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Welcome from the Artistic Director of South Dakota Shakespeare Festival!

South Dakota Shakespeare Festival is thrilled to invite you into our 14th season and our first in Brookings!  The South Dakota Shakespeare Festival is a professional non-profit theatre company supported in this collaboration with Prairie Repertory Theatre and a long-standing partnership with The University of South Dakota’s College of Fine Arts and Department of Theatre. SDSF is proud to offer professional Shakespeare performances and workshops throughout the state, while fulfilling our mission to engage, connect, and inspire communities by exploring our shared human experiences. 

SDSF provides free workshops and connects with programming across the state, including the Minnehaha Juvenile Detention Center, the Vermillion Public Library, and SESDAC. We at SDSF believe that through Shakespeare productions, live and streamed, educational programming, and outreach, we can bring artists and communities together to share the joyful, transformative, healing, and empowering experiences of theatre arts.

Thank you for joining us on the green to connect, laugh, cry, and come together with your community!

With Gratitude,

Rebecca Bailey

Executive Artistic Director

Welcome from the Artistic Director of Prairie Repertory Theatre!

We are thrilled to have you with us for the 54th season of PRT. This season has something for everyone. Thank you for letting us be part of your summer. With your patronage, you are helping PRT fulfill its two-part mission: 1) Provide intensive training for students in the company, and 2) Provide the Best possible entertainment for all. 

We are happy to bring back our popular PRT+ program that allows you to see our productions in a new way. These FREE events include opening night receptions, cast meet and greets, backstage tours and more. To see a full list of events, visit PrairieRep.org. 

New this year, we are partnering with South Dakota Shakespeare Festival to host their production of 'Romeo & Juliet'. Taking place on SDSU's Sylvan Green, this show will provide an outside entertainment experience for patrons, and will feature Brookings natives, SDSU students, and PRT alums. The partnership between PRT and South Dakota Shakespeare Festival was mainly brought upon by the working relationship with PRT alum and director of Romeo & Juliet, Mike Lee. Outdoor theatre creates a unique experience impossible to recreate on our mainstage. We look forward to this new and exciting partnership with the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival.

We greatly appreciate your participation with our company. Many of our friends provide tax-deductible donations. Others provide in-kind contributions of food, properties, and costume items. Others serve on the PRT Advisory Board. Please contact us if you wish to play a greater "role" with PRT.

On behalf of the 2025 company, thank you very much, and enjoy the show!

Warm Regards,

Billy Wilburn

PRT Artistic Director

Greetings!

Every summer, Jane and I look forward to enjoying the time and theatrical talents on display courtesy of Prairie Repertory Theatre (PRT). This will be the 54th season of PRT providing wonderful entertainment throughout the summer months. PRT has a rich history of gathering individuals of all ages from across the Brookings region to enjoy a series of fantastic performances. Jane and I, along with the Brookings community look forward with great expectation for the start of this new season!

In addition to providing outstanding entertainment for its patrons, PRT delivers the best possible opportunities for our students to gain real-life skills in the production world. Between the hands-on training in all facets of theatrical production including marketing, coordinating, ticketing, acting, set design and construction, and costumes, it provides an immeasurable experience that sticks with our students for a lifetime. It also provides a unique opportunity for students to work and perform alongside alumni of both South Dakota State University and Prairie Repertory Theatre.

With a wide variety of plays, including musicals, classic, and madcap farce, the summer of 2025 will be sure to offer something for everyone to enjoy. On behalf of SDSU, we are grateful for your support of Prairie Repertory Theatre.

Enjoy the shows!

Barry H. Dunn
President
South Dakota State University

Cast

Creative Team

The 2025 PRT Company

First Row (L to R): Billy Wilburn, Isabel Blom, Jennika Bunney, Lewhat Tesfaldet, Peyten Wiese, Morgan Foote, Maiah Brown, Alyza Pike, Sara Gushue, Hannah Hetland, Ally Armstrong, Angel Qualset, Mattisyn McDonnell, Riley Sazdoff, Melissa Hauschild-Mork. Middle Row (L to R): Anna DeGraff, Cody Lee Crist, Dontaevain Aldridge, Thomas Alpers, Chase Thedens, Camryn Caruso, Silla Muehr, Maddie Perry, Abigayle Davis, Barbara Gonzalez, Kirynn Engelbrecht, Noah Ong Bamola, Gerrit VonEye, Jack Diamant, Emi Imre-Fecske, Journey Johnson. Back Row (L to R): Jacee Casarella, Casey Paradies, Jim Wood, Emily Ganfield, Joshua Barclay, Christian Broekemeier, Eli Zagurski, Kally Brinkman, Kendall Morris, Evan Anderson, Eve Vogel, Anna Rubey, Clay Hull, Jacob Stevens, Hugh Paul, Carl Steinlicht, Alyssa VanLandingham, Amilia Baca, Alex Strawn, Rylinn Dale, Sam Clark, Nick Teal, Kim Johnson, Corey Shelsta. Not Pictured: Emma Arends-Montes, Christina Castillo, Noah Files, Luke Granholm, Brooklyn Mauch, Emma Niswander, Shawn Stemsrud, Jacob Wallace.

Shop Staff

Prairie Repertory Theatre is a collaborative experience. We offer a wide variety of education for both actors and technicians. Each company member works in a designated production shop for all 4 shows. This means that every actor on stage has also helped build costumes and scenic pieces, hang lights, and sell tickets! PRT prides itself in providing intensive training alongside quality entertainment.

Scene Shop - Dontaevian Aldridge, Amilia Baca, Joshua Barclay, Christian Broekemeier, Rylinn Dale, Jack Diamant, Morgan Foote, Hannah Hetland, Priscilla Muehr, Emma Niswander, Maddie Perry, Carl Steinlicht, Alex Strawn, Chase Thedens, Eli Zagurski

Costume Shop - Isabel Blom, Kally Brinkman, Jennika Bunney, Kirynn Engelbrecht, Barbara Gonzalez, Emi Imre-Fecske, Journey Johnson, Matti McDonnell, Alyza Pike, Angel Qualset

Properties Shop - Clay Hull, Reilly Sazdoff, Alyssa VanLandingham, Eve Vogel

Lighting & Sound Shop - Thomas Alpers, Sam Clark, Cody Lee Crist, Abigayle Jo Davis, Kendall Morris

Box Office & Publicity - Evan Anderson, Ally Armstrong, Maiah Brown, Camryn Caruso, Sara Gushue, Brooklyn Mauch, Noah Ong Bamola, Hugh Paul, Anna Rubey, Jacob Stevens, Lewhat Tesfaldet, Gerrit VonEye, Peyten Wiese

SDSU Credits

SDSU Theatre & Dance

W. James Wood, Artistic Director, Professor/Directing

Corey Shelsta, Professor/Scenic & Lighting Design

Billy Wilburn, Associate Professor/Costume Design/Artistic Director PRT

Dr. Melissa Hauschild-Mork, Associate Professor/Director of Dance Ensembles

Casey Paradies, Instructor/Acting

Kim Johnson, Scenic/Properties Shop Supervisor

Dr. James L. Johnson, Distinguished Professor Emeritus

J.D. Ackman & Raymond Peterson, Professor Emeritus

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Dr. David C. Earnest, Dean - College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Dr. David Reynolds, Director - School of Performing Arts

Christina Castillo, Larson Family Endowed Director of the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center

Meet the Company

Aaron Allen

Romeo

What's good!? Aaron Allen, 24, is from Charlotte, North Carolina! He graduated from The American Musical Dramatic Academy in 2022! He has been in Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Permanent Collection to name a few! He loves playing sports, cooking, spending time with family/friends and his 150 bow tie collection!

Caroline Borio

Juliet

Originally from Pennsylvania, Caroline is a recent college graduate who studied Musical Theater, but her true love lies with Shakespeare! She had the opportunity to first play Juliet last summer and cannot wait to reprise the role at SDSF. Caroline loves traveling, coffee, and her three kitties back home.

Eric Holm

Friar Lawrence/Chorus

Eric Holm is a theater-and-music maker from Brookings, SD. Favorite Shakespeare roles include Oliver, Hermione, and Lysander. A producer for Brooklyn art-space Cloud City from 2014-2019, Holm has co-founded several theater ensembles, including Sunset Rooftops, The Strange Capers, and BREAD Arts Collective. BFA Acting: UMN/Guthrie; MFA Directing: Columbia University.

Joel Trinidad

Lord Capulet/Prince

A Permanent Resident of the US based on his “extraordinary ability and achievement,” Joel Trinidad has performed in such productions as the Asian Premieres of AVENUE Q, SPELLING BEE, and PROOF (opposite Tony-winner Lea Salonga). He’s also written numeorous librettos, including A TALE OF TWO, which premiered in London last year.

Nick Forster

Paris

Nick Forster is an actor and singer currently attending South Dakota State University for a bachelor's degree in Theatre. Dramatic roles, classical theatre, and musicals are his forte. At SDSU, he’s portrayed Macbeth, Claude Frollo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Mayor Dobbs (Bright Star), and Old Green Grasshopper (James and the Giant Peach), among others. He’s ecstatic to take on his first professional contract!

Hadley Evans Nash

Lady Capulet

Hadley Evans Nash (Lady Capulet) is delighted to be making her debut with South Dakota Shakespeare Festival. Recent credits include The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, A Streetcar Named Desire (Tennessee Shakespeare Company), On the Road to Bremen Town (Black Hills Playhouse), and The Importance of Being Earnest (Arts’ Nest). She is also the Artistic Director of Brick by Brick Players, and trained with Shakespeare and Company and the National Theatre Institute. More at hadleyevansnash.com

Austin Vetter

Benvolio

Austin Vetter is a New York-based actor originally from Aberdeen, SD. This is his 4th summer working with SDSF and 2nd summer as a part of PRT and he’s glad to be back. Follow him @avetteractor to see what he’s up to.

Morgan Ford

Nurse

Morgan Rose Ford is an actor and educator living in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. She holds a BA from Boston University and an MFA from Mary Baldwin University where she studied Shakespeare and Performance. Recent credits include work with the Huntington Theatre, Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, Wisconsin Shakespeare Festival, and the American Shakespeare Center.

Juliette Nero Eddings

Mercutio

Juliette is thrilled to be working with SDSF this summer! Philly based, Juliette is a graduate from Rider University's Acting BFA. Recent credits include: A Midsummer Night's Dream (Puck), Peter & The Starcatcher (Boy), The Play That Goes Wrong (Chris), Much Ado About Nothing (Don John). Love & gratitude to the whole R&J team.

Ronan Melomo

Tybalt

Ronan Melomo is an Actor and Voice Artist currently based out of Staunton, Virginia. Having just graduated last May from Mary Baldwin University’s MFA program, Ronan has spent the last few years onstage with the American Shakespeare Center as both a company member and graduate fellow.

Emma Taylor

Peter/Others

Emma Taylor is an acting major going into her senior year at the University of South Dakota. Last year, she performed at the Black Hills Playhouse as Chris in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Other favorite credits include 46 in The Wolves and Duke Senior/Corin in As You Like It at USD.

Mike Lee

Director

Mike Lee is originally from Madison, SD, and he is very excited to get to play at home this summer. Mike is a graduate The University of Houston’s Professional Actor Training Program. Audiences might remember Mike from SDSF’s Comedy of Errors, Merchant of Venice, & Richard III. Mike is based in NYC, working off and on as an actor & stagehand, and fronting the band Goatroper with his partner and collaborator Abbey Janii.

Syara Villarreal

Stage Manager

This is Syara’s first time working with SD Shakes! She is currently pursuing her MFA in Directing at the University of South Dakota and holds a BA in Performance Studies from Texas A&M University. Recent credits include assistant directing The Wolves and Company, as well as serving as the intimacy director for The 39 Steps. Her directing work includes productions of Ordinary Days and Pink Moscato. Looking ahead, she will direct USD’s upcoming production of Godspell during the 2025–2026 academic year.

Eric Holm

Music Director

Eric Holm is a theater-and-music maker from Brookings, SD. Favorite Shakespeare roles include Oliver, Hermione, and Lysander. A producer for Brooklyn art-space Cloud City from 2014-2019, Holm has co-founded several theater ensembles, including Sunset Rooftops, The Strange Capers, and BREAD Arts Collective. BFA Acting: UMN/Guthrie; MFA Directing: Columbia University.

Corey Shelsta

Scenic Design

Corey Shelsta is a Designer and Professor of Theatre at South Dakota State University. He designs lighting, scenery and sound for productions at SDSU as well as other theatres in the region. Additionally, he teaches courses in design, technical production, and theatre history. His interests include incorporating digital technology and virtual reality simulations into the classroom and the stage. Recent credits: Lighting Design: Oklahoma – Prairie Repertory Theatre; Grease, A Christmas Carol, Hair, Oklahoma, Grease – Premiere Playhouse; The Hunchback of Notre Dame – State University Theatre. Scenic Design: Macbeth, Bright Star – State University Theatre; Two Across, And Then There Were None – Prairie Repertory Theatre; Oklahoma – Premiere Playhouse. Corey is active in the Northern Boundary Section of USITT. Corey and his wife Stacy have two children, Preston and Ainsley, both of whom have been coming to the theatre since before they were old enough to walk. When he is not teaching, designing shows, or mentoring student designers, he can be found getting his fingers tangled up in guitar and banjo strings or mowing his lawn.

Eric Franzen

Costume Design

Eric Franzen is from Lewiston, Mn and a graduate of SDSU Communications and Theater Department (2008) and Graduated with His MFA from Michigan State University (2012). Eric is excited for his first summer with SDSF and looks forward to sharing his costume design passion with audiences in Vermillion.

Brian Adams

Sound Design in Vermillion

Originally from the Black Hills, Brian has a BFA in scenic and sound design from USD and is owner of Adams Production Services, an audio, lighting, and theatrical production and installation company based in Vermillion. He also works as a broadcast engineer for SDPB, and enjoys songwriting and playing guitar when he's not busy building or fixing things.

Tyler Micheel

Sound Design in Brookings

I grew up on a farm in east central South Dakota. After high school, I followed an interest in computers and creativity and found myself learning Audio Production in college. From there I moved to a Master's program in Theatre to broaden my knowledge of entertainment technology and production. I have worked as an educator for the past 6 years in entertainment technology at the University of Arkansas.

Jill Clark

Production/Operations Manager

Jill Clark is an award winning Scenic Designer/Artist working out of Vermillion, SD. She often collaborates with regional theaters such as The LAMB Theater in Sioux City, Iowa, Vermillion Community Theater, and is the Scenic & Technical Coordinator for The Premiere Playhouse in Sioux Falls, SD. In her free time she loves to play mini golf and bowl with her husband Scot. This is Jill’s 9th season working with SDSF and is incredibly excited to welcome the newest little Shakespearean, her son Dannen.

Rebecca Bailey

Intimacy/Movement Choreographer

Rebecca Bailey is an artist, advocate, and teacher passionate about how theatre provides a means to energize, entertain, and bridge questions about the world around us. She holds an MFA in Directing from the University of South Dakota, a BA in Theatre and minor in Dance from South Dakota State University, is a 200-hour registered yoga teacher, Sexual Assault Advocate, and spent a wonderful year studying Shakespeare and Performance at Mary Baldwin University. She is currently the Executive Artistic Director for South Dakota Shakespeare Festival and has served as Assistant Professor of Theatre at The University of the Ozarks and as the Education Director for Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Her work in both focuses on using movement, kinesthetic awareness, text, mindfulness, and devising to bring experiences to life. By ACASA, she was the recipient for Arkansas of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center Visionary Voice Award and a Citizen’s Artist Award from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) in 2021. Rebecca and her students have won numerous commendations from KCACTF over the last decade. She also served as the KCACTF Arkansas State Chair for two years. Directing credits include: The Merchant of Venice, Actually, Extremities, The Comedy of Errors, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, The Diary of Anne Frank, Peter and the Starcatcher, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Venus in Fur, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Proof, and devised productions Shake My Tree and For Hurting Hands. Through advocacy, Rebecca’s performance work has impacted three statewide training conferences for Sexual Assault Trauma-Informed Response. Favorite Performances include roles in Pericles, King Lear, White Christmas, and Plaza Suite.

Jordan Deffenbaugh

Fight Choreographer

Jordan Deffenbaugh is a trained fight choreographer and professional wrestling enthusiast. Prior to returning home to Sioux Falls in 2017, Jordan worked professionally as an actor, director, and choreographer for companies like the Colorado Shakespeare Festival in Boulder, CO and the Haymarket Theatre in Lincoln, NE. Jordan is an actor combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors.

Sabrina Egeland

Draper/Stitcher

Sabrina V. Egeland is the Assistant Professor of Practice of Costume Technology and Management for the Dept. of Theatre at the University of South Dakota. She specializes in men’s tailoring, exquisitely tedious fabric manipulation, and putting labels on everything.

Parker Anderberg

Asst. Operations Manager/Props Coordinator

Parker Anderberg is excited to once more work with SDSF. This time in Props! Growing up around the festival, Parker is always eager to work with the company.

Alyza Pike

Wardrobe

While being new to Prairie Repertory Theatre this summer, Alyza is experienced on and off stage as both an actor and a technician. They have acted in musicals and plays such as Something Rotten!, Legally Blonde, CLUE, and the Crucible at Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and has recently worked in backstage crew and wardrobe in shows such as Macbeth, Turn of the Screw, and Bright Star at South Dakota State University. In recent years, Alyza has discovered a deep love and dedication for costuming/wardrobe and hopes to continue doing what they love in the future.

Priscilla Muehr

Scenic Charge Artist

Priscilla is a newfound member of PRT. They are focused on scenic design but also interested in stage makeup and performance. Priscilla has been in many shows at SMSU in Marshall. Such as An Inspector Calls, Laundry and Bourbon, and many more. She also helped last summer at the SMSU children’s theatre and was Patty DiMarco in School of Rock at MASC in Marshall. Her latest projects include Wigs and Makeup for Shout: The Mod Musical, set design for Laundry and Bourbon, and projections for 46 Plays for America's First Ladies. She’s really looking forward to meeting some cool people, learning new things, and having fun!

Photos

Donors

South Dakota Shakespeare Festival Contributors  

The following are donors and supporters of The South Dakota Shakespeare Festival.  We are here because you give.  Thank you for the generous donations of time, energy, and resources!

A special thank you to the following for hosting our actors
and staff in Vermillion:
Pat Flaningan
Karen Hebert & Tim Ricker
Susan & Greg Huckabee
Rich Holland
Samantha Miller & Kevin O’Kelley
Dennis & Connie Nelsen
Stacey O’Connor
Doug and Susan Tuve
Austin Vetter & Family
Dean & Gay Zimmerman
​
If you have contributed to the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival for the 2025 season and do not see your name here (or your name is misspelled) please email us at sdshakespearefestival@gmail.com

"If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended"

Prairie Repertory Theatre Contributors  

The following people, firms, and organizations have donated to Prairie Repertory Theatre from June 4, 2024, to May 31st, 2025. We deeply appreciate the continued support of these individuals. PRT donations are used to support PRT operations and the students who participate in the company.  

You can make a tax-deductible donation to PRT online at https://www.sdstatefoundation.org/give-now  

Donations received after May 31st, 2025, will be recognized in next year’s PRT program.  

Thanks to all who graciously donated and loaned personal items for stage properties and costumes.  

Thank you to our patrons for your continuous support for the past 53 seasons!  

Ticket stock for all productions has been printed through the generosity of First Bank and Trust in Brookings.

The 2025 PRT Advisory Board

The 2025 PRT Advisory Board

Nick Castillo - President

Jen Kuck - President Elect

Kay Norton - Secretary

Major Anderson

Donna Bain

Kay Becker

Tom Chleborad

Rita Edwards

Joanie Holm

Vonni Knutson

Jill Kruse

Eric Mette

Kayla Mette

Don Norton

Kay Norton

Sharon Prendergast

Jason Raether

Eric Rasmussen

Kristi Richter

Gerrit VonEye (student board member)

Donna Wermedal

Kate Wismer

Ex-Officio Members

Christina Castillo, Larson Family Endowed Director of the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center

Dr. Barry H. Dunn, President - South Dakota State University 

Dr. David Earnest, Dean - College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. 

Dr. David Reynolds, Director - School of Performing Arts

Corey Shelsta, Professor/Technical Director of Theatre & Dance

Billy Wilburn, Associate Professor/Artistic Director of PRT

W. James Wood, Professor/Artistic Director of Theatre & Dance

Fifty-four Years of Prairie Repertory Theatre!

Fifty-four Years of Prairie Repertory Theatre!

Special Thanks

SDSU Murray Family Fund for Excellence in Theatre

The Murray Family Fund for Excellence in Theatre at South Dakota State University was established by Jo Ann Murray (‘75 Sociology) to honor her brother, father, uncles, and grandfather who worked the land in Clark County, SD, for several generations. While Jo Ann thrived in her academic studies as an undergrad at State, it was on stage and behind the scenes in the theatre where she truly found her voice and lifelong friends. The Murray Family Fund for Excellence in Theatre proudly supports PRT 2025!

South Dakota Shakespeare Festival Special Thanks

CeeCee’s 605 Scratch Kitchen & Bar, Brian Adams, Phoebe Esplund, Joanie Holm, John A. Schwab, Sara Becker, Constance Swain, Faris Abdel-hadi, Pat Flannigan, Stacey O’Conner, Karen Hebert and Tim Ricker, Carol and Gary Vetter

Prairie Repertory Theatre Special Thanks

Donna Behrend, Sarah Bison, Lindsay Borer, Christina Castillo, Janell Davis, Dr. David Earnest, Cady Falken, Michelle Kuebler, Kathy Larsen, Jessica Lewis, Rebecca Peterson, Dr. David Reynolds, Shannon Richarz, Erin  Staniszewski, Andie Star, Amanda Stirling,  Maryke Taute,  Amber Turner, Kara Vostad,  Dani Wermedal, Friends and Family of the 2025 PRT Company.  Brookings Chamber of Commerce, Brookings Library, Brookings Radio, Briggs Library and Archives, First Bank and Trust, Glacial Lake & Prairies Tourism, Mosaic Wine Bar and Small Plates, Scoops and Loops, SDSU Card and Parking Services, SDSU Foundation, SDSU School of Performing Arts, South Dakota Arts Museum, South Dakota Arts Council, The Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center, University of Minnesota-Morris Theatre Department, University of South Dakota Department of Theatre, University Marketing and Communications, Visit Brookings

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