The Festival Announces the Cast of Macbeth
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is excited to announce the cast of this season’s production of Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, in the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. Last produced at the Festival in 2019, this will be the ninth production during its 64-year history and it will be directed by Festival Artistic Director John DiAntonio.
“It’s not everyday the supernatural, raw heart, and edge-of-your-seat battles collide in one play. I cannot wait to share with audiences the tragic story, the blood, the witches, and the haunting language of Shakespeare’s Macbeth,” says DiAntonio.
The lead artistic staff designing this play’s world are Scenic Designer Apollo Mark Weaver, Costume Designer Lauren T. Roark, 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.
This play features both new and returning cast members and is as follows:
Lavour Addison is making his debut at the Festival, playing Macduff in Macbeth. 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 Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. 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.
Evelyn Carol Case is returning to the Festival, as Weird Sister 1 in Macbeth. Previous roles at the Festival include Verges/Attendant in Much Ado About Nothing, Brandon/Patience/Celebrant in Henry VIII, Mrs. Bates/Ensemble in Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical, and more. She has appeared onstage with Prague Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare Orange County, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Laguna Playhouse, and ten seasons as a resident artist with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
Emma Cox is new to the Festival, playing Gentlewoman/Minion in Macbeth. She has appeared in Southern Utah University’s Julius Caesar as Brutus, Roe as Sarah Weddington, Twelfth Night as Malvolio, and Cloud 9 and Maud/Victoria. She is pursuing a BFA in Acting and BS in History at SUU and is appearing courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program.
Gabriel W. Elmore debuts this season, as Donalbain/Soldier (Menteith)/Minion in Macbeth. 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.
Austin Fronk is debuting this summer, as Macbeth’s Servant/Soldier/English Soldier/Youth Apparition/Minion. At Southern Utah University, he played Jason in Medea, Lucius in Julius Caesar, McCluskey in Roe, and Chip Tolentino in 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee while studying for a BFA in Musical Theatre. He also received Improv Actor of the Year from Ridgeline Theatre Society and is appearing courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program.
Blake Henri returns for his third season, playing Porter/Seyton/Minion in Macbeth. 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 Young Siward/Soldier/Murderer/Minion in Macbeth. They just returned from tour with the Festival’s Shakespeare in the School 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 Weird Sister 2 in Macbeth. 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 Lennox/Murderer in Macbeth. Last season he played Polixenes in The Winter’s Tale and Buckingham/Lord Chancellor in Henry VIII. He has also been seen in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare in Love, Treasure Island, and Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). 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 Macbeth in Macbeth. 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 Weird Sister 3 in Macbeth. 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 tour of Every Briliant Thing, among others. She has also appeared at 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.
Chris Mixon is returning for his thirteenth season at the Festival and will be seen as Duncan/Siward/Soldier in Macbeth. 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 roles in 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 on 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.
AJ Newbury is new to the Festival and will appear as Caithness (Soldier)/English Soldier/Minion in Macbeth. As a student at Southern Utah University, he has played Oscar in Sweet Charity, Mischa in Ride the Cyclone, and Tuzenbach in Three Sisters. He also performed at Village Theatre SIP as Jimmy Ray in Bright Star, received Outstanding Leading Actor by 5th Ave Awards, and is appearing courtesy of the SUU Fellowship Program.
Christopher Joel Onken makes his Festival debut, as Malcolm in Macbeth. 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.
Benjamin E. Rosengren is brand new to the stage and will be performing as the younger Macduff son in Macbeth. He is age eight and will be entering the third grade in the fall. He loves to play the piano, read books, sing in choir, spend time with family, and play board/card games. He is grateful for the opportunity to be in Macbeth and is most excited to be in the play with his older brother, to see how everything works behind the scenes.
Jacob C. Rosengren is new to the Festival, appearing as the older Macduff son in Macbeth. He is eleven and will be in sixth grade this fall. He likes making up stories, reading, playing piano, singing in choir, camping, and enjoys being part of a local scout troop. He participated in a nationwide commercial for United We Stand and after having attended plays at the Festival, he is now so excited to actually be in one.
Chauncy Thomas returns for his second season at the Festival, as Banquo/Doctor in Macbeth. 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 Lady Macduff in Macbeth. 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 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 Ross in Macbeth. 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.
Amara Webb returns as Fleance/Banquet Server in Macbeth. She was previously seen as Miranda in The Tempest, Diana in All’s Well That Ends Well, and Ensemble in Ragtime and The Pirates of Penzance at the Festival. She was in Little Shop of Horrors at Oregon Cabaret, The Tempest at Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, and A Christmas Carol at the Kansas City Rep. She has a BFA in Musical Theatre from Webster University.
Caitlin Wise is returning for her second season, as Hecate in Macbeth. She played Kate in The Taming of the Shrew and Emilia in The Winter’s Tale in last year’s season. She has also worked at The Denver Center, Arvada Center, and Creede Repertory Theatre, among others. She received a Henry Award, Denver Post Ovation Award, and Donald R. Seawell ANTA Fellowship. She earned an MFA from the National Theatre Conservatory and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
The 2025 season runs June 16 through October 4. Tickets are on sale now at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.
