The Players - Original Practice Shakespeare Festival

Starting Lineup

Brian Allard

is the Artistic Director and Founder of the Original Practice Shakespeare Festival. Brian has comes to Portland via Minneapolis, London and New York, but is now very happy to call Oregon home. His Shakespeare training has taken many courses, from London’s Globe to the New England Shakespeare Festival. During his time in New York, Brian appeared off-Broadway as Caliban in The Tempest and Romney Leigh in Aurora Leigh. Since coming to PDX, he played in the US Premeire of Tales of Ordinary Madness in the lead role of Peter, clucked around as Allen in bobrauschenbergamerica at Portland Playhouse, and proudly appeared as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice with Quintessence. This is his fourth “Original Practice” style Shakespeare production, most notably having played Bottome in last year's Midsommer.

David Bellis-Squires

moved back to Portland two years ago, and has performed with defunkt theatre and Blue Monkey Theatre since that time, as well as in several of CoHo's 24-Hour Plays. He has never been happier to be working hard for the Bard.

Elizabeth Daniels

is delighted and honored to be returning to the wild world of OPS Fest this summer. She previously held several diverse roles in the acting program at Otterbein College, including Lenny in Crimes of the Heart, Elmire in Tartuffe, and Iriana in the Workshop Production of Swamp Baby, as well as working with the Coaster Theater in Cannon Beach in Almost, Maine. Look for Elizabeth in upcoming productions at Portland State University, where she will be completing her Theater degree starting this fall. She extends boundless thanks to those who've reminded her that life Offstage can be just as magical as the moments On."

Nathan Daniels

is excited to be a part of this (relatively) new style, and hopes that all the goats he sacrificed to Dionysus pay off. Favorite prior roles include (but are not limited to) Loner/Dylan Klebold in Columbinus, Harold Hill in The Music Man, John Proctor in The Crucible, and the Nurse (among many others) in Romeo and Juliet. Nathan would like to thank the beautiful Kaia, his sister, and Brian for letting him play a man this time.

Joel Patrick Durham

is a current board member for OPS, a founding member of Barely Legal improv group, and the technical director for NWA's Project Theatre class. He has enjoyed working in the Portland Theatre community the past two years on over 14 productions. Joel was most recently seen as The Bellhop in Anonymous Theatre's Lend Me a Tenor. Previous roles include James in Fall of the House, Demetrius in last year's Midsommer Night's Dreame, and Beethoven in CoHo's Dog Sees God. Joel is very excited to be performing out in the sun again.

Noah Goldenberg

loves theater but has not had the chance to perform in many of William Shakespeare's plays. He is very thankful for the opportunity and is thankful to work with such a fantastic company. He will graduate from the Northwest Academy, where he has appeared as Macbeth in Macbeth, Guy in Some Girl(s), John in Miss Julie, and Barnette in Crimes of the Heart. Noah also appeared at Coho's last summer in Dog Sees God.

Devin Harkness

is primarily an improvisational theater actor, and is delighted to appear in his first Shakespeare production. Devin began his improvisational theater work with Seattle's Unexpected Productions in 1995, and has been improvising with Portland's Brody Theater since 2003. He has also appeared in digital and super 8 films around town, including a cameo as a zombie in The Handsome Furs' music video, I'm Confused. You can also find Devin leading improv training at Portland State University, where he is pursuing a masters degree in school counseling.

Clara Hillier

is a recent graduate of Reed College where she studied Ancient Greek, Attic Tragedy and Classical Literature. She plans to pursue a Masters in Theatrical Education. Favorite roles in Portland include The Intoxicator in Spirits to Enforce (BlueStockings), Dancer in Mutt (Many Hats), Rizzo in Grease (NWCT), Madam Arcati in Blithe Spirit (PSU), Mistress Ford in Merry Wives of Windsor (PAE), Mime/Ensemble in Pippin (Tin Pan Alley), and Flora in 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (Reed). She will spend this summer in the parks as the Fool in King Lear (PAE) and in the cast of Trek in the Park. She also recently directed On the Razzle at her alma mater Wilson High School. Thank you for supporting this project and the zany actors involved!

Kaia Hillier

is thrilled to be a member of Original Practice Shakespeare Company. She is a recent graduate of Wilson High School now attending Portland State University. Kaia was recently seen in a reading at Mt Hood Rep, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, and as Dora in Deadly Dancing (New Century Players). Favorite roles include Suzette in Don’t Dress for Dinner (Nutz n’ Boltz Theater), CB’s Sister in Dog Sees God(Brian Allard, director), Rebel in Columbinus, (Blue Monkey), Olive in The Odd Couple (Matt Zrebski, director), Gremlin in Holidazed (Artists Repertory Theatre), and Marie in On the Razzle (Clara Hillier, director). She would like to thank Brian for two years of great theater instruction, her extremely hard-working mother, Nathan, and Clara, who is always there for her in every category of life.

Nik Hoback

is so excited to be back with OPS. With a love of Shakespeare that started in the 6th grade, this is exactly what he always wanted to do, but never dreamed it would be in a style like this. Last year he fulfilled a life-long dream of playing the role of Pucke, with the added bonus of Lysander, Demetrius, and Flute with OPS Fest's A Midsommer Night's Dreame. After receiving his B.A. in theater from Whitworth University in Spokane, Nik has found a new home in Portland and its theater community. He has had the privilege of working with Classic Greek Theater of Oregon, Action/Adventure's Fall of the House, Two world premiere adaptations of Shakespeare with Bag & Baggage Productions, Masque Alfresco, and is a member of Fuse Ensemble. "Bards do it for the party."

Lissie Lewis

has been acting since she was eleven years old. Her acting premiere was in Once on this Island, when she played Ti Moune. Completely addicted thereafter, Lissie has since acted in twelve shows, roles varying from a cheerleader, to a geek, to a pregnant girl in the eighties. She is very excited to be a part of OPS, and is so grateful for being able to experience how modern theatre began.

Amanda Naylor

is a recent graduate of Whitman College with a degree in Theater, focusing on acting and costume design. Favorite roles while in attendance include portraying Little Sally in Urinetown, Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and design for Apparition: An Uneasy Play of the Underknown. She also spent a semester in London studying with theater and radio drama director Marina Calderone (author of Actions: An Actor`s Thesaurus). Relatively new to the Portland theater scene, she is thrilled to be spending the summer performing with this company.

Megan Murphy Ruckman

is a performer, director, stage manager, and bookkeeper, originally from Northern California. She obtained a degree in theatre arts at Whittier College in Southern California. She has lived in Oregon for the past 7 years and has worked with local theatre companies including Public Playhouse, CoHo Productions, Mt Hood Repertory Theatre, and Eddie May Murder Mystery Dinner Theater. She recently acted and directed for The Pulp Stage as part of the Fertile Ground Festival. Megan is a board member and frequent performer with the Original Practice Shakespeare Festival, and provides input on the Artistic Advisory Board for Public Playhouse.

Guest Players

Jennifer Gartner

is a guest artist from New York City. She is a graduate of Circle in the Square's Professional Workshop. Recent credits include The Game (Life), Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice) and The Comedy of Errors (Adrianna). This is Jennifer's second summer of unrehearsed Shakespeare at the Ops Fest and is thrilled to be back! Jennifer also performs unrehearsed in NYC with the Wild Bard (R&J) and Spontaneous Shakespeare (Midsommer), as well as the New England Shakespeare Festival (Much Adoe). Thanks to Brian and the company for the opportunity to play again!

Elizabeth Yocam

is a guest artist from LA, though very excited to be performing in and around her hometown of Portland. She recently moved to LA from NYC where she spent five years performing in numerous off-off-Broadway and regional theatre productions. Favorite shows include The House of Blue Leaves (Bunny) at the Midtown International Theatre Festival in NYC and A Midsommer Nights Dream (Pucke) with New England Shakespeare Festival, where she met Brian. Thanks to Brian for including me in the inaugural season of OPS Fest and Evan and my family and friends for their love and support. http://www.elizabethyocam.com.

Interns

Hailey Bachrach

is a Portland native and a current theatre student at Sarah Lawrence College in New York. After four years of productions at Saint Mary's Academy, she is excited to be branching out into the wider Portland theatrical scene with OPS Fest. Favorite roles at school and home include Camillo in The Winter's Tale, Vincentio in The Taming of the Shrew, and Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet. She cannot remember the last time she got to play a woman.

Ilana Walder-Biesanz

is the daughter of two actors, and has been on school, community, and professional stages since the age of five. Last summer, she was fortunate enough to perform with OPS Fest as Hermia in A Midsommer Nights Dreame. Other favorite roles include Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Abigail in The Crucible, July in Annie, Willow in The Pen and the Sword, Linda in Blood Brothers, and Tabitha in Whippoorwill. Off the stage, she is a sophomore at Olin College of Engineering who spends her free time reading, dancing, and singing opera.

Bench Players

Andrew Bray

has been acting and teaching in Portland for 5 years, and having worked with many companies in town, he can safely say that Opsfest is easily the most unique acting experience he has had. May all actors get a chance to work this way. His second year with Opsfest, you may have seen him last year in Midsommer as Demetrius or Quince. When not on the stage (or in the park), Andrew spends much of his time inspiring kids to feel comfortable making fools of themselves. Perhaps after our show you can convince him to a game of frisbee. Yes? Frisbee? Follow his blog: amichaelbray.wordpress.com

Corinne Christian

is enjoying her first experience with Original Practice Shakespeare. She and her husband are transplants most recently from Omaha, Nebraska, where Corinne was acting with 88improv. Having majored in Theatre and English Literature at Northwestern College, Corinne has always been a huge fan of Shakespeare, on the page and on her feet. She's loving working on "Much Adoe" and hopes to continue playing with OPS.

Michael Godsey

comes to OPS via Portland Actor’s Ensemble with whom he can be seen as Lysimachus in this summer’s Pericles (June 17 - July 17), appeared as Brutus in Julius Caesar in 2008 and Lucentio in Taming of the Shrew before that. In the early-mid 90’s he was regular onstage with Miracle Theatre Company. He spent 3 years exploring the Chicago theatre world before returning to Portland a few years ago. During the academic year, Dr. Godsey teaches biochemistry at Concordia University, but he has much more fun during the summer.

"Tall" Matt Haynes

has been working in Portland Theatre for over 5 years. He recieved his BS in Theatre from Skidmore College and is a graduate of the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre's professional training program. Previous roles in Portland include: Lewis/Mr Pickle/Mr Gorf in Sideways Stories From Wayside School (Oregon Children's Theatre, El Maestro in La Carpa Del Maestro (Miracle Theatre), Little John in Robin Hood (Blue Monkey), A Big Black Woman in The Liars Club (Brooklyn Bay), the Boy in If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (Oregon Children's Theatre), and The Creature in Frankenstein (Northwest Children's Theatre). Matt does marketing and PR for OPS Fest and is the artistic director of The Pulp Stage.

kirsten anya kyllingstad

is delighted to be involved with this production of Midsommer. She has really enjoyed the challenge of this show and has had a lot of fun. She was most recently seen as Celeste in Celeste and Starla Save Todd and Win Back the Day (Fuse Theatre Ensemble). Some of her most memorable roles include signing the part of the Queen and voicing the part of D’artagnan in The Three Musketeers (Seattle Children’s Theatre Deaf Youth Program), and the part or Ursula in a ASL/English production (New Blue Parrot). She also performs in musical theatre productions around Portland and enjoys singing and dancing immensely. She would like to thank John for all his love and support and her mom, who rocks.

James C. Lawrence

has been active in the Portland theatre community since 1980. Companies James has worked with have included: Portland Civic Theatre, New Rose Theatre, Columbia Theatre, Carousel Company Theatre for Children, Northwest Childrens Theatre and School, Phoenix Theatre, Commedia Theatre, Lakewood Theatre, Portland Actors Ensemble, Quintessence Language and Imagination Theatre, Gun Happy Theatre, La Famiglia, Nostalg-a-Go-Go, & triangle! Productions to name a few. Favourite roles? He has a few…

Kerry Leek

is a founding member of the Brody Theater, and has spent the last 13 years deeply immersed in improvisational theater - teaching, directing and traveling abroad to participate in festivals Amsterdam, Slovenia, Vancouver and Edmonton. She estimates she has performed in over 600 shows over the years, none of them scripted. In fact, the last scripted show she performed in was as Olivia in Twelfth Night with Acme Theater Company in Davis, California 15 years ago. She thinks it is fitting Shakespeare is once again showing her the joy of the written word. A graduate student, Kerry spends her minimal spare time blues dancing.

Mikki Lipsey

is a new transplant from the east coast. She has been acting for almost 50 years. In Cambridge Massachusetts Mikki appeared with the American Repertory Theatre in Three Sisters (which was also featured at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland) and Romeo and Juliet. Most recently, in the Boston area, she played Mag in The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Belise in Moliere's Learned Ladies and Leonata in Much Ado About Nothing. Mikki received her training at Emerson College and with Shakespeare and Co. in Lenox MA. She is presently a board member of the Portland Area Theatre Alliance and is playing Mother in Tim Stapleton's Leaning Into the Everlasting Arms at the IFCC.

Thomas Maier

is excited for his first season as a part of OPS Fest, and looking forward to a great summer. He has been seen most recently indoors at the Someday Lounge as part of Fertile Ground Festival, but loves a good outdoor in the park show. He also loves his fiance Michelle, and thanks her for her love and support.

Kate Mura

is thrilled to be saying the words of the Bard outdoors again with such a great group of people! Previous Shakespearean roles include Ophelia (Hamlet), Juliet (Romeo and Juliet at Theatre at the Center), Benvolio (Romeo and Juliet), Anne Page (Merry Wives of Windsor), Hero (Much Ado About Nothing), Angelo (Comedy of Errors), Snug (Midsummer Night's Dreame) and Puck (Midsummer Clown's Dream). She is a founding member of Fuse Theatre Ensemble, has performed across the world and invites you to visit her website, www.katemura.com.

Tim Park

has returned to one of his first joys—theatre - after years of life’s intervening loves and labours. Favorite roles in a former life include Motel Kamzoil (Fiddler on the Roof), Sir Joseph (H.M.S. Pinafore), and Felix Ungar (The Odd Couple). He has recently appeared in The Man Who Came to Dinner at Lakewood Theatre Company and in The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 at Sandy Actors Theatre. He is enjoying playing around with the Bard at 0PS—sort of like “Improv Shakespeare” – spontaneous, creative and unexpected. Tim thanks his son Matt for the inspiration, Nancy and Tobias for the coaching, Brian for the chance, and, finally, the One “who gives us all things richly to enjoy”.

Alyssa Roehrenbeck

is an actron who loves performing in all things ensemblish and is excited to be working with her fellow actrons in this year's production of Much Adoe About Nothing. Most recently she played the West Wind in Shaking The Tree's fantastical journey East of the Sun, West of the Moon. Other preformances include June Stanley in The Man Who Came to Dinner at Lakewood and various roles in Grimm Tales at Shaking the Tree. Relocated from Chicago where she spent time as a super hero who could bend steel in Super!, she likes to believe that the super strength gained during that show still exists in her every day life.

Erin Shannon

Portland acting credits include A Chorus Line (Stumptown Stages) Mutt (Many Hats Collabrorations), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Lakewood Theatre Company), Pippin (Tin Pan Alley), Annie Warbucks (Tin Pan Alley), The Wild Party (Live On Stage). Choreography credits include The Producers (Lakewood), Pippin (Tin Pan Alley), and La Carpa del Maestro (Milagro Theatre), as well as numerous high school and college productions. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance from Oklahoma City University, and is qualified dance and yoga instructor.

Michael Streeter

received his BA in theater from Presbyterian College and his MFA in acting from the University of Southern California. Michael spent eight years in LA and while he did some movies and TV (General Hospital, Golden Girls, The Court Marshall of Jackie Robinson, among others) ironically, much of the work he did was in outdoor theaters. He appeared in Pericles and Americana at the Will Gear Theatricum Botanicum; El Cid, The Malcontent, The Captain and Peer Gynt at the Culver City Theatre in the Park; Macbeth and Twelfth Night both directed by Libby Appel at the Kern Shakespeare Festival; and the Universal Studios Tour. After taking a near two decade hiatus to raise a family in Portland, Michael has returned to the stage, uh, grass. Portland audiences have recently seen him as Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, in Henry V, and in Fiddler on the Roof. He is currently playing Kent in King Lear. Michael is the Artistic Director of Portland Actors Ensemble.

Tracy Turner

is very excited to have been asked to a part of this year’s Ops Fest. This will be his first time performing Shakespeare, but certainly not his first time on-stage. He inaugurated his foray into Portland’s theatre community only last year when he was cast as part of the ensemble for Lakewood Center’s production of The Producers, under the wonderful direction of Alan Shearman. Since then, Tracy has had the opportunity to be a part of such projects as The Beggar’s Opera, and a new, original musical, Estranged Identity. Tracy has found the artistic community here in Portland to be so incredibly supportive, and he will always be grateful for the access and encouragement he continues to receive. It’s safe to say that he’s officially been bitten by the bug!

Barrie Wild

is pleased to be part of this season's Much Adoe about Nothing having just come off a bout of the bard in King Lear this spring at MHCC. Other recent theatre with Lunacy Stageworks in Women of Troy and Readers Theatre Rep's Early Days by David Storey in May. look for him in the upcoming indie features Coup de Theatre and Population 2.

Original Practice Shakespeare Festival

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