Who's Who

Jim Warren

Jim Warren is the award-winning Founding Artistic Director of the American Shakespeare Center and Blackfriars Playhouse.  He directed the ASC’s first show and a total of 128 ASC productions, including 32 of Shakespeare's 38 plays, modern plays, classic plays, and world premieres.  Jim co-founded the ASC in 1988 as the traveling troupe Shenandoah Shakespeare Express.  He grew the ASC touring scope from fourteen performances of RICHARD III in Virginia to over two hundred performances of three full-length Shakespeare plays and one modern classic in six countries during 1995; by the end of the millennium, the ASC had performed in 47 U.S. states and one U.S. territory.  In 2001, the ASC opened the Blackfriars Playhouse, the world’s only re-creation of Shakespeare’s indoor theatre.  In 2008, Tim Kaine presented Jim Warren and Ralph Alan Cohen the Virginia Governor’s Award for the Arts.  Before retiring from the ASC in 2017, Jim created Shakespeare’s New Contemporaries, a groundbreaking project to develop a canon of 38 new plays that are inspired by and in conversation with Shakespeare’s work. After a 29-year run of guiding the ASC from startup to international acclaim, Jim is pursuing new opportunities as a director, educator, and consultant, currently freelancing and working on the American Globe Center​ project in Stratford, CT while writing a book about the first three decades of the bellwether company he started.  He is a member of the Theatre Communications Group and Shakespeare Theatre Association who now enjoys traveling the country making art, sharing his experience and expertise, and empowering a new generation of actors to explore the text and ​make the most of every moment. 
 

Scott Baker

Janet Berka

Design credits include: The Tempest and Pericles, Nashville Shakespeare Festival (2019); Svetlyachki, NYC Fringe Festival; A Piece of My Heart, IVP at the Museum of American Armor; Utah, Wyoming Theatre Festival; Radio Golf, African American Repertory Theatre, Dallas; Uncle Vanya, Dallas Actor's Lab. Assistant Lighting Design credits: Moonshine: That Hee Haw Musical; Les Misérables; FLY (all Dallas Theater Center). Television: Lighting Director, CNN New York. MFA Southern Methodist University; BFA Penn State University. Web: jberka.com

Tracy Bidochka-Deakin

Sarah Bolek

Sarah is delighted to be back for Summer Shakespeare at oneC1TY. She Assistant House Managed for the previous two Summer Shakespeares and designed props for their 2019 winter production of Julius Caesar. Born and raised in the Middle Tennessee area, Sarah has a BS in Theater from Middle Tennessee State University and currently works freelance in Nashville.

Carrie Brewer

Carrie works with the Nashville Shakes team as an actor, teaching artist, and fight choreographer, but is happily putting her graphic design and marketing skills to use in her main role as Marketing Director. Before moving to Nashville in 2013 she lived in NYC and LA. On the coasts, Carrie worked as an actor, fight choreographer, and stage combat teacher for over 15 years. 12 of those years were spent as full-time stage combat faculty at The American Musical & Dramatic Academy (AMDA).  She is also a singer and mom to two amazing daughters.

Katie Bruno

Katie is thrilled to coordinate all classes, camps, and workshops for learners of all ages. She recently studied with Shawnda Moss at the Utah Shakespeare Festival and is eager to share new teaching techniques with teachers and students in the greater Nashville area.

Vance Buchanan

Lucy Calaway

Lucy is a sophomore at Vanderbilt University studying Vocal Performance and European Studies. She performed in numerous community theatre shows, with some highlights including Mary Poppins, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Seussical and Oliver!. Earlier in the summer, Lucy was a member of the Druid City Opera Workshop, and has also participated in other classical voice programs such as the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and the Interlochen Vocal Artist Program. Lucy graduated from the high school program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2020 with a concentration in music. She hopes to pursue a career in classical voice and arts administration after college.

Patricia "Pixie" Convertino

Patricia ”Pixie” Convertino is excited to be working as Prop Master with Nashville Shakespeare Festival for a second summer. Pixie graduated with a Bachelors in Theatre from Rhode Island College and went on to work on a national tour as prop manager for 2 years. Recently, she has been working as a performer and technician at local Community theatres, Consider This and Brava Boro and has restarted the Drama Club at Smyrna Middle School where she will be directing Willy Wonka Jr. this fall. Pixie is grateful to her family and friends for their encouragement and support in all her theatrical adventures.

Brooke Leigh Davis

Kenny Dozier

Kenny Dozier is the Artistic Director of Kennie Playhouse Theatre and Producer at Nashville Shakespeare Festival. He is a Producer, Director, and Actor. He graduated from Florida A&M University in Chemical Engineering. Kenny’s name was mentioned twice in the Wall Street Journal (2016 & 2017) for an “impressive” performance as “Cutler” in August Wilson’s award winning play “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “ Piano Lesson”. In 2004, his portrayal of ”Hedley” in August Wilson’s “Seven Guitars” earned him the Best Supporting Actor award from the Nashville Tennessean. He also was nominated for Director of the Year for the play “Amazing Grace”. In 2019 he worked in collaboration with Metro Housing Department on teaching Fine Arts with emphasis on set design with youth from the Preston Taylor Public Housing Community. The project
received the “2019 Richie Resident Leadership Award” for having the best public housing community Involvement & Resident Participation. For the past 14 years KPT has produced over 20 play productions and readings under Kenny’s Leadership.

William Finley

Kiare Green

Denice Hicks

Denice has been working for The Nashville Shakespeare Festival since 1990 as an actor, director, teaching artist, and administrator. Educated at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, she moved to Nashville in 1980 to perform at Opryland. Denice started directing in 1992, while enjoying a successful career as a stage, film, television and voice over actor. From Shakespeare to Dollywood, she approaches every production as a new work, where creativity, collaboration and audience connection prevail. An Ingram Fellowship award winner, she has developed and facilitated workshops for students of all ages and designed and implemented the NSF Apprentice Company Training and Shakespeare Allowed programming. She has been a guest lecturer at several universities, and served as a Teaching Artist for the Folger Shakespeare Library Institute, and the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad program for three weeks in Stratford-Upon-Avon and London. She was honored by the Nashville Scene as one of the “Twenty- five Nashvillians who’ve shaped the city for the better since 1989”.

Taryana Hatley

Taryana Hatley is a recent graduate of the illustrious Fisk University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology. She now pursues her dream of research to eventually obtain her PhD in nutrition. In her free time, she enjoys longboarding and adventuring with friends. Taryana has a passion for helping others and believes small changes in the right direction results in long lasting success.

Denese Kelley

Denese, a local freelance costume designer, wardrober/wardrobe stylist and seamstress,  is absolutely thrilled to be back working with The Nashville Shakespeare Festival. This is her 4th production with NSF and is looking forward to being a part of bringing theater back to the stage, better then ever!!!  She works for a couple of local fashion designers here in Nashville and has been designing costumes for local professional and community theaters throughout Nashville as well as high school theater productions and dance productions. She has four children and four grandchildren and as a fifth generation Nashvillian she is honored to be a part of Nashville’s Theatre community!! She is thankful to everyone she is working with on this production and ‘hopes y’all enjoy the shows!!
 

Sarah Katherine Kessen

JR Knowles

Alexis LaVon

Alexis is an arts enthusiast who grew up in Nashville by way of Chicago. She recently worked as stage manager on the productions of “Natural Shocks” (Tennessee Women’s Theatre Project) & “Last Season” (Kennie Playhouse Theatre). She also works as 1st Assistant Director on Feature Films locally and abroad. She is thrilled to be back with Nashville Shakespeare Festival after completing their Winter Season productions of “Romeo & Juliet” & “A Midsummers Night Dream” earlier this year. She has numerous productions to her credit and has worked with the following companies in Nashville: Kennie’s Playhouse Theatre, The American Negro Playwright Theatre, Sista Style Productions, Destiny Theatre Experience, Dream 7 Productions, Circle Players, Street Theatre, Nashville Children’s Theatre, Chaffin’s Barn, Humanity Theatre Project & Tennessee Playwrights Studio. Hugs and Kisses to the entire NSF Staff. Cast/Crew: You All Rock ! Enjoy the Show and Thank you for supporting Live Theatre!

Shane Lowery

Shane Lowery lives in Franklin, TN, works as Hydrologic Data Technician for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and has worked on more than 100 sets in Middle Tennessee over the last Twenty years. Owner/operator of Constructis Set Design, Shane has recently designed and built sets for "Too Heavy for Your Pocket", "The Colored Museum", and "Breathe" at Fisk University. Shane has been attending the Nashville Shakespeare Festival since he was a teenager and is honored to be a part of their production.

Robert Marigza-Yeo

Robert first became involved with NSF as an actor in the 1994 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Over these 27 years, he has served The Festival as an actor, stage manager, designer, technical director, crew, teacher, and IT person. From 2005 to 2018, he was the full-time Operations Manager of the company and Producer of Antony & Cleopatra, The Winter’s Tale, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Hamlet, Coriolanus, Richard III, Shakespeare’s Case, Complete Works, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, Pericles, Love’s Labor’s Lost, Romeo & Juliet, Julius Caesar, Much Ado about Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Othello, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Henry V, King Lear, and The Comedy of Errors. As an actor, Robert has also worked with Nashville Children’s Theatre, People’s Branch Theatre, Mockingbird Theatre, Nashville Repertory Theatre, Green Room Projects, and Actors’ Bridge Ensemble, as well as in commercials and independent films. He holds a BS in Mathematics from Mary Washington University. Robert sends his love and thanks to his wife Jayme and son William.

Tom Mason

In the years since Tom Mason (Feste the Fool) was murdered in Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s Richard the 3rd while playing the accordion, Tom has toured the world with his band of pirates Tom Mason and the Blue Buccaneers, who Pyrate’s Way magazine called “The Pirate Beatles.” He’s been a fixture in Nashville’s Americana music scene, and has released eleven CDs, including 2020’s rocking holiday CD Under The Mistletoe Sky and the brand new Songs from Shakespeare’s 12th Night. Tom sends love to his family and wife Whitney, and big thanks to Denice, Jim, Jack Kingsley, NSF and to his musical collaborators. Tom’s music can be found at www.tommason.net and on iTunes and streaming sites.

DJ Ranta

DJ has been working with The Nashville Shakespeare Festival since 1992, and this marks his 21st year on the production staff. D.J. is the Theatre Manager/Technical Director for Harpeth Hall School. He has also been Technical Director for Circle Players, ACT I, and others, as well as lighting designer for numerous productions. He is a past board member of ACT I as well as Circle Players, where he is currently the company TD. Recent credits include light design for Les Miserables and Master Class, TD for Titanic the Musical, and set design for To Kill A Mockingbird. The top 3 memorable productions that D.J. has worked on are A Chorus Line, Pippen, and Masterpieces. D.J. would like to thank his wife Laurie and daughter Vonnie for putting up with all the long hours and even helping into the wee hours of the morning on many an occasion.

Anita Reed

Keenya Riley

Mary Sack

Mary Sack is delighted to join the NSF as the Pre-Show Entertainment Coordinator in 2021, having participated in 2014 and 2016 in an ancillary role in support of then Music Director/Actor/Singer-Songwriter/Musician David Olney. She currently represents recording artists and published authors in all aspects of their career. Ms. Sack has extensive press, radio, internet and marketing promotions experience having worked for several record labels (Columbia Records,  Capricorn Records, Relentless/Nashville,  Rising Tide, Naxos Jazz, Pat Boone’s The Gold Label) and retail outlets (Blockbuster Music, Wherehouse Music, Waxie Maxie’s, Olsson’s, Turtle’s and more) before starting her own Mary Sack Management company in 2002. She earned a B.S. from Towson University with a degree in Mass Communications/English specializing in Public Relations and World Literature. 

David Wilkerson

David has over 100 professional credits as a stage manager, fight director, actor, and director. He is a full-time lecturer at Middle Tennessee State University. He recently directed the NSF’s Winter Shakespeare 2020 production of Macbeth.