|
Olev Aleksander
 (Sebastian | Metellus Cimber)
Olev is making his debut for Shakespeare by the Sea. Born and raised in the Washington, DC area, Olev moved to Los Angeles six years ago after graduating from the University of Virginia. In college, he performed in numerous shows including Moliere's The Miser and Tennessee Williams' The Night of the Iguana. LA region stage credits include various roles in The Laramie Project, Geoffrey in The Lion in Winter, Frederick in Noises Off, and Jim O'Connor in The Glass Menagerie. He has performed in several short films, including Fatherland, which was screened at film festivals across the United States. Olev is currently working on a new webseries titled Asylum. He continues to study at the Howard Fine Acting Studio in Hollywood.
Back to top
|
Chris Aron
 (Trebonius)
Chris is proud to be returning to Shakespeare by the Sea, after nearly a decade. Chris studied theatre at the University of Southern California and worked two seasons at the Western Stage in Salinas, most notably playing Cal and Charles in the twelve hour marathon production of John Steinbeck's East of Eden (Rest in peace, Tom). In 2001 he made his first appearance with Shakespeare by the Sea, playing Ferdinand in The Tempest. Recently, Chris performed at Little Fish Theatre in What the Butler Saw and also the Long Beach Playhouse in Dead Guilty. Chris teaches 6th grade language arts and social science in Redondo Beach, has a Master's in Teaching, and has enjoyed directing an 8th grade production of A Midsummer Night's Dream with his wife, Jamie, for the last five years.
Back to top |
Cylan Brown
 (Julius Caesar)
Cylan has most recently appeared as Demetrius in Hermosa Beach Playhouse's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, prior to which he was seen in the Antaeus production of Cousin Bette. Some previous Shakespearean roles include Poins (Henry IV), Petruchio (Taming of the Shrew), Mercutio (Romeo and Juliet), Roderigo (Othello), and Sylvius (As You Like It). Cy has also had the opportunity to play He (He Who Gets Slapped), Johnnypateenmike (Cripple of Inishmaan), and the Reverend Jim Casey (Grapes of Wrath).
Back to top |
John Cox
 (Antonio | Marullus/Cinna/Pindarus )
John is excited to finally be doing Shakespeare again after a long sabbatical from the stage. In the distant past, John has appeared in Richard III as the title role, Theresius the blind seer in Antigone and as a nine foot tall nameless monster in Shipwreck. John is deliriously happy to be involved with Shakespeare by the Sea, and also to be finally playing a character that in no way can be described as a fifth level half-orc barbarian. John comes from Long Beach where he develops skill sets with no practical applications.
Back to top |
Suzanne Dean
 (Portia)
Suzanne has been an SBTS Company Member since 2000. Favorite Roles: Cleopatra, Kate, Beatrice, Bianca, Olivia, Queen Elizabeth, Prospero; With Little Fish Theatre: Betrayal, Veronica's Room, What the Butler Saw, The Lady's Not For Burning, Blithe Spirit, Peg & Garrick, The Lion in Winter; With Hermosa Beach Playhouse: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Sylvia, Blithe Spirit; Elsewhere LA: Macbeth (TheatRevolution); Les Parents Terrible (ART); Hay Fever, Present Laughter (Long Beach Playhouse). NYC credits: The Glass Menagerie, Look Back in Anger, Fifth of July and 1984. Elsewhere US: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Bus Stop, The Dresser, All in the Timing. UK: A Couple White Chicks, 2005 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Pinter's Mountain Language, Oxford. Film/TV: Black Dawn, Silk Stalkings, Power Rangers and Another World. Training: BADA- Oxford, Shakespeare & Co., The Old Globe, The Antaeus Company, Hofstra University.
Back to top |
David Graham
 (Malvolio | Cassius)
David is a native of Atlanta, GA who has come to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of being poor and hungry. In the actor's tradition, he has drifted from here to there and had many jobs - including BMW salesman and gravedigger. You may have seen David in Shakespeare by the Sea's production of Much Ado About Nothing or in the Long Beach Playhouse's production of The Nerd. He directed Romeo and Juliet for SBTS in 2003, The Merchant of Venice in 2007, Antony and Cleopatra and A Midsummer Night's Dream in 2008, and As You Like It last year. He appeared in Underneath the Lintel, Deathtrap and The Lion in Winter at Little Fish Theatre. His other credits include The Fantasticks, The Dining Room, The Pirates of Penzance, Guys and Dolls, and She Loves Me.
Back to top |
Matt Guerra
 (Fabian | Volumnius)
Matt graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a BA in theatre with an emphasis on acting. He was originally a Computer Science major until he took an intro to acting class and never looked back. This is his second year with Shakespeare by the Sea. He played Tom Snout (the wall) in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Alexas (the one with all the feathers) in Antony and Cleopatra. He has also been on the History Channel as a Mayan Indian on The Nostradamus Effect.
Back to top |
Scott G. Hartman
 (Marcus Brutus)
Scott is thrilled to be back at Shakespeare by the Sea this summer after his portrayals of Oberon and Domitius Enobarbus in SBTS's 2008 productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Antony and Cleopatra. Since that incredible summer, he has appeared locally as: Robert in Harold Pinter's Betrayal at Little Fish Theatre; Orlando in the Knightsbridge Theatre's production of As You Like It; and most recently as Michael Jones in Gena Acosta's Tooth and Nail at Little Fish. Other notable theatre credits over the years include: Friar Laurence in the Hawaii Shakespeare Festival's Romeo and Juliet, Marc Antony in Julius Caesar (Albuquerque), and Chris Keller in Arthur Miller's All My Sons (Albuquerque). Scott was classically trained in theatre, voice and movement at the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
Back to top |
Andy Kallok
 (Sir Toby Belch | Soothsayer/Strato)
Andy has acted in every SBTS production since 2002. In these eight seasons he has played kings, dukes, princes, lords, soldiers, sailors, priests and fools. He has also acted in several productions at Little Fish Theatre. He is dedicating his performance of Sir Toby Belch in loving memory of fellow company member, actor, director, mentor, fan and friend, the late Ed Cotter, our original Sir Toby. He always had a kind word of encouragement for everyone at SBTS and LFT and we miss him very much.
Back to top |
Ryan Knight
 (Sir Andrew Auguecheek | Dardanius)
Ryan is a full time student of theatre at Fullerton College. He has recently performed with the Kentwood players in LA, and has also worked at the Huntington Beach Playhouse and the Gem Theater in OC. He is a regular company member at Westminster Community Theater, and is one of the founding members of the Elsewhere Theatre Company in Orange. He also performs with his band JAM+1 when ever he gets the chance. Previous roles include: (Konstantin Treplev) The Seagull, (Romeo) Romeo & Juliet, (Lysander) A Midsummer Night's Dream, (Le Chavalier Danceny) Les Liaisons Dangereuse.
Back to top |
Patrice Lakey
 (Maria)
Patrice is a thrilled to be back on stage after a 5 year hiatus. A Los Angeles native, Patrice has studied theatre at San Jose State University and the American Conservatory Theatre. Her favorite roles include Sister Margaret Alexander in Amen Corner, Mrs. Dickson in Intimate Apparel'and Busty Phantom in The Rocky Horror Show. Patrice has been singing since she was 6 years old and enjoys Big Band era jazz and blues standards. Patrice is the proud mother of her 2 year old son, Dallas.
Back to top |
Rachel Levy
 (Calphurnia)
Rachel originally hails from Seattle and is excited to be back for an 8th Season with SBTS! Rachel was most recently seen on stage in Pick of The Vine 2010 at Little Fish Theatre. She has a BA in Drama from the University of Washington and has also studied Theatre in England. Other recent productions include the 2003 - 2009 SBTS Seasons, US premiere of 13 O'Clock, The Lady's Not for Burning as Margaret, a featured reader in Grace & Competra's Speaking of Stories in Santa Barbara, and the beglittered "Good Fairy" in the Holiday Panto at the Lobero Theatre for two years. Other favorite stage projects include: Cloud Nine, Sincerity Forever, and Cymbeline. Rachel is also a working voice actor and has done several commercials, children's games, and audio books.
Back to top |
Joe Ngo
 (Captain/Curio | Artemedoris)
Joe is an actor, playwright and graduate of Cal Poly Pomona with a bachelor's degree in acting. As an actor, he has performed in a variety of mediums ranging from stage to screen, most notably in such roles as Elvis in a production of Miss Nelson is Missing to Giles Corey in The Crucible and Orin, the dentist, in Little Shop of Horrors. As a playwright, his play titled The Twelve Stages has just concluded its premiere run as part of CSU Pomona's Black Box theatre season. Joe currently resides in El Monte, California.
Back to top |
Katie Pelensky
 (Olivia)
Katie is returning for a second season with Shakespeare by the Sea. Last summer she was the cookie-toting Maria (Love's Labour's Lost) and LeBeau (As You Like It). Born and raised in New Jersey, Katie moved to California to earn her BA in theatre arts at Santa Clara University, and has since spent time in Santa Clara, Oakland, and currently Hollywood. Favorite roles include Celia (As You Like It), Anna Jedlikova (Pentecost), Beverly (The Shadowbox), Maggie (Lend Me a Tenor), Valerie (The Weir), and Ida (See How They Run). Since moving to LA, Katie has had the privilege of working with Shakespeare by the Sea, Glenn Centre Theatre, and Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre.
Back to top |
Dominic Pham
 (Lucius)
Dominic is happy to return for his second season with SBTS. His credits include: Lord Longaville in Love's Labour's Lost and Orlando in As You Like It. Other roles under his belt are: Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Conrad in Much Ado About Nothing, Sampson in Romeo & Juliet, Gary Lefkowitz in I Hate Hamlet, Reverend Winemiller in Summer and Smoke, and Max Goodman in A Sting in the Tale. Film credits include: Dominic in Black Marshall, The Target in Mona Lisa, Pierced Nose in Things You Don't Tell, and Angel in Zion 7.
Back to top |
Anton Ray
 (Caska)
Anton is a 2009 graduate of the Cal Arts BFA acting program. After eight years in the Infantry and returning home from the war he came to Los Angeles to pursue his passion for acting. Credits include Oberon, A Midsummer's Night Dream; Dysart, EQUUS; Belville, The Rover; Silver Bibala, Cooking Oil; Husz, A Bright Room Called Day; Fire Chief, The Bald Soprano. This is his first time working with Shakespeare by the Sea.
Back to top |
Cody Roberts
 (Feste)
Cody is happy to be making his debut with Shakespeare by the Sea. You may have seen him previously at Little Fish Theatre in The Lion in Winter and in Deathtrap. Originally from Washington State, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with a performance emphasis from Southern Oregon University. He has appeared in Matchmaker, Of Mice and Men, Three-Penny Opera and The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail.
Back to top |
Kaitlyn Smith
 (Valentine/Roslyn/Audrey/Priest | Alexas)
Kaitlyn graduated from the Orange County High School of the Arts in 2008, and is currently a second-year Drama major at UC Irvine. She has performed in over 15 staged productions, most recently in The Importance of Being Earnest and The Threepenny Opera in the Claire Trevor Theatre at UCI. Other theater credits include A Christmas Carol, Crow and Weasel, The Orphan Train, and The Snow Teen at South Coast Repertory. She also performed in the OCHSA productions of Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Dearly Departed, King Lear, and Rumors. This is her first experience as a part of Shakespeare by the Sea.
Back to top |
Patrick Vest
 (Orsino | Antony)
Patrick is delighted to be back with Shakespeare by the Sea. He previously played Shylock, Macbeth, Mercutio, and Malvolio in these beautiful parks. Other Shakespeare roles include Prince Hal, Petruchio, Launce, Oberon, Cloten, and Pericles. Patrick spent the last two years at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival where, in addition to doing plays, he earned his MFA in acting. His all time favorite role, however, is daddy to his daughter Olivia.
Back to top |
Sarah Yahr Tucker
 (Viola)
This is Sarah's first season with Shakespeare by the Sea. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the University of London, Sarah trained on the East Coast at the Public Theater, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and the T. Schreiber Studio. She has performed off-Broadway with several theater companies, including the Hudson Shakespeare Company and La Mama. Sarah arrived in Los Angeles in 2007, and can be seen in the upcoming independent features Yeardley and The Darkness. She has also appeared in several productions with Write Act Repertory, including Isabella in Measure for Measure, and recently produced and starred in Stop Kiss at the Ventura Court Theatre.
Back to top |
THE PRODUCTION TEAM |
Lisa Coffi
 (Founder & Producing Artistic Director)
Lisa is the founder and creator of Shakespeare by the Sea and is happy to be celebrating her 13th 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. She has been involved in theatre for the last 18 years, 12 of which have been spent in San Pedro cultivating Shakespeare by the Sea into a mid-sized arts organization. In addition to SBTS's free festival, she manages and produces at Little Fish Theatre which is currently in its 9th season. Lisa splits her time between San Pedro and Newcastle (Sacramento) where she resides with her husband, 2 dogs, 3 cats and 2 cows.
Back to top |
Sara Adelman
 (Festival Producer)
Sara is a freelance arts management consultant and partner in Vibrant Production Management. Most recently she was the Director of Operations for LA Stage Alliance. Previously, Sara was the Managing Director for Shakespeare Festival/LA. Her experience includes work with EdgeFest, LA Theatre Works, Geffen Playhouse, Actor's Gang, Manhattan Theatre Club and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. She holds an MFA in Production Management & Technology from UCLA and a BA in Theatre Studies from the University of Connecticut.
Back to top |
Amy Louise Sebelius
 (Director, Twelfth Night)
Amy Louise was last seen on the Shakespeare by the Sea stage as Kate in The Taming of the Shrew back in 1999. Acting roles include: Inez in No Exit (Rude Guerilla), Eleanor in King John (Southern California Shakespeare Festival), Julie in Miss Julie (Players Theatre), Lula in the Dutchman, herself in White Trash Catholic Circus (her one-woman show), and the resident villain, Ian Sidious in the Holiday Melodrama (The Garage Theatre), Soothsayer in Julius Caesar and Miss Grange in Sheppey (Alabama Shakespeare Festival). As a director, credits include The Lover, The Dumbwaiter and Richard III (The Garage), Medea (OCHSA), Love's Labour's Lost (STBS) The Jungle Book, Star Wars, and Batman!. Amy Louise teaches acting, theatre history, Shakespeare, and improvisation at the Orange County High School of the Arts, Santa Ana College, and South Coast Repertory. She is a graduate of the LA Theatre Academy, CSU Long Beach and the University of Alabama.
Back to top |
Stephanie A. Coltrin
 (Director, Julius Caesar)
Stephanie is an Ovation Award winning Artistic Director and Ovation nominated director for CLOSBC's production of Miss Saigon which won Best Musical of the year in 2009. She has served as the Artistic Director for both the Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities, and Hermosa Beach Playhouse for the past few years. Known for her versatility as a director, credits include Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Blithe Spirit, Steel Magnolias, Come Back to the Five & Dime..., Quilters, and Godspell among others. After completing her studies in Theatre Arts and Directing at Brigham Young University, she moved to Los Angeles, where she has had the pleasure of creating theatre from every capacity-- as a producer, production manager, stage manager, and designer--for various theatres all over town, including the Odyssey, Tiffany, Hudson, Blank, and Tamarind Theatres, LATC, Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare, Reprise, McCoy Rigby, and many others. She is thrilled to be directing her first show with Shakespeare by the Sea.
Back to top |
Laurel Long
 (Stage Manager, Twelfth Night)
Laurel is thrilled to be a member of the Shakespeare by the Sea team this summer. With an undergraduate degree in Youth Theatre, she has twenty years experience working with young artists for arts organizations such as Alaska Theatre of Youth, Phoenix Children's Theatre, The Third Street Theatre, and the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. She is now the Artistic Director of the Dollface Ensemble, her own budding company of young actresses. After reading Me & Shakespeare by Herman Gollob, Laurel found a renewed excitement for all things Bard.
Back to top |
Stacy Davies
 (Stage Manager, Julius Caesar)
Stacy has been a professional arts and entertainment journalist editor for over 15 years with her reviews and features appearing in the OC Weekly, OC Register, OC Home Magazine, Pasadena Weekly, the District Weekly, New Times Phoenix, IE Weekly, Juxtapoz Magazine, Bust Magazine and on ArtSlant.com. In 2006, Stacy was the founding editor of the Inland Empire Weekly, and in 2007 was awarded the Excellence in Journalism award from the Society of Professional Journalists for her review, "Embrace Your Sexy Menstrual Cycle!" This is Stacy's fifth season stage managing for SBTS and in 2003, she directed The Owl and the Pussycat at Little Fish Theatre.
Back to top |
Aaron Jackson
 (Scenic Designer)
Aaron's New York credits include: Box for The Genesius Theatre Guild, The Sex & Love Monologues for the Riant Theatre and A Leopard Complains of Its Spots for Amphibian Productions. Regional Credits: I Love a Piano and Almost Mainefor The Phoenix Theatre, (Phoenix, AZ), Miss Nelson Is Missing at Childsplay (Phoenix, AZ) and The Boys Next Door for The Texas Star Theatre, (Granbury, TX). Other credits include designs for The Jubilee Theatre, (Ft. Worth, TX) Theatre OUTlanta, (Atlanta, GA) Little Fish Theatre, (San Pedro, CA) and The WB Television Network. In addition, Aaron works as an Illustrator and Concept Artist with a client list that includes Stiletto Entertainment, Cartoon Network, IMAG Productions, and Mercedes-Benz among others. He has also worked as a Scenic Artist for film, television and theatres across the country. Currently he is the staff Scenic Artist for UC Irvine/ Claire Trevor School of the Arts where he recently designed The Threepenny Opera. This is Aaron's sixth season with SBTS.
Back to top |
Valerie Wright-Blair
 (Costume Designer)
This is Valerie's seventh season with Shakespeare by the Sea. She has BFA in fashion design from the Otis Art Institute. Valerie is happy to be back after taking last season off, during which time she assisted with the comedy film Welcome Back Satan, designed several costumes for Big Money Husslas for Insane Clown Posse, and she just finished a 1960's version of The Wiz. She has designed for the Westchester Playhouse, Torrance Theatre Company, The Brethren of the Coast and Little Fish Theatre. In addition to her numerous theater credits, Valerie has designed an array of gowns for private clients and celebrities for the Academy and Emmy awards shows. Her garments have also appeared in People magazine, National Bridal Apparel News and on CNN.
Back to top |
Adrianne Ferree
 (Assistant Costume Designer)
Adrianne is excited to continue learning a new craft: sewing. As a hobby, she created simple garments and costumes for her three daughters. She recently assisted Valerie with The Wiz. She looks forward to developing her skills and creating new friendships with these extremely talented folks. She finds listening and watching how a production comes together fascinating and has developed a new respect and appreciation for the work that goes into putting on a play.
Back to top |
Steve Garbade
 (Composer, Twelfth Night)
Steve graduated from Berklee College of Music studying Composition/Film Scoring while playing cello for the Berklee College of Music String Quartet. After moving to Los Angeles, Steve worked in sound post production for television and film and composed for music libraries. For the past 7 years, he has been playing guitar for his rock band and playing cello for numerous ensembles/orchestras as well as writing/recording a song for NBT Records. He can be seen around Los Angeles performing his original contemporary pieces solo and with small ensembles and has been heard on local TV and radio. He has written original scores for productions at Pacific Resident Theatre and Long Beach Playhouse.
Back to top |
Caroline Benzon
 (Composer, Julius Caesar)
A graduate of the UCLA School of Music, Caroline is a keyboardist, musical theatre composer and singer-song-writer. Some composition credits include Emerald City, Towyard Dreams, Westchester Playhouse's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare by the Sea's Twelfth Night and Othello, as well as her first CD, Just Three Words. She was Musical Director and Accompanist for Little Fish Theatre's first Pick of the Vine 2010 musical: A Charmed Life.
Back to top |
Darren R. Schroader
 (Marketing & Press Relations)
Darren is a freelance marketing and production consultant. He moved to LA in 2006 to pursue his interests in theatre and television. Prior to that Darren spent 15 years in Denver, Colorado where he performed in over 35 productions and helped create new works with Buntport Theatre, The Bug and The Changing Scene. He served as Marketing Director for The Denver Victorian Playhouse and was on the board for The Changing Scene in Denver and The Changing Scene Northwest in Bremerton, WA. In LA he has worked as Communications Manager for LA Stage Alliance, as dramaturge for Sissystrata at Celebration Theatre, as the event producer for the 2009 East West Players Visionary Awards and served on the production committee for Standing On Ceremony, The Gay Marriage Plays.
Back to top |
William "Bill" Ginder
 (Sound Technician)
This is Bill's fourth season as part of the engineering team for Shakespeare by the Sea. He has worked as a sound engineer for live music performances and live recordings of local musicians, The Taste of San Pedro, Music by the Sea, the Norris Theater, and the Warner Grand. He also builds and repairs audio equipment, tube theremin and tube amps. Bill has also worked as a jazz and blues drummer and has an AS from El Camino.
Back to top |
Matt Stillo
 (Assistant Producer)
Matt returns to Shakespeare by the Sea after working last summer as an intern through LA County Arts Commission. Next Fall Matt will continue his training at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts as a drama major while pursuing a minor in producing through the Stern School of Business. His favorite past productions include Dog Sees God (Matt) with the Gallatin Theatre Troupe, All That He Was... (Man) with Tisch School of the Arts and the Lightbulb Factory Theater Company, The Cradle Will Rock (Stevie) with Tisch New Theatre, and most recently, originating a role in A. J. Ditty's new play entitled How the Great Grapefruit Dance in the Moonlight (Edward) at the Marilyn Monroe Theatre in New York City.
Back to top |
