Pericles: Shakespeare's Blockbuster

Photo: Danforth Comins (left) as Pericles and Desirée Mee Jung as Thaisa in Pericles*.*

By Ryan D. Paul

Pericles is the first Shakespeare play that I can remember reading. It is not the first of the Bard’s work that I had read, but I can recall the exact moment and place when I finished it. I can still feel the excitement of dropping the book on the desk, picking up my phone and calling my friends. I was convinced at that moment, and still am today, that Pericles is the coolest thing Shakespeare wrote.

Now, to be fair, there is ample evidence that Pericles was written in collaboration with pamphleteer George Wilkins; in fact, the first two acts are attributed to him. Wilkins would write a small novel entitled The Painful Adventures of Pericles, Prince of Tyre a year after the play was produced, perhaps the first novelization of a theatrical work in history. Collaboration alone, however, is no reason to discount the wonder of the play. David Scott Kastan, the general editor of the Arden Shakespeare series argues that Henry VIII, Henry VI, Titus Andronicus, Macbeth, Timon of Athens, Measure for Measure, and All’s Well that Ends Well all were collaborative. He states, “No doubt there are other collaborations in the Shakespeare canon. That’s the way plays were composed. The plays of the Elizabethan theater were not written like Lord Byron’s poems or Virginia Woolf’s novels in a room of his or her own. They were more like our movie or TV scripts, which might combine several ideas from a writers’ room or get reworked by one or more ‘script doctors.’ In the account book of the theater manager Philip Henslowe—the most important surviving document testifying to how plays were written in Shakespeare’s time—nearly two-thirds of the plays mentioned are in some sense collaborative.” (https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/06/shakespeares-plays-had-other-authors-too/590389/).

Pericles is loosely based on the ancient Greek tale Apollonius of Tyre. In 1554, poet John Gower translated the story in his De Confessione Amantis and this became the base for Shakespeare to build on. In Shakespeare’s play, the narrator, the character shaping the proceedings, is given the name Gower. Each section of the play begins with Gower providing context, telling us what we need to know as the miles and the years pass by. The dumb show, an old-fashioned theatrical use of dramatic mime illuminates Gower’s language, letting us as an audience know that this is tale that must be shown, more than told. That is one of the brilliant facets of this work. We, as the audience, watching in our time, our era, are visited by Gower, a contemporary of Chaucer, showing us an ancient tale. Shakespeare scholar Marjorie Garber puts it this way, “Repeatedly, at the end of his prologues Gower reminds us of the inadequacies of telling – just as do the prologues of Henry V. By stressing the fictionality of the events he is describing, by emphasizing the degree to which they are products of poetic imagination, he brings his audience into the process of creation.” (Marjorie Garber, “Shakespeare After All” Pantheon Books, New York, 2004, 759.) And what a creation it is.

Pericles is an adventure tale full of storms, shipwrecks, pirates, prostitutes, death, and resurrection. Looking deeper, however, it is a play about healing, transformation, reconciliation, and redemption. Consider this: Pericles, fearing for his life for solving a truly disturbing riddle, ends up shipwrecked on a foreign shore. There, thanks to some solid luck and courageous fisherman he prepares himself to compete to win the hand of a princess. Triumphant (see, he is a man skilled in the arts and armaments) he sets sail with his pregnant wife, only to lose her in childbirth during the midst of another torrential storm. Having buried his wife at sea, he leaves his daughter with a pair of monarchs, who seem to be friendly, but in the ensuing fourteen years will eventually try to murder her. However, before the foul deed can be committed, she is saved by pirates, only to be sold to a brothel, where she begins to convert the patrons to the virtues of chastity. Finally, due to the help of a really talented doctor and a personal visit from a goddess, Pericles is reunited with those he loves.

Actor Christian Carmargo, who played Pericles in a 2016 production directed by Trevor Nunn describes it this way: “Pericles starts young and reckless, and his desire leads him into a difficult situation. He’s Hamlet. Then he matures. Lear goes down into a dark hole, but Pericles comes out into the light, as, Leontes and Prospero do in the later plays. To me, the play is a portal. It’s a play about how, when all is lost, one can reestablish a connection with a benevolent universe. When Trevor asked me to play it, my mind went immediately to the Latin quote on Pericles’ shield: ‘In hope I live.’” (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-continual-riddle-of-shakespeares-pericles). 

Pericles was one of the most popular plays in Shakespeare’s day, reprinted five times in less than thirty years. Pericles, according to Margorie Garber was the first of Shakespeare’s plays “to be revived at the time of the Restoration, when theatres, closed by Cromwell, were opened again—and women began for the first time to act upon the public stage. It became popular again in the early twentieth century when fairy-tale improbabilities caught the public fancy and the play’s poetry began to catch the enthusiastic ear of critics; and it is popular again today” (Garber 755).

The Utah Shakespeare Festival has presented Pericles twice before, once in 1997 and again in 2010. This year’s production is helmed by Kent Thompson, who last directed the Festival’s 2012 production of Scapin. In his unpublished director’s notes, Thompson states that “Pericles is a strange and tantalizing play that feels like an experiment by Shakespeare in the development of his late Romance plays.  It is an epic tale of a hero’s journey that reminds me of other great adventures, such as The Odyssey or sections of The Bible. Being an adult fairytale, it is magical but also a very dark—misfortune and loss are faced repeatedly by Pericles, Thaisa, and Marina, only to end in the thrilling restoration of the family at the Temple of Diana. As Gower says: “Virtue preserved from fell destruction’s blast / Led on by heaven and crowned with joy at last.”  Indeed, endurance, faith, and virtue are required for the family to achieve a happy ending after a wild and painful adventure. It has moments of unimaginable beauty and unspeakable tragedy, but it ends in the wonder-filled restoration of the family.  The good are rewarded; the bad are punished.  In this way, Pericles is an Everyman.”

Pericles is not just an “Everyman” as Thompson notes; Pericles is a play for everybody. Noted Shakespeare scholar James Shaprio said, “I don’t know why we do any other play” (New Yorker). Noted director Trevor Nunn put it this way, “Pericles, is also about someone who is known to us. He’s a man who has attracted bad luck, he’s a noble man, he’s a modest man, he’s in the shadow of his wonderful father. How many people does one know like that? A crisis of bad luck throws him into a depression early on, he bravely sets out again, misfortune strikes, and he goes very far down and becomes a hermit. We know people like this. The play asks, What kind of species are we? Must the canker always eat the rose? The stars continue to exist in our contemporary world. The gods are on every page” (Director’s Notes).

We cannot but obey the powers above us – Pericles Act 3 Scene 3

From an Old Golf Cart to a Model T Ford

From an old golf cart (top), through the various stages of building, to a finished prop Model T Ford in the Utah Shakespeare Festival production of Ragtime, with Ezekiel Andrew as Coalhouse Porter Jr.

By Liz Armstrong

Properties Director Benjamin Hohman has been at the Utah Shakespeare Festival for 28 years, but creating a Model T Ford automobile for Ragtime this season has turned out to be his biggest props project yet—and it all started with a broken-down golf cart.

The process to create the Model T started with hours of research beginning in February, and actual construction beginning in late April. “It probably took us a total of 800 to 1,000 hours, with around 14 people working on it at different times,” Hohman said. 

“Besides the large puppets of the man-eating plant in The Little Shop of Horrors, this was one of the biggest projects we’ve ever done,” said Hohman. “There was a huge learning curve.”

This learning curve was a surprising challenge for the props director, especially since he’s had that position since 2000 and worked at the Festival for seven years prior to that. He’s built props and done set dressing for over 160 shows at the Festival and had seen it all—almost.

“I’ve never built a car. Because it’s on stage it had to be battery powered, and I had several friends I had to ask for guidance,” Hohman said. 

So why build this Model T automobile from a golf cart? Surely there was an easier way. 

After looking into renting a Model T from another theatre company, Hohman found an automobile that he could rent from Massachusetts. However, transporting the car across the country was going to quickly use up the props budget for the show.

“I thought, I can build one for less than $9,000,” Hohman said. And the props director did just that. He began the project with an old golf cart the Festival already had in the shop, but he and his crew quickly ran into a huge problem.

“We quickly realized the golf cart didn’t run. It took three to four weeks to diagnose the problem.” Hohman said. “It was at this point we realized we had about a 50 percent chance that the stage crew members were just going to have to push the car on stage.” This option was actually acceptable to Director Brian Vaughn, if necessary—but not to Hohman. His team kept working.

When asked why they just didn’t give up and allow stage crew to just push the car onstage, it was clear that he wanted to tackle the challenge of having a Model T that was actually able to drive onstage because he believed it would add to the overall impact of the play.

“The director was prepared to have it not drive. But the car is a big deal to Coalhouse as he rises up out of poverty to buy his own car,” Hohman said. “Pushing the car just wouldn’t have told the story as well.”

The props team’s original thought was to use components from the golf cart, including the motor, batteries, steering, and part of the frame; but they realized that the cart was about as wide as they could go to fit in the space allowed onstage, but it was not long enough to fit the reproduction Model T body panels they had purchased. The solution: essentially cut the golf cart in half, extend the length, and weld it back together. 

“We eventually got it running and drove it a few feet right there in the shop,” Hohman said. For him and his team, this was a huge accomplishment. 

Now, they “simply” needed to add the replica body to the frame, as well as rims, tires, and other accoutrements. The rims on the car are from a genuine 1930s Model A and the tires are reproduction tires. 

“There’s upholstery that makes it look like the car is convertible, and there’s lanterns on either side of the windshield,” Hohman said. “From the audience, it looks like a real Model T, but it’s totally a props project.”

Ezekiel Andrews, who is playing the role of Coalhouse Walker Jr. this season, has played the same character for different theatres several times before but has never had a car that he could actually drive. 

Hohman made sure to mention that it was a team effort, and that the props team has never had a project like this before—where everyone had to pitch in. Hohman and his team worked through the nights, weekends, and early mornings, making sure to get every detail right. 

“We have an older artisan that is a retired material scientist, and he wasn’t going to come out this season, and then he heard about the car,” Hohman said. “He was a great help.”

Despite all of the challenges, Hohman and his team pulled it off, and the Model T Ford they built for Ragtime is something you won’t want to miss. 

“The fact that we built all the props for seven other shows and created a car that drives in the amount of time that we did is amazing,” Hohman concluded.

In addition to Ragtime, the 2021 season includes The Comedy of Errors, Pericles, Richard III, The Pirates of Penzance, Intimate Apparel, Cymbeline, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets for the season are now on sale: visit the Festival website at bard.org, call 800-PLAYTIX, or visit the Ticket Office at the Beverley Center for the Arts.

Ten Things You May Not Know about The Comedy of Errors

Michael Doherty (left) as Dromio of Syracuse and Andrew Plinio as Dromio of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors.

By Parker Bowring

With a plot rife with twists and turns and not one, but two sets of twins, The Comedy of Errors is a fun-filled play that is two times the trouble and double the laughs. Newly reimagined in the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2021 season and set in the 1970s in a Greek Island paradise, this tale weaves humor and heart into a splendid tale of family, loyalty, and love. 

Even though this is a popular and often-produced play, there are a few things about this audience-favorite that you may not know: 

1. The Comedy of Errors was first published in the First Folio of 1623, from Shakespeare’s manuscript.

2. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humor coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to a multitude of puns and word play.

3. It is based on Menaechmi by Plautus, with additional material from Plautus’s Amphitruo and the story of Apollonius of Tyre.

4. As one of Shakespeare’s earliest works, the play was first performed at Gray’s Inn in London, on December 28, 1594, as part of the Christmas festivities.

5. Half the play is in blank verse, an exceptional accomplishment for Shakespeare being such a young playwright.

6. The Comedy of Errors, as Shakespeare wrote it, is set mainly in a street in Ephesus in Ancient Greece, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern Turkey.

7. The play has been adapted into several different movies.

8. The Comedy of Errors is one of only two Shakespeare plays to observe the Aristotelian principle of unity of time, which means that the events of a play occur within twenty-four hours.

9. In the centuries following its premiere, the play’s title has entered the popular English lexicon as an idiom for “an event or series of events made ridiculous by the number of errors that were made throughout.”

10. There is no real antagonist in The Comedy of Errors. Most characters create their own problems by making assumptions based on the similar appearances of each Antipholus and Dromio.

A Dozen Facts about Ragtime

Melinda Pfundstein (left) as Mother, Aaron Galligan-Stierle as Tateh, and Ezekiel Andrew as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in the Festival’s production of Ragtime.

By Liz Armstrong

Being performed this year at the Utah Shakespeare Festival and based on the novel by E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime is an award-winning musical which tells the stories of a wealthy white couple, a Jewish immigrant father and daughter, and an African-American ragtime musician. They experience vastly different worlds; however, they all have the same desire—to pursue the American dream even while many are battling for racial and social justice. Although many people are familiar with the story of the novel, musical, and movie, here are twelve things you may not know.

1. Ragtime could not have been selected to play for a more appropriate season of the Festival. The Festival has reopened after a year off due to the pandemic, and this play could be a sort of tribute to the playwright, Terrence McNally, who died last March due to COVID-19.

2. McNally was a pioneer of the LGBTQ movement, never shying away from the fight for inclusivity and shining a light on LGBTQ lifestyles in his play Corpus Christi, which depicted a Christ-like character as homosexual.

3. The creators of the music in Ragtime, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, were inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame after the dynamic duo earned an array of prestigious awards, including the Tony and Critic Circle awards.

4. As a historical novel, Doctorow’s Ragtime was included in Time magazine’s 100 Best English Language Novels from 1923 to 2005.

5. The original production was said to have set records with its $11 million budget. It fascinated audiences with fireworks and a Model T automobile.

6. In 1998, Ragtime was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards. It won four, including Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Musical Score, Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Audra Mcdonald), and Best Orchestrations.

7. An article by Tony Bravo argues that Ragtime should be adapted to the big-screen. Although the book focuses on characters in 1906, the inequality and justice issues discussed in the story are still problematic in today’s society. As Lawrence Henley says, “The primary lesson in Ragtime may be this: the more our nation changes, the more things have stayed the same.”

8. Set in New York City, both the novel and musical include prominent historical figures such as Emma Goldman, Henry Ford, J.P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, and Harry Houdini.

9. Ragtime earned its name from the unique musical style that swept the nation at the turn of the twentieth century.

10. The show hit Broadway in 1998, opening in the brand new Ford Center for the Performing Arts.

11. Following its run on Broadway, Ragtime went on two national tours. The London production earned eight Olivier nominations.

12. The Model-T in the Festival’s production was built from an old golf cart base by the amazing properties crew, led by Properties Director Benjamin Hohman.

Festival Theatres "Mask Friendly"

The Utah Shakespeare Festival has announced that all its theatres, indoor and outdoor, will now be “mask friendly.” This is made possible by an adjustment in the COVID-19 guidelines from Actors’ Equity Association, the national actors and stage managers union.

The outdoor Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre had previously been operating under these protocols, but now the indoor Randall L. Jones and Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatres will also be mask friendly. This means that masks are not required, but those who wish to wear one may certainly do so. The Centers for Disease Control advises that unvaccinated people should continue to wear masks at indoor public events.

Executive Producer Frank Mack said, “It is wonderful to see artists and audiences together again on the Festival stages. The 2021 season is just amazing to behold and all our audience members can feel comfortable about wearing a mask, based on their preference.”

“We appreciate the concern and patience of all involved as we have opened our 2021 season this past week, sometimes with rapidly changing guidelines,” added Donn Jersey, director of development and communications. “But our patrons, actors, artists, and staff have been wonderful in helping us safely produce what is shaping up to be an amazing season.”

The Festival’s 2021 season plays through October 9. Plays are Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.

Announcing the 2022 Season!

Melinda Parrett (left) as Ariel and Henry Woronicz as Prospero in the Festival’s most recent production of The Tempest in 2013. The popular romance is returning, in the Anes Studio Theatre, in 2022.

The 2021 season of the Utah Shakespeare Festival just got underway, but on opening night Festival administrators raised the overall excitement another level by announcing the season for next year.

The 2022 season will feature eight plays from June 20 to October 8. In an effort to make it easy for loyal Festival guests to order their tickets well in advance, tickets are now on sale online at www.bard.org, by phone at 800-PLAYTIX, or at the Ticket Office near the Anes Studio Theatre.

“The lineup of shows for the 2022 season is an exciting mixture of Shakespeare, two beautiful musicals (including one outdoors for the first time ever), and magnificent contemporary plays,” said Executive Producer Frank Mack. “Festival audiences will be absolutely delighted with this combination of great shows.”

Here’s the lineup:

In the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre

All’s Well That Ends Well
By William Shakespeare

Although the king forces the young Count Bertram to marry orphaned Helena, he cannot make him love her. Only by completing an impossible task can Helena win that affection. But Shakespeare, in one of his famous “dark” comedies, once again shows us that, impossible task or not, callow youth is no match for true love and a determined woman.

King Lear
By William Shakespeare

Deluded by lies and flattery, old King Lear has sorely misjudged his daughters, placing himself into the cruel hands of his two ambitious daughters and spurning the youngest, the one who truly loves him. Only when alone and driven mad on the English heath, does he realize his epic mistakes in Shakespeare’s stormiest tragedy.

Sweeney Todd
By Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler

Sweeney Todd, an unjustly imprisoned barber, escapes and returns to nineteenth-century London, seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which he opens a new barber practice. Mrs. Lovett’s luck sharply shifts when Todd’s thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient into her meat pies that has of London lining up—and the carnage has only just begun in this dark and delicious musical!

In the Randall L. Jones Theatre

The Sound of Music
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse

Maria, too exuberant to be a proper nun, is sent to the Von Trapp family as a governess for seven unruly children. There she teaches the children to sing and Captain Von Trapp to love, only to have the singing family hounded by the Nazis when they invade Austria. Known and loved the world over, The Sound of Music reminds us that with high-spirited hope, heartfelt compassion, and unwavering determination, life’s mountains can always be climbed.

Trouble in Mind
By Alice Childress

It’s 1957 in New York City, and Wiletta May—an African American actor in rehearsal for a new Broadway play—doesn’t intend to cause trouble.  But this time, the writer has gone too far, and, well, Wiletta rebels against one more stereotypical role in a “well-meaning race play.”  Will the other African American actors join in her fight against the improbable play-within-a-play, or must she fight alone?  The stakes are high, but this satire of backstage drama and racial tropes will make you both laugh and stop to think.

Clue
Based on the Screenplay by Jonathan Lynn
Written by Sandy Rustin
Additional Material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price

It’s a dark and stormy night, and you’ve been invited to a very unusual dinner party. Each of the guests has an alias, the butler offers a variety of weapons, and the host is, well . . . dead. So whodunnit? Join the iconic oddballs known as Scarlet, Plum, White, Green, Peacock, and Mustard as they race to find the murderer in Boddy Manor before the body count stacks up. Based on the cult classic film and the popular board game, Clue is a madcap comedy that will keep you guessing until the final twist.

In the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre

The Tempest
By William Shakespeare

Teeming with fairies, monsters, shipwrecks, and magic, The Tempest is Shakespeare’s last and most imaginative romance. The deposed Duke Prospero and his lovely daughter, Miranda, are shipwrecked on a small island where nothing is quite as it seems. But as they separate fantasy from authenticity, they eventually discover a “brave new world” of love, harmony, and redemption.

Thurgood
By George Stevens Jr.

Meet Thurgood Marshall: Lawyer. Civil rights activist. The first African American Supreme Court justice. In this acclaimed play, you witness as Marshall tells stories from his life and his transformation from a young and spirited dissenter to a pensive justice full of wisdom. From his early days as the civil rights lawyer to his appointment to the highest court in the land, Thurgood Marshall stood for justice while lifting the standing of his race and all Americans.

“The 2022 season is a season centered on survival in the wake of cruelty. It exemplifies our enduring human spirit to move forward with strength, determination, and resolve,” said Artistic Director Brian Vaughn. “Three Shakespeare offerings, two musicals (indoor and outdoor), and three humorous and profound contemporary plays, combined with nightly Greenshows, play seminars, and orientations, make for an exciting 2022 that audiences won’t want to miss.”

Opening Night: Over a Year in the Making

Return to the Stages Marks Sixty Years and Will Be Dedicated to Founder Fred C. Adams

Photos from Pericles, which opened the 2021 season, top to bottom: Sarah Suzuki (left) as Antiochus’s Daughter, Todd Denning as Antiochus, and Danforth Comins as Pericles; Chris Mixon as Pander and Sarah Shippobotham as Bawd.

Thursday was a night over a year in the making—the resumption of plays at the Utah Shakespeare Festival after the 2020 season was canceled because of COVID-19. After a joyous opening night of The Greenshow, audiences were invited into the theatre by the traditional trumpet fanfare, and the stage soon exploded with action and color.

The opening play was Shakespeare’s Pericles in the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. It will be followed in the days to come by Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors.

But before the stage was turned over to the actors, Executive Producer Frank Mack and Artistic Director Brian Vaughn made a quick appearance to express heartfelt thanks to patrons, donors, company members, and others for making this season happen. They also spoke about Festival Founder Fred C. Adams who passed away in 2020. This season is dedicated to his vision, friendship, and memory. A celebration of his life is being planned for later this summer.

Also, in an act of faith and joy, the pair announced the 2022 season. Details can be found on the Festival’s website.

 “The confluence of many circumstances will combine to make 2021 a special season—celebrating sixty years of great professional theatre in beautiful Cedar City, honoring our visionary founder who made all this possible, and getting to produce shows for our wonderful audiences, by our amazing artists, after a year-long hiatus,” said Mack when discussing the season.

“The 2021 season marks sixty glorious years producing Shakespeare under the stars at the Utah Shakespeare Festival,” added Vaughn. “It will be a season filled with celebration and reflection, including honoring the legacy of Fred and the incredible achievements of his remarkable life.”

The season will run through October 9 in three theatres. Tickets are $23 to $85 and are on sale now: go to the Festival website at bard.org, call 800-PLAYTIX, or visit the Ticket Office at the Beverley Center for the Arts.

Casting Announced for The Comedy of Terrors

Michael Doherty

Alex Keiper

Husband and wife Michael Doherty and Alex Keiper will be taking over the Randall L. Jones Theatre stage in the Festival’s last play of the 2021 season. The spooky and frenetic farce (featuring the two actors playing five roles) will open July 29 and run through October 9.

The plot of this frantic play begins with hyper, over-the-top shenanigans and heats up from there: Jo Smith arrives at her local theatre for an audition with the director Vyvian Jones, but it turns out that she has actually been invited there by Beverley, Vyvian’s twin brother, who wants her to impersonate her own twin sister Fiona in order to squelch the rumor that Beverley has slept with Fiona. And that’s just the first act. Whew!

Comic actors Doherty and Keiper are just the duo to pull off this high-energy comedy.

Michael Doherty, who will be playing the three Joneses, is well known at the Festival for his comic roles. He played Speed in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Tranio in The Taming of the Shrew, and Lord Fancourt Babberley in Charley’s Aunt in 2015; Tom Sawyer in Big River and Charlie Baker in The Foreigner in 2018; and the Narrator in Every Brilliant Thing in 2019.

He has also appeared off-Broadway in Dublin by Lamplight and in other theatres such as Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Denver Center, Cleveland Play House, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and Connecticut Repertory Theatre. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Playing the two Smiths,Alex Keiper, is appearing at the Festival as an actor for the first time this summer; however, she worked as an assistant director on the Festival tour of Every Brilliant Thing. She has worked in theatres across the country, including Milwaukee Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arden Theatre Co., Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Co., Gulfshore Playhouse, 11th Hour Theatre Co., Theatre Horizon, Theatre Exile, and InterAct.

She also has been awarded an Independence Foundation Fellowship and a Barrymore Award for Best Lead Performance in a Musical for LIZZIE: A Rock Musical. She is also a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Complete casting for all shows, as well as bios and photos of all actors, is available on the Festival website at www.bard.org/actorsartist.

The Festival’s 2021 season is June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.

Casting Announced for Intimate Apparel

Jasmine Bracey

Afua Busia

Yao Dogbe

Josh Innerst

Tiffany Scott

Constance V Swain

“I’m so excited to direct Intimate Apparel again with a new group of performers,” said director Tasia A. Jones as rehearsals started for the 2021 season at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. “Some of them are reprising roles they have played in previous productions of the play and some are new to this story, but all of these actors are invested in bringing the journey of these characters to life.”

Intimate Apparel is a heart-rending, gentle play which weaves an intricate tapestry of our human need for intimacy, and at the same time explores our social divisions. It takes a group of talented artists to bring this show to the stage, and the six actors in the production are excited and up to the task. They are:

Jasmine Bracey will be making her Festival debut, playing Mrs. Dickson, the widowed owner of a boarding house which acts as the geographical center of the story. She has worked in many other regional theatres, including Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, American Blues Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Alley Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Resident Ensemble Players, and The Acting Company. She has also appeared in the television series New Amsterdam and Chicago P.D. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Afua Busia is also at the Festival for her first time, playing Esther, an African-American seamstress in 1905 lower Manhattan who makes her living sewing intimate apparel for ladies at all levels of society. Before her appearance at the Festival, she has worked as Ama in School Girls at Berkeley Rep, Mary in A Christmas Carol at A.C.T., Grace in An Octoroon at Berkley Rep, and others. She earned her M.F.A. from American Conservatory Theater and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Yao Dogbe, in his first appearance at the Festival, is playing George, who becomes Esther’s love interest. Regionally, he has appeared in Intimate Apparel at Northlight Theatre, Fences at American Players Theatre, Homebound and Ohio State Murders at Round House Theatre, Macbeth at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and many others. In 2017 he was listed as one of Houston’s best actors for his performance as Booth in Topdog/Underdog. He is an Equity Membership Candidate.

Josh Innerst, who is playing Mr. Marks, a Jewish fabric seller and friend to Esther, has appeared at the Festival in over a dozen roles, most recently as Earl of Suffolk and Earl of Salisbury in Henry VI Part One, Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice, and Robert in The Merry Wives of Windsor in 2018. He has also worked in theatres across the country including Cleveland Playhouse, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and American Shakespeare Festival. He has also done extensive audiobook and commercial voiceover work. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Tiffany Scott last worked at the Festival in 2005 when she played Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This year in Intimate Apparel she is playing Mrs. Van Buren, a wealthy white woman who orders fancy corsets from Esther. Other theatres she has worked at include National Theatre D.C., Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Berkeley Repertory, McCarter Theatre Center, Seattle Repertory, Goodman Theatre, American Players Theatre, and Illinois Shakespeare Theatre. She also has appeared on television in Chicago Med. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Constance V Swain is making her Festival debut this summer as Mayme, a prostitute who has become friends with Esther through her orders of lingerie. Regionally she has performed in such plays as Caesar and Cleopatra, Antigone, The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, Grimm Lives, and the world premiere musical Willard Suitcases. She also played the role of Zoe in the movie To Love and to Cherish. She was honored with the 2019 Broadway Regional Award for Best Actor in a Play.

The Festival’s 2021 season is June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.

Casting Announced for Cymbeline

Jasmine Bracey

Afua Busia

Yao Dogbe

Josh Innerst

Howard Leder

Tiffany Scott

Constance V Swain

Jeremy Thompson

What happens when you take a show like Shakespeare’s Cymbeline with over twenty characters and numerous locations, and you stage it in the intimate Anes Studio Theatre with only eight actors? Not surprisingly, if you have eight actors with the talent of those cast for this summer’s production at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, you have magic.

Cymbeline has been called a fairy tale, a classic story book, full of wonderment and charm; and these actors are excited to be working at the Festival and bringing this Shakespearean romance to the Anes theatre stage. “Over the years, I’ve had many friends work at the Festival as actors and designers, and I’ve always listened to their stories and seen their photos with awe and just a little envy.” said actor Howard Leder. “The chance to come here this summer—and make my debut with the Festival—is really kind of a dream come true.”

The eight actors in Cymbeline are:

Jasmine Bracey will be making her Festival debut, playing Belarius. She has worked in many other regional theatres, including Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, American Blues Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Alley Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Resident Ensemble Players, and The Acting Company. She has also appeared in the television series New Amsterdam, and Chicago P.D. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Afua Busia is also at the Festival for her first time, playing Pisanio, British Soldier, Musician, and other roles in Cymbeline. She has also appeared as Ama in School Girls at Berkeley Rep, Mary in A Christmas Carol at A.C.T., Grace in An Octoroon at Berkley Rep, and others. She earned her M.F.A. from American Conservatory Theater and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Yao Dogbe is playing the roles of Posthumus and Cloten in his first appearance at the Festival. Regionally, he has appeared in Intimate Apparel at Northlight Theatre, Fences at American Players Theatre, Homebound and Ohio State Murders at Round House Theatre, Macbeth at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and many others. In 2017 he was listed as one of Houston’s best actors for his performance as Booth in Topdog/Underdog. He is an Equity Membership Candidate.

Josh Innerst, who is playing Iachimo, has appeared at the Festival in over a dozen roles, most recently as Earl of Suffolk and Earl of Salisbury in Henry VI Part One, Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice, and Robert in The Merry Wives of Windsor in 2018. He has also worked in theatres across the country including Cleveland Playhouse, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and American Shakespeare Festival. He has also done extensive audiobook and commercial voiceover work. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Howard Leder is appearing for his first time at the Festival this season. He will play the roles of Philario and Ghostly Father. Work at other theatres has included Beverly Hills Playhouse (Duet for One), Actors Rep of Simi Valley (Our Country’s Good), Oberlin College and Conservatory (Antigone, Waiting for Godot, The Beggar’s Opera, Time and the Conways, The Marriage of Figaro, and The Yeomen of the Guard). He has worked as a film and television editor for This Is Us (NBC), The Newsroom and Big Love (HBO),and others.

Tiffany Scott last worked at the Festival in 2005 when she played Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This year she is playing Queen and Arviragus in Cymbeline. Other theatres she has worked at include National Theatre D.C., Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Berkeley Repertory, McCarter Theatre Center, Seattle Repertory, Goodman Theatre, American Players Theatre, and Illinois Shakespeare Theatre. She also has appeared on television in Chicago Med. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Constance V Swain is making her Festival debut this summer as Imogen in Cymbeline. Regionally she has performed in such plays as Caesar and Cleopatra, Antigone, The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, Grimm Lives, and the world premiere musical Willard Suitcases. She also played the role of Zoe in the movie To Love and to Cherish. She was honored with the 2019 Broadway Regional Award for Best Actor in a Play.

Jeremy Thompson is returning to the Festival this year as Caius Lucius and Frenchman. Previously at the Festival he has played Horatio in Hamlet, Seyton in Macbeth, Philiste in The Liar, Lodovico/Soldier in Othello, Brutus in the Julius Caesar education tour, and Narrator in the Every Brilliant Thing tour. He has also worked at the Oregon Shakespeaer Festival, Island Shakespeare Festival, Book-It Repertory Theatre, and more.

The Festival’s 2021 season is June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.