THT Rep presents Twelfth Night at The BrickBox Theater | April 11 - May 5, 2024

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TWELFTH NIGHT

Directed by Brendon Fox TheHanoverTheatre.org/THTRep

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Worcester Center for Performing Arts is a registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, which owns and operates The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts.

REMINDER

The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Please turn off all cell phones and electronic devices during the performance.

TERRITORY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Land is sacred to all of us. Whether we consciously appreciate it or not, land is the space upon which we play, live, eat, find love and experience life. The land is ever-changing and ever-shifting, giving us and all other creatures and beings on the earth an infinite number of gifts and lessons. Today, we acknowledge the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Nipmuc Nation on which we are working and performing. We recognize and respect Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories. This sort of acknowledgement is essential to human rights work across the world. It is essential to our work of honoring stories that explore the human experience. Find more information at native-land.ca/.

TWELFTH NIGHT

CREATIVE TEAM

Director ..................................................................................................... Brendon Fox

Associate Director (Dramaturgy + Intimacy) .......................... Dr. Kathryn Moncrief

Scenic Designer ......................................................................................... Baron Pugh

Costume Designer ................................................................................... Chelsea Kerl

Lighting Designer........................................................................... Laura J. Eckelman

Composer ............................................................................................. Mark Mummert

Properties Coordinator / Scenic Builder ................................................. Becki Gray

DEIB Counselor ................................................................. Valerie Zolezzi-Wyndham

Sound Designer ..................................................................................... Scott O’Brien

Fight Choreographer ......................................................................... Robert Isaacson

Dance Choreographer ........................................................................... Janis Hudson

Production Manager .............................................................................. Lisa Hackman

Wardrobe Supervisor ............................................................................ Perri Sylvester

Production Stage Manager ..................................................................... Rafi Levavy*

Assistant Stage Manager ................................................................. Jess Brennan**

CAST

Curio Nick Baker***

Maria Alexa Cadete

Sebastian Drew Cleveland

Sir Toby MaConnia Chesser*

Olivia

MarHadoo Effeh**

Priest Kyle Hargrove***

Malvolia Janis Hudson

Sea Captain Robert Isaacson

Second Officer

Matthew Johnson***

Antonio Cristiano Lourenço, Jr.***

Valentine Sara (Penny) Penniman***

Second Lady in Waiting Karen Richards***

Viola Livy Scanlon*

First Lady in Waiting Erica Shields***

Fabian Michael Skrzek*

Orsino Robert St. Laurence*

Feste Meri Stypinski*

First Officer Cassie Tortorici***

Sir Andrew John Tracey

* Member, Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) **Appearing Courtesy of AEA ***Worc @ Play Student
SPECIAL THANKS Fred and Patty Eppinger Rats Nest

SYNOPSIS

Feste, a professional jester, introduces us to the company of Twelfth Night and plunges us into a storm which separates Viola and her twin Sebastian. The siblings wash up on the island of Illyria, that looks and sounds a lot like the 1920s. Each of them finds an ally to help them (Viola with a Sea Captain, Sebastian with the fisherman Antonio) but they each believe the other may likely be dead. For her own safety, Viola dresses as a boy named Cesario and works for (and falls in love with) the Duke Orsino. Orsino is pining for the Countess Olivia and sends Viola to woo her for him, but Olivia falls for Viola instead. Over time, Orsino begins to develop feelings for the “man” Cesario. In the meantime, Olivia’s secretary, Malvolia, disapproves of all the other members of her household. Fed up with Malvolia constantly spoiling their fun, the staff and Olivia’s family decide to play a practical joke on her. This spirals out of control in ways no one could foresee. Sebastian arrives in town, causing a flood of mistaken identity, and marries Olivia. By the end, both couples must grapple with who loves who, and Malvolia’s treatment by the others comes to light.

Photo by UnityMike. MarHadoo Effeh** (Olivia), Livy Scanlon (Viola) and Robert St. Laurence* (Orsino)

As I prepared to direct Twelfth Night, I focused on two major ideas: identity and excess. The play approaches the theme of identity in many ways. Our twins Viola and Sebastian are wrenched apart and find their way back to each other by the end. Because of this trauma, they must reckon with who they are as they move through the world without their other half. But all the major characters wrestle with this question of who they are versus who they think they are. The other major lens we’re viewing the play through is that of excess, and the Dramaturg’s Note touches on that.

And why did we choose to evoke the 1920s? As the designers, dramaturg and I discussed the play, we all kept circling around this idea of raucous revelry, the feeling of an out-of-control party and its crash. I shared how important I thought status was in the play, as well as a world of elegance, that can sometimes mask cruelty. We landed on evoking the 20s because it can illuminate so many of those ideas for an audience through music, clothes, dancing and behavior. The more we dug into the era, the more it seemed to pay off in all kinds of fun ways: Fitzgerald’s Gatsby, Marlena Dietrich and The Blue Angel, speakeasys and moral crusaders. It also allows us to see women starting to take on different positions in society, which we reflect in the roles of Malvolia, Feste and others. So lean forward and enjoy the ride of Twelfth Night!

DRAMATURG’S NOTE

Twelfth Night, or What You Will is Shakespeare’s only play with an alternate title. For his audience, the word “will” meant desire, longing or a disposition to do something. They also used “will” for uncontrolled desire or physical passion.

Dominated by the parallel households of Orsino and Olivia, Illyria is a place of excess, indulgence and intoxication. Orsino’s infatuation over Olivia has him wallowing in emotion while Olivia’s disproportionate mourning for her dead father and brother sequesters her household. At the same time, her uncle Toby and his friends drink and carouse with abandon, much to the dismay of Malvolia, whose attempt to control their revelry makes her the target of jokes that become increasingly cruel as they capitalize on her own hidden desires. Twins Viola and Sebastian, separated from each other by a shipwreck, and thrust into this unfamiliar world, must make their way. Proactive and clever, Viola dons her brother’s clothes and a new male identity.

Set in the 1920s, a period of unprecedented prosperity and dramatic social change, including the emergence of LGTQAI+ subcultures, THT Rep’s production leverages the vibrancy of the Jazz Age and the Harlem Renaissance to explore gender fluidity, desire and self-discovery. Viola’s transformation into Cesario, and the attraction it sparks in both Orsino and Olivia, challenges conventions and blurs boundaries. As the play ends and secrets are revealed in the sober light of day, characters confront their truths and new opportunities emerge.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE
Moncrief
-Dr. Kathryn

CAST

NICK BAKER*** (Curio, u/s Sir Andrew, Antonio, Fabian) he/him/his Nick is overjoyed to be working with The Hanover Theatre Rep again and performing in his hometown. His credits include Macbeth (The Hanover Theatre Rep), call me when you get this (Irisdelia Garcia), Infants of the Spring (Ifa Bayeza) and We Are Proud to Present... (Jennifer Onopa). He graduated from UMass Amherst with a B.A in Theatre and has received additional training through The Hanover Theatre Conservatory and The Hanover Theatre Rep’s Worc at Play program. Nick would like to thank his friend Lena Vani for encouraging him to audition for Worc at Play in 2022, as he wouldn’t be in this show today without her support.

ALEXA CADETE (Maria, U/S Feste) she/her/hers they/them/theirs

Debut with The Hanover Theatre Repertory! The Good John Proctor (Trinity Rep); Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company); The Play That Goes Wrong (Lyric Stage Company of Boston); I Give You My Home (Guerilla Opera); Doubt, A Parable (Studio Theatre Worcester). @alexacadete

DREW CLEVELAND (Sebastian)

Drew is simply atingle to be making his THT Rep debut. A Maine native, Drew is a graduate of Gordon College in Wenham, MA. He now lives in Boston where he works as a historical guide on the Freedom Trail. Recent theatre credits include: Prospero in The Tempest (Gordon College Theatre), Silvius in Playing Mercury (Isle Theatre Company), Don John in Much Ado About Nothing (Brown Box Theatre Project), With Intent (Boston Theatre Marathon), Confirmation Bias (Open theatre Project), Claudio in Measure for Measure and Orlando in As You Like It (Brown Box). He is honored to be a part of this talented cast. Soli Deo Gloria.

MACONNIA CHESSER* (Sir Toby) she/her

Hanover Theatre Repertory debut! New York Theater: Ensemble Studio Theatre, York Shakespeare Company. Regional Theater: Shakespeare & Company (company member; Berkshire Theatre Award for Best Solo Performance for An Iliad), Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Lyric Stage Company, WAM Theatre, Ancram Opera House, Berkshire Playwrights Lab, Chester Theatre, Kennedy Center, Theater Alliance ( Insurrection: Holding History , Helen Hayes nomination), Tennessee Shakespeare, African Continuum Theatre, Totem Pole Playhouse, & Folger Theatre. FILM & TV: “The Shape of Destiny” (Official selection, 2018 Women in Comedy Festival), “Nothing But the Truth,” “Ghosts of Hamilton Street,” “Diseasels,” HBO’s “The Wire.” Education: Shakespeare & Company, National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, Alcorn State University. For my mom Dorothy D. Scott Chesser, and my friend Dennis Krausnick. Instagram: @kurlymac.

CAST

MARHADOO EFFEH** (Olivia)

MarHadoo is very excited to be back with The Hanover Theatre Repertory. Based in the Northeast region, MarHadoo’s credits include: Theater - THT Rep: Julius Caesar, Macbeth. Performing Fusion Theatre: Brooklyn Bedroom. Voices Rising Theatre: Lifting As We Climb. Amherst College: If We Don’t Know It Now. Ghost Lit

Repertory Theatre: Two Trains Running. Artists’ Theater of Boston: Policarpa. SLAMBoston: Mommy Are We Poor. Film - “Salesmen” (Amazon Prime).

KYLE HARGROVE*** (Priest)

Kyle Hargrove is in his second year of Worc at Play and is honored to return to the stage at the Jean McDonough Arts Center. He dedicates his performance to frequent collaborator Mary Darling and to his gone but not forgotten love, Shawn. Both of whom always believed in him.

JANIS HUDSON (Malvolia, Dance Choreographer)

Janis is thrilled to be back at THT Rep! Since settling in Boston, she has artistically hustled in theatre, cabaret, improv and commercial/ film. Most recently, you may have seen her as Shelby Stevens in Steel Pier (Sullivan Rep), Madam in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Firebird Pops Orchestra), Thomas Putnam in The Crucible (THT Rep) or Laurel in Torch Song (Moonbox Productions). Other highlights include Phantom in The Rocky Horror Show (Moonbox Productions), Woman 1 in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (Concord Players), Denise Dupree in Rock of Ages (The Company Theater), Elsa Schraeder in The Sound of Music (Reagle Music Theater) and Diana Goodman in Next to Normal (Civic Theater). For Dr. Sandra Hardy, always.

ROBERT ISAACSON (Sea Captain, Fight Choreographer, u/s Sir Toby)

Robert is thrilled to return to The Hanover Theatre Rep, having played Banquo in last year’s Macbeth and Fight Directed Julius Caesar in 2021. Regional acting credits include The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged) (Seacoast Repertory), Relatively Speaking and Getting Married (Lyric West Theatre), The Mikado (Huntington Theatre), Racing Demon (Merrimack Repertory), Death of a Salesman (Palace Theatre). Recent credits as Fight Director include Parade and The House of Ramon Iglesia (Moonbox Productions), Noises Off (Firehouse Center), Cinderella (Open Door Theatre), Ugly Lies the Bone (Merrimack College), Sense and Sensibility (Worcester Polytechnic). Robert is a member of SAG-AFTRA, a second-degree Taekwondo black belt and proud owner of both a 270-year-old house and a three-year-old Leonberger.

CAST

MATTHEW JOHNSON*** (Second Officer)

Matthew first appeared on stage in THT Rep’s production of Macbeth (directed by THT Rep’s Artistic Director, Livy Scanlon). He has played the drum kit for many bands and artists, performing and recording all around the region (N.Y.C., Philadelphia, etc.). His love of performing on the stage brought him to The Hanover Theatre Conservatory, where he has been studying his craft of acting for the past five years under the guidance of some exceptionally talented teachers. He is grateful and honored to be a part of the Worc at Play classes taught and directed by Livy Scanlon.

CRISTIANO LOURENÇO, JR.*** (Antonio) he/him/his

Cristiano is a Brazilian actor based in Worcester. He studied at The Hanover Theatre Conservatory and is very excited to return to the company. Previous credits: Macbeth as the First Witch, Julius Caesar and The Marvelous Party (The Hanover Theatre Repertory), Next to Normal as Henry and The Gift of the Magi (Studio Theatre Worcester), T: an MBTA Musical , Em Azul Um Musical (In Blue, a Musical), Little Prince - The Musical, Velório à Brasileira (Funeral in Brazilian), a stage adaptation of the popular Brazilian tv show “Castelo Ra-Tim-Bum”, as well as multiple national tours throughout Brazil. Cristiano is grateful for his parents support, as well as every teacher, director and choreographer who believed in his potential. @cristtianojr

SARA (PENNY) PENNIMAN*** (Valentine)

Sara “Penny” Penniman is a graduate of the Visual & Performing Arts program at Worcester State University. Her recent acting credits include the role of Kat in Museful Intent’s production of The Translator. Sometimes known as the “Brickbox Brides,” Penny and her wonderful wife, Alana, tied the knot at the JMAC back in Fall of 2020. The happy couple have been regular patrons of the space ever since; they never miss Curtain Call Karaoke ! Penny could not be more honored or excited to take the BrickBox stage as a member of this year’s Worc at Play cohort. She would like to thank her peers in the program for creating a safe and nurturing learning environment, Livy for the incredible amount of skill, passion and wisdom she has imparted, and Alana for the constant abundance of encouragement, support and affection.

KAREN RICHARDS***

(Second Lady in Waiting)

Born in Jamaica and raised in Worcester, MA, Karen is an enthusiastic performer. Karen has made The Hanover Theatre Repertory her home, where she has played roles in The Crucible and Macbeth. Karen is a Mezzo-Soprano and a lover of karaoke and improv comedy. @karenkarynkarin

CAST

LIVY SCANLON* (Viola)

Livy serves as Artistic Director of The Hanover Theatre Repertory (THT Rep) and Managing Director of the Jean McDonough Arts Center (JMAC). Prior to her arrival in Worcester, Livy founded and helmed Bridge Repertory Theater, where she received an Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director and an IRNE Award for Outstanding Actress. Other regional credits include Urbanite Theatre, Trinity Rep, Asolo Rep, Hartford Stage and Paper Mill Playhouse. Livy teaches acting at WPI and in THT Rep’s Worc at Play program. She has been featured in Worcester Magazine’s Women to Watch and Worcester Business Journal’s Power 50. MFA Acting, Brown University / Trinity Rep. BA Theatre and Dance, Amherst College (summa cum laude). Love always to R and R. @_worcplaymaker__

ERICA SHIELDS*** (First Lady in Waiting, u/s Olivia) she/her/hers Erica is new to the Worcester area and is super excited to be performing with THT Rep in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night . Stage performances include Mary Poppins (Scott Weinstein), The Wolves (Lindsay Rae Taylor), Martini Shot (Liz Jennings) and Lightning (Lilly Heidari). Other performances include “January” (Wyatt Lasche), a student film and voice-over works including “Voices from the Field” and “Kula Kula Island.” She graduated from the University of South Carolina with her BA in Theatre and recently received training from Worc at Play. She would like to thank her mom, friends and family, and hopes you enjoy the show! She will also be performing this summer in Little Shop of Horrors with Penobscot Theatre Company.

MICHAEL SKRZEK* (Fabian, u/s Orsino)

Michael is always excited to return home to Worcester to work with THT. Recent credits include A Christmas Carol (The Hanover Theatre) and performing on the main stage of the Disney Wish in The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Seas the Adventure. In 2022, Michael produced his own tap dance show in the Brick Box, Worcester On Tap , as a result of a grant from the WAC and Barr Foundation. You can also catch Michael on the upcoming 1 st Broadway National Tour of Some Like It Hot! Cheers to Worcester!

ROBERT ST. LAURENCE* (Orsino)

Robert returns to The Hanover Theatre Repertory after appearing in Macbeth and The Marvelous Party . A company member with the Barnstormers Theatre, Robert’s regional credits include Assassins (Lyric Stage), Nat Turner in Jerusalem (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater), Pirate Princess (American Repertory Theater), Sunday in the Park with George (Huntington Theatre) and Rent (New Repertory Theatre). Robert is the Theatre Program Chair at Bunker Hill Community College and received his MFA in Acting from Harvard University’s ART/MXAT Institute. Robert can next be seen as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice at the Barnstormers Theatre. @rstlaurence

CAST

MERI STYPINSKI* (Feste) she/her/hers

With The Hanover Theatre Repertory: Macbeth (Lady Macbeth), The Glass Menagerie (Laura Wingfield), The Crucible (Elizabeth Proctor), Julius Caesar (Cassia/Cassius), The Marvelous Party (Laura). Other regional credits include: A Christmas Carol (The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts), Mr. Burns: A PostElectric Play (Opera House Arts), The Wild Party (MoonBox Productions) and Dark Room (Bridge Repertory Theatre). Favourite roles include: Maria (Twelfth Night), Dora Strang (Equus), Lysistrata ( Lysistrata ), Abby ( The Musical of Musicals (The Musical)!) and Liz Morden (Our Country’s Good). Meri earned her BFA from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee and has been a member of Actors’ Equity Association since 2015.

CASSIE TORTORICI*** (First Officer, u/s Maria)

Cassie returned to the stage after a five-year break in The Translator with Museful Intent last fall. She has spent the last few years on the production side as a Stage Manager and Producer for several local, original shows (Winter Warmer, On Our Terms, Good Grief). A couple of her favorite past roles are Joanne (Godspell), Bananas Shaughnessy ( The House of Blue Leaves ) and Reno Sweeney (Anything Goes). Cassie is extremely excited for the opportunity to perform with THT Rep for the first time. She also wants to thank her amazing partner Dave for supporting her in all her creative endeavors.

JOHN TRACEY (Sir Andrew)

New England area credits include Photograph 51 and Les Liaisons Dangereuses (The Nora), A Doll’s House (Huntington Theatre Co.), The Launch Prize and Julius Caesar (Bridge Rep), The Crucible (Trinity Rep), a bunch of off-off-Broadway and Fringe shows, plus workshops with Baltimore CenterStage, Huntington and Speakeasy Stage. BFA, The University of the Arts; MFA, Brown University/ Trinity Rep.

CREATIVE TEAM

BRENDON FOX (Director)

Brendon is a director, teacher and two-time NEA Panelist whose work has been seen from Los Angeles to Prague. Credits include: Judith, Reborning, Urbanite Theatre; A Hundred Words for Snow, Connecticut Rep; Baskerville, The Cape Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse / Cincinnati Playhouse; The Winter’s Tale , Prague Shakespeare Company; Blithe Spirit , Peninsula Players; Love’s Labour’s Lost , Colorado Shakespeare Festival; Long Day’s Journey into Night, American Stage; Angels in America (Parts One and Two), Opus, Peter and the Starcatcher, PlayMakers Repertory Company; Much Ado About Nothing, Old Globe Theatre; Opus, Portland Center Stage. He has helped develop new works at the New Harmony Project, Asolo New Play Festival, and JAW New Works Festival. He’s looking forward to directing Much Ado About Nothing at Prague Shakespeare Company and the 50th Anniversary Gala of LA Theatre Works this spring. His website is foxdirector.com.

DR. KATHRYN M. MONCRIEF (Associate Director, Dramaturg,

Intimacy Choreographer)

Kathryn is Paris Fletcher Distinguished Professor and Head of Humanities and Arts at WPI. She is co-editor of “Shakespeare Expressed: Page, Stage and Classroom in Early Modern Drama”; “Performing Pedagogy in Early Modern England” and “Performing Maternity in Early Modern England” and has published widely including articles in Hamlet: The State of Play; Shaping Shakespeare for Performance; Gender and Early Modern Constructions of Childhood; Renaissance Quarterly and Shakespeare Bulletin. Dramaturgy/text coaching: Prague Shakespeare Company ( Henry VI 1, 2, & 3, The Winter’s Tale, Twelfth Night); Utah Shakespeare Festival (Twelfth Night, The Book of Will, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ); Colorado Shakespeare Festival ( Love’s Labour’s Lost ); Chesapeake Shakespeare ( Wild Oats, Othello, She Stoops to Conquer, Henry IV 1 & 2, Hamlet ); Nebraska Rep ( Sense and Sensibility ), Elements Theatre Company (King Lear); The Hanover Theatre Rep (Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Twelfth Night ). Directing/WPI ( Every Brilliant Thing, Silent Sky, Sense and Sensibility, Nothing is the End of the World). Intimacy Choreography: Prague Shakespeare, The Hanover Theatre Rep, The Hanover Theatre Conservatory ( A Midsummer Night’s Dream ), WPI ( Dogfight ), Clark University (Small Mouth Sounds, Sense and Sensibility).

BARON E. PUGH (Scenic Designer)

Baron is a Boston-based scenic designer for theater, opera and other live performance arts. Recent credits include: Off-Broadway: shadow/land (associate designer) (The Public Theater). NYC: King Lear, The Tempest (The Juilliard School, Drama Division). Regional: Million Dollar Quartet, B.R.O.K.E.N code B.I.R.D switching (Berkshire Theatre Group); ABCD (Barrington Stage); Trouble in Mind (Hartford Stage); K-I-S-S-I-N-G (associate designer), The Bluest Eye (associate designer) (The Huntington Theatre); Tiny Beautiful Things, Radio Golf (Trinity Rep); Detroit ‘67, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, School Girls (TheatreSquared); Assassins, The Light, Breath and Imagination, The Wiz (Lyric Stage Company of Boston). Baron received his MFA in Scenic Design from Boston University and is a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829. @bpscenic on Instagram.

CREATIVE TEAM

CHELSEA KERL (Costume Designer)

Chelsea is pleased to be back at the BrickBox having previously designed Edgar Allen Poe Double Header. Chelsea is a Boston based freelance artist and educator; she received her MFA in Costume Design from Boston University and previously attended the University of Maryland. Chelsea is the costume shop manager and costume design professor at Wellesley College; she also teaches at Bridgewater State University and previously worked in the costume shop of the American Repertory Theatre. Select recent designs include- Huntington Theatre Company: Witch (Elliot Norton Award Winner, Outstanding Design: Large Theatre), Wheelock Family Theatre at BU: Willy Wonka ; SpeakEasy Stage Company/Front Porch Arts Collective: Pass Over ; Company One/ American Repertory Theatre: Greater Good . More of her work can be seen at chelseakerl.com.

LAURA J. ECKELMAN (Lighting Designer)

Laura is delighted to be back at The Hanover Theatre Repertory after previously designing The Glass Menagerie, Judith and The Crucible. Other credits include: Utah Shakespeare Festival, Yale Repertory Theatre, Studio Theatre, Theater J, Keegan Theater, Triad Stage, The Welders, Perseverance Theatre, the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, Bang on a Can, Capital Fringe, the New York Urban Theatre Festival, PTP NYC, the Byrdliffe Arts Festival, the International Festival of Arts & Ideas and many others. Laura is an Associate Professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where she teaches design & management. She is also a proud alumna of Middlebury College and Yale School of Drama. laurajeckelman.com

MARK MUMMERT (Composer)

Mark Mummert is the Cantor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Worcester and the Associate Conductor of The Worcester Chorus. Prior to moving to Worcester in 2016, Mark was the Distinguished Visiting Cantor at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. He also served as Director of Worship at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas and was Seminary Musician at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. As a composer, Mark’s principal works have been for worship, including the first musical setting of Holy Communion in the “Evangelical Lutheran Book of Worship” (2006). He served as editor and chief composer for the volumes “Music Sourcebook for Lent and the Three Days” and “Psalm Setting for the Church Year,” both published by Augsburg Fortress. Mark serves on the voice faculty at The Hanover Theatre Conservatory.

BECKI GRAY (Properties Coordinator / Scenic Builder)

Becki is a fabricator, artisan and storyteller with a varied background in the arts disciplines, having provided services in dance, opera, theatre, fine arts, as well as occasional film and television. Becki takes a hands-on, collaborative view towards problem-solving and storytelling through design and execution, and has recently been the Props Coordinator for The Glass Menagerie (BrickBox (JMAC)); as well as the costume designer for “The Liberator,” an independent film; and the lead soft sculpture fabricator on “Common Conscience” and “Turret Tops,” both at the deCordova Sculpture Parks and Museum.

CREATIVE TEAM

VALERIE ZOLEZZI-WYNDHAM (DEIB Counselor)

Valerie is thrilled to join The Hanover Theatre Repertory for its production of Twelfth Night. She has served as DEIB Counselor for several productions helping the team practice inclusion and to proactively address challenges that arise in support of the organization’s DEIB commitments. Valerie is founder/CEO of Promoting Good, a Worcester based and national DEIB firm and an inclusive leadership coach. She thanks Livy for inviting her to be a part of the THT Rep team. She loves theatre and this role brings her great joy!

SCOTT O’BRIEN (Sound Designer)

Off-Broadway/New York: 100 Saints You Should Know (Playwrights Horizons), Normalcy, Jungle Book, Eye of God, The Soldier Dreams, Harvest (Theatre East), The Tempest, Three Sisters, Hamlet, MacBeth, Titus Andronicus, The Winters’ Tale, Henry V, The Merchant of Venice (American Globe Theatre). Regional: The Art of Coarse Acting, The Just (Chautauqua Theatre Company), Safe House (Repertory Theatre of St Louis), Slashes of Light, A Body of Water, Lonely Planet, Swimming in the Shallows (Kitchen Theatre Company), On the Open Road, Inventing Montana, Scotland Road, The Innocents, Below the Belt, The Woman in Black, The Haunting of Hill House, The Killing of Sister George (Centenary Stage Company), MacBeth, No Child, The Tempest, Great Expectations, Imbroglio (world premiere) (Great River Shakespeare Festival), Pilgrims Musa & Sheri in the New World (The Public Theatre, Lewiston, ME), An Illiad, The Importance of Being Earnest (Theatre at Monmouth), The Gravediggers’ Union (world premiere - Bates College). Film: Eleanor; Godmother of American Fashion (Vanity Fair Films), Phoenix Rising; The Silent Victims Speak (Noblevision Productions). Academic: lecturer on music & sound design - SUNY-Rockland (NY), Fairleigh-Dickinson University (NJ), Pace University (NY), Montclair State University (NJ), Duke Ellington School of the Arts, (Washington, DC).

LISA HACKMAN (Production Manager)

Lisa is excited to be back with The Hanover Theatre Repertory for this production. Lisa is currently the Vice President of Operations & Production at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory. Since January 1999, Lisa has been with Blue Man Group as a Stage Manager in Chicago & Boston, the Production Stage Manager with the Boston production from 2006-2022 and the PSM representative for the entire company from 2015-2020. Thank you for coming and please enjoy the show!

PERRI SYLVESTER (Wardrobe Supervisor)

Perri Sylvester is the wardrobe manager at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory. She is a Worcester based artist who is thrilled to be involved in the local theatre scene. She loves teaching costume design classes at the conservatory. In her free time, she enjoys designing and making sterling silver jewelry. Perri has designed costumes for the Youth Acting Company and the Youth Summer Program at The Hanover Theatre Conservatory, as well as assisted on the THT Rep shows Macbeth and The Glass Menagerie. She is the wardrobe manager for The Nutcracker and the Youth Ballet Company productions.

CREATIVE TEAM

RAFI LEVAVY* (Production Stage Manager)

Rafi has worked on 14 Off-Broadway productions (including most major companies), worked with Jim Henson Productions and Walt Disney Theatrical Productions and has toured nationally with Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Regional credits include Arizona Theatre Company, Interlochen Shakespeare Festival, New Bedford Festival Theater, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Central Square Theater, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Virginia Stage Company, Theatre Exile, Lincoln Center Theater, Bagaduce Theater, Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, Stoneham Theatre, Depot Theatre, Lyric Stage of Boston, New Repertory Theatre, Kentucky Repertory, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Foothills Theatre Company, Miniature Theatre of Chester, Barter Theater, Maine State Music Theatre and Paper Mill Playhouse. A proud member of Equity, Rafi holds a degree in computer science from Brandeis University.

JESS BRENNAN** (Assistant Stage Manager)

Jess is a freelance stage manager who is thrilled to be a part of her first show with The Hanover Theatre Repertory. She has an M.A. in Theatre Arts from Middlesex University (London, UK) and a B.A. in Creative Arts from Siena College (Loudonville, NY). Her recent credits include Alabaster (Brown/Trinity, SM), One Flea Spare (B/T, SM), Macbeth (Commonwealth Shakespeare Co, Site Operations Manager), Imogen (B/T, SM), The Book of Lucy (B/T, calling SM) and Wolf Play (B/T, SM). She has also worked with The Longwood Players, Apollinaire Theatre Company, Gloucester Stage Company, Flyleaf Theatre Company and Ghost Light Players. Jess thanks her family and friends for their love and support.

TWELFTH NIGHT IN REP WITH

JUDITH

DIRECTED BY BRENDON FOX APR 13 - MAY 3

TIERED TICKET PRICING RANGES FROM $12-$200. THEHANOVERTHEATRE.ORG/JUDITH

Photo by Sorcha Augustine Photography. Livy Scanlon, Member of AEA

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Worcester Center for Performing Arts (WCPA), a registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, owns and operates The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts (THT) and, on behalf of the Worcester Cultural Coalition (WCC), manages Worcester’s BrickBox Theater at the Jean McDonough Arts Center (JMAC). All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
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Photo by UnityMike. Meri Stypinski, Member of AEA, as Laura in THT Rep’s The Glass Menagerie
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