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THE PRODUCTION TEAM |
Lisa Coffi - Founder & Producing Artistic Director
Founder and creator of Shakespeare by the Sea, Lisa is happy to be celebrating her 10th Season. She holds an MFA in Theatre Management from CSU, Long Beach and a BFA in Art from CSU, Sacramento. 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. Between year-round demands of SBTS and Little Fish, she works as a graphic designer and splits her time between Redondo Beach and Newcastle (Sacramento) where she resides with her husband, dog, 3 cats, and 5 cows.
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 David Graham (Director)
David returns to Shakespeare by the Sea for a third season, his first having been as an actor in Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth, after which he directed Romeo and Juliet the following year. This past winter, he wrote, directed and produced an original musical in Silverlake, and is presently working on an original play. He has also authored the first in a series of young adult fantasy novels, which he hopes will be available soon. He is very excited to be returning to Shakespeare, and thrilled to be a part of the historic tenth anniversary of this southern California treasure.
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Valerie Wright - Costume Designer
Valerie Wright has a BFA in fashion design from the Otis Art Institute and This is her 5th season with Shakespeare by the Sea. Valerie specializes in period and fantasy costume, and in addition to the last eight shows with SBTS, she has designed for the Westchester Playhouse, Torrance Theater Company, and The Brethren of the Coast ( of which she is a member and a performing pirate ). Valerie has also designed gowns for the Grammy and Academy Awards and her clients include Cree Summer and Amy Smart.
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Jerry Blackburn (Festival Production Manager )
Jerry has worked with such performers as Kathy Najimy, Mo Gaffney, Lypsinka, Varla Jean Merman, Jackie Beat, Kay Sedia, Dennis Hensley, Momma and Uptown Julie Brown. He recently co-produced a new Musical Parody of the 1960’s television show Lost in Space. The show premiered in March to great audience reaction. This is Jerry’s first year with SBTS and hopes it will be the first of many. Jerry would like to thank Lisa and Dave for allowing him this great opportunity. Jerry has also co-produced or exec produced a number of short films in recent years and has hopes to distribute his first feature next year.
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 Aaron Jackson - Scenic Designer
Aaron is thrilled to be returning for his 3rd Season with SBTS after designing for The Comedy of Errors, Hamlet, Othello and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Aaron received his MFA in Scenic Design from Rutgers University and has been free-lancing as a Designer and Scenic Artist for the last ten years in theatres across the country as well as television and film. This past year, Aaron accepted a full time position as the Resident Scenic Artist for the University of California at Irvine and has been enjoying the ongoing challenges of their diverse theatre season which included Sunday in the Park with George. Design Credits: New York: Box, (Genesius Theatre Guild) A Leopard Complains of Its Spots, (Amphibian Productions) and The Sex and Love Monologues, (The Riant Theatre). Regional Theatre: I Love a Piano and the upcoming Almost, Maine for the Phoenix Theatre, (Phoenix, AZ). Other Design Highlights include: A Room of One's Own, (Amphibian Productions) Crumbs From the Table of Joy, (Jubilee Theatre) Two Rooms, (Powerhouse Theatre) The Boys Next Door, (Texas Star Theatre) and Guest Designer for several productions at Albright College, (Reading, PA). Aaron has also created Designs for Corporate Projects with The WB Television Network, Splashtacular Inc, and the displays for The OCPAC with Mercedes-Benz & IMAG Productions.
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