Cast and Crew of A Midsummer Night's Dream
2016
Kasandra Hesek (Puck) is thrilled to be joining Julane and the rest of the cast and crew of A Midsummer Night's Dream in her first Shakespeare on Clark at the Centre production. After a seven-year hiatus from theater, Kasandra is delighted to be performing again. Some favorite past roles include Vladimir in Waiting for Godot, Cunningham in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and Catherine inProof. When not performing, Kasandra spends her days haphazardly maintaining a household, wrangling her two kids, and editing content for Mouse Trivia, a Disney-centric trivia app. Much love to her husband, Michael, for his understanding and tolerance of her hobbies and quirks.
Mary K. Nigohosian (Titania) is always happy to work with Julane and her friends at Shakespeare on Clark. She lives in Batavia with her husband and two daughters (Faith and Noelle). She has spent the last 2 years doing shows at Theatre At the Center in Munster, IN. Other Chicagoland credits: First Folio, ITC, Noble Fool Theatricals, William Street Repertory, Jedlicka PAC, Metropolis PAC, Brightside Theatre as well as roles with Chicago’s Porchlight Music Theatre, Glitterati Productions, Inconceivable Theatre, Polarity Ensemble, Theatre Building Chicago, and Emerald City Theatre. Mary can be seen as Margie in the independent film musical Broken and Beautiful.
Steve Delaney (Oberon) is fired up to return to Shakespeare on Clark at the Centre after playing Neil in this year's Murder Mystery fundraiser, Murder's Day. He is also proud to be a regular at Vero Voce in St. Charles for which he has performed in various plays, murder mystery dinners and playwright festivals. Other Chicagoland credits include Elgin Theatre Company, Independent Players and Beverly Theatre Guild. A graduate of Loyola University Chicago's Theatre program, Mr. Delaney is also a technologist, playwright and novelist of the paranormal thrillers, The Talented and Mind Games.
Kylie Edmonds (Helena) is thrilled to finally have a crack at performing in one of her favorite shows! Kylie has worked both on and off stage with the Great River Shakespeare Festival, the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, Theatre-Hikes, Wheaton Drama, the State Theatre, New World Arts, and Huntington University. Some of Kylie's favorite roles have been in productions of Crimes of the Heart (Lenny), Cymbeline (Guiderius), Brilliant Traces (Rosannah), and Godspell(Robin). Besides acting, Kylie also enjoys working behind the scenes as a scenic artist and director. When not traipsing about through fairy-infested woods, Kylie develops and facilitates recreational programming at an assisted living community.
Elissa Wolf (Hermia) is thrilled to return to Shakespeare on Clark, as Hermia, in the comedy A
Midsummer Night’s Dream. Previous theatrical credits include; Much Ado About
Nothing (Hero), First Baptist of Ivy Gap (Sammy), These Shining Lives (Catherine
Donohue/Director), and A Streetcar Named Desire (Nurse). She just finished up a semester studying abroad in Plymouth, England, where she studied Performance Art.
Elissa is about to enter her senior year at the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse, where she is studying Theatre Performance and Costume Design. She would like to thank her friends and family for their continuous support, as she pursues doing what she loves.
Midsummer Night’s Dream. Previous theatrical credits include; Much Ado About
Nothing (Hero), First Baptist of Ivy Gap (Sammy), These Shining Lives (Catherine
Donohue/Director), and A Streetcar Named Desire (Nurse). She just finished up a semester studying abroad in Plymouth, England, where she studied Performance Art.
Elissa is about to enter her senior year at the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse, where she is studying Theatre Performance and Costume Design. She would like to thank her friends and family for their continuous support, as she pursues doing what she loves.
Michael Hudetz (Demietrius) is returning for a second summer of Shakespeare with Shakespeare at the Centre. He was last seen as Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing. His other recent roles have been Private Graham Asher in local plarywright Donna Latham's A Midnight Clear, The Christmas Truce of 1914 and Chas in Ken Kaden's Adpation of A Long Way Down. Michael is currently studying music at North Central College.
Matthew Rosario (Lysander) is incredibly excited to be a part of A Midsummer Night's Dream. He recently worked with Julane as Cornelius in A Midnight Clear: The Christmas Trice of 1914, and performed at Vero Voce in a night a short plays by Donna Latham. Past roles include A-Rab and Tony (understudy) in Limelight Theatre Company's production of West Side Story, Mayor Shinn in Plainfield South High School's production of The Music Man, General Ghengis Khan Schmitz in Plainfield South's production of Seussical the Musical, Butler in Plainfield South's production of Frankenstein and Oedipus in Plainfield South's production of Oedipus. Matthew studies American Sign Language, and will attend Gallaudet University in Washington DC in the fall, with plan to be an interpreter. He thanks his friends and family for all the support they've shown him over the years and in all of his endeavors.
Lynn Meredith (Quince) is delighted to perform with Shakespeare on Clark for another season. In past seasons she played Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Maria in Twelfth Night, and Mistress Ford in Merry Wives of Windsor. Her most recent credits include Amanda in Glass Menagerie, Mrs. Frank in Diary of Anne Frank, Catherine Dickens in Christmas Carol, Fioria in Time of the Cuckoo, Catearine in Suddenly Last Summer, Lady Riverdale in Death By Chocolate and Penny in You Can’t Take It With You. She spends her days teaching “Yoga…with Lynn” at the Elburn Community Center.
Craig Gustafson (Bottom/Pyramus) is happy to be back for round two at Shakespeare on Clark. Previous Shakespeare experience: directed Taming of the Shrew and Bardlesque. Acting: Much Ado About Nothing (Dogberry – last year’s Shakespeare on Clark), Twelfth Night (Sir Toby Belch), Taming of the Shrew (Vincentio), Romeo & Juliet (Abram). Favorite roles include The House of Blue Leaves (Artie), The Foreigner (Charlie), Chicago (Amos Hart), The Cripple of Inishmaan (Johnnypateenmike), And Then There Were None (General MacKenzie), Rumors (Lenny Ganz) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Pseudolus). Craig has played the devil twice, in David Mamet’s Bobby Gould in Hell (The Interrogator) and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (Irving “Sneaky” LaSalle); he has been assured that typecasting was not involved. Upcoming: he will be directing The Producers for Wheaton Drama. Craig is matrimonially ensconced with the daringly freckled & scandalously redheaded Margie.
Ben Tennant (Flute/Thisne) is back for his second production with Shakespeare on Clark. His first being A Midsummer's Night Dream, a production he very much enjoyed. In high school Ben participated in many school productions, as well as Acid Reflux, a sketch comedy troupe, where he found his love for acting. Since then has been going to school and working full time, participating in any productions that he can in his spare time. This past winter, Ben joined the cast of A Midnight Clear, the Christmas Truce of 1914 as a German Soldier.
Thomas Rieser (Snug/Lion) has been active and acting in community theatre for more than 35
years with practically every theatre group in the area in plays too numerous to
mention. He is happy to be back again with Shakespeare on Clark at the Center,
and excited to perform once again in the Court of Fine Arts. As SNUG, he is
happy to “join” the cast. As LION, he gives a hearty ROAR to Julane, the royals,
the spritely ones, the mechanicals, and the lovers. ROAR!!!
years with practically every theatre group in the area in plays too numerous to
mention. He is happy to be back again with Shakespeare on Clark at the Center,
and excited to perform once again in the Court of Fine Arts. As SNUG, he is
happy to “join” the cast. As LION, he gives a hearty ROAR to Julane, the royals,
the spritely ones, the mechanicals, and the lovers. ROAR!!!
/
Kathy Bright (Starveling/Moonshine) is a long-time Shakespeare aficionado and delighted to again work with Shakespeare-on-Clark and Julane alongside so many other talented people. Besides appearing in A Midsummer Night's Dream, she has also appeared in productions of Much Ado About Nothing, A Comedy of Errors, Measure for Measure, Twelfth Night, and As You Like It. She lives in Lombard with her furry buddy, Miro, and has studied at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in LA. Kathy is also a writer, both personally and professionally, and will go anywhere she can find a "crazy-mad airfare," which has resulted in random trips to London, England, and Stockholm, Sweden. Where to next? Time will tell.
Kathy Bright (Starveling/Moonshine) is a long-time Shakespeare aficionado and delighted to again work with Shakespeare-on-Clark and Julane alongside so many other talented people. Besides appearing in A Midsummer Night's Dream, she has also appeared in productions of Much Ado About Nothing, A Comedy of Errors, Measure for Measure, Twelfth Night, and As You Like It. She lives in Lombard with her furry buddy, Miro, and has studied at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in LA. Kathy is also a writer, both personally and professionally, and will go anywhere she can find a "crazy-mad airfare," which has resulted in random trips to London, England, and Stockholm, Sweden. Where to next? Time will tell.
Miro (My Dog) is a rescued 8-year-old mix that includes Cocker Spaniel. Lhasa Apso, and Doberman. After earning his Canine Good Citizen, he's tried his paw at agility, rally, swimming, and now Shakespeare. He also enjoys Halloween costume contests, where he's won awards as Peter Pan, a steampunk aviator (complete with jet pack), and a clockwork dog. And despite the competition, he is the biggest flirt in the cast.
Miro (My Dog) is a rescued 8-year-old mix that includes Cocker Spaniel. Lhasa Apso, and Doberman. After earning his Canine Good Citizen, he's tried his paw at agility, rally, swimming, and now Shakespeare. He also enjoys Halloween costume contests, where he's won awards as Peter Pan, a steampunk aviator (complete with jet pack), and a clockwork dog. And despite the competition, he is the biggest flirt in the cast.
(Matt Heine) Thesus Fans and locals may recognize Matt as Don Pedro from last year's performance of Much Ado About Nothing, but he has been involved with Shakespeare on Clark since 2010's Twelfth Night, and is pleased to be returning for his sixth consecutive year! An aspiring writer, Matt has been involved in many other plays in Batavia and its surrounding towns. Such shows include Sagebrush at Waubonsee Community College, Golem: The Monster of Prague at the Riverfront Playhouse, Macbeth at GreenMan Theatre, and last Christmas' debut of A Midnight Clear: The Christmas Truce of 1914 in Batavia. Matt would like to thank his family and friends for their support, his fellow actors, and Julane for once again letting him be part of such a fun and amazing experience!
Ally O’Donnell (Hippolyta/Peaseblossom) is an alum of Batavia High School and a current engineering student at Northwestern University. She acted in her first production when she was a freshman as an ensemble member in Great Expectations. In her junior year, she was Pandora in the Greek Mythology Olympiganza and then Ginnette in Almost Maine. Most notably in her senior year, she portrayed Mrs. Webb in Our Town and also directed a One Act play called “Why Do We Laugh?”. Since transitioning to college, she has been unable to continue acting due to the unforgiving nature of engineering, but is excited to get involved again this summer. Other than acting, Ally has written five novels and also plays on the ultimate frisbee team at Northwestern.
Bruce Worthal (Egeus) is pleased to be back with the Shakespeare on Clark group. He recently did the fight choreography for Donna Latham’s play, A Midnight Clear, the Christmas Truce of 1914. His recent performances include Harper College’s The Tempest, Vero Voce’s Shakespeare in Hollywood, Shakespeare on Clark’s Much Ado About Nothing, Wheaton Drama’s Amadeus, understudied and performed the part of Jimmy in Making God Laugh at Fox Valley Rep (Pheasant Run), was the Foreman in Twelve Angry Men (Actor Factor Theatre Company), and Klinglehoff in The Underpants (Buffalo Theatre Ensemble). Favorite roles include Marvin in Bleacher Bums, Jorgenson in Other People’s Money, and the many roles in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Vex Theatre).
Tyler Haigh (Snug/Wall) is a recent graduate of the Streamwood High School Theatre, Tyler would like to formally thank Mr. Hector Hernandez for showing him the path he is currently taking. It was after seeing "The Breakfast Club" one night while channel surfing that Tyler realized acting was what he needed to do. So instead of taking that semester abroad, he is here performing for you tonight. As well as a massive thank you and dedication to Nikki Jones for being supportive to him and keeping his mind from breaking during this endeavour.
Katherine Hart (Mustardseed/Stage Manager) is thrilled to portray Mustardseed and be the Stage Manager in A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream! Katherine was last seen as Ursula in Shakespeare on Clark at the Centre’s Much Ado About Nothing. Onstage credits include Shakespeare on Clark at the Centre’s The Comedy of Errors (First Merchant/Servant). WMC Productions, Inc.’s Much Ado About Nothing (Ursula u/s) and Summer Place Theatre’s Cyrano de Bergerac (Sister Martha). Backstage credits include the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre’s The Diary of Anne Frank (Properties Designer) and The 39 Steps (Properties Designer), World Premiere of A Midnight Clear: The Christmas Truce of 1914, Shakespeare on Clark at the Center’s Much Ado About Nothing (Assistant Stage Manager), Metropolis Performing Arts Center SOPA Oklahoma! (Props Designer), Annie Kids (Props Designer), The Princess and the Pea (Props Designer), Aladdin Kids (Props Designer), and Beauty and the Beast Jr. (Props Designer), Fox Valley Repertory’s Legally Blonde Jr. (Properties Master/Assistant Stage Manager) and Brighton Beach Memoirs (Properties Master/Assistant Stage Manager), Shakespeare on Clark at the Centre’s The Comedy of Errors (Stage Manager), WMC Productions, Inc.’s Much Ado About Nothing (Stage Manager), Webb Theatre’s The Shape of Things (Stage Manager), and the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. Film credits include I Heart Shakey (Art Director) and Legends of Prohibition (Historical Consultant/Set Decorator). Graduate of St. Norbert College (double B.A.) and Tribeca Academy (A.A.S.). Much love and thanks to her family and friends for all their love and support. Many thanks to Julane for this phenomenal opportunity!
Faith NieKamp (Moth) is a 7th grader at Batavia’s Rotolo Middle School where she recently played Auntie Nan in Treasure Island. She has performed in the children’s chorus of A Christmas Carol at the Metropolis PAC in Arlington Heights for 4 years as well in Scrooged! The Musical at Steel Beam Theatre in St. Charles. She was also in Shakespeare on Clark’s Taming of the Shrew (2012) and A Comedy of Errors (2013). She plays saxophone in the RMS Jazz Ensemble, dances at SoleUnique and Moves studios and loves to read.
Noelle NieKamp (Scrogg -ELfin Attendant) participated in Shakespeare on Clark’s 2013 production of A Comedy of Errors and has performed in the children’s chorus of A Christmas Carol at the Metropolis PAC in Arlington Heights for 2 years. She is a 3rd grader at Batavia’s H.C.Storm grade school and loves sports (especially soccer, basketball and football), math and magic tricks.
Julane Sullivan (Director) is the founder and director of Shakespeare (on Clark) at the Centre where she has directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, A Comedy of Errors, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Taming of the Shrew. She has recently directed two premiere productions, The Haunted Widow Lincoln and A Midnight Clear, the Christmas Truce of 1914, both written by Chicago area playwright Donna Latham.
Most recently, Julane performed the role of Babushka with the Organic Theatre Company, in the American premiere of Out of the Blue, a new Russian work which opened May, 2015 in Moscow. In January took the role of Ana in Sarah Ruhl’s The Clean House at Steel Beam Theatre. Other notable acting credits include: Peg in The Outgoing Tide (VTG), Midlife, the Crisis Musical (Beloit TheatreWorks), Doris in Same Time, Next Year , Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Independent Players), Eva in Absurd Person Singular, The Witch in Into The Woods and all the female supporting characters in Scrambled Eggs (Evergreen Theatre Ensemble). When not working on the stage, she is a costume designer and owner of All Dressed Up Costume in Batavia, IL. Julane is currently President of the Batavia Arts Council and is proud of the funds raised to support art projects and artists in her community.
Most recently, Julane performed the role of Babushka with the Organic Theatre Company, in the American premiere of Out of the Blue, a new Russian work which opened May, 2015 in Moscow. In January took the role of Ana in Sarah Ruhl’s The Clean House at Steel Beam Theatre. Other notable acting credits include: Peg in The Outgoing Tide (VTG), Midlife, the Crisis Musical (Beloit TheatreWorks), Doris in Same Time, Next Year , Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Independent Players), Eva in Absurd Person Singular, The Witch in Into The Woods and all the female supporting characters in Scrambled Eggs (Evergreen Theatre Ensemble). When not working on the stage, she is a costume designer and owner of All Dressed Up Costume in Batavia, IL. Julane is currently President of the Batavia Arts Council and is proud of the funds raised to support art projects and artists in her community.