and omnipotent superhero Cal Carr in A God Named Pablo and the elusive Irish Assassin Mr. Finn in both The Breach and The Gray Man. Jeff is very excited to have the opportunity to work with Shakespeare by the Sea and the great cast and crew they have assembled.
Back to top |
 Amy Jokinen
(Hermia | Octavia)
This will be Amy's first appearance with Shakespeare by the Sea. After graduating from Hillsdale College with a BA in theatre, Amy moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television. She has starred in two films: the short comedy, Guido and "the little movie that could," Deadly Beloved. After spending four years away from theatre - Amy's first love - she is thrilled to make her way back to the stage with SBTS.
Back to top |
 Jennifer Jung
(Iras | Moth)
is excited to be in her first season with Shakespeare by the Sea and working with such a great cast and crew. Previous shows include The Real Thing (Debbie), Sweeney Todd (Johanna), The Fantasticks (Louisa) and The King and I (Tuptim).
Back to top |
 Andy Kallok
(Peter Quince | Scarus)
Audiences have enjoyed Andy's performances with Shakespeare by the Sea since 2002. He has played king, dukes, princes and fools in our productions of Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo & Juliet, Twelfth Night, Richard III, Two Gentleman of Verona, Othello, Merry Wives of Windsor, Hamlet and Comedy of Errors. Andy has also acted in several productions at Little Fish Theatre, including four consecutive Pick of the Vine one-act programs, and the world premiere of Mark Piatelli's Inside My Father's Apple Tree. He is featured in the film short Backgrounded, which is currently being shown at various film festivals throughout the country. Andy has been acting locally in theater and cable access TV for decades.
Back to top |
 Rachel Levy
(Puck)
Rachel hails from Seattle and moved to Los Angeles nine years ago. For the last six years, Rachel has been a part of SBTS, performing in such productions as Taming of the Shrew, Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, and Richard III. As a company member of Little Fish Theatre, Rachel was last seen onstage in Pick of the Vine 2008 (yes, she was one of the Lightning Bugs). Also a voice-over artist and film actor, Rachel has recently completed several audio books, industrials and independent films. She received her two Bachelor's degrees in Drama and Business Administration from the University of Washington. Rachel is thrilled to be returning to SBTS for yet another year of hard work and fun in the parks!
Back to top |
 Israel Lopez
(Philostrate | Messenger)
is a student at Cerritos College where he is a theatre major working on transferring to a four-year university. His most recent credits include the role of Antipholus of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors and Juan Julian in Anna in the Tropics. He also competed in this year's American College Theatre Festival at Cal State Los Angeles in his role as The Government Comic in the original play Joketown. This is Israel's first time working with Shakespeare by the Sea.
Back to top |
 Jeremy Mitchell
(Proculeius)
is excited to be doing his first Shakespearean and Los Angeles Theatre. Jeremy's Florida credits include: Axel Magee in Don't Drink the Water, Lee Harvey Oswald in Assassins, and Marchbanks in Candida. Jeremy is also the writer, producer, and has a supporting role in the feature film Nemesis and produced Harder They Fall, in which he also has a supporting role.
Back to top |
 Barbara Suiter
(Helena)
Barbara is happy to return to Shakespeare by the Sea after having trodden the boards last summer at Shakespeare Santa Cruz where she played Miranda in The Tempest and Hero in Much Ado About Nothing. Recent theatre roles include Celimene in The Misanthrope (Little Fish Theatre), Lady Macbeth in Macbeth (Utah Shakespearean Festival Ed. Tour), Audrey in As You Like It (CA Shakespeare Co.), and Rosencrantz in Hamlet (Shakespeare by the Sea). In addition to Shakespeare, Barbara actively pursues a career in film and television.
Back to top |
 Bianca Swan
(Titania | Understudy, Cleopatra)
Bianca's passion for the performing arts began over 16 years ago, at age 11 at CSU, Los Angeles' conservatory for the performing arts. In high school Bianca continued her theatre work, and eventually obtained a BFA in theatre from the UC Santa Barbara, playing such roles as Lena in A Raisin in the Sun and the title character in Molly Sweeney. She had the privilege of traveling to the UK to work on her classical craft with the RSC in the summer of 2001. UCLA's masters acting program helped her to really blossom, playing such roles as Greta in Metamorphosis, Philemonte in Moliere's Learned Ladies, and Polly in Charles Mee's True Love.
Back to top |
 Rebekah Voss
(Charmian)
is originally from Milwaukee, WI, and holds a BFA in musical theatre from the University of Miami. She studied Shakespeare at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England, and recently played Calpurnia in Shakespeare At Play's production of Julius Caesar. Rebekah can also been seen performing at Knott's Berry Farm, and is thrilled to be making her SBTS debut!
Back to top |
 Stephen Wood
(Theseus | Thyreus)
is a graduate of Cal State LA's theatre department. His past credits include Dracula at CSULA's State Playhouse, where he was the title character. He was also a member of the Long Beach Shakespeare Company where he played Duke of Exeter and the role of Chorus in the company's production of Henry V, and Kasper Gutman in the Maltese Falcon. Stephen is a teacher in the LA Unified School District and member of the North Long Beach Community Prayer Center.
Back to top |
THE PRODUCTION TEAM |
Lisa Coffi
(Founder & Producing Artistic Director)
has an entrepreneurial spirit, determination and passion for theatre. Lisa holds a BFA in Art from CSU, Sacramento and an MFA in Theatre Management from CSU, Long Beach. Lauded as "Pedro's Playmaker" in 2003 by Random Lengths, Lisa is living up to her moniker. Not only does she produce the free festival each summer, but she manages Little Fish Theatre as well. She has been involved in theatre for the last 17 years, 10 of which have been spent cultivating Shakespeare by the Sea from a start-up into a professional mid-sized arts organization. Lisa splits her time between the year-round theatre work in San Pedro and her husband, family, dog, cats and cows at home in Newcastle (Sacramento).
Back to top |
 David Graham
(Director)
is a native of Atlanta, GA and relocated to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of being poor and hungry. In the actor's tradition, David has drifted from here to there and had many jobs - including BMW salesman and gravedigger. You may have seen David in the Long Beach Playhouse's production of The Nerd or as Henry in the Little Fish Theatre's recent production of The Lion in Winter. In 2003, David directed Romeo & Juliet for SBTS, and The Merchant of Venice and The Taming of the Shrew last year. He is delighted (and possibly a little insane) to be returning to SBTS this year to direct both summer productions. David's other credits include The Fantasticks, As You Like It, The Pirates of Penzance, Deathtrap, and She Loves Me.
Back to top |
 Aaron Jackson
(Scenic Designer)
received his MFA in scenic design from Rutgers University. New York credits include: Box (Genesis Theatre Guild), The Sex & Love Monologues (Riant Theatre) and A Leopard Complains of Its Spots (Amphibian Productions). Regional: I Love a Piano and Almost Maine (The Phoenix Theatre) and The Boys Next Door (Texas Star Theatre). Other Design credits include corporate designs for the WB Television Network, Cartoon Network, Splashtacular Inc., Mercedes-Benz, Amphibian Productions, Theatre OUTlanta, Little Fish Theatre, and guest design work for Albright College. In addition, Aaron works as an illustrator and concept artist and has worked extensively as a scenic artist for film, television and theatres around the country, most recently at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Currently, Aaron holds the Staff Scenic Artist position at UC Irvine. This is his fourth season with SBTS!
Back to top |
Valerie Wright-Blair
(Costume Designer)
This is Valerie's sixth season with Shakespeare by the Sea. She has a BFA in fashion design from the Otis Art Institute, and is a native Los Angeleno. In addition to designing costumes, she is a pirate "reinactor," performing at festivals and charity events and has just started a line of pirate clothing called "Aye Candy." Valerie would like to thank her hard-working costume crew: Denise "Hellena" Woodruff, John Blair, and Eric Balli.
Back to top |
 Susanne Klein
(Costume Design Assistant)
Susanne has been meeting the demands of the fashion and entertainment industry and establishing a consortium of designers for her company, NewWest Design. Having recently completed her technical design duties with Baby Phat, Susanne spends much of her time working on costumes for independent movies and theatrical productions including the 2007 hit movie Waitress. This is Susanne's debut with SBTS, but she has costumed Peg and Garrick and The Lion in the Winter for Little Fish.
Back to top |
 Jerry Blackburn
(Festival Production Manager)
hails from Atlanta, GA via Ohio. Jerry began in theatre in 8th grade. He completed his Master's of Conducting at Cincinnati Conservatory and immediately began his career in film. A post-production and quality control supervisor, Jerry returned to theatre in 2003. He has been a producer, stage-manager and sound/lighting technician on several productions. This is Jerry's second season with SBTS.
Back to top |
 Chelley Hernandez
(Stage Manager, A Midsummer Night's Dream)
works in production and Stage Management for contemporary entertainment events in Los Angeles, as well as assists with various non-profit fundraising efforts for Mentoring, Homelessness and the Arts. Other theatre crew experience in LA: Annie Get Your Gun, Grease, and Kiss Me Kate. She also plays several musical instruments and has been a part of several community chamber and jazz choirs.
Back to top |
 Stacy Davies
(Stage Manager | Asst. Director, Antony & Cleopatra)
This summer marks Stacy's thrilling and triumphant return to the Shakespeare by the Sea family! Having stage-managed SBTS summer productions from 2000 through 2002, Stacy made her directorial debut at the Little Fish Theatre in 2003 with The Owl and the Pussycat, and the following summer directed Wen at the Insurgo Theatre Movement in Orange County. A writer and alternative journalist for over ten years, Stacy has written for the OC Weekly, Pasadena Weekly, OC Register, and OC Home Magazine, and was the founding editor of the IE Weekly in 2006. She recently won the Excellence in Journalism award from the Society of Professional Journalists, and completed her first novel.
Back to top |
 Max Wheatley & Bill Ginder
(Sound Technicians)
Max has been doing sound since 1980 when he put together his first sound system. Max (along with Bill Ginder) has done sound for many San Pedro venues such as the Taste in San Pedro, the Warner Grand, the Sheraton, Music by the Sea, Janice Hahn's inauguration and LA Wood. Max and Bill are looking forward to their second summer with SBTS.
Back to top |
