News From the Festival
Stitched Together: Schmid Family to Work Together at the Festival This Season
By Liz Armstrong, guest writer
A student at Southern Utah University at the time, Steven Schmid’s first year at the Utah Shakespeare Festival was in 1993. Working in the costume shop, Steven met Kathie, who was also acting that season. The two fell in love with theatre and each other and got engaged two weeks after they started dating. They’ve been married now for over 30 years and have since had three children, all of whom are pursuing a career in the arts in some capacity.
“We always joked with our kids, ‘There’s nothing wrong with an accounting degree,’ but they’ve followed us into the arts,” Steven said.
It’s been nearly 32 years since they worked side by side at the Festival, but the couple is thrilled to return to Cedar City this season, where their love story began over three decades ago.
“Cedar City has always felt like a second home,” Kathie said. “Even when we haven’t been working for the Festival, we try to come most summers to see the shows, and it always feels like coming home.”
August, their oldest son, will be joining his mother and father working at the Festival this season, making the 64th season a bit of a Schmid Family Affair.
As a child, August would attend rehearsal with his mother when she was designing for Tuacahn Center for the Arts. Exposed to the arts at a young age, he naturally drifted toward theatre. Last season, August worked as an electrician alongside Festival Electrics Director Scott Palfreyman and will do so again this season.
Steven also worked at the Festival last season, returning to the Festival each year since 2014, often working closely with Costume Designer Bill Black. This season, he will be the Black’s draper for The Importance of Being Earnest. A draper is the artist who takes a costume designer’s renderings as well as performers’ measurements and creates the patterns from them in order to build the costumes.
Kathie will work this season in the costume crafts department, primarily as a milliner, returning for the first time since 1993. Since then, she has worked as a milliner at Utah Opera and Pioneer Theatre Company in Salt Lake City. Kathie did freelance work at several other theatres before she was hired 13 years ago as a Professor of Theatre at Brigham Young University-Idaho.
“I’m returning to the Festival as part of my sabbatical experience from BYU-I,” Kathie said. “I am excited to have this break to come back to the Festival not just to work, but to learn from my colleagues and make sure I’m still training my students in the things they should know as I send them out into the workforce.”
Steven said he is excited for his wife to come to the Festival and praises her talent and organization.
“It is rare that Steve and I get to work together,” Kathie said. “When he taught full time, I did freelance work and now that I teach full time, he travels for freelance work. It will be fun to be in the same place, at least for a [short amount of time].”
Although Steven didn’t see August much last season due to their busy schedules, having three of the six Schmid family members working at the Festival this summer is a unique opportunity and will allow them to experience their “home away from home” in Cedar City together.
Steven is excited to return again because of the quality of the work.
“When you walk up and down the corridor of the costume shop, you are just amazed at the caliber and quality and creativity of what is being produced,” Steven said.
Steven noted that the work is “exemplary,” and praised Costume Director Jeff Lieder’s organization and efficiency.
”The ‘incubation’ period we have of working and creating and collaborating…that build up to [opening night] is so exhausting,” Steven said. “But it’s so fulfilling because you get to see all the components come into play.”
To see the work that Steven, Kathie, and August contribute to this summer, purchase tickets to the 2025 season today.
The Festival Announces the Cast of As You Like It
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is excited to announce the cast of this season’s production of Shakespeare’s beloved pastoral comedy, As You Like It, in the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. Last seen on the Festival stage in 2017, this will be the tenth production in its sixty-four year history and will be directed by Beth Lopes.
“Part comedy, part drama, part romance, and all adventure: As You Like It is a giant, sweeping story where the danger and pain are real, but deep down we know that good will triumph,” says Lopes. “In the Forest of Arden, who you are is no longer trapped in the shadow of who you used to be and relationships that were fractured by grief are healed with love to be born anew. As You Like It is Shakespeare’s celebration of nature, liberty, resilience, and the transformative power of love.”
Working with Lopes to bring this show to life are the following lead artistic staff: Scenic Designer Apollo Mark Weaver, Costume Designer Bill Black, Lighting Designer Shannon McKinney, Sound Designer/Composer Lindsay Jones, Music Director Andrew Flasch, Voice/Speech/Text Coach Jeremy Sortore, Dramaturg Isabel Smith-Bernstein, Choreographer Trey Plutnicki, Fight Director Geoffrey Kent, Intimacy Coordinator Sacha Comrie, and Stage Manager Martinique M. Barthel.
The Festival welcomes new and returning cast members and is as follows:
Lavour Addison is making his debut at the Festival playing Charles/Forester/William in As You Like It. He has also worked at Long Wharf Theatre; Idaho, Lake Tahoe, and Colorado Shakespeare Festivals; Cleveland Playhouse; and Creede Repertory Theatre. He received his MFA in Acting from Case Western Reserve and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Cassandra Bissell returns for her fifth season at the Festival, this time playing Jacques in As You Like It. She has acted regionally at the Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, Arizona Theatre Company, and Cleveland Playhouse, among many others. She earned a BA in Gender Studies from University of Chicago and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.
Laura Brennan is returning, as LeBeau in As You Like It. She was last seen at the Festival as Harriett in Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical, as well as in The Play That Goes Wrong and in the Shakespeare in the Schools tour of Much Ado About Nothing. Other theatres where she has performed include Texas Shakespeare Festival, Citadel Theatre, and Cider Mill Playhouse. She has a BFA in Acting from Ithaca College.
Taya Christiansen is new this season and will be seen as Courtier/Forester in As You Like It. She is currently pursuing a BFA in Musical Theater at Southern Utah University where she has performed in Ride the Cyclone, The Wolves, and Sweet Charity. She is appearing courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program, a partnership program between the Festival and SUU.
Gabriel W. Elmore debuts this season as Orlando in As You Like It. He has appeared with Quintessence Theatre Group, InterAct Theatre Company, and Delaware Theatre Company, among others. He was also in the film Alice Heart and taught at Temple University where he received his MFA in Acting.
Nicole Eve Goldstein is debuting as Phoebe/Courtier/Forester in As You Like It. She has performed off-Broadway and at Carnegie Hall, as well as with Red River Lyric Opera and Ridgewood Gilbert and Sullivan Players, among others. She was in the film Dead Reckoning and received the Emerging Talent Award from the Lotte Lenya Competition. She has a BM in Vocal Performance from Oberlin Conservatory and attended the New York Film Academy as well.
Blake Henri returns for his third season, playing Amiens/Courtier in As You Like It. He was previously seen at the Festival in The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, The Play That Goes Wrong, and A Raisin in the Sun. He has worked at the American Shakespeare Center; the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa; Cleveland Playhouse; and Dallas Theatre Center, among many others. He has appeared in numerous television shows such as HBO’s Love and Death and The Chosen, as well as the films American Underdog and Great Plains. He holds a BFA from University of Oklahoma.
Elijah Eliakim Hernandez is debuting on the Festival’s mainstage as Silvius/Courtier in As You Like It. They are currently on tour with the Festival’s Shakespeare in the Schools production of Henry IV as Hotspur and have performed with Tennessee and Wisconsin Shakespeare Companies. They earned a BA in Theatre Performances from University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Kayland Jordan returns to the Festival, as Rosalind in As You Like It. She previously performed in A Raisin in the Sun and A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2023. She has also acted off-Broadway and at Theatre SilCo and American Stage Theatre Company, among many others. She has appeared in HBO’s Betty, ABC’s Emergence and The Brides, and in the films Gap Year and Keep Me At Bay. She is a resident teaching artist at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, earned a BFA in Acting from Pace University, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Geoffrey Kent returns for his sixth season, as Duke Frederick in As You Like It. Last season he played Polixenes in The Winter’s Tale and Buckingham/Lord Chancellor in Henry VIII. He was also in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare in Love, Treasure Island, and Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), among many others. He spent fourteen seasons with Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and multiple seasons with The Denver Center, as well as time at Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Arvada Center, and American Shakespeare Center. He has taught at University of Northern Colorado, University of Denver, and ASOLO MFA. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
Walter Kmiec is returning for his second season, as Touchstone in As You Like It. He previously portrayed Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing and Norfolk in Henry VIII. He has also worked at Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Orlando Shakespeare Festival, Endstation Theater Company, and People’s Improv Theater, among others. He has taught at Stetson University and Florida State University, where he received an MFA in Directing. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Kat Lee returns for her fifth season, as Celia in As You Like It. She was seen last season as Margaret Leavitt in Silent Sky, as well as in Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical and as the Narrator in the 2023 Festival tour of Every Briliant Thing, among others. She has also appeared at The Denver Center, Oregon Cabaret Theatre, and Lyric Repertory Company. She received the Festival’s 2023 Finlayson Acting Award and her BFA in Musical Theatre from Otterbein University.
Pixie Isabel Merkley is making her debut at the Festival as Courtier/Forester in As You Like It. She is currently pursuing her BA in Theatre Arts from Southern Utah University where she has performed in The Secret Garden and The Wolves, as well as in Annie with St. George Musical Theatre. She is appearing courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program.
Chris Mixon is returning for his thirteenth season at the Festival and will be seen as Adam in As You Like It. Some of his previous Festival roles include last year’s Cardinal Wolsey in Henry VIII, Baptista in The Taming of the Shrew, and Old Shepherd in The Winter’s Tale, as well as in productions of Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical, The Play That Goes Wrong, Big River, The Foreigner, The Book of Will, and Mary Poppins, among many others. He has been in the Broadway tour of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and off-Broadway at the Pearl Theatre Company and Manhattan Theatre Club. His work has also been seen at The Denver Center, Milwaukee Rep, Pioneer Theatre Company, as well as in the film The Rosa Parks Story and on the television shows All My Children, One Life to Live, and Law & Order. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.
Christopher Joel Onken makes his Festival debut as Oliver in As You Like It. He was on Broadway in The Inheritance and off-Broadway at Red Bull Theatre in The Inn at Lydda. He has also performed at Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Orlando Shakespeare Theater, and Playhouse on the Square as well as many others. He has been in CBS’s FBI and the web series This is B.S. He earned his BA in Theatre from Clemson University and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Chauncy Thomas returns for his second season at the Festival, as Duke Senior in As You Like It. He was seen in last season’s The Winter’s Tale as Leontes and in Henry VIII as Duke of Suffolk. He has performed at Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Bay Street Theatre, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, and Gulfshore Playhouse. His television work includes Madam Secretary and Run the World, and is a winner and five-time nominee for St. Louis Theater Circle Awards for his work at St. Louis Black Rep. He holds a BA in Drama and Psychology from Washington University and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Kathryn Tkel is making her Festival debut as Audrey/Courtier/Forester in As You Like It. Her previous work includes productions at Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre, Folger Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, and many more. She was seen in the film Harriet and currently teaches at Southern Utah University. She has an MFA from The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy for Classical Acting, as well as BAs in Drama and Anthropology from University of California, Irvine. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Patrick Vest returns for his second Festival season, as Old Sir Rowland/Corin in As You Like It. His previous work includes last season’s Much Ado About Nothing and Henry VIII. Other theatres where he has performed include Rubicon Theatre, Laguna Playhouse, Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, and Asolo Rep. He earned an MFA in Acting from Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
The 2025 season runs June 16 through October 4. Tickets are on sale now at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.
Utah Shakespeare Festival Invites Local Community to Open House
By Kathryn Neves, guest writer
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is inviting local community members and partners to a Community Open House at the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts on April 22 from 4-6 p.m. in the Randall L. Jones Theatre lobby and patio (at approximately 300 West and Shakespeare Lane).
Intended to provide a behind-the-scenes look at the Festival, guests will tour the theaters, learn about the Festival’s history, and discover what it takes to put on a professional theatrical season. Guests will also get a sneak peak into the 2025 lineup and see the artistic vision behind each production.
“This event aligns with one of the key strategic goals of the organization: Community,” says Artistic Director John DiAntonio. “Our organizational goal states: ‘We will strengthen the connection to our stakeholders and cultivate a culture of co-ownership by investing in new and existing relationships, affirming key partnerships, engaging in constructive conversations, and respecting differences.”
Community-building has always been an integral part of the Festival’s mission and purpose. This year’s open house coincides with another beloved community event during school day hours on April 21-23: Bard’s Birthday Bash. Each year, the Festival invites young students in the Iron County School District to the Festival grounds to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday and discover the joy and value in his work.
Beginning under the leadership of former Education Director, now Executive Managing Director Michael Bahr, students rotate through five party stations: jousting, performance, court dancing, mask making, and birthday cake with Queen Elizabeth and William Shakespeare since the Bard’s birthday is April 23. “We get to welcome thousands of young students to the Beverley Center, introduce them to our theaters, and have them perform text from Shakespeare’s plays,” said Education Director Stewart Shelley. “It’s a lighthearted and fun way to learn a wee bit about the Bard, his plays, his time, and the Utah Shakespeare Festival.”
While Bard’s Birthday Bash is exclusively for students K-5, all community members are welcome to come to this year’s open house anytime between 4 and 6 p.m. on April 22. “We want to be a great community partner and invite our friends, neighbors, businesses, and anyone who’s interested to learn more about who we are and what we do,” said Shelley. “We want every resident of Cedar City and Enoch to get excited about the upcoming 2025 season. There will even be birthday cake!”
“If you’ve never been to the Festival but are curious to learn more, or if you’ve been coming for years and want to get to know us on a deeper level, this is a fantastic time to visit!” said DiAntonio. “Stop by; bring the whole family or come solo; all are welcome. We can’t wait to meet you.”
Crafting the Casts at the Utah Shakespeare Festival
By Liz Armstrong, guest writer
Casting is a crucial and complicated step in the world of repertory theatre, and it quite literally sets the stage for the season. The process involves collaboration between actors, directors, and Artistic Director John DiAntonio and Artistic Associate Tanya J. Searle. We’re letting you in on the behind-the-scenes, step-by-step, starting at the beginning of auditions and concluding with the actors walking onstage for performances throughout the season.
The Crucial First Step
The process for a season starts about eighteen months out. That’s right, the “seasonal” Utah Shakespeare Festival works tirelessly year-round, with at least two seasons in the works at any given time.
“Once the shows are selected for the next season, and directors have been hired, the artistic team will study the plays and determine how many roles need to be cast,” DiAntonio explained.
From there, DiAntonio and Searle create a detailed casting breakdown of all the season’s characters, and then estimate how many actors will be needed to fill all those roles. Sometimes multiple roles within a show can be performed by a single actor, reducing the number of actors needed to cast all the characters. With some Shakespeare plays having such large casts, there can be over a hundred characters in a season.
“We post the ‘Casting Call’ on our website, the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) website, and other platforms,” DiAntonio said. A casting call includes information for the actors on which roles are open to audition for, what is required from the actor, and how to audition. “From there, we start receiving auditions.”
Auditioning: An Audacious Art-Form
The Festival holds auditions in a variety of formats. There are in-person auditions required by the AEA union for equity actors that are held in both Los Angeles and Cedar City, which also includes in-person auditions for Southern Utah University students. Actors can also audition virtually from across the county by submitting self-tapes. If a show requires children, in-person auditions may also be held for those roles in Cedar City.
“We have five acting fellows every year, which is a part of our ongoing partnership with SUU,” DiAntonio said. “These undergraduate actors bring an invigorating energy to the professional company each season.”
This year, DiAntonio even went to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival last fall to hold auditions for interested actors there.
“The use of video auditions has definitely increased since the pandemic,” Searle said. “There are some challenges for actors with video submissions, but it does open up access to folks who may not have been able to be seen in a more traditional, pre-pandemic, in-person format."
Due to this, there is no shortage of these video auditions.
“This year we received 1,200 video auditions and 300 in-person auditions. We rely heavily on video because we are in a remote area,” DiAntonio said. “Some theatres fly to New York and use a casting director and in-person callback auditions with their finalists. It would be lovely to do that, but our talented company comes from all over the country, so using video is extremely useful.”
The directors play a large role in the audition and casting process.
“We get recommendations from the play directors about what they are looking for in a particular role. We ask questions like: ‘For each role, what special quality do you hope the actor will bring?’ ”
In addition to asking the directors what type of actor they’re looking for, they can also provide the Festival with a list of actors from their network or from the Festival’s former company.
“We will take that list, and if they’re new to us, we’ll encourage them to submit a general audition,” DiAntonio said.
The Festival also reaches out to the last few years of Festival alumni to let them know auditions are coming up and encourage them to submit an audition.
This is how the Festival gathers the primary group of candidates. From there, DiAntonio and Searle start going through audition submissions to create a pool of finalists, searching for people that may be a good fit for a particular role or series of roles. Since this is a repertory company, nearly every actor in the company will be in two to three shows and many will have at least one understudy assignment too.
DiAntonio noted that auditioning is an art form in itself.
“Auditioning is a special skill set and can be very intimidating and stressful for actors. I try to make it an enjoyable process for everyone. Actors have to deal with so much rejection,” DiAntonio said. “We’re casting 40 people out of 1,500 auditions, so the odds are stacked against you. But people are still putting themselves out there: their talent, their time, their effort, and their heart. It’s vulnerable and nerve-wracking, and I understand that from my own experience as an actor.”
Those few minutes of auditioning are vital, not only to landing a role, but as a form of artistic expression.
“It’s important to me that in those few minutes of an audition, that the actor can feel proud of what they did and say, ‘You know, I got to do a little bit of this art that I love today.’ So no matter the outcome, they feel proud of their work and they get a taste of the collaborative atmosphere that is synonymous with the Festival,” DiAntonio expressed.
The Challenges of Casting for Rep
Casting for repertory theatre is extremely nuanced and difficult.
“It’s incredibly complicated,” DiAntonio explained. “In the 2025 rep matrix, every show conflicts with one other show because of the performance schedule. So an actor cast in Show A couldn’t be in Show B, for example, but they could be in the four other shows in the season.”
Every role has to be covered by the understudy system as well.
“We usually have five to seven external understudies, who are folks that are coming to the Festival [to exclusively] understudy multiple roles across different shows,” DiAntonio said. “However, the majority of roles are covered from within the production, so someone in a supporting role can cover a lead role, for example.” But there’s always a trickle-down effect when an understudy goes on, so external understudies are critical.
Actors also have a limited number of performances they can do in a week, which is another important guide for Searle and DiAntonio.
“Every actor has a track, so they may be in two or three shows and they may have understudy assignments,” Searle said. “We try to make sure that everyone in the acting company has a balance of tracks and a reasonable number of shows per week.”
Casting for rep also includes a great amount of compromise.
“It’s about finding the best combination of people. It’s a collaboration, like everything we do, so there’s a lot of back and forth with the show directors and actors,” DiAntonio said.
If an actor isn’t cast, it isn’t because they aren’t talented.
“We see a tremendous number of really talented people that we end up not being able to hire. It’s very nuanced,” DiAntonio stressed. “The needs of a show can really fluctuate, so if we’re doing a musical, we may need actors who can sing certain parts or play instruments. Or, a play may require certain stage combat skills, or dance, or verse skills.”
Ultimately, it’s about finding the best combination of company members for the specific season.
“You want artists that will grow together and support each other, and that’s really in the fabric [of the Festival] that’s been cultivated over the years,” DiAntonio said.
The Rewards of Casting for Rep
As each track is established, the difficult matrix of casting starts sliding into place.
“It’s daunting at first, but it’s a good feeling when everything starts to come together in a beautiful way [like a puzzle],” DiAntonio said.
One of the most rewarding parts for the casting team is getting to experience the talent the actors share.
“It can be tedious at times reviewing so many audition videos. But it’s thrilling to discover new exciting talent who are passionate about the work we are doing and want to be a part of the Festival,” DiAntonio said.
Repertory theatre can be rewarding for the actors, too.
“I’ve heard many actors say that it is fun to get to play a dark drama one night and sometimes in another afternoon, you’re doing a musical or a comedy,” Searle explained. “So it’s fun to not have to do the same thing every single performance and to be able to work all of those muscles across the season. And it’s great for our audience to see those actors in [very different roles].”
Casting for repertory theatre is not easy, as it is both an art and a science. Creating a cohesive and collaborative ensemble is vital to the success of the season.
Curious who was cast for our 2025 season? Stay tuned for our cast announcements coming soon!
Diving into Dramaturgy: Meet Isabel Smith-Bernstein
By Liz Armstrong, guest writer
Dramaturgy is a vital part of theatre, and Isabel Smith-Bernstein has been fulfilling this role at the Festival since 2015. Sometimes called the “experts on the play,” dramaturgs are there to support the director’s vision of the play and give context.
“We have to understand what I call the four contexts of dramaturgy: when a play is written, when a play is set by the playwright, when a play is set by the director, and when the play is being performed,” Smith-Bernstein explained. “The ‘whens’ also function like ‘whys’ and it’s my job to understand how those contexts speak to each other.”
About Smith-Bernstein
Smith-Bernstein defined dramaturgy as a job in contexts in storytelling. It makes sense that she pursued dramaturgy, as storytelling has always been a part of her life. As a child, her dad would make up “Ferdinand” stories at bedtime. At age three, Smith-Bernstein was exposed to more storytelling by attending a family-friendly Shakespeare-in-the-park. In just first grade, she participated in a musical adaptation of Tuck Everlasting.
“Shakespeare came into my life in middle school, and it was an important part of my speech therapy,” Smith-Bernstein explained. “I’ve had a stutter my whole life and lines of verse were great for practicing speech therapy techniques.”
What better way to help with speech than utilizing the work of The Bard?
In high school, she acted and unknowingly took on the role of dramaturgy. In college, Smith-Bernstein originally planned on becoming a lawyer, but that quickly changed.
“While I was there, I was introduced to the world of dramaturgy and I double-majored in dramaturgy and history,” Smith-Bernstein said.
Later, she received a master’s in English Literature. Her educational journey didn’t stop there, though, and Smith-Bernstein completed her Ph. D. in performance in 2022.
“My dissertation, ‘Views of Tyranny in the United States Through Shakespeare’s Richard III, 1749-2022,’ was born while working on Richard III at the Folger Shakespeare Library in 2013 and I was working on Richard III [at the Festival] while I was completing it,” Smith-Bernstein said.
The Festival has been Smith-Bernstein’s artistic home for a decade now, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“The Festival has a deep commitment to Shakespeare, and it’s a gift to be able to make plays with great people,” she said.
Diving into Dramaturgy
As a dramaturg, Smith-Bernstein will help with the world-building, cut parts of the script, do research, and summarize that research into an “actor packet” for the whole team working on the play to reference. She also attends rehearsals to answer contextual questions and make storytelling notes.
Smith-Bernstein clears up the expectation that she is supposed to be the “historical police.”
“This can be the job if you’re working on a period piece and the goal is historical accuracy, but with Shakespeare it is actually rarely that,” Smith-Bernstein explained. “Shakespeare wasn’t historically accurate at all."
Ultimately, Shakespeare and Smith-Bernstein are both interested in how to tell the best story, the best way possible. For the dramaturg, this means focusing on consistency.
“Does the internal logic of the world that the whole team has created with the director make sense? Does it track through the entire play? An example of this is the witches in [this season’s] Macbeth,” Smith-Bernstein said. “We’ve discussed just how magical they are and the rules and limitations of the magic. The world of the play has to be consistent rather than accurate to make it immersive and believable.”
Studying Seminar Directing
Smith-Bernstein has been the dramaturg at the Festival since 2015. Some of her favorite plays at the Festival include The Winter’s Tale in 2024, Richard III in 2021, and Hamlet in 2019. She will be the dramaturg this upcoming season for As You like it, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra. But her role doesn’t stop there. Smith-Bernstein also serves as Festival Seminar Director.
After every single performance, the Festival hosts talkbacks the next morning in the Seminar Grove, where patrons who attended the previous day’s performance can come together to discuss the plays.
“No other theater in the United States has talkbacks following every performance. As Seminar Director, I facilitate this discussion,” Smith-Bernstein said. “I start with some background on the play, and then open up the Grove for questions and feedback. We have a deep discussion about the plays and the performances and what they mean to us.”
A bit of a biased fan of the shows in the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre, Smith-Bernstein encourages patrons to attend this season.
“The humanities, and theatre in particular, are vital to our nourishment and development as human beings in society. Through theatre, we are exposed to perspectives and ideas that differ from our own, and so we are taught empathy,” Smith-Bernstein said.
“This season will be moving, exciting, and entertaining.”
To purchase tickets this season, visit bard.org.
Festival Educational Offerings for Educators
Teachers, did you know that the Festival has summer classes just for you? You can expand your Shakespeare and theatre knowledge, come away from these onsite opportunities with lesson plans and hands-on experience to enrich your classrooms, and receive professional development credits for completing a course.
“These camps are a fun and inspiring way to not only gear up for the coming school year, but also refresh, and refill your own cup before embarking on teaching adventures of the Fall,” says Education Director Stewart Shelley.
Teaching Shakespeare
July 14-17, 2025
Specifically for English and Theatre educators, this in-person course provides active and engaging classroom approaches for any teacher of Shakespeare text. Tuition is $300 and includes a ticket to four plays and three Southern Utah University professional development credits.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is aimed at providing active and engaging classroom approaches to language arts and theatre teachers and others who teach Shakespeare’s text - or really any classical texts. It’s all about speaking, hearing, and seeing the text on its feet rather than simply reading it. The course will teach you how to create learning activities to get your students out from behind their desks and explore connections to contemporary themes, characters, and stories that keep your students’ attention and help them find relevance in classical literature texts.
INTENDED AUDIENCE
Teachers in English Language Arts and/or Theatre or who teach Shakespeare in other forms or classes:
● Those who may be anxious about teaching Shakespeare.
● Those who want to better understand Shakespeare’s writing tools.
● Those who are willing to adopt an active, performative, student-centered mindset in approaching teaching Shakespeare and other classical texts in the classroom.
● Those who would like to explore how to use simple performance tools/techniques to actively engage students with Shakespeare’s texts.
● Those who are seeking to fulfill English or Theatre endorsement requirements/competencies such as: ELA - Critically Interpreting Texts and Speaking and Listening; Theatre - Contextualize Dramatic Text: Script Analysis and Theatre History
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Participants will be able to demonstrate their understanding of teaching Shakespeare in the classroom by participating in various exercises and activities surrounding Shakespeare’s text and exploring the curriculum created by the instructor.
● This course will consist of direct instruction, interaction with Festival company, learning activities and assessments that can be replicated by participants in Language Arts classes, Theatre classes, or other authentic educational settings.
● The instructor will incorporate pedagogy principles and demonstrate instructional strategies while teaching methodology; lesson planning evidence, handouts, and assessments will be provided as resources for participants.
● All course materials and instruction will be practical and shared with teachers so they can take them directly back to the classroom and make them applicable for their teaching situation and students.
Click here to register. Registration closes June 30, 2025.
Tech for Teachers
July 21-26, 2025
This is a great in-person professional development course for any educator or director. Festival technicians and experts create a hands-on learning experience for designing, building, and running a production. You will take home ready-to-teach tech theatre lesson plans and files of resources. Tuition includes a ticket to four plays, the opportunity to watch post-production scenic changeovers, and three Southern Utah University Professional Development Credits.
Click here to register. Registration closes July 4, 2025.
It’s not too early to purchase tickets for the 2025 season of the Utah Shakespeare Festival. The play lineup for the 64th season includes Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, As You Like It, along with the Tony Award-winning musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, the classic The Importance of Being Earnest, the touching Steel Magnolias, and the nostalgic Dear Jack, Dear Louise. Get tickets by clicking here, or call the ticket office at (800) PLAYTIX.
Young Theatre Artists Invited to Train with Festival Actors at Summer Camp
Each season the Festival hosts a series of summer camps that are the perfect opportunity for young aspiring theatre lovers to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of training with industry professionals, while meeting other students of a similar age.
For those interested in attending, consider these reasons:
- It’s an amazing chance to learn from theatre artists in Festival productions.
- For students in high school, there is an intensive pre-professional college training camp taught by Festival artists.
- Sleep-away summer camps allow students to spend a week at the Festival learning and playing with other like-minded students.
- Actor training camps are divided into two age groups: one for pre- and early teens and one for older teens.
- Those choosing overnight camps get to have the experience of staying in Southern Utah University student housing. (It’s also a perfect opportunity to check out the beautiful campus!)
- Have a beginner and unsure about sleep-away camp? That’s okay; there is also a day camp option for those living or staying in the area.
- There are scholarships available! Please click here for more information on the program you are interested in.
Playmakers Summer Day Camp
June 9-21, 2025
Ages 5-17
From 2-4 p.m. Monday to Friday, students will have the opportunity to build theatre skills through movement, voice, improv, and more with a final Saturday performance. Tuition is $150 and includes a T-shirt and a ticket to one play.
Click here to register. Registration closes May 30, 2025.
Junior Actor Training
July 14-19, 2025
Ages 12-14
Taught by professional Festival actors, this week-long sleep-away camp is for young actors who want to train in scene work, stage combat, voice and movement, and more. Tuition is $1,200 and includes all meals, tickets to seven plays, and dormitory accommodations. There is also a payment option of $600, which includes all of the above excluding dormitory accommodations.
Click here to register. Registration closes July 4, 2025.
Actor Training
July 21-26, 2025
Ages 15-18
Taught by professional Festival acting and artistic company members, this week-long sleep-away camp is for all older teenage actors who want to train in scene work, stage combat, voice and movement, and more. Tuition is $1,200 and includes all meals, tickets to seven plays, and dormitory accommodations. There is also a payment option of $600, which includes all of the above excluding dormitory accommodations.
Click here to register. Registration closes July 4, 2025.
Questions for the Education Department? Call 435-865-8333 or email usfeducation@gmail.com.
Also, it’s not too early to get your tickets for the 2025 season of the Utah Shakespeare Festival. The play lineup for the 64th season includes Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, As You Like It, along with the Tony Award-winning musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, the classic The Importance of Being Earnest, the touching Steel Magnolias, and the nostalgic Dear Jack, Dear Louise. Get tickets by clicking here, or call the ticket office at (800) PLAYTIX.
Youth Casting Call for Macbeth
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is seeking young actors based in Southern Utah for its upcoming summer production of Macbeth. Auditions will be held Saturday, March 22, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Festival in the Frehner Rehearsal Hall. Please sign up for an audition slot HERE. Each child who is cast will be paid a stipend of $600 for the season.
Rehearsals and performances will be scheduled from May 5 to September 4. All actors must be available for all scheduled rehearsals and performances. Please note that this will not mean every day, but will include some Saturday rehearsals. Once the play opens, Macbeth plays two times a week (Monday and Thursday), June 19 to September 4 at 8 p.m. in the outdoor Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre.
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Directed by John DiAntonio
The Macduff children appear in one significant scene in the second act of the play.
Role: Macduff’s Son
Age: 10-15
- This role requires acting ability, including learning lines and staging.
- We encourage children of any gender and ethnicity to audition for the role.
- For the audition, please prepare this page from the play, Act 4, Scene 2. Young
performers will be asked to read this scene with someone from our casting department.
The lines don’t need to be memorized for the audition, but being familiar with the lines and meaning is preferred. They may also be asked to tell us a favorite story.
Role: Macduff’s 2nd Child
Age: 7-10 (can be older, but should look young)
- This role does not have any scripted lines, but the actor should be able to follow
direction and remember staging. - We encourage children of any gender and ethnicity to audition for the role.
- For the audition, young performers may be asked to tell us a favorite story, and may be asked to act out some stage business with someone from our casting department.
A note to parents: This Shakespeare play is a tragedy and includes themes of fear, corruption, violence, and greed. The full script can be found here. Macduff’s family, his wife, and all their children are murdered in the play (Act 4, Scene 2). We are still in discussion of how much stage violence will take place on or off the stage. If your child is interested in being a part of the stage combat, please let us know during the audition.
For questions, please email casting@bard.org.
Windsor Court Makeover Is Happening!
Last fall the Utah Shakespeare Festival announced an exciting project called “Extreme Makeover––Windsor Court Edition” where the Cedar City community was invited to adopt a living space or two at the Festival’s Windsor Court apartments and help improve the aging facility. Participants were given guidelines to help freshen up, redecorate, or renovate their chosen apartment before they are needed to house the Festival’s seasonal company, coming later this spring.
Festival Company Manager Karin Edwards and Assistant Company Manager Bailey Rodriguez created the idea alongside the Cedar City Chamber of Commerce and have been in charge of the project. They have contributed countless hours to the project, including arranging and collecting donations from businesses and organizations, reaching out to volunteers, setting up Festival staff work days, and so much more.
Located on the Festival grounds, the Windsor Court apartments consist of 35 units on the corner of 100 West and Shakespeare Lane, all in various states of comfort. Nine units are part of the makeover project this go-around. Additionally, six other apartments are receiving attention by the Festival’s facilities department who make improvements on an annual basis. Other units received improvements in recent years. The plan is to make sure that all 35 have been touched in at least the last three years.
There has been a wonderful response to this project by the community. Businesses and groups that are sponsoring improvements in at least one unit include Habitat for Humanity/ReStore, Cedar City Chamber of Commerce, Cedar Valley Roofing, Visit Cedar City-Brian Head Tourism Bureau, Potter & Son’s Floor Store, as well as individual members of the Festival staff. These participants have been hard at work with designs for their apartments, most of whom have chosen specific decorative themes. As Extreme Makeover participants, they will compete for fun awards to celebrate their work and creativity once the makeover work period ends on March 7.
There have also been many businesses who have stepped up to provide generous support through donations and contributions.
American Pacific Corporation president Kris Griffith donated $5,000 to assist with the refurbishment. ReStore donated $50 worth of store credit to each team. Kustom Kontainers donated a 40-foot shipping container in which supplies and donations have been stored onsite. BZI donated welding materials that Festival Production Manager Richard Girtain is using to improve the stairs. Legacy Flooring, Pioneer Flooring, and Millcreek Flooring in St. George donated various types of flooring that participants are welcome to choose from and use. ACE Hardware, Home Depot, Lowes, and The Mattress Store donated essentials. Sherwin-Williams and Jones Paint and Glass donated lots and lots of paint. FRDM Turf is hoping to help make improvements to the grounds around the apartments.
Other organizations that have been involved in various ways include the Guild of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Ye Olde Catholic Thrift Shoppe, and JustServe volunteers. Visit Cedar City has offered to donate beautiful photos of our area for decor.
If you’re still interested in assisting with this project, monetary donations help immensely. Or there are lots of smaller projects that volunteers can help complete even if you only have short periods of time. The competition part of the Extreme Makeover may be ending March 7, but there is still plenty of work to do beyond that before the seasonal company arrives.
“This project is more than just improving these living spaces,” says Edwards. “It has once again shown me how amazing this community is in working together; contributing time, resources, and skills to help others; and building meaningful bonds with others in our town.”
For more information about this project, visit FAQs or contact Edwards or Rodriguez at companymanager@bard.org.
Festival Announces New Director of Communications
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is excited to announce Brittney Corry as the new Director of Communications. Corry has served as the Festival’s Marketing Manager since August of 2022, and began her new position last month.
She is a Cedar City native and graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in strategic communication. She has also taught dance throughout the area for many years and owned her own studio. In addition, she has also done freelance graphic design work, enjoys spending time with her family in the outdoors, and loves making connections and giving back to the community.
“We are thrilled that Brittney will be serving as the Festival’s Director of Communications,” says Executive Managing Director Michael Bahr. “She is an energetic, articulate, and organized leader who cultivates relationships and strategic initiatives that have made an impact on the Festival.”
Her role includes leading the comprehensive marketing, advertising, and creative communication strategies of the Festival, adhering to the mission, vision, values, and goals of the organization. She also works closely with community, campus, and media partners in order to promote connection and memorable experiences for Festival guests. Continuing to tell the story of the Festival and importance of theatre and the arts is something very important to her.
“I feel incredibly grateful to step into this role,” Corry said. “Theatre has the power to inspire, challenge, and connect us in ways that feel more important than ever. The Festival is so much more than the plays on stage—it’s the conversations they spark and the experiences they create for our audiences. I’m excited to continue sharing that story in meaningful ways.”
One of the things she is most looking forward to is “building on the incredible work that has been done and finding new ways to engage with Festival audiences. This organization has a rich history of storytelling, and I’m eager to collaborate with our team to ensure that tradition continues in fresh and innovative ways.”
“Brittney is electric in a collaborative situation, offering key suggestions that move ideas forward and amplifying others on her team,” Bahr says. “We are fortunate to have a leader like Brittney, who understands the importance of the Festival’s future, effectively communicates this vision, implements plans and supports those around her. I believe it is her authentic love of people and mission-centric strategies that make her effective.”
“Collaboration is at the heart of everything I do,” Corry says. “Some of the best ideas come from conversations where people feel heard and valued, and I’m eager to continue fostering that environment at the Festival.”
Corry has spent the past few years bringing a unique perspective to the Festival. “As a local, I understand the values of this community, and I also recognize what visitors are looking for when they come to experience the Festival,” Corry said. “It’s been incredible to bridge those perspectives and find ways to make the Festival even more engaging and welcoming.”
Looking ahead, she’s eager to continue strengthening those connections. “The Festival has always felt larger than life to me—something truly special. Now, having been part of it for several years, I’m even more inspired by its impact. I’m excited to take on this new role and help the Festival continue to thrive for years to come.”
