2024 COMPANY | northdakotashakes

Parker Anderberg (Solario) is excited to make his SDSF debut, having grown up attending SDSF workshops and shows, eventually volunteering, and working as a carpenter for the company. He recently graduated from USD with a BFA in Acting with some of his favorite roles there including Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, Geoffrey in The Lion in Winter, John in Fun Home, and Lord Lovelace and Lord Byron in Ada and the Engine. He is exhilarated to make his professional debut among professors and classmates who have helped him grow throughout the years.

Abby Anderson (Portia) is thrilled to perform at SDSF for the first time and return to NDSF after last season’s The Tempest (Miranda/Antonia)! Abby holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Rider University and an MFA in Acting from the University of Southern Mississippi. Favorite theatre credits include Sophocles’ Electra (Electra), Macbeth (Lady Macbeth), Doctor Faustus (Mephistopheles), and Steel Magnolias (Shelby). Abby is also an audiobook narrator, theatrical intimacy director, and is certified in multiple forms of stage combat with the SAFD. She is delighted to share this experience with her partner, Mark!

Rebecca Bailey (Director) is the Artistic Director for South Dakota Shakespeare Festival. She also serves as the Education Program Director for the Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault where she uses theatrical techniques in training Victim Advocates and other first responders. In 2021, she received a Visionary Voice Award for her work here. She has served as the Arkansas State Chair for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region VI. Rebecca works as a director and movement/ intimacy coach teaching classes focused on Acting, Directing, Shakespeare, Movement and Voice. In November 2021, she directed a devised production, For Hurting Hands which received two national awards from KCACTF including a Citizen’s Artist Award. She directed this production devised by seven students approaching their perspectives on equality and diversity following recent events. This is Rebecca's 3rd season with NDSF, having previously directed A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Comedy of Errors.

Jacee Casarella (Scenic Designer) is excited to join NDSF and SDSF for her first season! She is the Resident Designer, Technical Director, and Instructor of Theatre at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD. Jacee received her MFA in Scenic Design from Wayne State University in Detroit and has since worked as a Scenic Designer, Scenic Artist, and Technical Director for organizations such as the Black Hills Playhouse, Prairie Repertory Theatre, Des Moines Metro Opera, South Bend Civic Theatre, and Little Theatre on the Square. Additionally, Jacee serves as the VP of Social Media and Publications for USITT Northern Boundary and the Co-Volunteer Coordinator for KCACTF Region 5. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cross stitch, gardening, and hiking with her husband, Clark, and their dog, Zeke.

Terra Chaney (Nerissa) is in her first season with NDSF and SDSF. She is honored and excited to be in this production and grateful for the opportunity. She is based in NYC and is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Her credits include NYC-Royal Family Productions: Women on Fire (Rachel) The Secret Theater: Othello (Montano) Corkscrew Theater Festival: Cradle to Grave (Chorus). The #metoo Plays: And Then I Saw His…. (Girl). REGIONAL: Elm Shakespeare Company: Merry Wives of Windsor (Anne Page) Comedy of Errors (Luciana) Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey: A Midsummer Night’s Dream LIVE! (Titania/Hippolyta) Macbeth LIVE! (Female Swing) Much Ado About Nothing (The Watch). COLLEGIATE- American Musical and Dramatic Academy: Our Lady of 121st Street (Nezzie), In the Red and Brown Water (Oya). She would like to thank her family, especially her mother, and close friends for all their love and support.

Stephanie Faatz Murry- (Founder/Producing Artistic Director) is currently a Denver-based theatre artist, teaching, directing and performing in the Denver/Boulder area. She holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from SUNY Fredonia, an M.F.A. in Acting from the University of Arkansas and a certificate in Classical Acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). She is thrilled to share her love of classical theatre with the ND/MN community for an 8th season! Keep up with her theatrical adventures at www.stephaniefaatzmurry.com.

Veronica Lee Folkedahl (Artistic Associate) is overjoyed to be serving as Artistic Associate for a second year! She previously appeared onstage as Lady Abess/Etc., Peaseblossom/Hippolyta, Horatio/Gertrude, Ursula, and Sampson/Apothecary. Outside of the theatre, you can probably catch her sipping on local coffee, playing bingo with her besties, or having a cozy night playing Animal Crossing with her babycat. If you’re a Grand Forks local, you may have seen her recently as Dragon in Shrek, or the production of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe she directed! Some favorite roles include Sandra (Big Fish), Mayzie (Seussical), Beggar Woman/Lucy (Sweeney Todd), Rosie (Mamma Mia) and #11 (The Wolves). Veronica would like to extend a gigantic, love-filled thank you to Stephanie for this opportunity, and for her never-ending support over the past 7 years.

Chaya Gordon* (Shylock) serves as Associate Professor of Theatre at the University of South Dakota, and works professionally as an Actor, Director, Fight Director, Teacher, and Dramaturg. She holds an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh, and has performed with theatre companies across the country including the American Shakespeare Center (Virginia), Inwood Shakespeare Festival (New York), New England Shakespeare Festival, Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, Hawaii Shakespeare Festival, Black Hills Playhouse, and many others. Chaya is co-founder and former Executive Artistic Director of the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival; while serving as artistic producer and director of multiple productions for 11 seasons, she also performed on the SDSF stage in the roles of Lady Macbeth, Olivia (Twelfth Night), and Emilia (Othello). Chaya is thrilled to work under the artistic leadership of former graduate student and long-time artistic collaborator, Rebecca Bailey, and to collaborate with SD and ND Shakespeare Festivals on this meaningful project.

With a heavy heart, Chaya dedicates this performance in honor and loving memory of Rabbi Guy “Hillel” Greene. We love you Rabbi, and hope that this makes you proud.

זיכרונו לברכה Zichrono Livracha. May his memory be a blessing.

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם Shalom Aleichem! Peace be upon you all!

*appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association

Tyler Hebert (Solanio u/s Gratiano) is excited to return to the ND/SD Shakespeare Festival for Merchant of Venice! You might have seen him in last summer’s ND Shakespeare production of The Tempest as Stephano. A recent graduate of UND where he received his BFA in Musical Theater, Tyler has continued to be an active member in the Grand Forks Theater Community. Some of his favorite productions have been A Year With Frog & Toad (Man 2), SpongeBob: the Musical (Patrick), and his directorial debut Tennessee Williams’ Suddenly Last Summer (ETC ‘24). Tyler is excited to share this production with the ND & SD communities!

Logan Kehoe (Arragon/Stephano/Ens.) is a recent graduate from the University of South Dakota, where he got a BFA in Musical Theatre. Though this is his first year at NDSF and SDSF, this is not his first experience with Shakespeare, being Orlando in USD's production of As You Like It. His other roles included Cord Elam at Prairie Repertoire Theatre's production of Oklahoma! and Ricky Potts in USD's Ride the Cyclone.

Mike Lee (Bassanio/Music Director) is from Madison, SD and is excited to return home this summer for his forth season with SDSF (and first with NDSF). Mike graduated from The University of Houston’s Professional Actor Training Program. Favorite roles include Feste in 12th Night at Houston Shakespeare Festival, Antipholus in Comedy of Errors at SDSF, & Llewellyn in The Old Man & The Old Moon at Hope Summer Rep. Mike is in a rock’n’roll band, Goatroper, who will be appearing at Vermillion’s AV Lounge on July 15th!

Michael Matthys* (Launcelot Gobbo) is an AEA actor that got his professional start as part of the acting company at the Guthrie Theater under Garland Wright. While there, he played Treplev in The Seagull which to this day is one of his most memorable experiences. Shakespearean roles include Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet (LA Shakespeare Festival), Angelo in Off the Rails (an adaptation of Measure for Measure with Native Voices), Solanio in The Merchant of Venice (Guthrie Lab), Jacques in As You Like It (A Noise Within) and most recently Albany in King Lear (Rubicon). He has also assayed Valentine, Grumio, Oberon, Toby Belch, Florizel, the Player King, Aufidius, and one of the witches in Macbeth. Yes indeed, Shakespeare is one of his favorite things to do. He may be most well known for playing Dr. Kent on Grey's Anatomy. He has appeared in the feature films Full Blast, Nightwatch, Stan the Man, House of Deadly Secrets, BASEketball, and Nightwatch. He is the Assistant Professor of Acting and Voice at USD.

*appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association

Sophia Psiakis (Jessica) is so excited to be a part of this combined North/South Dakota Shakespeare show! She is a graduate of Michigan State University with a BFA in Acting and has spent the last 16 years finding new ways to love theatre. They made their professional debut at the Williamston Theatre as Luanne in Be Here Now, and just finished two semesters with The Rev on Tour. They are also a voice actor and write music in their spare time! Sophia loves Taylor Swift, their cat Gooby, any form of animated content, fiber arts, and talking about all of those things. sophiapsiakis.com “

Josh Paine (Lorenzo) is overjoyed to be making his return to the North Dakota Shakespeare

Festival. You may have seen him last year during his NDSF debut as Ferdinand/Sebastian in The Tempest. This is his first time being a part of the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival. Some of his favorite credits include Balthasar in Romeo and Juliet, Lord of the Underworld in Eurydice, and Jim Seig in Our Man in Madras. Josh is eternally grateful to his family and friends for the absurd amount of love and support they’ve given him.

Angel Qualset (Costume Apprentice) is extremely excited to work with North and South Dakota Shakespeare Festival this summer! They are currently a Design and Technology student with an emphasis in Costume Design at the University of South Dakota. In the fall semester, they will be going into their third year at USD. Previous productions at they have been a part of are: The Inexplicable Chaos Factor of Mia Gregory (Costume Designer), Misdemeanor Dream (Wardrobe/Hair/Makeup Crew), Angel Street (Lighting Crew Chief), Silent Sky (Wardrobe Crew), and The White Liars and Black Comedy (Assistant Stage Manager).

Kristina Sneshkoff (Costume Designer) is delighted to join NDSF and SDSF for the first time with The Merchant of Venice! Regional design credits include Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, American Shakespeare Center, Skylight Music Theatre, Children’s Theater of Madison, FirstStage, Forward Theater Co., Renaissance Theaterworks, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, McLeod Summer Playhouse, Ivoryton Playhouse, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Barrington Stage Co, Two River Theatre Co., Seaside REP, Florida Studio Theatre, Asolo REP, Opera New Jersey, Ballet Nouveau Colorado. Previous faculty positions at UW-Stevens Point, Rutgers University, Princeton University, Western CT State University, North Park University. Currently serving as Assistant Professor of Costume Design at University of South Dakota. www.kristinasneshkoff.com

Joe Stollenwerk (Antonio) is delighted to make his NDSF debut and to return to SDSF, having played Sir Toby in Twelfth Night and Brabantio in Othello. Other recent projects include directing Fun Home and The Musical of Musicals: The Musical! at the University of South Dakota, where his Euripides adaptation These Women of Troy had its world premiere. He also conceived and directed Musicals, She Wrote, a revue highlighting the work of women writers of musical theatre songs, at Cincinnati Music Theatre. His short play Jan and Joe was recently published in Theatre/Practice. Other favorite roles include Victor/Hermit in Young Frankenstein (Black Hills Playhouse) and Gabriel York in When the Rain Stops Falling (Indiana University). Above all, Joe is thrilled to be playing this bucket list role opposite Chaya Gordon-Bland and under the direction of Rebecca Bailey.

Mark Swift (Gratiano, u/s Bassanio) is thrilled to be back with North Dakota Shakespeare and to be making his debut with South Dakota Shakespeare festival. Mark received his MFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi. Previous credits include The Tempest (Trinculo), Measure for Measure (Pompey), The Comedy of Errors (Angelo), and Henry IV part 1 (Walter Blunt).

Christopher Zou (Prince/Tubal/Duke) is excited to make his Midwest theater debut! He is a first-generation Chinese American actor and filmmaker from Queens, NY. Previous theater credits include Orsino in Twelfth Night (UH), Conrade in Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare NJ), Boyet in Love’s Labour’s Lost (Fiasco), and Adam in It’s a Small World…Or the Robot Play (Bristol Valley Theater). He is currently earning his MFA in Acting at University of Houston’s Professional Actor Training Program. BFA in Film & TV, NYU Tisch School of the Arts.