March 19, 2018
For: IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Madeleine Gail Rex
madeleine.rex@ptc.utah.edu
801-581-7222
PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S
Twelfth Night
Salt Lake City – Pioneer Theatre Company presents William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, running Friday, March 30 through Saturday, April 14, 2018.
After a shipwreck, grief-stricken but self-reliant Viola washes up on the shores of 1812 New Orleans. Disguising herself as a boy, she becomes the confidant of Orsino, who sends her to woo in his name the beautiful but aloof noblewoman Olivia – who promptly falls in love with the “boy” she believes Viola to be! Filled with music, merry madness and improbable passions, Twelfth Night has long been one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies.
The love triangle of Orsino, Olivia and Viola will be performed by Shakespeare veterans A.K. MURTADHA, KELSEY RAINWATER and GRACE MORRISON.
A.K. MURTADHA plays Orsino after most recently performing in The Mountaintop at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, All the Way, The Great Society and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner at Asolo Repertory, and Intimate Apparel and Macbeth at Ensemble Theatre. Some of his TV and film credits include “NCIS: LA,” “Raising the Bar,” “The Unit,” “Medium,” “All My Children,” “Numb3rs” and the Amazon film 8989 Redstone.
KELSEY RAINWATER plays Olivia in her PTC debut. She has appeared in productions of The Three Musketeers, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Balm in Gilead, Hamlet, Macbeth and others. She graduated from Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts and Shakespeare’s Globe.
GRACE MORRISON plays Viola in her first PTC role. Based in Los Angeles, she holds an MFA in acting from UC Irvine. Her favorite regional credits include Kate in The Taming of the Shrew and Horatio in Hamlet with New Swan Shakespeare Festival. New York City-based ZACH FIFER plays Viola’s twin Sebastian in his first Utah production.
J. OMAR HANSEN, DAVID ANDREW MACDONALD and RICHARD E. WAITS bring their decades of experience in theatre, on Broadway and off, to play the Captain, Malvolio and Feste, respectively.
RICHARD E. WAITS plays Feste. Waits began his theatre career dancing with Ginger Rogers and has since appeared in productions of The Color Purple, The View UpStairs, The Whole Megillah, The Wizard of Oz, The Full Monty, Showboat and others. He has also the written the book and score for the one-man show Mama Rose.
J. OMAR HANSEN plays the Captain. He has been a university professor for 25 years, and his performance credits include Bielzy and Gottfried, Oliver!, Ballad of a Meadow, A Christmas Carol, 1776 and The Foreigner. As a playwright, he has had his plays produced across the country.
DAVID ANDREW MACDONALD plays Malvolio. On Broadway, he has appeared in Skylight, Rocky, Mamma Mia!, Coram Boy and Two Shakespearean Actors. He has also been seen in the National Tour of An Inspector Calls and regional productions in dozens of cities.
The remaining principal roles are played by Equity actors DANIEL BEECHER (Antonio), FREDDIE BENNETT (Fabian), KENAJUAN BENTLEY (Sir Toby Belch), SUSANNA FLORENCE (Maria) and CONNER MARX (Sir Andrew Aguecheek).
The ensemble includes BERET BREMS, GREG CARVER, CAMERON HOLZMAN, CONNOR NELIS JOHNSON, ALI KINKADE, ISABELLA REEDER, JOHN TERRELL, NATHAN ALLEN VAUGHN and MATT VERNER.
Guest Director LARRY CARPENTER returns to PTC to direct. Previously, he directed Pioneer Theatre Company productions of Ragtime, Kiss Me Kate, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and The Pirates of Penzance. He received a Tony nomination for Starmites! and won a Drama Critics’ Circle award for Roundabout Theatre Company’s Privates on Parade. For television, he has directed numerous shows and has received multiple Daytime Emmy Awards.
G.W. “SKIP” MERCIER is the production’s scenic and costume designer, returning after designing the set and costumes of In the Heights in 2012. In New York, he designed for Juan Darien: A Carnival Mass, which received a Tony nomination and two Drama Desk nominations. He has also worked with Vineyard Theatre, The Public Theater and Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
Lighting design is by KIRK BOOKMAN. Bookman’s New York credits include Charles Busch’s The Tribute Artist and The Divine Sister. He most recently designed at PTC for Newsies and In the Heights – Concert Version.
DANIEL PELZIG is the guest choreographer and returns to PTC for his third production. Original music is composed by SCOTT KILLIAN. University of Utah Professor SARAH SHIPPOBOTHAM is the text coach.
Fight choreography is by PTC Resident Fight Choreographer CHRIS DUVAL. Hair and makeup design is by PTC Resident Hair and Makeup Designer AMANDA FRENCH; sound design is by PTC Resident Sound Designer KATE WECKER.
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PUBLICITY PHOTO SHOOT: There will be an on-stage publicity photo shoot on Tuesday, March 20, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. on stage. Please call Madeleine Rex at 801-581-7222 to RSVP.
MEDIA PHOTOS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD: High-resolution color photos of this production will be available for media use on the PTC website beginning Wednesday, March 21, 2018 after 3:00 p.m. Go directly to http://www.pioneertheatre.org/press-room/media-photos/ to view the photos.
Photos from our early photo shoot can be found online. For hi-res versions, contact Madeleine Rex.
TV CAMERA FILMING: Filming a short segment of the production during preview or opening night performances for press use can be arranged. Call 801-581-7222.
INTERVIEWS: Interviews with the cast, playwright and artistic staff are available. Call 801-581-7222.
WHO:
Pioneer Theatre Company
WHAT:
Twelfth Night
by William Shakespeare
WHEN:
March 30 – April 14, 2018
TIMES:
Mondays – Thursdays, 7:00 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday matinees, 2:00 p.m.
WHERE:
Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre
300 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City
PRICES:
$25 – $44 in advance, and $5 more when purchased on the day of the show
Kids in grades K-12 are half-price on Mondays and Tuesdays
MORE INFO:
Box Office: 801-581-6961
Open 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Mon. – Fri.
www.pioneertheatre.org
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CAST:
DANIEL BEECHER*……………………………….. Antonio
FREDDIE BENNETT*……………………………… Fabian
KENAJUAN BENTLEY*……………………………. Sir Toby Belch
BERET BREMS……………………………………. Ensemble
GREG CARVER……………………………………. Ensemble
ZACH FIFER*……………………………………… Sebastian
SUSANNA FLORENCE*……………………………. Maria
J. OMAR HANSEN*……………………………….. Captain
CAMERON HOLZMAN…………………………….. Ensemble
CONNOR NELIS JOHNSON……………………….. Ensemble
ALI KINKADE…………………………………….. Ensemble
DAVID ANDREW MACDONALD*…………………… Malvolio
CONNER MARX*………………………………….. Sir Andrew Aguecheek
GRACE MORRISON*………………………………. Viola
A.K. MURTADHA*………………………………… Orsino
KELSEY RAINWATER*…………………………….. Olivia
ISABELLA REEDER………………………………… Maid, reveler, ensemble
JOHN TERRELL…………………………………… Curio, ensemble
NATHAN ALLEN VAUGHN………………………… Ensemble
MATT VERNER……………………………………. Valentine, ensemble
RICHARD E. WAITS*………………………………. Feste
ARTISTIC TEAM:
Director………………………………………………………………. Larry Carpenter
Scenic & Costume Designer………………………………………….. G.W. “Skip” Mercier
Lighting Designer…………………………………………………….. Kirk Bookman
Sound Designer……………………………………………………….. Kate Wecker
Hair and Makeup Designer……………………………………………. Amanda French
Resident Fight Choreographer……………………………………….. Chris Duval
Choreographer………………………………………………………… Daniel Pelzig
Composer……………………………………………………………… Scott Killian
Dialect Coach…………………………………………………………. Sarah Shippobotham
Production Stage Manager……………………………………………. Becky Lynn Dawson*
Stage Manager………………………………………………………… Mary P. Costello*
1st Assistant Stage Manager………………………………………….. Emily Nacrissa Griffith
2nd Assistant Stage Manager…………………………………………. Laney Marsella
Assistant Director……………………………………………………..Jamie Rocha Allan
* Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association.