Colorado Shakespeare Festival's 2014 Cast To Feature Michael Winters, Sam Gregory, & More

The Colorado Shakespeare Festival has announced its 2014 season cast, featuring television and film actor Michael Winters, luminaries from the Denver Center Theatre Company, returning favorites and stars from CSF's smash-hit 2013 season.

"We have so many audience favorites returning, and actors of national celebrity, new to us, that we're thrilled to be welcoming to Boulder and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival," says Tim Orr, interim artistic director for the festival.

Winters, best known for his recurring role on TV's "Gilmore Girls" and other Hollywood roles spanning a quarter of a century, will play Falstaff-one of Shakespeare's greatest comic characters-in "Henry IV" parts 1 and 2 and "The Merry Wives of Windsor." He has played Falstaff numerous times, including at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the nation's largest Shakespeare theater company.

Besides the Falstaff plays, the 2014 season features "The Tempest" and "I Hate Hamlet," a contemporary comedy by New Yorker writer Paul Rudnick.

Among the other 2014 casting highlights are:

Sam Gregory: The Denver Center favorite and CSF alum will play the title role in "Henry IV" and John Barrymore in "I Hate Hamlet."

Fresh off an appearance as Claudius in the Denver Center's critically acclaimed "Hamlet," British actor Peter Simon Hilton will play the great sorcerer Prospero in "The Tempest."

Perennial CSF favorites Geoffrey Kent-who also is directing "The Tempest" following his hit, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," in 2013-and Jamie Ann Romero will take the stage once again.

Tammy Meneghini, 2011 Denver Post Ovation Award winner, will play Mistress Quickly in the three Falstaff plays.

Two of the young lovers from last year's popular "Midsummer," Jenna Bainbridge and Sammie Joe Kinnett, also will return.

For complete cast lists, bios and photos of the 2014 CSF acting company please go to coloradoshakes.org and click on the individual play pages.

CU Presents offers the best in performing arts on the University of Colorado Boulder campus, including the Artist Series, the College of Music, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, CU Opera, the Holiday Festival, the Takács Quartet Chamber and Encore Series, and CU Theatre & Dance.

Photo Credit: Colorado Shakespeare Festival