The Festival Announces the Cast of Twelfth Night
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is eager to announce the cast of this season’s production of Shakespeare’s popular romantic comedy, Twelfth Night. This delightful and profound play has been produced at the Festival nine times during the last 65 years. This year for its tenth time it will be directed by Festival Artistic Director John DiAntonio, who also directed Macbeth last season.
“Twelfth Night was the first Shakespeare I saw live, and I remember falling in love with everyone onstage,” says director John DiAntonio. “That’s still true for me today. It’s rare that a play lets you love the entire ensemble, flaws and all. This year’s production in inspired by Venetian Carnival, a world that’s bold, decadent, slightly chaotic, and that’s filled with masks, music, and social inversion. But underneath the mayhem, it’s always about longing — about people’s desire to be seen and loved for their true selves.”
Collaborating with DiAntonio to create the gorgeous world of this show are Scenic Designer Apollo Mark Weaver, Costume Designer Bill Black, Lighting Designer Michael Gilliam, Sound Designer/Composer John Nobori, Music Director Brandon Grayson, Voice/Speech/Text Coach Philip Thompson, Dramaturg Lezlie Cross, Choreographer/Intimacy Coordinator Sacha Comrie, Aerial Choreographer Eileen Little, Fight Director Caitlyn Herzlinger, and Stage Manager Caleb Thomas Cook.
New and returning actors make up this cast, which are as follows:
Lavour Addison is returning for his second season at the Festival as Orsino in Twelfth Night. Audiences may remember him as Macduff in last season’s Macbeth, among other roles. He has also worked at Creede Repertory Theatre; Idaho, Lake Tahoe, and Colorado Shakespeare Festivals, Cleveland Playhouse, and Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company. Addison received his MFA in acting from Case Western Reserve and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Gabriel W. Elmore returns for his second season, as Feste/Sailor in Twelfth Night. He performed last summer as Orlando in As You Like It and Octavius Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra, among other roles. He has appeared with Fulton Theater, Quintessence Theatre Group, InterAct Theatre Company, and Delaware Shakespeare Festival, among others. Elmore was also in the film Alice Heart and taught at Temple University where he received his MFA in acting.
John Harrell returns for his third Festival season, this time as Sir Andrew/Sailor in Twelfth Night. Audiences may remember him as Hortensio in 2024’s The Taming of the Shrew and Autolycus in The Winter’s Tale, among others. He has also performed the title characters in Hamlet, Cyrano de Bergerac, Richard II and more at the American Shakespeare Center. Harrell received a Bachelor of Arts in English from James Madison University. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Emily Hawkins makes her Festival debut as Olivia Attendant/Sailor in Twelfth Night. She performed numerous roles at Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, including Rosalind in As You Like It, Hermione in The Winter’s Tale, and Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers. Other regional credits include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Great River Shakespeare Festival, and The House Theatre of Chicago. She received her BFA in acting from Oklahoma City University.
Blake Henri returns for his fourth season, playing Sir Toby/Sailor in Twelfth Night. He was previously seen at the Festival in Macbeth, As You Like It, 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 The Chosen, Walker, and HBO’s Love and Death, as well as the films American Underdog and Great Plains. He holds a BFA from the University of Oklahoma.
Mat Hostetler makes his Festival debut this season as Antonio/Sailor in Twelfth Night. His Broadway work includes Death of a Salesman and the North American Tour/Japan Tour of War Horse. Off-Broadway he has performed at Lincoln Center and NYTW Next Door, while his regional credits include La Jolla Playhouse, Denver Center, and Colorado Shakespeare Festival. His television work includes The Gilded Age, Boardwalk Empire, The Blacklist, and Six Feet Under, among others. He was also seen in the film The Utopian Society. He is the creator and host of the Sometimes It Rains Podcast. He received his MFA from the National Theatre Conservatory, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.
Avery Michael Johnson is debuting at the Festival as Valentine/Second Officer in Twelfth Night. His work at Montana Shakespeare in the Parks includes roles in Henry V, The Winter’s Tale, and The Three Musketeers. He has also performed at Richmond Shakespeare and Signature Theatre and received his BFA in theatre from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Luke Sidney Johnson returns for his ninth season, this time as Curio/First Officer in Twelfth Night. Last season he played Lane/Merriman in The Importance of Being Earnest and Man 1 in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. Other favorite roles at the Festival include Younger Brother in Ragtime, Simeon in Joseph…Dreamcoat, and Samson in Romeo and Juliet. He has also performed at Pioneer Theatre Company, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and Playmill Theatre, among others. He earned a BFA in musical theater from SUU and is an Actors’ Equity Membership Candidate.
Kayland Jordan returns for her third season at the Festival, playing Olivia in Twelfth Night. She previously performed as Rosalind in last year’s As You Like It and Second Weird Sister in Macbeth, along with other shows including A Raisin in the Sun and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She has also acted Off-Broadway and at Asolo Repertory Theatre, 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.
Rodney Lizcano returns to the Festival as Malvolio in Twelfth Night after directing The Importance of Being Earnest last season and performing in Much Ado About Nothing and The Taming of the Shrew in 2024. They also spent 24 seasons with the Denver Center Theatre Company and 10 seasons at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, among many other theatres. They received an MFA from The National Theatre Conservatory and are a member of Actors’ Equity Association and Society of Directors and Choreographers.
Brianna Miller is debuting at the Festival, playing Olivia Attendant/Sailor in Twelfth Night. She has performed at Cleveland Play House, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, among others. She has received the KCACTF Irene Ryan Regional Award and the Janicka Zuck Richards Playwriting Award. She earned an MFA in acting from Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House.
Thom Rivera is making his first appearance at the Festival as Captain/Priest in Twelfth Night. His Off-Broadway work includes The Acting Company, Culture Project, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Roundabout, among others. He has performed regionally at Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, The Denver Center, and South Coast Rep, including numerous others. He has been in many television shows such as Law & Order, Bunk’d, New Girl, Lucifer, and The Mindy Project, and films like Eddington, El Tigre, and Once Upon a Time in Venice. He has taught at UCI Irvine, SUNY Albany, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.
Kathryn Tkel is returning for her second season at the Festival, and will be performing the role of Maria in Twelfth Night. She was seen last season as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra, Audrey in As You Like It, and Lady Macduff in Macbeth. Other 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 and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Matthew Wangemann returns for his third season, playing Sebastian in Twelfth Night. Previously at the Festival he was in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Greenshow in 2023 and 2024. He has performed Off-Broadway at the Vital Theatre Company, as well as at Alliance Theatre, Shakespeare in the Woods, Hale Center Theatre, and Pickleville Playhouse. He earned a BFA in musical theater from SUU.
Caitlin Wise returns for her third season, as Viola in Twelfth Night. Audiences may remember her from last season as Hecate in Macbeth; Louise in Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise; and Octavia in Antony and Cleopatra. Other Festival roles include Kate in The Taming of the Shrew and Emilia in The Winter’s Tale in 2024. Wise has also done numerous productions at The Denver Center, Theatreworks, and Creede Repertory Theatre. She has an MFA from National Theatre Conservatory and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
The Festival’s 65th season runs June 18 through October 3, 2026. Twelfth Night plays in rotation with Troilus and Cressida and Hamlet in the outdoor Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. Don’t miss these remarkable productions under the stars, as well as more shows in our other two amazing theatres. Get your tickets online at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849).
