Complete Cast and Creative Team Announced for Old Globe Shakespeare Festival

Executive Producer Lou Spisto today announced the complete cast and creative team for The Old Globe's 2011 Shakespeare Festival, performed in repertory in the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre. Adrian Noble returns as the Artistic Director of the 2011 Festival and will direct Shakespeare's The Tempest and Peter Shaffer's Amadeus. Ron Daniels also returns and will direct Much Ado About Nothing. The Shakespeare Festival runs May 29 - Sept. 25. Tickets are available by subscription and prices range from $72 to $243. Single tickets are also available starting at $29. Subscription packages and single tickets may be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the Box Office.

Much Ado About Nothing runs May 29 - Sept. 24. Previews run May 29 and June 25, 26 and 28. Opening night is June 29. The Tempest runs June 5 - Sept. 25. Previews run June 5, 16, 17 and 18. Opening night is June 19. Amadeus runs June 12 - Sept. 22. Previews run June 12, 21, 22 and 23. Opening night is June 24.

As previously announced, Miles Anderson will play Prospero in The Tempest and Antonio Salieri in Amadeus, Jay Whittaker will play Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Amadeus and Don John in Much Ado About Nothing, Jonno Roberts will play Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing and Caliban in The Tempest and Georgia Hatzis will play Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing and a Venticella in Amadeus. Miles Anderson and Jay Whittaker received San Diego Critics Circle Awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, in recognition of their performances in last season's Festival.

The repertory company also features Michael Stewart Allen, John Cariani, Donald Carrier, Anthony Cochrane, Winslow Corbett, Kevin Alan Daniels, Globe Associate Artist Charles Janasz, Jason Maddy and Adrian Sparks, as well as The Old Globe/University of San Diego Graduate Theatre Program students Shirine Babb, Adam Daveline, Grayson DeJesus, Ben Diskant, Christian Durso, Andrew Hutcheson, Rachael Jenison, Jesse Jensen, Allison Spratt Pearce, Deborah Radloff, Ryman Sneed and Jonathan Spivey.

The creative team includes Globe Associate Artist Ralph Funicello (Scenic Design), Deirdre Clancy (Costume Design), Alan Burrett (Lighting Design), David Bullard (Sound Design), Dan Moses Schreier (Original Music and Sound Design), Shaun Davey (Original Music), Charlie Reuter (Music Direction), Joe Fitzpatrick (Puppet Advisor), Steve Rankin (Fight Director), Liz Shipman (Movement), Jan Gist (Dialect Coach) and Bret Torbeck (Stage Manager).

For artist biographies, Acting Company grid, show descriptions and performance and 3 Plays/3 Days schedules, please view the 2011 Shakespeare Festival PDF.

The Much Ado About Nothing cast features Michael Stewart Allen (Borachio), John Cariani (Dogberry), Donald Carrier (Don Pedro), Anthony Cochrane (Friar Francis, Sexton), Winslow Corbett (Hero), Kevin Alan Daniels (Claudio), Ben Diskant (Balthasar), Georgia Hatzis (Beatrice), Charles Janasz (Antonio, Verges), Deborah Radloff (Ursula), Jonno Roberts (Benedick), Ryman Sneed (Margaret), Adrian Sparks (Leonato), Jonathan Spivey (Conrade) and Jay Whittaker (Don John) with Shirine Babb, Adam Daveline, Grayson DeJesus, Christian Durso, Andrew Hutcheson, Rachael Jenison, Jesse Jensen, Jason Maddy and Allison Spratt Pearce (Ensemble).

The Tempest cast features Michael Stewart Allen (Sebastian), Miles Anderson (Prospero), Shirine Babb (Iris), John Cariani (Trinculo), Donald Carrier (Alonso), Anthony Cochrane (Antonio), Winslow Corbett (Miranda), Kevin Alan Daniels (Ferdinand), Adam Daveline (Shipmaster), Grayson DeJesus (Francisco), Ben Diskant (Ariel), Christian Durso (Adrian), Andrew Hutcheson (Boatswain), Charles Janasz (Gonzalo), Allison Spratt Pearce (Ceres), Deborah Radloff (Juno), Jonno Roberts (Caliban) and Adrian Sparks (Stephano) with Rachael Jenison, Jesse Jensen, Jason Maddy, Ryman Sneed and Jonathan Spivey (Spirits).

The Amadeus cast features Michael Stewart Allen (Baron van Swieten), Miles Anderson (Antonio Salieri), Shirine Babb (Teresa Salieri), Donald Carrier (Joseph II, Emperor of Austria), Anthony Cochrane (Count Orsini-Rosenberg), Winslow Corbett (Constanze Weber), Adam Daveline (Salieri's Cook), Christian Durso (A Majordomo), Georgia Hatzis (Venticella), Andrew Hutcheson (Salieri's Valet), Charles Janasz (Count von Strack), Allison Spratt Pearce (Katherina Cavalieri), Ryman Sneed (Venticella), Jonathan Spivey (Kapellmeister Bonno) and Jay Whittaker (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) with Grayson DeJesus, Ben Diskant, Rachael Jenison, Jesse Jensen, Jason Maddy and Deborah Radloff (Ensemble).

Peter Shaffer (Playwright, Amadeus) wrote his first play, The Salt Land, about the foundation of the state of Israel, and it was produced for television in 1955. Three years later his play Five Finger Exercise was successfully directed by Sir John Gielgud at the Comedy Theatre in London and transferred to Broadway in 1959. Two one-act comedies, The Private Ear and The Public Eye, followed as a double bill at The Globe Theatre in London in 1962, both featuring Maggie Smith. The RoyAl Hunt of the Sun, an epic play concerning Spain's conquest of Peru in the 16th century, became a smash hit at London's National Theatre and consequently appeared on Broadway starring Christopher Plummer. The piece was revived at the National in 2006. Equus was also produced by the National Theatre and on Broadway, where it ran for more than 1,200 performances and won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1975. Amadeus, concerning the rivalry between the composers Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Mozart, opened in London to great acclaim starring Paul Scofield in 1979 and transferred to Broadway the following year starring Sir Ian McKellan. Amadeus won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1981 and the 1984 film won Shaffer one of its eight Oscars. Yonadab, set at the court of King David, and Lettice and Lovage, which won the Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy in London and Tony Awards for Dame Maggie Smith and Margaret Tyzak. His other plays include Black Comedy, Whom Do I Have the Honour of Addressing? and The Gift of the Gorgon. Shaffer was awarded the prestigious Shakespeare Prize in 1987 and was made a Commander of the British Empire in the same year. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2001 for Services to Drama.

Adrian Noble (2011 Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director; Director, The Tempest, Amadeus) is currently the Artistic Director of The Old Globe's Shakespeare Festival. He led the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) as Artistic Director and Chief Executive from 1990-2003, where he produced nearly 300 productions. Noble's most recent Theater Productions include King Lear and The Madness of George III (The Old Globe,) Hamlet (Stratford Shakespeare Festival), Kean (West End), Hedda Gabler (Theatre Royal Bath), Summer and Smoke and A Woman of No Importance (West End), The Home Place by Brian Friel at Gate Theatre and the West End, Brand by Henrik Ibsen starring Ralph Fiennes and Pericles at (Roundhouse and Stratford) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang starring Michael Ball (The London Palladium and on Broadway). In 1980 he joined the RSC as Assistant Director, becoming an Associate Director almost immediately. His first production for the RSC was Ostrovsky's The Forest, which transferred first to The Warehouse Theatre Company and then to the Aldwych Theatre and was named Best Revival at the 1981 Drama Awards. In 1988 he was appointed Artistic Director of the RSC's Stratford season and in 1989 went on to be Artistic Director of the RSC London season. His RSC productions include A Doll's House, A New Way to Pay Old Debts, The Comedy of Errors, Measure for Measure, King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra, The Winter's Tale, Henry V with Kenneth Branaugh, As You Like It, Macbeth, Kiss Me, Kate, The Art of Success, The Plantagenets and The Master Builder. Noble's opera credits include Alcina at the Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna, Macbeth at the Metropolitan Opera, Carmen in Paris and Mozart's Da Ponts Trilogy in Lyon. His film of A Midsummer Night's Dream was released in 1995, and his book, How to do Shakespeare, was published in 2010.

 

Ron Daniels (Director, Much Ado About Nothing) was a founding member of the Teatro Oficina in São Paulo. He is a former Artistic Director of Royal Shakespeare Company's experimental theater, The Other Place, at Stratford-upon-Avon, England. After 15 years with the company, directing many Shakespeare plays, including two productions of Hamlet (one with Roger Rees and the second with Mark Rylance, the "pajama Hamlet") as well as works by contemporary British writers, Daniels was appointed an Honorary Associate Director. He is a former Associate Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater and is now a freelance director. He has worked in many theaters and opera houses across the U.S., in Japan and in Brazil, where he staged King Lear in his own translation into Portuguese. At The Old Globe, he directed last season's Festival production of The Taming of the Shrew and the hip hop musical Kingdom, which was performed at both the Lincoln High School Center for the Arts and at the Globe. His production of Il Postino for LA Opera opened in Los Angeles in 2010 starring Plácido Domingo. The production has since been seen in Paris and Vienna. Daniels' first feature film, The War Boys, is being distributed by Maya Entertainment.

Associated events taking place during the run of the 2011 Shakespeare Festival include:

INSIGHTS SEMINARS:
Much Ado About Nothing June 27
The Tempest June 13
Amadeus June 20
Shakespeare Festival Insights Seminars are a series of informal presentations featuring a panel selected from the Festival's artistic company. The seminars take place on Monday nights in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre. Reception, 6:30 p.m. Seminar, 7:00 p.m. Admission is FREE and reservations are not required.

POST-SHOW FORUMS:
Much Ado About Nothing July 13 and Aug. 2 & 16
The Tempest July 5, Aug. 24 and Sept. 6
Amadeus July 12 & 27 and Aug. 30
Discuss the play with members of the Shakespeare Festival repertory company at post-show discussions led by the Globe's creative staff after the performance. FREE.

SHAKESPEARE IN THE GARDEN:
Much Ado About Nothing July 7, Aug. 6 & 31 and Sept. 11
The Tempest July 3 & 20, Aug. 18 and Sept. 23
Amadeus July 16, Aug. 9 and Sept. 9 & 22
Shakespeare in the Garden is a series of informal presentations of ideas and insights to enhance the theatergoing experience. The seminars feature members of the Shakespeare Festival creative team and take place in the Craig Noel Garden. Presentations begin at 7:00 p.m. (except for Sept. 11, which begins at 6:00 p.m.). Admission is FREE and reservations are not required.

THANK GLOBE IT'S FRIDAY: Friday, Aug. 5 & 12 at 6:30 p.m. $20
Kick off the weekend with the Globe's Friday pre-show bash. TGIF includes a hosted wine and martini bar, appetizers, dessert and music. $20 per person. RSVP at (619) 23-GLOBE. (Tickets to Amadeus and Much Ado About Nothing are sold separately.)

OUT AT THE GLOBE: Thursday, Aug. 11 at 6:30 p.m. $20
An evening for gay and lesbian theater lovers and the whole GLBT community, Out at the Globe includes a hosted wine and martini bar, appetizers and door prizes. $20 per person. RSVP at (619) 23-GLOBE. (Tickets to Amadeus are sold separately.)

In addition to the Shakespeare Festival, the Globe's 2011 Summer Season features Hershey Felder as George Gershwin Alone (July 1 - 10) and Hershey Felder in Maestro: The Art of Leonard Bernstein (July 15 - August 28), written by Hershey Felder and directed by Joel Zwick, and the West Coast Premiere of Engaging Shaw (July 29 - September 4), a romantic comedy by John Morogiello and directed by Henry Wishcamper.

SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS offer substantial savings with special subscriber benefits. Subscriptions can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623] or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Subscriptions to the Globe's Summer Season range from $72 to $389. Five-play packages range from $140 to $389. Shakespeare Festival packages (3 plays) range from $72 to $243. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and younger, seniors and groups of 10 or more.

LOCATION: The Old Globe is located in San Diego's Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. There are several free parking lots available throughout the park. Valet parking is also available ($10). For additional parking information visit www.BalboaPark.org.

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country's leading professional regional theaters and has stood as San Diego's flagship arts institution for 75 years. Under the direction of Executive Producer Louis G. Spisto, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 productions of classic, contemporary and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the 600-seat Old Globe Theatre and the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, which are both part of The Old Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, and the 605-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theater's education and community programs. Numerous world premieres such as The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, A Catered Affair, and the annual holiday musical, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theaters across the country.

 

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