Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, Nov. 17
Ahead of the kickoff of 2024 ticket sales Friday, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival announced casting for most of its 10 shows on Wednesday.
OSF Artistic Director Tim Bond shared continued enthusiasm for the coming 2024 season.
“We’re ecstatic to be unveiling the artists bringing these 10 thrilling and dynamic productions to life in 2024,” Bond said in a news release. “There’s so much to be excited about—we have admired OSF actors and artists making their grand returns to OSF, but we also have some new names that we look forward to welcoming to the Festival for the very first time. You can already feel the collective energy from these artists’ immense amount of creativity and passion as our productions begin to take form… It’s electric!”
‘Macbeth’
- By William Shakespeare
- Directed by Evren Odcikin
- March 19 – Oct. 12, 2024, Angus Bowmer Theatre
Described as a powerful exploration of fate, an unexpected prophecy sends Scottish general Macbeth on a feverish and murderous quest to become king. With startlingly beautiful language, Shakespeare’s revered tragedy reveals the underbelly of ambition in a world steeped in power-mongering, war, and magic. This muscular, modern production—an ensemble-based showcase for OSF’s acting company—is directed by former OSF Associate Artistic Director Evren Odcikin (“unseen,” 2022) and plays all season in the Angus Bowmer Theatre.
The cast: Gabriela Fernandez-Coffey as Lady Macduff, Jennie Greenberry as Third Witch, Auston Henderson as Lennox, Kate Hurster as First Witch, David Kelly as Duncan, Kevin Kenerly as Macbeth, Jana Krumholz as Angus, David Anthony Lewis as Ross, Amy Lizardo as Second Witch, Armando McClain as Banquo, Erica Sullivan as Lady Macbeth, Dane Troy as Malcolm, Nicole Villavicencio as Fleance, and Jaysen Wright as Macduff.
The creative team: Evren Odcikin, director; Jon Rua, choreographer; Michael Locher, scenic designer; Melissa Torchia, costume designer; Michael K. Maag, lighting designer; T. Carlis Roberts, composer, sound designer and music director; Rosa Joshi, dramaturg; Wiley Basho Gorn, dramaturg; Jaz Hall, assistant director; Rocío Mendez, fight director and intimacy director; Carla Pantoja, associate fight director and associate intimacy director; Natalie Allen, associate choreographer; JZ Casting, casting directors; Sarah Dale Lewis, production stage manager; Hal Day, assistant stage manager; and Citlalin Zapata Sanchez, rehearsal production assistant.
‘Born with Teeth‘
- By Liz Duffy Adams
- Directed by Rob Melrose
- Associate Director Anna Crace
- March 20 – Oct. 13, 2024, Angus Bowmer Theatre
William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe are described as two of the greatest writers of their time. In what OSF describes as “razor-sharp” imagined encounter by Liz Duffy Adams, the two men go head-to-head, fighting, flirting, and festering in the back room of a pub while attempting to collaborate on a play cycle. Set against the backdrop of an aging ruler, an oppressive police state, and constant threat of spies, “Born with Teeth” is a high-stakes dramatization of history that remarkably mirrors the present day. The dark comedy is hailed as “sharp” and “sexy.”
Casting for this two-person play will be announced soon, according to OSF.
The creative team: Liz Duffy Adams, Playwright; Rob Melrose, Director; Anna Crace, Associate Director; Michael Locher, Scenic Designer; Carolina Ortiz Herrera, Lighting Designer; Cliff Caruthers, Composer & Sound Designer; Carla Pantoja, Fight Director & Intimacy Director; JZ Casting, Casting Directors; Emily Robinson, Production Stage Manager; Dawn Marie Kelley, Assistant Stage Manager; and Finlay Kuester, Rehearsal Assistant Stage Manager.
‘Shakespeare and the Alchemy of Gender’
- Created and performed by Lisa Wolpe
- Directed by Laurie Woolery
- March 21 – May 4, 2024, Thomas Theatre
Internationally-renowned actor and Shakespeare scholar Lisa Wolpe has arguably played more of the Bard’s male roles than any woman in history. From cross-gender exploration to the unforgettable story of her life, Wolpe triumphantly illustrates that Shakespeare’s insight into the human condition is as relevant as ever.
The creative team: Lisa Wolpe, Creator and Performer; Laurie Woolery, Director; Valerie Pope, Lighting Designer; Moira Gleason, Production Stage Manager; Trixie Hong, Assistant Stage Manager; and Finlay Kuester, Rehearsal Assistant Stage Manager.
‘Smote This, A Comedy About God… and Other Serious $H*T’
- Created and performed by Rodney Gardiner
- March 22 – May 12, 2024, Thomas Theatre
In this one-man comedy, Rodney Gardiner tries to abandon God despite his deeply Christian roots. For this undocumented Black boy growing up in tumultuous 1980s Miami, racial unrest, an immigration crisis, and the drug war is just another Tuesday. “Smote This” is an entertaining web of stories and tangents, and OSF is delighted to welcome back Rodney Gardiner, who has thrilled our audiences for years in everything from musicals to Shakespeare.
The creative team: Rodney Gardiner, creator and performer; Valerie Pope, Lighting Designer; JuanCarlos Contreras, Production Stage Manager; Katherine Nelson, Assistant Stage Manager; and Max Zamorano, Rehearsal Production Assistant.
‘Virgins to Villains: My Journey with Shakespeare’s Women’
- Created and performed by Robin Goodrin Nordli
- Directed by Penny Metropulos
- May 16 – July 19, 2024, Thomas Theatre
In this witty, insightful, and revealing one-woman show, actress Robin Goodrin Nordli draws from her experiences of performing in 61 productions of 30 plays by William Shakespeare.
From the innocent virgins of her past to the vindictive villains of her present, Goodrin Nordl explores her own life through the prism of her relationship with Shakespeare’s women.
The creative team: Robin Goodrin Nordli, creator and performer; Penny Metropulos, director; Valerie Pope, lighting designer; Moira Gleason, production stage manager; Trixie Hong, assistant stage manager; and Max Zamorano, rehearsal production assistant.
‘Lizard Boy’
- Book, music, and lyrics by Justin Huertas
- Directed by Brandon Ivie
- June 11 – Oct. 12, 2024, Thomas Theatre
An indie-rock musical like you’ve never seen before. Trevor has become a myth in his hometown: a lonesome outsider whose skin turned green and scaly after a childhood encounter with a dragon. Now he leaves his house only once a year, on Monsterfest, the anniversary of the incident — and that’s tonight.
Out on a first date with a new crush, Cary, he meets a fellow dragon survivor who fears the dragons have returned and begs Trevor to help fight them. Can Trevor accept who he is and save his city … and his first date? This funny, quirky, heartbreaking musical, winner of six San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards and fresh from its 2023 Off-Broadway run, will delight audiences in our intimate Thomas Theatre
The cast: Justin Huertas as Trevor, Kiki DeLohr as Siren, and William A. Williams as Cary.
The creative team: Justin Huertas, Book, Music & Lyrics; Brandon Ivie, Director; Steven Tran, Music Director; L. B. Morse, Original Production Design; Suzu Sakai, Scenic Adaptation Designer; Erik Andor, Costume Designer; Kevin Heard, Sound Designer; Katherine Freer, Projections Designer; JZ Casting, Casting Directors; Katherine Nelson, Production Stage Manager; JuanCarlos Contreras, Assistant Stage Manager; and Max Zamorano, Rehearsal Production Assistant.
‘Coriolanus’
- By William Shakespeare, in a modern verse translation by Sean San José
- Adapted and directed by Rosa Joshi
- Presented by OSF and Portland Center Stage
- Produced in association with upstart crow collective and Play On Shakespeare
- July 23 – Oct. 13, 2024, Thomas Theatre
Fragile democracy and treacherous alliances: When civil unrest wracks Rome as the famine-ravaged underclass battle the ruling elite, a war hero steps into the spotlight to serve his nation — only to turn on it and seek its overthrow. Shakespeare’s rarely produced tragedy comes to visceral life in the intimacy of OSF’s Thomas Theatre, helmed by visionary director and OSF Associate Artistic Director Rosa Joshi in a powerful, movement-focused production featuring a cast of female and non-binary actors. Sean San José’s modern translation brings the story to the forefront, illuminating Shakespeare’s themes of ambition and delicate democracy that will particularly resonate during an election year.
The cast: Maria Porter as Volumnia, Antoinette Robinson as Aufidius, Betsy Schwartz as Sicinius, and Kate Wisniewski as Menenius, with further casting to be announced.
The creative team: Sean San José, Translator; Rosa Joshi, Adapter and Director; Alice Gosti, Movement Director; Sara Ryung Clement, Scenic Designer & Costume Designer; Sarah K. Hughey, Lighting Designer; Caroline Eng, Composer & Sound Designer; Chris Schweiger, Production Stage Manager; Jordan E. Moore, Assistant Stage Manager; and Max Zamorano, Rehearsal Production Assistant.
‘Behfarmaheen (If You Please)’
- Created and performed by Barzin Akhavan
- Directed by Desdemona Chiang
- July 31 – Sept. 15, 2024
An immigrant between two worlds: This one-man show tells a true story of the journey a young man takes to find belonging in two worlds divided. Using multilingual dialogue, traditional Iranian music, and American pop culture, OSF fan favorite Barzin Akhavan (Oklahoma!, Water by the Spoonful) brings his irrepressible energy back to OSF.
The creative team: Barzin Akhavan, creator and performer; Desdemona Chiang, Director; Valerie Pope, Lighting Designer; Trixie Eunae Hong, Production Stage Manager; Moira Gleason, Assistant Stage Manager; and Max Zamorano, Rehearsal Production Assistant.
‘Much Ado About Nothing’
- By William Shakespeare
- Directed by Miriam A. Laube
- June 1 – Oct. 12, 2024, Allen Elizabethan Theater
“Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably”: Romance, wit, and mistaken identities fuel this new staging of Shakespeare’s beloved “comedy of tricks!” Don Pedro’s army has just returned home victorious after the war. Love is in the air, even as two of history’s most tumultuous couples—Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero—volley hilarious quips and damning accusations back and forth. Will the truth win in this mischievous game of love? Find out in this dazzling, music-filled production directed by Miriam A. Laube, who brings her 17 seasons of OSF experience to this Shakespeare favorite, lighting up the Allen Elizabethan Theatre all summer.
The cast: Aleeyah Enriquez as Watch, Al Espinosa as Leonato, Cedric Lamar as Don Pedro, Mark Murphey as Verges, Sheila Tousey as Antonia, John Tufts as Benedick, Amy Kim Waschke as Beatrice, Tyrone Wilson as Borachio, and Rex Young as Dogberry, with further casting to be announced.
The creative team: Miriam A. Laube, Director; Efren Delgadillo, Jr., Scenic Designer; Helen Q.
Huang, Costume Designer; Marcella Barbeau, Lighting Designer; Andre J. Pluess & Amanda Dehnert, co-composers; Paul James Prendergast, Sound Designer; Jaclyn Miller, Choreographer; Kristin Leahey, Dramaturg; Carla Pantoja, Fight Director & Intimacy Director; Ursula Meyer, Voice & Text Director; JZ Casting, Casting Directors; Chris Schweiger, Production Stage Manager; Emily Robinson, Assistant Stage Manager; Finlay Kuester, Assistant Stage Manager; and Dawn Marie Kelley, Rehearsal Assistant Stage Manager
Musicians: Michael Palzewicz, Cello; Daniel Sherrill, Guitar & Band Leader; and Reed Bentley, Drums/Percussion.
‘Jane Eyre’
- Adapted by Elizabeth Williamson from the novel by Charlotte Brontë
- Directed by Dawn Monique Williams
- May 31 – Oct. 11, 2024, Allen Elizabethan Theater
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me”: One of the most beloved heroines in literary history shines bright in this adaptation by Elizabeth Williamson. Orphaned as a child and raised by cruel relatives and cold schoolmasters, Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as an adult: working as a governess on a remote estate.
But as she slowly falls in love with her moody employer, she discovers that he — and his home — are surrounded by dark secrets. With only her resilience and wits to guide her, how will Jane save her chance for happiness? This Gothic masterpiece is directed by Dawn Monique Williams, who helmed OSF’s lush 2023 staging of “Twelfth Night.”
The cast: Thilini Dissanayake as Young Jane/Adele; Al Espinosa as John, Jennie Greenberry as Jane Eyre, Kate Hurster as Grace Pool, Amy Lizardo as Leah, Armando McClain as Mr. Rochester, Caroline Shaffer as Mrs. Fairfax, Dane Troy as Mason, and Tyrone Wilson as Mr. Wood.
The creative team: Elizabeth Williamson, adapter; Dawn Monique Williams, Director; Efren Delgadillo, Jr., Scenic Designer; Sarah K. Hughey, Lighting Designer; Paul James Prendergast, Composer & Sound Designer; Roberta Inscho, Movement Director / Associate Director; Rocío Mendez, Fight Director & Intimacy Director; Gretchen Ugalde, Associate Scenic Designer; Quy Ton, Production Stage Manager; Sarah Dale Lewis, Assistant Stage Manager; Citlalin Zapata Sanchez, Production Assistant; and Hal Day, Rehearsal Assistant Stage Manager.
Source: Oregon Shakespeare Festival news release. Email Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].
