TOMS RIVER
Shakespeare Festival
THE TEMPEST - SUMMER 2017
CAST of THE TEMPEST
ROBERT S. GREGORY* (Prospero). Robert is honored to be part of the inaugural season of the Toms River Shakespeare Festival. Most recently, Robert was seen in two roles, as the Duke of Venice and Old Gobbo, in The Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey’s production of The Merchant of Venice. This winter, he appeared Off-Broadway as Robert in The Dressmakers Secret at 59E59 Street Theaters. Other regional Shakespeare credits include: Antonio in The Tempest (with Joseph Wiseman as Prospero) and Antipholus of Ephesus in Comedy of Errors, both at the Folger Shakespeare Theater in Washington, D.C.; Iago in Othello (with Charles Turner as Othello) and Don Jon in Much Ado About Nothing at Fort Worth Shakespeare in the Park. He recently completed principal photography on the Dan Simon indie feature film Another Year (starring Richard Mazur and Alexandra Turshen). Robert also serves as Chair of the College of the Arts Advisory Board at Montclair State University. Robert was among the first recipients of the B.A. in Theatre at Williams College, where he studied with Gregory Boyd, and is a long-standing member of the Simon Studio in New York City.
DIANNA LAUREN JONES (Ariel) is a NY-based actor (representation: Baker Management). Previous Shakespeare productions: Julius Caesar at The Public Theater, NY, NY (ensemble) and Hamlet as part of Rutgers Conservatory at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, London, England (Gertrude). Regional Theater experience: Hedgerow Theatre, Rose Valley, PA; The George Street Playhouse, New Brunswick, NJ and The Writers Theater of NJ. Education: A current TV/Film acting student at the Barrow Group, MPA and BFA from Rutgers University. Dianna is delighted to support the Toms River Shakespeare Festival!
BRIGITTE THIEME-BURDETTE (Miranda). NEW YORK: Macbeth (Dir. Rory McGregor), VR 837 (Punchdrunk International), And Then Came Tango (FringeNYC). REGIONAL: The School For Lies (Shakespeare Theatre Company, D.C.), The Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing, The Merchant of Venice, et al (Adirondack Shakespeare Company), Love’s Labour’s Lost (The Shakespeare Theater of NJ). TV: “A Crime To Remember” (Investigation Discovery), “Team UmiZoomi” (Nick Jr.). BFA, Pace University. For Mom and Ivan, Dad and Margaux. www.brigittetb.com
JOE MUCCIOLO (Ferdinand) is thrilled to be a part of TRSF’s inaugural production! Select credits: Jack (The Importance of Being Earnest); Banquo (Macbeth); Cliff (Cabaret); Jean (Rhinoceros); Jason (Wit). BA in Theatre, minors in Italian Studies and English from Loyola University Maryland. Special thanks to the cast and the DeBlasios!
COLLIN MCCONNELL (Caliban) is pleased to join the inaugural season of Toms River Shakespeare Festival. Select credits: with Adirondack Shakespeare: Prince Hal / Henry V (1 Henry IV, 2 Henry IV, Henry V), Macbeth (Macbeth), Guildenstern (Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead), Lucio (Measure for Measure), Lucius (Titus Andronicus); with Underling Productions: Malvolio (Twelfth Night); with Accidental Shakespeare: Ariel (The Tempest), Mercutio (Romeo & Juliet); with Gorilla Rep: Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc. Collin has composed original music for productions with Adirondack Shakespeare Company, Underling Productions, and ChEcKiT! Dance! His plays have been workshopped and produced by Stable Cable Lab Co and Adaptive Arts, and his short, the piano play, can be found in issue 001 of the Dionysian. BFA Acting, BFA Creative Writing: Brooklyn College. MFA Playwriting candidate: The New School (projected 2019). Much love to this company, to the Shakespeare community that keeps me working, to my classmates at the New School, and, of course, to Laura.
BOB ANGELINI* (King Alonso) is thrilled to be part of the inaugural season of the Toms River Shakespeare Festival. His credits include: NYC: Lyra (ANON Prod.), As You Like It (ANON Prod.), Bella’s Dream (Going To Tahiti Prod.), Fourth State of Matter (Theater for a New City) Regional: Henry V (u/s-Two River, NJ), Full Monty, (ReVision, NJ). Bob would like to thank this great cast of talented actors and Director Lori Garrabrant for her amazing work with creating such wonderful theatre for her community. Bob is a proud member of Actors’ Equity. “Prethee, Peace!”
MICHAEL CHARTIER (Gonzalo) has performed extensively across the US and is well known to local area audiences. He is a charter member of the Billy Van Zandt/Jane Milmore Unofficial Repertory Company and has toured the nation with the Chamber Theatre Company of Boston. He has appeared as Dr. Disarm in Equus, George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and King Arthur in Monty Python’s Spamalot. Michael is no stranger to Shakespeare, having portrayed Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Prince Hal in Henry IV Part 1, and Claudius in Hamlet. After a stretch of 35 years, he is delighted to be working with Bob Angelini again who plays King Alonso in this production.
WILLIAM SALMONS (Antonio). A Tuckerton, NJ native, Will is excited to be working with the Toms River Shakespeare Festival. Will is currently an adjunct professor at Ocean and Burlington County Colleges, where he teaches Theatre and Public Speaking. Will received his Master’s in Performance from the University of Louisville in 2012 and his BA in acting from Shenandoah University. Will also worked for 15 years as Director, Road Manager, and Actor for The Columbus Children’s Theatre in Columbus, Ohio as well as Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Totem Pole Playhouse and Ocean County College’s Repertory Theatre Company. Favorite roles include Richard III, The Dog in Wiley and the Hairy Man, Charlie in August: Osage County, and Father Flynn in Doubt.
KEITH L.WATFORD (Sebastian). NYC: Sleep Over Stories (New Brooklyn Theatre), Yes is for a Very Young Man(Target Margin Theatre). Regional: Jesus Christ Superstar(Bristol Riverside Theatre), Twelfth Night (Elm Shakespeare Company), Sweeney Todd (Broadway Theatre of Pitman). Other favorite credits include The School for Wives (Horace), Ragtime (Coalhouse Walker Jr.), and Spring Awakening (Melchior). He holds two B.A.’s from the University of New Haven and is a proud alum of the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center’s National Music Theatre Institute. Thanks to Mom, Sophie, Baxter, and McGoff.
MIKE MARCOU (Stephano). Born in Wisconsin, Mike now resides in Astoria, Queens. Recent credits include Macbeth (Columbia Stages),The Optimist (Ground Light Theatre), and Zusmann (NJPAC). In the fall Mike will be headed to Hunterdon Hills Playhouse for Come Blow Your Horn. Special thanks to Brigitte and Lori for this opportunity!
DAVID C. NEAL (Trinculo). Recent appearances in NYC and NJ professional productions with Skyline Theatre, Women’s Theatre Company, Bickford Theatre, Hunterdon Hills Playhouse, Hudson Shakespeare, McCarter Theatre, Two River Theater, The Theater Project, MITF and other NYC festivals. Recent favorite roles include the solo production of This Wonderful Life, Macbeth (Macbeth), Malvolio (Twelfth Night), Clown (The 39 Steps), Michal (The Pillowman), Reg (The Norman Conquests trilogy), Michael (Rounding Third), and Quasimodo (Hunchback of Notre Dame, Revisited). DavidCNeal.com
BRIE COVINGTON (Iris). A May 2017 graduate from The State University of New York at Fredonia, she received a BFA in Acting. During her time at SUNY, she completed a Shakespearean performance study at the Shakespeare Globe Theatre in London, England. She also enrolled in a study abroad program in Perugia, Italy, where she performed in a production of The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) in one of the city’s major theatres, Teatro del Pavone. She is very excited to be a part of the Toms River Shakespeare Festival premiere season. She would like to thank Lori for this opportunity, as well as her passion throughout this production. Brie also thanks her family and friends for their continuous love and support.
KELLEY HEYER (Ceres). Post-college debut! Kelley is so excited to be working here in Toms River. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, she now lives and works in Manhattan. Past credits include: Macbeth, Vanities, The Children’s Hour, Steel Magnolias. Training: The Hart School, Shakespeare and Company, Punahou School. Aloha nui loa to my friends and family. And so it is! Personal website: kelleyheyer.com
TORI REYNOLDS (Fransisco/Juno) is delighted to join the folks of the Toms River Shakespeare Festival. Tori has had the privilege to portray roles from Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer’s Night Dream) to Tracy Letts (August: Osage County) with Ocean County College’s Repertory Theatre and the Spring Lake Community Shakespeare Theatre. When not on stage, Tori is working toward her certification in Sign Language Interpreting to share her love of Shakespeare’s words and works with an even wider audience. She would like to thank Lori for this amazing opportunity, and her family as well as the rest of the cast and crew for this wonderful production.
RYLEIGH MCDONALD (Boatswain) is thrilled to be making her Shakespeare debut at the Toms River Shakespeare Festival supported by such a talented cast! Recent credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Children’s Chorus) with the Surflight Theatre, Annie Jr. (Molly) with Our Gang Players, and The Wizard of Oz (Cowardly Lion) with Alpha NYC. Thank you to the cast and crew for a wonderful learning experience, to Kristin Barber of Fearless Management for continued support and encouragement, to MiMi, Pappy, and Uncle Matt for making my dreams a priority, and to my Mom for driving me to countless rehearsals and for always being there. A special thank you to my director, Lori, for this incredible opportunity!
NEIL GOLDSTEIN (Master) Neil Goldstein is thrilled to be part of the Toms River Shalespeare Festival inaugural season. Neil studied Theatre at Rowan University, and apprenticed at The Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. He has been performing since the age of 9. He is an actor, singer and drummer. He was a founding member of Skits-O and Flapjacks Comedy troupes. He was Owner and ensemble player of Thalias Theatre. He performed off Broadway in Grey Street, the Musical. He has performed onscreen as well. Some Favorite roles (in no particular order) include; Randall P. McMurphy, One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest; Judge Brack, Hedda Gabler; Mortimer Brewster, Arsenic and Old Lace; Captain Von Trapp, The Sound of Music; Pharaoh, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat; Herbie, Gypsy; Jon Trachtman, Love Sex and the IRS; Sir John Tremayne, Me and My Girl.
SHANNAH DOLAN (Spirit/Nymph/Reaper) is thrilled to be a part of The Tempest! She is still in high school and is a junior at Rumson Fair Haven Regional. There, she performs in the fall play and spring musical annually and has garnered multiple nominations and awards for her appearances. She’s also currently working with the Premier Theatre Company and performing in their summer show. Along with singing, dancing, and acting, Shannah enjoys poetry and has had her works published in The Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans.
OLIVIA LENGYEL (Spirit/Nymph/Reaper) is overjoyed to be participating in Toms River’s Shakespeare Festival. She is a rising senior at Marymount Manhattan College pursuing a degree in theatre performance with a minor in musical theatre and arts management. Last summer she studied Shakespeare in London and fell in love with The Bard’s work and is so ecstatic to be able to share it with her home town.
DOROTHY JO BLOMQUIST (Spirit/Nymph/Reaper) is so excited to be a part of The Tempest! She’s 21 years old and a senior theatre major at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Some of her FDU credits include: The Idiot (Mrs.Yepenchin), Almost Maine (Rhonda/Villian), and She Loves Me (ensemble). Other credits include: Meet me in St.Louis (Esther Smith), The Fantasticks (Louisa), Guys and Dolls (hot box girl/ Dance captain).
EMILY CHESTER (Spirit/Nymph/Reaper) Emily is a rising senior Musical Theatre major at Ithaca College. Past credits at Ithaca include Blood Wedding (Little Girl), Dogfight (Female Cover), Anonymous (Female Cover), Parade (Ensemble). Other credits: Green Gables: The Musical (Emmeline Harris) and Carrie (Carrie.)
*The Actor appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
CREATIVES of THE TEMPEST
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR ...................... LORI GARRABRANT
STAGE MANAGER ............................... SHANNON RABBITT
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT ............................ DARCIE KING
GRAPHIC DESIGN ............................ ROBERT STEIGELMAN
COSTUMES ........................................................ BRIANNA DINI
SET DESIGN ................................................ NEIL GOLDSTEIN
AUDIO ................................................................. ZACH VIVINO
LIGHTING ........................................................... ROB HILLIARD
TAYLOR BRENNAN
DARCIE KING
DRAMATURG .................................CLARA BARTON GREEN
COMPOSER................................................ DONNA STEARNS
ORIGINAL MELODIES ................ DIANNA LAUREN JONES
DANCE CAPTAIN ........................................... KELLEY HEYER