Water Works Theatre Company Announces 2012 Production Casts

Water Works Theatre company's founder and Chairman, Edward Nahhat, announced today that the company has cast its 12th annual Shakespeare In The Park productions. Shakespeare in the Park is Michigan's biggest and best outdoor professional theatre event featuring two weeks of theatrical fun in the middle of the tree-filled 28 acre Starr Jaycee Park.

Tickets ($6-$20) are on sale now for Henry V and A Midsummer Night's Dream and can be purchased online at www.waterworkstheatre.com. A complete Shakespeare In The Park performance schedule follows this release.

Henry V
Sara Catheryn Wolf (St. Clair Shores) is excited to be directing the story of Shakespeare's greatest hero, Henry V. "I am thrilled to be working on one of my favorite plays with such a dynamic cast," states Wolf. "Henry V is a character that we can all journey with; a character who calls on our own noble and determined spirits despite incredible odds. Our Henry, combined with a cast of fascinating characters of all types and class, weaves a story to warm us all, reminding us to hold our heads up high and fight against the overwhelming odds of our own lives." Joining Wolf on the show's production team are stage manager, Kelly Davis (Troy), sound designer Robert Glowacki (Sterling Heights), set designer, production manager and fight choreographer John Manfredi (Waterford) with costume and props designed by Cheryl Churchill (Ferndale).

Performance times for Henry V are at 8:00pm Thursday - Saturday evening August 2,3,4 and 9,10 and 11; and 7:00 pm Sunday August 5 and 12. Tickets are $20 and are good for any performance.

The cast for William Shakespeare's Henry V includes
Actor - Role - Hometown
Jon Ager - Dauphin - Ferndale
Stephen Blackwell - Constable - Berkley
Kirk Haas - Fluellen - Inkster
Zach Hendrickson - Montjoy - Ann Arbor
Erika Hoveland - Hostess Quickley/Alice - Royal Oak
Phil Hughes - Orleans/Governor - Warren
Keith Kalinowski - Exeter - Ann Arbor
Clifford Katskee - Pistol - Birmingham
Artun Kircali - Canterbury/Williams - Novi
Lauren Knox - Katherine - Macomb
Scott Myers - Bardolph/Bates - Ferndale
Patrick O'Lear - French King/Erpingham - Sterling Heights
Michael Brian Ogden* - Henry V - Chelsea / Berkley
Doug Warhall - Nym - Chesterfield
*Indicates members of Actor's Equity Association

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Water Works has tapped Barton Bund (Ypsilanti) to direct a whirlwind version of A Midsummer Night's Dream as the company's daylight family show. This is Bund's second directing credit for Water Works after directing 2010's hilarious Two Gentlemen of Verona. Bart's recent directing credits include At Home At The Zoo for Detroit Ensemble Theatre, Twelfth Night for Shakespeare West, Women in Love for the Blackbird Theatre, and his original musical Patty Hearst. He has appeared in Williamston Theatre's award-winning production of Oedipus, and played the title role of "Macbeth" this summer in Ann Arbor's Shakespeare West festival.

The one-hour family oriented production will run at 1:00 pm Saturday & Sunday August 4,5,11 and 12 as well as at 7:00 pm on Tuesday & Wednesday August 7 and 8, Tickets are $6 and are good for any performance.

The cast for A Midsummer Night's Dream (August 4-12) includes:
Actor - Role
Jedd Nickerson - Demetrius/Bottom
Julia Garlotte - Hermenia/Pick/Quince
Don Johnson - Oberon/Theseus/Wall
Jamie Weeder - Helena/Titania/Hipplyta
Jonathan West - Lysander/Flute

Summer Sonnets (All about (A Midsummer's) Eve)
Returning for its second year will be Water Works' adaptation of Shakespeare's Sonnets, Summer Sonnets, a FREE production on Saturday and Sunday afternoons featuring an original script by Audra Lord (Ferndale). Titled All About (A Midsummer's) Eve and directed by Water Works veteran JM Ethridge (Eastpointe), this creative script weaves Shakespeare's sonnets into a hilarious tale of a diva, an ingénue and a director who wants to date them both.

Performance times for Summer Sonnets are at 3:00 pm Saturday and Sunday August 4,5,11 and 12.

The cast for Summer Sonnets, includes:
Actor - Role
Joanna Bronson - Ingenue
Jacklynn Cherry - Fan
Meredith Deighton - Minstrel
Phil Hughes - Director
Sarah McEneaney - Fan
Kez Settle - Diva

The 12th Annual Shakespeare In The Park complete schedule follows
All events take place in Starr Jaycee Park - 1301 W 13 Mile Road, Royal Oak MI 48073. For performances, guests can bring blankets for near the stage lawn seating, low-to-the-ground lawn chairs, or choose seating in the Water Works bleachers. Pre-show picnicking is allowed in Starr Jaycee Park, but not in the theatre area. Convenient parking is available in the park's paved lots within walking distance of the Water Works outdoor stage. Beer and Wine will be available this season in the theatre area with proper identification.

Shakespeare In The Park
2012 Performance Schedule
All performances take place in Starr Jaycee Park, 1301 W Thirteen Mile Rd, Royal Oak MI 48073

Thursday, August 2
8:00pm Henry V, $20

Friday, August 3
8:00pm Henry V, $20

Saturday, August 4
1:00pm A Midsummer Night's Dream, $6
3:00pm Summer Sonnets, FREE
8:00pm Henry V, $20

Sunday, August 5
1:00pm A Midsummer Night's Dream, $6
3:00pm Summer Sonnets, FREE
5:00pm Henry V, $20

Tuesday, August 7
7:00pm A Midsummer Night's Dream, $6

Wednesday, August 8
7:00pm A Midsummer Night's Dream, $6

Thursday, August 9
8:00pm Henry V, $20

Friday, August 10
8:00pm Henry V, $20

Saturday, August 11
1:00pm A Midsummer Night's Dream, $6
3:00pm Summer Sonnets, FREE
8:00pm Henry V, $20

Sunday, August 12
1:00pm A Midsummer Night's Dream $6
3:00pm Summer Sonnets, FREE
5:00pm Henry V, $20