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Nick Albrecht (Lord Capulet). Originally hailing from Omaha, NE, Nick is the Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre at North Dakota State University. Nick holds an MFA in Acting from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and BA’s in Musical Theatre and Vocal Music Education from Dana College. Regional Performing Credits include: Triad Stage, Great Plains Theatre, Nebraska Shakespeare, Cortland Repertory Theatre, Blue Barn Theatre, The Prizery, Post Playhouse, and Omaha Playhouse. Nick is also a director and music director, some favorite credits include: A Piece of My Heart, Almost, Maine, The Odd Couple, Songs for A New World, Billy Elliot, and Peter Pan.
Guadalupe Campos (Juliet) is originally from El Paso, TX, and currently completing a year long national tour with Olney Theatre Center’s National Players where she played several roles in Hamlet, The Giver and The Grapes of Wrath. She also read the role of Yazmin Ortiz in Water by the Spoonful at Olney Theatre Center’s Pulitzer Reading Festival. Other regional credits include TheatreSquared: Amadeus, Hamlet, NWA New Play Festival: The Quest for Don Quixote and Just Like Us, The Border Theatre: Empanada Loca (Co-Produced). Graduate and college credits include roles in The Motherf***er with the Hat, Twelfth Night, The Cherry Orchard, Kin, Time Stands Still, The Clean House, Romeo and Juliet and Three Musketeers among others. Guadalupe was educated at The University Texas El Paso and University of Arkansas where she received a B.F.A in Theatre and an M.F.A in Drama respectively.
Carrie Colton (Director/Fight Choreographer) is an actor, director, and composer haling from Salt Lake City, Utah. She currently is an Assistant Professor of Drama at Jacksonville State University in Alabama. Carrie holds a B.F.A. in Classical Acting from Southern Utah University, where she studied with the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival. She also holds an MFA in directing from Florida State University where she directed Rikki Tikki Tavi, Romeo and Juliet, Some Girl(s), and in 2015, was voted by the student body to speak at commencement. Carrie performed in two international tours: My Fair Lady (Eliza) and Annie (Miss Hannigan), before discovering her love for directing at the Gyeonggi English Village in South Korea. Favorite directorial credits include Hairspray with the Fusion Academy of Hong Kong, Julius Caesar with Grassroots Tallahassee and The Tempest with the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival. Carrie has spent the last three summers directing and music directing at RMTK in Boulder, CO. Productions included Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast and Charlotte's Web. Carrie has studied at the Moscow Art Theatre, Regents College in London, and received her 200 hour certification at Guru Mahi's Ashrum in Dharmsala, India. She cannot wait to be directing her favorite play in the inaugural season of North Dakota Shakespeare!
Tyler Folkedahl (Abram/Friar John) is a Senior studying Musical Theatre Performance at UND. He is extremely excited to be a part of Romeo and Juliet this Summer, and is thrilled to be a part of this amazing company. Previous credits include A Man of No Importance and They Don't Pay? We Won't Pay! at UND as well as Hairspray and Spring Awakening with Empire Theatre Company, and Million Dollar Quartet with FrostFire Summer Theatre.
Luke Harger (Romeo) is entering his senior year at the University of Minnesota- Duluth, pursuing a BFA
in Musical Theatre Performance. Some recent credits include The Little Mermaid (Scuttle), She Loves Me (Kodaly), One River (Luke), and Spring Awakening (Ernst). Coming up later this summer, Luke will be playing Eddie Birdlace in Renegade Theatre Company’s production of Dogfight. Luke also serves as President of Stage 2 Theatre, UMD’s student-run theatre company. When he’s not performing, Luke enjoys spending time outdoors, board games, and long, romantic walks on the beach. He is honored to be a part of North Dakota Shakespeare and cannot wait to perform on the banks of the Red River!
Joshua Hernandez (Peter/Gregory), originally from Miami, FL, is a recent graduate of Florida State University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and trained at the FSU Theatre Academy in London, England. Previous theatre credits include Servant of Two Masters (Vittorio), Julius Caesar (Caius Ligarius), James and the Giant Peach (Grasshopper), and Rabbit Hole (Jason). He has also performed in numerous short films produced by the FSU College of Motion Picture Arts. He is extremely excited to be a part of his first professional theatre production at North Dakota Shakespeare and would like to thank his friends and family for their undying support and guidance.
Lauren Hugh (Benvolio), a native of Chanhassen, MN (home of the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres), is excited to be a part of North Dakota Shakespeare’s first production of Romeo & Juliet! Lauren is a senior at the University of Minnesota Duluth in their BFA Musical Theatre program and will be graduating in the spring of 2018. Some of her favorite shows include Legally Blonde: The Musical (Pilar), Spring Awakening (Thea), Tribes (Sylvia), One River (Sharon/Claire), and Joseph…Dreamcoat - twice (Narrator/Ensemble)! After she finishes R&J she will be going back to Duluth for the musical Dogfight at Renegade Theatre Company. When she’s not doing theatre you can probably find her making cupcakes and cake pops for her business, Peace of Cake Bakery. Lauren thanks her parents, sister and family for their continued love and support!
Debbie Kennedy (Costume Designer) is a 2016 graduate of The George Washington University's Master of Fine Arts Program in Costume Design. Her undergraduate degrees are from North Dakota State University in Home Economics and Textiles and Clothing. Debbie’s theater credits include costume designs for It’s a Wonderful Like, A Live Radio Play, Elling and Back to Methuselah for The Washington Stage Guild; Absurdities: An Evening with Ionesco for The George Washington University; as well as outer space costumes for the 4-H Arts-In Performers at the Minnesota State Fair. She has also had museum exhibits displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection, part of the Textile Museum in Washington, D. C. Upcoming projects include a star quilt for the University House. Debbie is married to Mark R. Kennedy, president of the University of North Dakota. They have four children and three grandchildren.
Hardy Koenig (Prince Escalus) originally hails from Texas and is now the Head of the Theatre Department at North Dakota State University in Fargo. He teaches Acting and Voice for the stage and directs on the main stage for NDSU. He holds an M.F.A. in Acting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Texas at Austin. Hardy attended the Month Long Winter Intensive at Shakespeare and Co. in Lennox, MA. Some of his favorite roles are Mark Rothko in Red and Vanya in Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike at Theatre B in Fargo. There is a special place in his heart for his first Shakespeare role as the Duke in Measure for Measure, long, long ago at UNC Greensboro. Favorite directing credits include this year's Songs for a New World and last season's Romeo and Juliet for Theatre NDSU. He's glad to be a part of North Dakota Shakespeare's first production.
Loren Liepold (Technical Director) has worked for UND Theatre Arts since 1990, helping to mount hundreds of productions. A native of Heron Lake, Minn., he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from Southwest State University in Marshall, Minn. He worked in theatre in Rochester, Minn., before coming to UND. At UND, Liepold has been active in University affairs, including the Staff Senate, and has assisted with numerous UND and Grand Forks events. He’s the unofficial historian of University theatre, which can be traced as far back as 1902!
Nick Munson (Tybalt) is a student at Indiana University from Muncie, Indiana. He is a member of the Hutton Honors College, and is currently a junior pursuing a B.A. in Theatre & Drama and English. Indiana University credits include: Noises Off (Tim Allgood), King Lear (Oswald), The Exonerated (Rhodes/Doyle/Ensemble), and The Tempest (Adrian). Independent projects at IU include: The Tempest
(Trinculo) and Julius Caesar (Decius/Lucilius). Nick is an enormous fan of Shakespeare and is thrilled to be a part of Romeo and Juliet in North Dakota!
Matthew Murry (Mercutio/Company Manager) holds an M.F.A. in Acting from Indiana University, a B.A. in Theatre with a Minor in Music from Muskingum University and a certificate in Commedia Dell'Arte Performance from Antonio Fava's International School of Comic Acting. Regional Theatre Favorites: Macbeth (Macbeth), The Drowsy Chaperone (Man in Chair), To Kill a Mockingbird (Sheriff Heck Tate), Leading Ladies (Duncan), A Christmas Carol (Scrooge), Oliver Twist (Fagin), Footloose (Willard), Fiddler on the Roof (Perchik). South Korea: The Legend of Robin Hood (Sheriff of Nottingham), Alice in Wonderland (The White Rabbit). Favorite Directing Credits: Humble Boy (IU Independent Project), Campout! An English Musical (South Korea). This Fall, he will be an Adjunct Professor of Theatre Arts at UND.
Ashlee Cheyenne Oliver (Assistant Stage Manager/Props Master) is currently obtaining a BA in Technical Design Theatre with a concentration in Stage/Production Management at Jacksonville State University, in Jacksonville, Alabama. Credits for Theatrics in performance elements include: Pentheus from The Bacchae, Vicarro from Tennessee William’s 27 Wagons full of Cotton, and he will be playing the lead, Judson, in JSU Drama’s upcoming production of Dorothy Meets Alice. Technical credits include: ASM for Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, Stage Manager for These Shining Lives and The Tempest, and Production Manager for the 2016 One-act festival. He is a private contractor who has technical experience in over 75 shows along with 3 professional film credits. He also serves as the Event coordinator for his chapter of Alpha Psi Omega. He would like to thank Debbie Braun for giving him so many opportunities.
Casey Paradies (Lord Montague) is thrilled to be performing again after a hiatus. Casey holds an M.A. in theatre from UND and is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC. He has been seen locally as the Emcee in Cabaret, Will Parker in Oklahoma! Larry in A Chorus Line and Vinnie in Lucky Stiff to name a few. Casey also directs and choreographs around the area. Most recently Little Shop of Horrors and The Drowsy Chaperone. Casey in the program director at Lake Region State College.
Timothy Pyles (Friar Laurence) is an Assistant Professor of Acting and Voice at the University of South Dakota. He is thrilled to be performing with North Dakota Shakespeare! Tim has previously appeared at the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival, the Black Hills Playhouse, and the Utah Shakespeare Festival. He thanks his amazing wife, without whom he literally could not be here.
*Tim appears by special arrangement with Actor's Equity Association.
Brad Reissig (Scenic/Lighting Designer) is an Associate Professor of Scenic and Lighting Design at the University of North Dakota. He received his Bachelors in Theatre from Kansas State University and his M.F.A. in Theatrical Design and Production at Illinois State University. Prior to his arrival at UND, Brad taught at SUNY Oneonta and Wichita State University. He also freelance designs around the country. Some of his productions include: Angels in America Parts 1&2, Ragtime, Hamlet, South Pacific, Falsettos and The Secret Garden. Brad received meritorious achievement awards from the Kennedy Center/ American College Theatre Festival for his scenic designs for Cabaret and The Crucible and was nominated for Faculty Fellowships in design at the Kennedy Center with Ming Cho Lee and Beverly Emmons. Brad is actively involved in both KC/ACTF and USITT.
Sarah Ringdahl (Stage Manager) is a recent graduate of the University of North Dakota with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Business Management and a minor in Theatre Arts. She is a Stage Manager and a Scenic Painter, but loves all technical theatre. Originally from West Fargo, ND, she discovered technical theatre working on a production of Les Miserables. Sarah even had a musical theatre themed graduation party with Wicked cupcakes and all! At UND, Sarah has stage managed A Man of No Importance, Hamlet and is currently working on The Nether. Aside form theatre, Sarah loves to travel. In the summer of 2015 Sarah studied abroad in London, England and interned at the Space Theatre. After her internship Sarah explored the highlands of Scotland as well as the Republic of Ireland. Sarah is excited to be a part of North Dakota Shakespeare and work on Romeo and Juliet!
Laura Shatkus (Lady Capulet/Text Coach) is an actor, writer and director hailing from Chicago, where she spent 10 years before relocating to Fayetteville, Arkansas to complete her MFA in Acting (May of 2015). In Chicago, Laura performed with a variety of companies including Muse of Fire (Macbeth), The Gift Theatre (The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Talk Radio), Mary-Arrchie (Beggars in the House of Plenty) and was most recently seen in 16th Street Theatre’s remount of Mariposa Nocturna: A Puppet Triptich. While in grad school, Laura performed a variety of roles, the penultimate of which was the Old Lady in Ionesco’s The Chairs, and co-founded 5 Months Pregnant long-form improv troupe with Miss Faatz-Murry and Miss Campos. As the Managing and Artistic Director of ArkansasStaged, she has produced and directed readings of a variety of contemporary and devised new works in Northwest Arkansas including Grounded, Venus In Fur, Art, Picasso at the Lapine Agile, Love Song, Merci, Maurer, Gertrude Stein Plays Paris and most recently, Lauren Gunderson’s The Taming, which was presented by over 50 theatre companies all over the country on Inauguration Day. Regional appearances include work with The Hippodrome Theatre in Gainesville, Florida (A Christmas Carol), as well as at TheatreSquared in Fayetteville (Intimate Apparel, All The Way, Amadeus, The Fall of The House and numerous appearances in The Arkansas New Play Festival). She is thrilled to be joining the ensemble of Romeo and Juliet for North Dakota Shakespeare’s inaugural production!
Matt Stavens (Balthasar) is from Grand Forks, North Dakota and currently studies Theatre Arts at the University of North Dakota where he was recently in the productions of A Man of No Importance and The Nether. Other works at UND include The Aliens, Hamlet, and a Student Showcase. He is currently rehearsing for UND’s upcoming production of The Odd Couple. Matt graduated from Central High School in 2013 and was heavily involved in choir and theatre there along with being a part of Summer Performing Arts for four years. Matt plans to graduate from UND in the spring of 2018 with a B.A. in Theatre Arts. This will be his first professional theatre production and he looks forward to the experience.
Rachael Swartz (Nurse) is thrilled to be joining the company of North Dakota Shakespeare! Rachael comes to ND from Lewisburg, WV where she was the Teaching Artist at Greenbrier Valley Theatre. She has served as Guest Artist and Professor of Acting for Ashland University, Education Director at Maples Repertory Theatre and The Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, and Director of Theatre Arts Camps at The Lost Colony. Favorite roles include The 39 Steps (Annabella/Pamela/Margaret), The Sound of Music (Mother Abbess), Assassins (Sara Jane Moore), Eleemosynary (Artemis), and Clybourne Park (Betsy/Lindsey). Rachael received her BA from Baldwin Wallace and MFA in Performance from Southern Miss. She is a proud Equity Membership Candidate and certified Practitioner in the Lessac voice and speech methodology.
Emily Taylor (Lady Montague/Costume Shop Manager) is a recent graduate of UND's M.A. Theatre program, focusing both in Acting and Costume Design. Her design work was recently seen in The Nether and she has appeared on the UND stage in Hamlet, A Man of No Importance and The Odd Couple, among others. Earlier this year, she received a prestigious Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas scholarship at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region 5.
Joe VanBuskirk (Paris) is a sophomore in the BFA Acting program at the University of South Dakota, originally from Rockford Minnesota. Excited to be working in North Dakota for the first time, he has recently appeared on the USD stage as Peter in Jesus Christ Superstar and Speed in Two Gentlemen of Verona. In his off time Joe likes to show off his flashy socks, play Dungeons and Dragons with his cool friends, and audition for North Dakota Shakespeare!
Ryan Zako (Technical Apprentice) is an aspiring technical theatre student at the University of North Dakota. Hailing from Cottage Grove, Minnesota, Ryan has been involved with theatre, both acting and set construction, since a few of his speech friends pressured him into auditioning during high school. He has held a job as a scene shop assistant for two years now, wherein he has dedicated at least 12 hours per week to the construction of various sets. His favorite set he has built thus far would be the 2016 production of Hamlet. Outside of his love for theatre, Ryan has a passion for space, cooking, Lord of the Rings, hanging out with friends, woodworking, painting, and playing video games competitively.