Not your average woolf.
CINCINNATI SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
2024-2025 Season at The Otto M. Budig Theater
Brian Isaac Phillips, Producing Artistic Director and CEO presents
Directed By
Sara Clark
Orchestrator
Scenic Designer
Costume Designer
Lighting Designer
Associate Lighting Designer
Sound Designer
Projections Designer
Properties Manager
Casting Director
Music Director & Co-Arranger
Dance Choreographer
Intimacy Director
Stunt Coordinator
Stage Manager
Assistant Stage Manager
Lindsey Augusta Mercer
Samantha Reno
Rainy Edwards
Nina Agelvis
Ivy Walker
Zackery Bennett
Robert Carlton Stimmel^
Rebecca Armstrong
Stephanie Klapper
Matthew Umphreys
Ashley Goos
Torie Wiggins
Gina Cerimele-Mechley
Cole Sweasy*
Rowan Rozzi*
Originally commissioned by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
ENSEMBLE SPONSORS
Marcie and Jim Kinney
DESIGN SPONSORS
Judge Mark and Sue Ann Painter
NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT SPONSORS
Robert and Donna Welch
The McElroy Family
Photography and recording of any kind is prohibited.
^Artist sponsored by Judge Mark Painter
*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre, the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
Cast, Orchestra, and Production Staff
C AST
Septimus Warren Smith Noah Berry*
Ensemble/Swing Wesley Carman
Peter Walsh
Robby Clater*
Clarissa Dalloway Christiana Cole*
Hugh Whitbred Cary Davenport*
Lady Carnation/Ensemble Hannah Gregory
Mr. Marigold/Ensemble Christian Hall
Evans/Ensemble Montez Jenkins Copeland
Lucy/Ensemble Bethany Xan Kerr*
Rezia Warren Smith Courtney Lucien*
Mrs. Holmes/Lady Rose/Ensemble Kelly Mengelkoch*
Ensemble/Swing Dani Grace Nissen
Sally Seton Bex Odorisio*
Dr. Holmes/Ensemble Patrick Earl Phillips*
Richard Dalloway Byron St. Cyr*
Mulberry/Ensemble Aleah Vassell*
O RCHESTRA
Flute
Betty Douglas
Clarinet Jeanna Vella
Trumpet Emery Hicks
Violin Linsey Rogers
Cello Julie Lim
Guitar Joel Greenberg
Piano Matthew Umphreys
Bass Renate Thomas
Drums Brian Malone
P RODUCTION S TAFF
Master Carpenter Bryce Carson
Wardrobe Supervisor Kayla Cieslinski
Master Electrician Jared Earland
Associate Production Manager &
Resident Costume Designer Rainy Edwards
Technical Director Chris Holloway
Production Technician Brad Hopper
Costume Shop Manager Lindsey Jones
Charge Artist Samantha Reno
Assistant Stage Manager Rowan Rozzi*
Production Manager Robert Carlton Stimmel^
Resident Stage Manager & Production Coordinator Cole Sweasy*
Klapper Casting Team Joe Piserchio, Emma Balk, Gracie Guichard, and Claire Stancy
^Artist sponsored by Judge Mark Painter
*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre, the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
Special Thanks
We wish to thank the following corporations, foundations, agencies, and individuals for their support of the 2024-2025 Season. We are forever grateful.
As of May 1, 2025
We endeavor to correctly recognize all of our supporters. If you see a problem with this list, please accept our apologies and email sara.clark@cincyshakes.com to correct. Thank you.
Meet The Cast
Noah Berry* (he/him) DEBUT
Cincinnati: TOMMY (Memorial Hall), Title of Show (Federal Incline Theater). National Tours: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Monty Python’s SPAMALOT. Regional: Heartbreak Hotel, Beautiful: the Carole King Musical (John W. Engeman Theater); Spitfire Grill (Laguna Playhouse); Little Shop of Horrors (Highlands Playhouse); Lost Highway (Maples Repertory Theater). Alumnus of Northern Kentucky University (BFA).
Wesley Carman (he/him) DEBUT
Cincinnati: Pluto, Lizard Boy (Know Theatre), The Last 5 Years, Company (The Carnegie). New York: Monty Python’s Spamalot (National Tour). Education: Alumnus of Northern Kentucky University (BFA).
Robby Clater* (he/him) DEBUT
Regional: Dreamgirls (MUNY), A Christmas Carol (People’s Light) New York: Pretty Woman The Musical (Broadway), Pretty Perfect Lives (The Flea), Connected (59E59) TV/Film: Almost Family (Fox) As We See It (Amazon Prime).
Christiana Cole* (they/she) DEBUT
Regional: Fun Home (TheaterSquared), Camelot (Gulfshore Playhouse). New York: The Devil Wears Prada (Broadway in Chicago), The Hunt (Miller Theater), An Enchanted April (Theater Row), The Bardy Bunch (Theater at St. Clement’s). Education: Alum of The Manhattan School of Music (BM) and Southwestern University. Website: christianacole.com
Cary Davenport* (he/him) 11TH SEASON
Cincinnati: As You Like It, One Man, Two Guvnors, The Grapes of Wrath, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, August: Osage County, The Living Dead, Twelfth Night, The Winter’s Tale, The Comedy of Errors, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) (Favorite CSC), Girlfriend, Ada and the Engine, Whisper House (Know Theatre), Wuthering: A Musical On the Moors (Gregory and McWethy/Cincinnati Fringe Festival). Regional: The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Promethean Theatre Ensemble, Chicago),
The Bacchae (Right Brian Project, Chicago). Education: Alumnus of Northern Kentucky University.
Hannah Gregory (she/her) 3RD SEASON
Cincinnati: The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It (Favorite CSC), Judith, Deliver Us (Upcoming with One Off Productions), Glassheart (Know Theatre), Descent: a Murder Ballad (Cincinnati Fringe Festival), American Idiot (The Carnegie), The Who’s TOMMY (Memorial Hall), Like Demons (InBocca Performance) Education: Northern Kentucky University (BFA). Website: hannah-gregory.com
Christian Hall (he/him) 3RD SEASON
Cincinnati: Gaslight (CSC); Cinderella (Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati); Sherwood: The Adventures of Robinhood (Ghostlight Stage Company).Regional: Camelot (Human Race Theatre), Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Columbus Children’s Theatre).
Montez Jenkins Copeland (they/them) DEBUT
Cincinnati: Hamlet Park Tour (CSC); A Case For The Existence Of God, The Light Chasers, Girlfriend the Musical, Red Bike, Moby Dick (The Know Theatre). TV/Film: Miles Ahead (dir. Don Cheadle) 13th & Republic (dir. Darnell Pierre Benjamin). Education: Alumnus of Northern Kentucky University and Walnut Hills High School.
Bethany Xan Kerr* (she/her) DEBUT
Nat’l/Internat’l Tours: Kinky Boots; NYC: Company (u/s) (Lincoln Center); Chautauqua (The Public); How the Westons Won (New York Theater Barn); Dumb Luck (TruVoices). Workshops: Me the People, Pussy Riot, Quanah, Sunday in the Park with George. Regional: Sister Act (Silco); Beautiful & Swing (The Carnegie); The Little Mermaid, Narnia, and Santa Claus (The Children’s Theater); Bright Star (The Covedale); The Addams Family & The Girl Who (Edinburgh Fringe). Education: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (MFA), BFA Musical Theater & BFA Acting from Pace University NYC, Interlochen Arts Academy.
Courtney Lucien* (she/her) 11TH SEASON
Cincinnati: Twelfth Night, Kindred Spirits, Much Ado About Nothing, Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Trouble in Mind, As You Like It, The Living Dead, Pride & Prejudice, Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet (Favorite CSC). Regional: The Great Gatsby (Cardinal Stage Company); Annie Warbucks (Theatre at the Center). Education: Alumnus of Indiana University (BA). Website: courtneylucien.com
Kelly Mengelkoch* (she/her) 20TH SEASON
Cincinnati: Much Ado About Nothing, Importance of Being Earnest (Recent CSC); A Christmas Carol (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Let the Right One In (CSC/CCM); This is Tom Jones! (Human Race Theatre Company). Regional: The Spitfire Grill (Old Creamery Theatre Company Amana, Iowa); Grease and The Scarlet Pimpernel (New Theatre Kansas City). New York: The Rewards of Being Frank (New York Classical Theatre). TV/Film: Dark Waters, Perception, Old Man and the Gun, A Kind of Murder, Healing River, Dusk, C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America. Website: kellymengelkoch.com
Dani Grace Nissen (she/her) DEBUT
Cincinnati: The Comedy of Errors Park Tour (CSC). Regional: As You Like It (Nashville Shakespeare Festival), The Comedy of Errors, Measure for Measure (Hoosier Shakespeare Festival), Much Ado About Nothing (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company). Education:Wright State University (BFA). Website: danigracenissen.com
Bex Odorisio* (she/her) DEBUT
Cincinnati: Rutka (Playhouse in the Park). Regional: Hadestown (First National Tour); Ruthless! (Chenango River Theatre); Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (Shanghai Grand Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Walden Shakespeare); Measure For Measure (Island Shakespeare). TV/Film: Law and Order: SVU (NBC); Dickinson (Apple TV+). Website: bexodorisio.com
Meet The Cast
Patrick Earl Phillips* (he/him) 10TH SEASON
Cincinnati: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Little Women, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Titus Andronicus (Favorite CSC), Tick, Tick… BOOM! (The Carnegie), Hands On a Hardbody, Luna Gale, Cinderella, Bloomsday (Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati), Mercury (Know Theatre of Cincinnati). Regional: This Is Tom Jones!, Around the World in 80 Days (Human Race Theatre Co.), The Caine Mutiny Court Martial (Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre). Education: Xavier University (BA) and St. Xavier HS
Byron St. Cyr* (he/him) DEBUT
Cincinnati: Buddy Holly (Playhouse in the Park). Regional: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (The MUNY and Capital Rep); A Sherlock Carol (Westport Country Playhouse); Dames at Sea (Bucks County Playhouse); Billy Elliot (Goodspeed); Elf: The Musical (Syracuse Stage), Jesus Christ Superstar (North Shore Music Theatre); Ragtime (Papermill Playhouse and Weston Theater Company); Beauty and the Beast (North Shore Music Theatre); Hello Dolly (Weston Theater Company). New York: A Sherlock Carol (New World Stages). Education: NYU Tisch School of the Arts (BFA). Website: byronstcyr.com
Aleah Vassell* (they/she) 2ND SEASON
Cincinnati: Amen Corner (CSC); Hands On A Hardbody (Ensemble Theatre); The Wiz (TCT). Regional: Camelot, This is Tom Jones (Human Race Theatre); HAIR, Detroit ‘67, Christmas Carol, Candide (Clarence Brown Theatre); Sister Act, White Christmas, Hairspray, Dracula (Charleston Stage); Legend of Georgia McBride, Side by Side by Sondheim (Flying Anvil Theatre); Lady Windermere’s Fan (Wordplayers). Education: BFA in Musical Theatre at Samford University, MFA in Acting at University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Website: aleahvassell.com
*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre, the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
Meet The Creative Team
Lindsey Augusta Mercer Playwright, Composer, & Lyricist (they/them) 5TH SEASON
Cincinnati: As You Like It 2015 & 2023, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Park Tour 2015), Resident Asst. Director 2014-16 (CSC); Witch, Tick...Tick...Boom!, Kinky Boots, The Last 5 Years (The Carnegie); Hundred Days, Darkest Night at Gnarly Stump, Girlfriend, Lizard Boy (The Know Theatre); Saint Joan, Death and the Maiden (Diogenes), [Title of Show] (The Federal Incline Theatre); Everybody, Puffs, Head Over Heels (Miami University). Regional: Ring of Keys’ Queering the Canon Composer (NYC) The Bengson’s Hundred Days (La Jolla Playhouse and US Tour,). Education: Alumnus of Baldwin-Wallace University (BA), Lincoln Center Directors Lab ’17.
Sara Clark Director (she/her) 19TH SEASON
Cincinnati: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Pride and Prejudice, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Much Ado About Nothing, Julius Caesar, Little Women, Twelfth Night, To Kill a Mockingbird, Love’s Labour’s Lost (selected CSC directing credits) + over 60 productions acting. Education: University of Oklahoma School of Drama. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Director of Development.
Samantha Reno
Scenic Designer (she/her) 5TH SEASON
Cincinnati: Much Ado About Nothing, Kindred Spirits,The Play That Goes Wrong; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Importance of Being Earnest; The Living Dead (Favorite CSC); Fierce (Cincinnati Opera); Our Story: Bold Moves Festival (Cincinnati Ballet); Noises Off! (Northern Kentucky University). Regional: The Newlywed Game (B Street Theatre, Sacramento); Gaslight (Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Lowell, MA); Peter and the Starcatcher (University of California, Davis). New York: The Rewards of Being Frank (New York Classical Theatre). Education: Northern Kentucky University (BFA). Website: samanthareno.com. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Resident Scenic Designer.
Rainy Edwards
Costume Designer (she/her) 6TH SEASON
Cincinnati: The Winter’s Tale, Romeo and Juliet, The Comedy of Errors, The Living Dead, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Gaslight, The Importance of Being Earnest, Frankenstein, Kindred Spirits, Twelfth Night (Favorite CSC); Lizard Boy: The Musical (Know Theatre). Education: Florida State University (MFA in Costume Design). Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Associate Production Manager and Resident Costume Designer .
Nina Agelvis
Lighting Designer (she/her) 5TH SEASON
Cincinnati: Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Living Dead, Pride & Prejudice (Favorite CSC). Regional: Club Royal (Serenade of the Seas with RCC); The Brothers Paranormal (Perseverance Theater). New York: Lilith in Pisces (The Flea Theater); All Things Go (Forest Hills); Head in The Clouds (Forest Hills); Rabbit Summer (Mile Square Theater); Funny, Like an Abortion. (Mile Square Theater). Education: University of Cincinnati; College Conservatory of Music (MFA), University of California, Irvine (BA). Website: nagelvisdesigns.com
Ivy Walker
Associate Lighting Designer (they/them) DEBUT
Regional: Dance Nation (Southern Plains Productions). New York: El Nogolar, Dancing at Lughnasa (Stella Adler Studio), Lilith in Pisces (Drops in the Vase). Education: Oklahoma City University, Class of 2024 (BFA Design & Production). Website: ivywalkerdesign.com
Zachery Bennett
Sound Designer (he/him) 4TH SEASON
Cincinnati: The Comedy of Errors, The Living Dead, As You Like It, Julius Caesar (CSC). Broadway: Thoughts of a Colored Man (Assoc.). Regional: A Christmas Carol (Asst.) (Guthrie Theatre); True West (Asst.) (Seattle Rep); Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Actor’s Express); This Is Our Youth, Around the World in 80 Days (Assoc.), South Pacific (Assoc.) (Clarence Brown Theatre). Corporate: 2022 & 2024 National
Order of the Arrow Conference, 2023 National Scout Jamboree. Education: University of Tennessee (BA), Purdue University (MFA). Position: Assistant Professor of Sound Design & Engineering, University of North Georgia; Resident Sound Designer, Gainesville Theatre Alliance. Website: ZackBennett.com.
Emma Miller
Associate Sound Designer (she/her) DEBUT
Cincinnati: Hair, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dance Works, Once on This Island, The Marriage of Figaro, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music).
Regional: Pump Boys and Dinettes, Tuesdays With Morrie, Clue: On Stage, Jersey Boys (Totem Pole Playhouse). Education: Junior BFA Sound Design &Technology Student at The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Robert Carlton Stimmel
Projections Designer (he/him) 6TH SEASON
Cincinnati: Macbeth, A Room in the Castle, Twelfth Night, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Julius Caesar, The Amen Corner, Wrecking Ball, Gaslight, Trouble in Mind, As You Like It, The Living Dead, The Comedy of Errors, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Favorite CSC); To Kill a Mockingbird, A Christmas Carol, Antigone, Rikki Tikki Tavi, Rapunzel (Cincinnati Playhouse In The Park); Archie and the Ashes (Know Theatre); Higher (American Legacy Theatre); Earworm (Impaired Vision Productions). Regional: Elephant and Piggie, Little Red Riding Hood (Merrimack Repertory Theatre); The Fantasticks, The Normal Heart (Short North Stage); Eavesdropping (Alliance Theatre); Earworm (Hollywood Fringe Festival). International: Twelfth Night (Prague Shakespeare Company). Education: Miami University (BA in Theatre). Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Production Manager.
Rebecca Armstrong
Properties Manager (she/her) 5TH SEASON
Cincinnati: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, The Birds (Production Manager) (Favorite CSC); BLERDS, Mary’s Monster (PM), The Man-Beast (PM) (Know Theatre); Nancy Brew Zoomdunnit (PM/
Producer), The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Tour Manager) (Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Garbologists, Grounded (ETC). Regional: Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week- Marc Jacobs, Christian Siriano, Carolina Herrera, Lady Gaga, Brevard Music Center Summer Institute & Festival (APM)- Sweeney Todd, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Night at the Movies, Mahler Symphony No. 6.
Stephanie Klapper
Casting Director (she/her)
Cincinnati: Twelfth Night, The Rewards of Being Frank, Little Women, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fences, and Othello (CSC); NY casting for 13 seasons including Shane (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park co-produced with Guthrie Theater). New York: A Christmas Story-The Musical and Dividing the Estate (Broadway); Distant Thunder, Garside’s Career, Dig, The Night of the Iguana, and Henry IV (Recent OffBroadway).Regional: The Lehman Trilogy (Capital Rep); Ahrens and Flaherty’s Knoxville (Clarence Brown Theatre); The Cape Playhouse Season and Peterborough Players Season. Film: The Nature of the Crime, Ranked-The Musical and HBO documentary; Elf Quest (audio) and many more. Website: klappercasting.com.
Matthew Umphreys
Music Director and Co-Arranger (he/him) DEBUT
Cincinnati: Tick, Tick... Boom! (The Carnegie); Rutka, A Christmas Carol (Playhouse in the Park); Santa Claus, Casper, Annie (The Children’s Theater); Perfectly Marvelous, I Put a Spell On You, A Cozy Christmas, Cincinnati Rocktails (Queen City Cabaret). Education: University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (MM), Luther College (BA). Website: matthewumphreys.com
Ashley Goos
Dance Choreographer (she/her) DEBUT
Cincinnati: Area Choreographer’s Festival (Contemporary Dance Theatre), Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre, Choreographers without Companies (Contemporary Dance Theatre), Cincinnati Fringe Festival. Regional:
Meet The Creative Team
Director of Dance (Miami University), Adjunct Professor (Northern Kentucky University and Xavier University), Instructor (School for Creative and Performing Arts).
Education: Alumna of Florida Sate University (MFA, Performance and Choreography). Website: AEGDanceworks.com
Torie Wiggins
Intimacy Director (she/her) 9TH SEASON
Cincinnati: Oliver Twist, A Raisin in the Sun, Fences (Favorite CSC); Collapse, Afghan Women Writer’s Project, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Pluto, Harry and the Thief (Know Theatre); The Mountaintop, Cinderella, Violet and His Eye is on The Sparrow (Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati); Twilight: Los Angeles 1992 by Anna Deveare Smith (Diogenes Theatre Co); Mame, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike and Crowns (Human Race Theatre Co.).
Education: Intimacy Direction training from Theatre Intimacy Education (TIE), Intimacy Coordinators of Color (ICOC), and Intimacy Directors and Coordinators.
Gina Cerimele-Mechley Stunt Coordinator (she/her) 30TH SEASON
Cincinnati: Much Ado About Nothing , Kindred Spirits, The Play That Goes Wrong, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Living Dead (Favorite CSC); Fight direction for Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Ballet, Ensemble Theatre, Playhouse in the Park, Human Race Theatre. Regional: Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center Theatre Company, Opera Theatre St. Louis, Alaska Cabin Nite Dinner Theatre. Affiliations: 33-year member, Society of American Fight Directors (one of the few female Fight Directors). Education/ Teaching: Founder, Cincinnati Actor’s Studio & Academy; First recipient, CAA’s Arts Educator Award.
Cole Sweasy* Stage Manager (they/them) 4TH SEASON
Cincinnati: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Fat Ham, The Play That Goes Wrong, The Amen Corner, King Lear, The Comedy of Errors (Favorite CSC); All’s Faire,
Cincinnati Fringe Festival (Know Theatre). Regional: Event Stage Management in Bowling Green, Nashville and Atlanta. Education: Western Kentucky University (BAs in Theatre, Communication Studies, and English). Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Resident Stage Manager and Production Coordinator.
Rowan Rozzi*
Assistant Stage Manager (he/him) DEBUT
Cincinnati: Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!), A Room in the Castle, Macbeth, The Tempest, Mrs. Dalloway (CSC), Beauty and the Beast Jr. (The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati).
Regional: Heathers the Musical, POTUS, Evil Dead the Musical (Bowling Green State University). Education: Bowling Green State University, BA in Communications specializing in Design and Technical Theatre. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Assistant Stage Manager.
Virginia Woolf (January 25, 1882—March 28, 1941) was an English modernist writer whose novels explored a nonlinear approach to narrative. She is best known for her novels, especially Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927), Woolf also wrote pioneering essays on artistic theory, literary history, women’s writing, and the politics of power. She experimented with several forms of biographical writing, composed painterly short fictions, and sent to her friends and family a lifetime of brilliant letters.
ACT I
Look! Full Company
Evening Primrose
Clarissa, Mulberry the Florist
Crossing Bond Street Clarissa
Beauty Was Everywhere Septimus, Ensemble
Narrow Bed Clarissa, Ensemble
In Another Life Sally, Clarissa Tell Me the Truth Peter
Everything is Great Rezia, Richard
My Own Way Full Company
ACT II
Wild Night Clarissa, Sally, Peter, Hugh, Richard
Evening Primrose (reprise) Hugh
In Another Life (reprise) Richard I Would Clarissa, Septimus
Somewhere In Between Sally, Rezia
The Party Lucy, Full Company
If I Could Clarissa Coming To (Finale) Full Company
Closer Look: Creator’s Note
Music is everywhere in Mrs. Dalloway—from the tolling of Big Ben to the lyrical rhythm of Woolf’s stream-of-consciousness style. There are no chapter breaks, no dramatic plot twists— just one long, expressive thought that grows and changes in waves of prose. The novel flows like a symphony—and to me, it was already a musical waiting to be revealed.
Woolf’s use of repetition and variation—a technique often used by composers—inspired the musical motifs woven throughout the score. The Westminster chimes, for example, are the first sound we hear and become the musical anchor of the play, returning in varied forms to guide us through the emotional journey and remind us how we are all deeply connected.
This show is my love letter to the novel, and to the art of musical theatre. I hope it leaves you thinking, humming, and maybe calling a loved one on the way home. But most of all, I hope you feel that quiet, powerful sense that our lives—however ordinary or fragmented—are full of beauty, connection, and music just waiting to be heard.
Written
by Lindsey Augusta Mercer, Creator of Mrs. Dalloway: A New Musical
Closer Look: 100 Years of Mrs. Dalloway
2025 marks the centennial of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, first published 100 years ago. Commemorations are unfolding around the world—from the Mercantile Library in Cincinnati to this world-premiere at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company—and below, the Mercantile Library shares an illuminating look at the novel’s enduring history and legacy.
Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.” So begins Virginia Woolf’s iconic Modernist novel that follows Clarissa Dalloway, and the various characters who move in and out of her orbit, as she prepares to host a party on an otherwise unremarkable Wednesday in June. As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of its publication on May 14, 2025 it is a good time to pause and ask why Mrs. Dalloway has endured, captivating new generations of readers across a full century.
For what actually happens in Mrs. Dalloway? From one perspective, not much. A middle-aged woman shops in London. Mends a dress, reminisces, hosts a party. But from another perspective—and questions of perspective are central to this novel—everything happens. All of life unfolds in the very place where life is most real to Woolf: the mind. By crafting experimental prose that replicates the flow of consciousness, Woolf plunges her readers into a drama of memory and perception. Caught between the onward march of time and the relentless pull of the past, Clarissa and company grapple with the contradictions of aging, the complexities of trauma and survival, and the consequences of suppressed desires. Throughout it all, Woolf reminds us that appearances are almost always deceiving. Or, perhaps, it is actually a problem of perception— our inability to truly see and know one another. The woman choosing a bouquet in the flower shop could be reliving the blissful memory of an adolescent kiss with the girl she loved in her youth. A soldier can return home from war with an uninjured body that conceals a wounded mind. The man idly fiddling with a penknife might be reassessing years of choices that somehow both slowly and suddenly coalesced into a life that is more behind him than ahead of him. People are more than they seem, and the present rests on layers of history.
Perhaps, then, our evergreen fascination with Woolf’s novel is the ultimate testament to one of its central insights: the past is never really past. But our ability to reckon with that past, whether individual or collective, will determine the possibilities for our present and potential for our future. And as we find fresh ways to tell familiar stories—of longing and loss and ambivalence and beauty—we can become better at seeing and knowing one another.
Written by Jenny Hyest, Ph. D, University of Cincinnati, in collaboration
with the Mercantile Library.
2025-2026 Season
Theater Policies and Information
A MENITY B ASKET
We want your visit to CSC to be as enjoyable as possible. Please visit the Box Office to request the complimentary "Amenity Basket' should you require items such as cough drops, Tylenol, Advil, ear plugs, Band-Aids, antacid, tampons, masks, or tissues.
A CCESSIBILITY /S PECIAL S EATING
Seating for people with disabilities is available in multiple locations in the Lower and Upper Galleries and can be reached by elevator and/or ramp. These seats can be purchased online or by calling our Box Office. For assistance upon arrival, please see any of our Front of House staff.
A SSISTED L ISTENING D EVICES
Complimentary devices may be requested at the Box Office before a performance.
F OOD A ND D RINK
A variety of drinks and concessions are available in the lobby at Bob's Bar. Beverages are allowed back into the theater. Smoking is prohibited in the theater and directly in front of the theater’s entrance.
R EFUNDS /E XCHANGES :
Tickets are non-refundable but exchanges may be possible: contact the Box Office at least 48 hours before your performance to inquire about availability.
L ATE S EATING
Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the House Manager.
P HOTOGRAPY
To avoid disruptions and copyright infringement, unauthorized recording on cameras, cell phones, or other devices inside the theater before, during, or following the performance is prohibited. Photography taken inside the lobby is encouraged!
Y OUNG T HEATER -G OERS
Children younger than 5 are not permitted in the theater. For children older than 5, please call the Box Office to determine whether a particular production is suitable for your child.
I N T HE E VENT O F A N E MERGENCY
Please obey the instructions given by theater personnel. Please note the nearest emergency exit upon taking your seat; each exit is marked by a lighted EXIT sign. If an evacuation is directed, please move to the nearest exit in a calm and orderly fashion.
L AND A CKNOWLEDGMENT
Cincinnati Shakespeare would like to respectfully acknowledge the Osage, Shawnee, and Miami People who have stewarded the land we are currently located on throughout the generations.
For assistance at any time, please see a member of our Front of House staff
Board of Directors
Otto M. Budig Jr, Budco Group – President
Jennifer Damiano, Key Bank – Vice President
Scott Bischoff, Johnson Investment Counsel – Treasurer Marilyn Duke, National Education Association (Ret) – Secretary
Maureen Bickley, Frost Brown Todd
Sean Conway, The Bistro Group
Rick Eder, Ceco Concrete Construction, LLC
Dan Fales, KMK
Angie Fischer, Lightborne
Sarah Graber, Wood Herron & Evans LLP
Joanna Seung Ah Huh, University of Cincinnati
Myron Hughes, BlueRose Supply, LLC
Steve Kane, EY
Mark Kanter, Rookwood Properties (Ret)
Marcene Kinney, GBBN
Jean Lauterbach, Vistage
Isabel Mendez, Procter & Gamble
Christopher Nare, New York Blood Center Enterprises
David Nevers, Western & Southern Financial Group
Niamh O’Leary, Xavier University
Debby Mason, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (Ret)
Whitney Owens, Cincinnati Museum Center
Judge Mark Painter,(Ret), Emeritus
Patrick Points, Ignite Philanthropy
Vicky Reynolds, University of Cincinnati (Ret), Emeritus
Marc Rubin, Cohen, Todd, Kite & Stanford (Ret), Emeritus
Rosemary Schlachter, 25th Hour, Emeritus
Rich Schultz, Messer Construction
Stephanie A. Smith, Fifth Third Bank
Scott Spivey, First Student Transportation (Ret)
Mark Stotzer, Lucky Shoe Property Holdings
Don Tecklenburg, Ohio Wesleyan (Ret), Emeritus
Carole Campbell Williams, Mount St. Joseph University
Jonathan Winterkorn, Plante Moran
Dick Westheimer, Westheimer Enterprises, Emeritus
Jay Woffington, Chameleon Investments
George Yund, Frost Brown Todd (Ret)
As of July 2024
Friends of the Company
Dr. and Mrs. Stewart Dunsker
Joe and Kay Ellis
Scott Goebel and Emily DetmerGoebel
Mr. Jeffrey Goldman
Tom and Sarah Goodwin
William J. Gracie, Jr. and Daniel J. Fairbanks
John and Elizabeth Grover
Beverly Kinney
Becky and Ross Long
Ted and Molly Lucien
Paul and Anne Lucky
The McMahon Family
Gerald Greenberg and Pamela Meyers
John and Heidi O’Connor
David and Patricia Papoi
Rick Pender and Joan Kaup
Mitchell and Karen Rashkin
Becky and Ted Richards
Margaret and Gates Richards
RSL Architecture
Kevin and Jill Schad
Dr. Catherine Shackson
Ruth and John Sikorski
Stephanie Smith
George Taliaferro
Ann Westheimer and Pete Williams, in honor of Dick Westheimer
Christine Whittaker and Thane Thompson
Jamie Williams
Carol and Rich Wilson
EBULLIENT AND EXHILARATING
$500 – $999
Christine Adams
Mary Ann and Doug Bell
Sara and Dan Bick
John and Peg Bruggeman
Hon. James Cissell
Carol C. Cole, in memory of Leland M. Cole
Sean and Tracie Conway
Michael DiMaggio
Lindsey Faber
Noah Goertemiller
Bill Gordon and Nancy Johnson
Haider Ala Hamoudi and Sara Burhan Abdullah
Emily M. Hodges
Phyllis Jackson
Amy Katz
Geoff and Shellie Leder
Mark McKillip
Norah and Joe Mock
Mark Motley
Denise and Doug Peaslee
Marc and Suzi Rubin
Jessica and Michael Ruebusch
Robin Sargent
Rich Schultz
Saira Shahani and Rick Warm
Don Semler
Dee and Tom Stegman
Ida and John Tergerson
Gordon and Mary-Anne Thompson
Ronald and Elizabeth Tinklenberg
Marty C. Tomb, in memory of Howard L. Tomb
Richard Vonderbrink
Ted and Mary Ann Weiss
Ms. Jo Ann Wieghaus
Kristin Woeste
VALIANT AND VORACIOUS
$250 – $499
Anonymous
Jana Bazzoli
Bryan Belanger
Emma Bernay
Maureen Bickley and Layne Meader
David and Elaine Billmire
Curtis Brown
Douglas Bruestle
Chad and Patrice Burke
Melinda Caldwell
Larry and Julie Chandler
Jeffrey Conner
Betty Coutant
Sally Daetwyler
Donald and Victoria Daiker
Mark Dauner
Mallory and Nick Decker
Rose Marie Deibel
Deanna and David Eppers
Angie Fischer
Ariel Fox
Edward and Stacy Gilfilen
Gail Ginther
Ms Stephena Harmony
Tom and Catherine Hayes
James and Julie Hewitt
Susan Hibbs
Karlee Hilliard
Steve and Pat Hodson
Tom and Kathy Hogan
Becky Hogya
Kevin and Libby Howard
Doug Ignatius and Bruce Preston
Keith and Farrah Jackson
Steve and Janet Jackson
Friends of the Company
Prashant Jagtap
Mr. Andrew Jones
Steve Karoly
David and Sam Kereiakes
Gail and Eric Kirchner
Sandra Kohn
Leslie Korbee
Pat and Randy Krumm
Robert and Ellie Lamb
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan and Nancy Lippincott
John Lorenz
Joeliene Magoto
Mary Mahoney
Colleen and Mike McSwiggin
Dave and Diane Moccia
Kim Morrow
David and Vicky Motch
Drs. Nick Newman and Leila
Saxena
Neda and Bruce Nutley
Niamh J. O’Leary
Cyndie and David Park
The Patel-Curran Family
Karen Paxton
Alice Perlman
David Piatt
Kay Puryear
Daniel Randolph
Abigail Riddle and Braden Blankenship
John Robson, in honor of Barbara Norris
Patty Rosely
Ms. Jennifer Sauvey
Suzanne Schindler
Monica and Matt Scott
Cristina Seda-Hoelle
Carol Shore
Mr. Brad Smallwood
Paul Spearman
William Spohn and Margaret Dunn
Bob and Laurie Sternberg
Nancy Wagner
Hon. Lawrence Walter and Christena Walter
Jessica Warren-Jones and Matthew Jones
Bill and Jenny Watts
Bob and Rhonda Young
Justin Zimmerman
GRAND AND GRACIOUS $100 – $249
Marjorie C. Aaron
Alan Abes and Monica Schneider
Paul and Carolyn Adam
Wayne Adams
Dr. Bruce Allen and Colleen Foegle
Friends of the Company
Lisa Allgood
Amwins Group
Maria Anderson and Edmund C. Davis, Jr.
Anonymous (10)
Erin Barta
Dr. Rubin Battino
Tim and Lisa Beckelhimer
Peter and Victoria Beltramo
David and Madonna Bowman
Chris Breda
Rebecca and John Bromels
Vikki Brown
John Budde
Doug and Carol Burley
Beckie Campbell
Sam Chamberlin
Jon and Katie Clark
Sue Cohen and Rob Schmuelling
Heather and Jedd Cole
David Cone
Doren Cook
Sally Coomes
Jeff and Lisa Cooper
Stella M. Davies
Justin Drouin
Dudley Family
Robert and Mary Fitzpatrick
Patrick Flick
Jillian Frasher
Terri Gaither
Jo Anne Gibbons and John Getz
David Goist
Constance Graham
Leanne Hadley, in honor of Patrick Flick
Laura Leigh Hahn, in honor of Annabelle Magruder
Stew and Linda Hall
Laura A. Hobson
Dale Hodges
Daniel J. Hoffheimer
Matt Holbein, in honor of Denise Corrou
Ali Hubberd
Joseph Huber
Dani Isaacsohn
Ann and Hank Jarboe
James and Rosemarie Jeffery
Andrea Johnson
Jerome Johnson
Marilyn and Robert Johnson
Lauren Judy
Jim and Mary Ann Kalla
Nancy Kramb
Ms. CiCi Lee
Jemma Alix Levy and Steve, Dylan, and Ruth Smith
Teri Clark Linden
Sherwin Little
David Martin
Steven Massie
Sherry and Steve McCamley
Thomas McMackin, in honor of Kevin McMackin
Ms. Julia Meister
Lance Melching
Brenda Merrick
Ms. Janet Michaelis
Mark Mikulski
Ariel Miller
Linda and Jim Miller
Christine Mulvin
Teri Murphy
Ena Nearon
Fred and Barbara Norton
Kyrié Owen
Susan Pace
Cana Peters
Brian Isaac Phillips and Corinne Mohlenhoff
Todd And Jeanne Phillips
Ronald Plybon
Margaret Polanski
Ms. Carla Reichelderfer
Brian Reilly
Wendy Reppart and Robert Butts
Mark and Jan Rosenbaum Sass
Laura Schack
Mary Anne Scheuble
Kathryn Schnier
Jennifer Sebranek
Rachelle Sekerka
Pamela Jean Shaffer
Mary Shukairy
Dr. Edward B. Silberstein and Jacqueline M. Mack
Steven Smith and David Vanderpool
Christine Socwell
Harry and Carol Sparks
Marcy Stacy
Carl Stich and Amy Banister
Ms. Mary Stier
Georgana Taggart
Sarah Tankersley and Geoff Vickers
Eric and Rachael Tayce
Suzanne Terwilliger
Sandra and James Uhrig
Judith Vermillion
Christopher and Nancy Virgulak
Nancy and Patty Wagner
David and Shelly Wallace
Catherine and Hugh Walsh
Amy Warner and Michael Haney
Fred and Jo Anne Warren
Mr. Terry Webb
Michael Williams
Bill and Kathy Winters
Robert Workley
Beth and Neil Yoke, in honor of Rick Stefanowicz
Janice Zimmerman
MONTHLY
GIVING CIRCLE
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company relies on the sustained commitment of a strong community of supporters to fuel our mission of bringing Shakespeare and the Classics to life for all. We send special thanks to our Monthly Giving Circle for their ongoing support of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company now and for seasons to come
Rebecca and John Bromels
Curtis Brown
Jon and Katie Clark
Ms. Janet Davidson
Jillian Frasher
Scott Goebel and Emily DetmerGoebel
Noah Goertemiller
Emily Hodges
Andrea Johnson
Colleen and Mike McSwiggin
Kyrié Owen
Susan Pace
Kathy and Mike Rademacher
Bob Roesbery
Patty Rosely
Robin and Anna Sargent
Jennifer Sauvey
Suzanne Schindler
Mary Stier
Georgana Taggart
Christine Whittaker and Thane Thompson
IN-KIND DONORS
1215 Wine Bar and Coffee Lab
American Legacy Tours
Bonbonerie
Cincinnati Nature Center
Cincinnati Men’s Chorus
Cincinnati Museum Center
Emerge
Friends of Music Hall
Graeter’s
Meredith Gregg
Key Bank
Lightborne
The Macron Bar
Mercantile Library
Mimi Moller
Samantha Reno
Jessica Ruebusch
State Bound Operations
Janice Zalla-Schwenkmeyer
