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We believe Shakespeare is for all.

We know anyone can connect to the heightened language and profound ideas of Shakespeare when the plays are explored with clarity, craft, and connection.

Our ensemble includes our audience. Together, we enjoy a shared responsibility for fathoming the complexities of Shakespeare’s plays. In this joint venture, we embrace this collective agency in raising our minds and hearts to the demands of these challenging texts, and thus create the immediacy and intimacy only experienced in theatre.

Through this communal and inclusive storytelling, we hold the mirror up to nature, reflecting our shared humanity and delivering theatre that moves, challenges, heals, and changes us.

Cast

Creative Team

Special Thanks

Special thanks to Anthony Chavez, Open Jar Studio Manager and Facilities Coordinator, who has inspired and supported us to make the kind of theater of which we dream. 

Meet the Company

ROB HATZENBELLER

Prince/1st Servingman

ESC credits include Julius Caesar (Brutus) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theseus) – Works in Progress. Additional credits: Hamlet, Women Beware Women (Shakespeare Theatre Company/STCA), The Visit (Goodman Theatre), Richard III (SoHo Shakespeare Company), Rhinoceros (SPT @ Lynn Redgrave Theatre), The Bonus Army (The Gym at Judson), Call Me Madam, Wildcat, A Funny Thing … Forum (42nd Street Moon), Guys and Dolls, The Sound of Music (AMTSJ), The Opposite of Sex (Magic Theatre), and Wonderful Town (Marin Theatre Company) – SF Bay Area Critics Circle Award. MFA: Shakespeare Theatre Company Academy at The George Washington University. Rob is a Patsy Rodenburg Associate (PRA) teacher.

SUSANNAH HOFFMAN

Lady Capulet

Susannah Hoffman received an MFA in acting from the A.R.T./MXAT Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University. Regional theater credits include Baby Doll in Baby Doll (McCarter Theatre), Mary Debenham in Murder on the Orient Express (McCarter Theatre and Hartford Stage), Cherie in Bus Stop (CENTERSTAGE), Sylvia in The Cottage (ACCC), Elizabeth in Heartless, Abigail in A Discourse on the Wonders of the Invisible World (Contemporary American Theater Festival), Sexual Perversity in Chicago (ART), The Donkey Show (ART), Connie in The Effect (Gloucester Stage), Ophelia in Hamletmachine (ART Institute), The Little Tragedies (Moscow Art Theater), and Nina in The Seagull (Opera House Arts). Her New York credits include The Actress in insignificance, Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet/Mercutio/Prince/Balthasar in Empirical Rogue’s four-actor Romeo & Juliet, Morgan in Owned, Celine in ... But the Next Morning, and Claire in L'Amour Fou. TV/Film: Jumpcut, Sender, Rogue Hostage, House of Cards, The Good Fight, Instinct, Spiderman 2, Invisible.

GERRARD LOBO

Capulet

Gerrard Lobo (SAG-AFTRA) is a NYC based actor with a history of playing a range of diverse roles. A company member with Ensemble Shakespeare Company, Gerrard played Helena in ESC’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. TV work includes Hulu's "Only Murders In The Building", CBS's "BULL", Netflix's "YOU" and "Master Of None", NBC's "Blacklist", along with several other shows. Gerrard is thrilled to play Lord Capulet in ESC’s Works In Progress production of Romeo & Juliet.

PAUL MARCHEGIANI

Benvolio

Paul Marchegiani is a Los Angeles-based performer and founder/CEO of Vox Vera, LLC (www.voxvera.com), a premium performance skills consulting firm that helps leaders, advocates, educators, and artists deliver a message, connect with others, and inhabit any space with presence. Paul's performance experience spans several disciplines, from classical voice (LA Opera, SF Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Chorus), to jazz, musical theatre, Shakespeare, and improvisation. Prior to launching Vox Vera, Paul worked as an entertainment lawyer and business affairs executive at several major Hollywood studios, including Warner Bros,, NBCUniversal, and Amazon. He holds a JD from Berkeley, a BA (History) and BMus (Voice & Opera) from Northwestern, and a PRA teaching certification from world-renowned voice, presence, and Shakespeare coach Patsy Rodenburg. In addition to performing and coaching, Paul frequently teaches courses on communication skills, presence, and public speaking at top law schools, including Stanford, Berkeley, and the University of Chicago.

DIEGO MILLAN

Mercutio/Balthasar

Diego Millan is an NYC-based actor and a company member with Ensemble Shakespeare Company. Previous Shakespeare credits include "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with ESC, "Macbeth" (Kulturkanonen), "Richard ii" and "Love's Labour's Lost" (Smith Street Stage), and "Suddenly Shakespeare: Taming of the Shrew" (Small Boat PC). With love and gratitude to my family who are on the west coast and won't see that I added this.

CELESTE MORATTI

Tybalt

Celeste Moratti (RRT, PRA) born in Italy, adoptive New Yorker. Before graduating from the Stella Adler Studio she also trained in Milan and Paris with Dario Fo and Yoshi Oida. Voice Teacher Training with Patsy Rodenburg (NYC-London-Portugal). She teaches regular Shakespeare workshops in NYC and Milan, Italy, and Voice and Speech at the Stella Adler Studio in NYC. Shakespeare-related credits: AD and founder of First Maria Ensemble and current company member of Ensemble Shakespeare Company, ADKShakespeare, Titan Theatre Company, Hyperion Theatre. Acting credits with ESC: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet. Other Shakespeare acting credits include Hamlet, Macbeth, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Merchant of Venice, Henry V, Henry VI parts 1, 2 and 3, Antony and Cleopatra, Richard III, The Tempest, Measure for Measure. Directing credits include Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night. Other (non-Shakespeare) credits (selected): Theatre (acting): Medea, A crazy Sound, Angelina, Boing Boing Against the wall, Ting Ting in our heads, Hamlet Hallucinations, Days of Antonio, Night Lights, The Theory of Color, Red Noir. Directing: Really Really, The Wolves. Member of the Living Theatre, the American Mime Theatre, Teatro Patologico. Film Credits: My Mother’s Fairy Tales, Fight The Panda Syndicate, L’Uomo Gallo, Traffickers, Murder of God’s Banker.

ELLA OLESEN

Juliet

Ella is honoured to be part of this wonderful ensemble. Previously with ESC, she played Puck in MIDSUMMER and Marc Antony/Lucius in JULIUS CAESAR (WIP). Other Credits: Welcome To The Big Dipper (York Theatre), Fiddler on the Roof (Philadelphia Orchestra), Oleanna (Florida Repertory Theatre), The Importance of Being Earnest (Florida Repertory Theatre), ALONE TOGETHER (New Theatre). Training: University of Michigan, BFA in Musical Theatre; British American Drama Academy, Certificate in Shakespeare. Gratitude to Erin & Dylan for cultivating this safe, connected space for exciting and fulfilling work.

KATIE PELENSKY

Romeo

Katie is happy to be part of ESC’s Romeo and Juliet after a joyful time as Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. LA: Almost, Maine (Rubicon) Samsara, The Secret in the Wings, The Sparrow, Andronicus (Coeurage Ensemble) Macbeth (A Noise Within), Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Sierra Shakes) King Lear, Twelfth Night (Shakespeare by the Sea) The Chimes, Wake Not the Dead (Wicked Lit). She received her BA from Santa Clara University, and has recently studied with Fiasco Theater. Katie is a proud member of Ensemble Shakespeare Company. She tries to escape to the woods and mountains whenever possible and does a pretty solid Miss Piggy impression.

MATISSE RATRON-NEAL

Sampson/Paris

Matisse Ratron-Neal has been acting in New York City for over a decade. He has spent time working at the Globe Theatre in London and his theatre credits in NYC include Last Night was a Play and Midsummer Night's Dream. His TV credits include Law and Order, The Night Agent, and Joseph Of Egypt. He is so excited to be working with ESC as one of its new members!!

ERIN ROTH

Nurse

Erin Roth (Artistic Director, Nurse, Lady Montague) Erin is Artistic Director of the Ensemble Shakespeare Company and is thrilled to be putting on ESC In Progress: Romeo +Juliet. Favorite roles include Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with ESC, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth with Hudson Classical Theater, Hostess in Henry V with Knickerbocker Players, and Carpenter in Julius Caesar with ESC. Also with Hudson Classical: Elinor Dashwood in Sense & Sensibility, Rosaline in Love’s Labour’s Lost and Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. Other theater credits include Time Out Critic’s Pick Back of the Throat with the Flea Theater, On the Razzle at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Love of Three Oranges at the Santa Fe Theatre Festival, and Old School Sketch Show at the PIT. As a producer, past film and TV projects have gone to the Raindance Film Festival, Catalyst (formerly iTV Fest), and screened at AMC networks as a part of AVID, a disability awareness initiative. Erin is a Patsy Rodenburg Associate trained and certified by master voice and Shakespeare teacher Patsy Rodenburg OBE. Erin has taught and coached at S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, and the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. Erin also writes articles on Shakespeare for Backstage Experts.

JOE STATON

Friar/Gregory/Capulet’s Cousin

NYC credits: The Rainmaker (Court Square Theater), KNOCK KNOCK (The Rogue Theater Festival), The Seagull (Harold Clurman Lab), Julius Caesar: Works In Progress, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Ensemble Shakespeare Company), A Christmas Carol (The Secret Theatre), The Cherry Orchard (Under St. Marks). Regional credits: The Taming of the Shrew, Murder on the Orient Express, Macbeth (Cumberland Theatre, MD), Acting Exercise, (The Camden Fringe, London), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Classic Theatre of San Antonio, TX), Romeo & Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare in the Woods, VT), Comedy of Errors (The Blind Cupid Shakespeare Co., London), Romeo & Juliet (The Curtain, NJ), The Woman in Black (Bluff City Theater, MO), The Importance of Being Earnest (Classic Theatre of Maryland). Film & TV credits: The Lightworker (Mac Films), Seagull (White Space Film Productions), Chekhov’s Eye (White Space Film Productions), Supreme Tweeter (LLC Films, starring Harry Lloyd), Take Two (Fragile WildFlower Productions), Locked Down (NY 48 Hour Film Festival) Training: The Stella Adler Studio of Acting – Evening Conservatory (NYC); The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts – Foundation Diploma (London). Affiliations: Company Member, Ensemble Shakespeare Company; Co–Artistic Director, RiffRaff NYC.

SHELDON YOUNG

Montague/2nd Servingman

Sheldon Young is a NYC-based actor and is thrilled to work with the Ensemble Shakespeare Company. Previous Shakespeare credits include "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Court Square Theater, and "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Vino Theater. Television credits include Guiding Light. Sheldon is currently studying with Page Clements at T Schreiber Studio and has surprised himself by becoming a yoga enthusiast.

DYLAN DIEHL

Peter/Abram/Anthony

Dylan Diehl performs, directs, and teaches in New York and Los Angeles. She is currently nominated alongside the entire ESC ensemble for playing Oberon in ESC’s A Midsummer Night's Dream. Other favorite Shakespeare roles include Portia in The Merchant of Venice (Downtown Rep), Viola in Twelfth Night (Advent Theater), and Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream (every theater imaginable). On screen, starring roles in numerous festival films and a turn on Law & Order: SVU. With Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, she designed and directed educational programs teaching Shakespeare to students in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. A graduate of Columbia University, her studies include work with noted Shakespeare scholar and Public Theater dramaturg James Shapiro. She is a Patsy Rodenburg Associate, selected and certified by Patsy Rodenburg OBE to instruct and utilize her methods of voice, breath, and speech. Dylan recently and very proudly directed ESC’s A Midsummer Night's Dream, Works in Progress: Julius Caesar, and inaugural Works in Progress. For Dad, who made any audience the best house, and for Mom, my teammate, who makes any dream a possibility.

DYLAN DIEHL

Director/Producer

SOPHIA ALANIZ

Stage Manager/Production Manager

ANNIE GARRETT-LARSEN

Lighting Designer

ERIN ROTH

Artistic Director/Producer

SUPPORT ESC

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All our artists are paid competitive rates.

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Actors' Equity Association

We wish to express our gratitude to the Performers’ Unions:

ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION

AMERICAN GUILD OF MUSICAL ARTISTS

AMERICAN GUILD OF VARIETY ARTISTS

SAG-AFTRA

through Theatre Authority, Inc. for their cooperation in permitting the Artists to appear in this program.

Actors' Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 50,000 actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The Equity emblem is our mark of excellence.
www.actorsequity.org

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