FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Tina Slak, 610.282.WILL [9455] [email protected]
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Unveils the Bard’s Rarely Produced Cymbeline
in “Extreme Shakespeare” Style—Opening this Week
Center Valley, PA: July 23, 2024—Shakespeare meets The Princess Bride in an epic fairy tale of magic and power in William Shakespeare’s Cymbeline. Seamlessly weaving elements of the Bard’s comedy, tragedy, and history into one romantic adventure, Cymbeline previews at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival July 24 and 25, opens on Friday, July 26 and runs through August 4 in the Schubert Theatre at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts at DeSales University in Center Valley, PA.
Produced for the first time in the Festival’s 33 years, and marking its 30th play produced in Shakespeare’s canon, the approach to tackle the rarely produced Cymbeline is the Festival’s popular “Extreme Shakespeare”— rehearsed and performed akin to the way Shakespeare’s company would have: actors arrive with their lines learned, rehearse on their own, stage the play, and open in a matter of days. No director, no designers. Just great actors, a brilliant play, pure adrenaline, spontaneity, and creativity.
Cymbeline features numerous accomplished Shakespeare actors, many of whom are veterans of the PSF company, delivering a dynamic retelling of one of the Bard’s most intriguing plays.
Taysha Marie Canales (The Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing) plays Imogen, one of Shakespeare’s most heroic and resilient heroines. Imogen stands up to her father King Cymbeline, portrayed by Eric Hissom (Twelfth Night, The Taming of the Shrew), and refuses to be deceived by her wicked stepmother, the Queen, played by Kimberly Gilbert (Henry IV, Part 2).
Hassiem Muhammad (The Tempest, Round House Theatre, 2023 Helen Hayes Award) takes on the role of Posthumus Leonatus, Imogen’s husband, who faces banishment by the king. Adding to the intrigue, Ian Merrill Peakes (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It) takes on the role of Iachimo, a deceitful Italian who wagers that he can seduce Imogen.
Akeem Davis (The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing) plays Cloten, the Queen’s son from a previous marriage and Imogen’s stepbrother, adding to the tension and drama. Joining them are Karen Peakes (The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Taming of the Shrew) as Pasania; Eli Lynn (The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry IV, Part 2) as Guiderius; and from last season’s The Tempest, Gregory Isaac as Caius Lucius, and David Pica as Arviragus.
Rounding out the cast in the ensemble are Lee Baud, Tyler Borneo, Abby Jeanne, Iyanu Joshuasville, Ciara Kelley, Relena Kiser, Giovanni Marini, Christian Tuffy, Jabari C. Williams, and Fiona Wilson.
The creative team includes Colleen Hughes (Intimacy Director) and Eli Lynn (Fight Director). Melissa Katherine Collins is the Stage Manager and Emma D. Emde is the Assistant Stage Manager.
Cymbeline intertwines themes of love, betrayal, and redemption, showcasing the resilience of the human spirit. When Imogen’s father unjustly banishes her beloved, the princess embarks on a mythic quest to prove her loyalty, outwit her wicked stepmother, and reclaim her true love. In this captivating masterpiece, from the zenith of Shakespeare’s creativity, a courageous heroine, kind strangers, sinister adversaries, divine beings, poisoned potions, and forgotten princes all play a role in the path toward a happily ever after.
Audiences can look forward to these show extras to enhance the experience:
- Opening Night: Friday, July 26: Join the PSF actors and staff for a friendly post-show champagne toast.
- Meet the actors for a talk-back after the show: Thursday, August 1.
- Prologues: Join us for insights into the play in an informal setting. Free. Held in the theatre 45 minutes prior to curtain. (Excludes Preview performances.)
- Audio Described and Open Captioned performance: August 3, 2:00pm.
The production Sponsor for Cymbeline is H. Lloyd Carbaugh and the Co-Sponsors are Mary Bongiorno and Douglas Dykhouse.
The Festival’s 2024 Season Sponsors are Lee and Dolly Butz. The Associate Season Sponsors are Linda Lapos and Paul Wirth, Kathleen Kund Nolan and Timothy E. Nolan, the Szarko Family, and Harry C. Trexler Trust.
With only 13 performances in the intimate 187-seat Schubert Theatre, seats are limited. Secure your tickets now for the best available seating options.
Tickets can be purchased online at pashakespeare.org, or by calling the box office at 610.282.WILL [9455], ext. 1, or in person at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of DeSales University, in Center Valley.
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, the official Shakespeare Festival of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, features acclaimed actors from Broadway, television, and film, and is the summer home to over 200 artists from around the country, including winners and nominees of the Tony, Obie, Emmy, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Jefferson, and Barrymore Awards.
The 2024 Summer Season—May 29 to August 4, 2024
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Artistic Leadership:
JASON KING JONES (Artistic Director) Prior to moving to the Lehigh Valley with his family, Jason spent ten years at Maryland’s Olney Theatre Center, where he served as Senior Associate Artistic Director and Artistic Director of National Players, America’s longest-running touring theatre company. In the past twenty-five years Jason directed over seventy-five productions, mentored hundreds of early-career theatre makers, and established various in school and summer educational programs. He is an Acting Company alumnus, a proud member of the PSF Board, and a member of the Shakespeare Theatre Association’s IDEAA Committee, and Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Nonprofit & Business Partners Council. Jason holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Missouri State and an MFA in Directing from Boston University.
CASEY WILLIAM GALLAGHER (Managing Director) has worked at PSF for 26 seasons. Over the years he was a box office intern, a stage management intern, the assistant house manager, box office manager, company manager, assistant producer, director of development and worked directly with PSF Founder Jerry Schubert in the early years of the organization. Since 2004, in his role as general manager and later managing director, he served as the administrative leader of the festival, working very closely with former Producing Artistic Director Patrick Mulcahy and the box office, business, development, marketing and production departments. Casey now serves as co-leader of the Festival with Artistic Director Jason King Jones. Beyond PSF, Casey was treasurer for the Shakespeare Theatre Association, director of audience services for The People’s Light & Theatre Company, a board member for Civic Theatre of Allentown, a peer panelist for the New Jersey Council on the Arts and a judge for the Greater Philadelphia Barrymore Awards for excellence in theatre. Casey thanks the PSF year-round staff, the summer staff, the WillPower Tour staff, the Festival board of directors, the volunteer Guild and all the other stakeholders who contribute and play a part in bringing theatre to life onstage and in our community.
Actor Bios
LEE BAUD (Messenger/Ensemble) is a junior Acting for Stage/Screen major with a minor in TV/Film at DeSales. DeSales: Elizabeth Keckley (A Civil War Christmas), Lily (Crumbs from the Table of Joy), Act 2 Roles, Pelonius (Shakespeare Abridged). Lee is a native of Baltimore, with a background in screenwriting and lighting design as well.
TYLER BORNEO (British Captain/Ensemble) is a rising sophomore at DeSales DeSales: The Drowsy Chaperone (George), Twelfth Night (Orsino’s court musician, u/s Sir Andrew Aguecheek, u/s Captain), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Jean-Michel).
TAYSHA MARIE CANALES* (Imogen) Regional credits: Much Ado About Nothing (PSF); All My Mothers Dream In Spanish (Azuka Theatre); KISS, Fat Ham (2021 filmed World Premiere), Dance Nation, Dionysus Was Such A Nice Man, Romeo and Juliet, Passage, Passing Strange, When the Rain Stops Falling, An Octoroon, The Hard Problem (The Wilma Theater); A Streetcar Named Desire, NO CHILD…(2021 Filmed Production), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Arden Theatre); Shakespeare In Love, All My Sons (People’s Light). Taysha is the 2018 F. Otto Haas Emerging Philadelphia Theater Artist Recipient and a three-time Barrymore Award nominee. She is a founding member of the Wilma Theater’s resident acting company, the HotHouse. BFA in Acting from Arcadia University.
AKEEM DAVIS* (Cloten) from Miami, FL, is a graduate of The Florida State University. PSF: Henry V (2015), Longaville (Love’s Labor’s Lost, 2016), Duke Orsino (Twelfth Night, 2018), Demetrius (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 2021), Benedick (Much Ado About Nothing, 2022), Trinculo/Edward (Tempest/Sense and Sensibility, 2023). Regional: Arden Theatre: A Doll’s House, Gem of the Ocean; Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: The Arsonists; Folger Theatre: District Merchants, King John; People’s Light: All My Sons; Theatre Horizon: Lobby Hero, In The Blood; InterAct Theatre, The Dangerous House of Pretty M’bane, Marcus/Emma; Theatre Exile: Buzzer; Simpatico Theatre Project: The Brothers Size. Barrymore Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance. Helen Hayes nominated. Recipient of the 2015 F. Otto Haas Award for Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist, Akeem is a proud man of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
KIMBERLY GILBERT* (Queen) is a DC actor and Delco native. She was last seen here as Mistress Quickly in Henry IV, Part 2. Recent credits include: Jennifer in Jennifer, Who Is Leaving (World Premiere) by Morgan Gould, Round House Theatre; Antoinette in La Salpetriere, Taffety Punk Theatre Company; Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol, Ford’s Theatre; Volumnia in Coriolanus, Avant Bard Theatre. A proud union actor for over 20 years, she is a company member of both Woolly Mammoth and Taffety Punk Theatre in Washington, DC. She received her MFA in Classical Acting with The Academy at Shakespeare Theatre Company.
ERIC HISSOM* (Cymbeline) PSF: Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, A Man for All Seasons, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew, Troilus and Cressida, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Around the World in Eighty Days, King John, All’s Well that Ends Well, and more. Other theatre credits include work at Seattle Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, Cleveland Playhouse, Milwaukee Rep, Asolo Rep, Syracuse Stage, Arena Stage, Arden Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Folger Theatre, and many others. He did the National Tour of The Thirty-Nine Steps, and has done a bit of TV and film, including the feature Out of Time. He has an MFA from Florida State’s Asolo Conservatory.
GREGORY ISAAC (Caius Lucius) Returning to PSF after appearing last summer in The Tempest and Sense & Sensibility. He is a Philadelphia-based actor whose other work around the region includes Torch Song, and Hope & Gravity (1812 Productions); My Fair Lady, Doctor Faustus, and Waiting For Godot (Quintessence Theatre); The Royale, Betrayal, Fabulation (Lantern Theater); Merchant Of Venice, Merry Wives (Delaware Shakespeare); A Christmas Carol (Walnut Street Theatre); and was a Barrymore Award nominee for his work in Iphigenia At Aulis (P.A.C.). He also spent a number of years living and performing in NYC, Atlanta, and Chicago.
ABBY JEANNE (Helen/Ensemble) is a recent graduate of DeSales, and she is thrilled and full of gratitude to be back as a part of the PSF community this summer. DeSales: Mrs. Van Buren in Intimate Apparel, Feste in Twelfth Night, Fox in Pinocchio! PSF: Puck in the community tour of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, James in James and the Giant Peach, Mrs. Palmer in Sense and Sensibility, and Spirit in The Tempest.
IYANU JOSHUASVILLE (Frenchman/Ensemble) is a recent Acting for Stage and Screen graduate at DeSales. PSF: community tour of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oberon), The Tempest (Adrian/Boatswain & u/s Trinculo), Sense and Sensibility (Robert Ferrars & u/s Edward Ferrars), James and the Giant Peach (Father/Narrator). DeSales: Twelfth Night (Malvolio), Silent Sky (Peter Shaw), Civil War Christmas (Walker Lewis, etc.), Our Town (Simon Stimson), Crumbs From The Table of Joy (u/s Godfrey Crump), and Chainz (Tre).
CIARA KELLEY (Lady/Ensemble) (she/they) is a recent graduate of DeSales. Ciara recently portrayed The Cricket in DeSales’ Act 3 production of Pinocchio! They have also been heavily involved in the electrics and prop crews during their time at DeSales.
RELENA KISER (1st Lord/Ensemble) They are a rising senior at DeSales as an Acting for the Stage and Screen major. This past fall, they were in the Ensemble in Sweeney Todd at Pennsylvania Playhouse. And recently she was the understudy for Feste in DeSales’ Twelfth Night.
ANTHONY LAWTON* (Belarius) has acted in Philadelphia for thirty-two years. Favorite roles include George in Of Mice and Men (Walnut Street Theatre); “man” in Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (1812 Productions); and Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet (Arden Theatre). In 2005, Lawton received grants from the Independence Foundation and Philadelphia Theatre Initiative to write and develop The Foocy, which garnered five Barrymore nominations (including Best New Play). In 2016, his adaptation of The Light Princess (with music by Alex Bechtel) was nominated for 8 Barrymores, winning for Best Original Music. The Philadelphia City Paper named him the city’s “Best One-Man Theatre” for his solo productions of The Devil and Billy Markham, The Great Divorce and The Screwtape Letters.
ELI LYNN* (Guiderius) (they/them) is an actor, Intimacy Director, and Barrymore-nominated fight director. PSF credits: Hal (Henry IV, Pt. 2), Jess (Complete Works … Abridged), Flute (Midsummer). Recent regional credits: Big Alison (Fun Home, New Light Theatre), Trevor (TPTGW, 1812 Productions), Orsino/Toby (Twelfth Night) and Jean 3/Prince (Thrive, American Shakespeare Center), Aramis (The Three Musketeers, Cleveland Playhouse), Dorcus/Dion (The Winter’s Tale, Folger Theatre). They have studied stage combat for 15 years, and are recognized as an Advanced Actor Combatant with five international organizations. Recent fight credits include: The Lightning Thief (Drexel), Noises Off (DTC), Sense and Sensibility (PSF), TPTGW (1812). They’re also an Artistic Associate with Philadelphia Artists’ Collective.
GIOVANNI MARINI (Gentleman 1/Jailer/Ensemble) a recent graduate of DeSales, joining PSF as a member of the Young Company. Favorite Act 1 moments include The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Importance of Being Earnest, R&H’s Cinderella, The Sound of Music, A Christmas Carol, & The Trojan Women. This past spring, Giovanni also directed DeSales’ Act 3’s production of Pinocchio!
HASSIEM MUHAMMAD* (Posthumus Leonatus) a graduate of The University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Other regional credits include: The Tempest at Round House Theatre, for which he received a 2023 Helen Hayes Award; The Three Musketeers at Cleveland Playhouse; Shoebox Picnic: Route 1 at Alabama Shakespeare Festival; and SWEAT at the Pioneer Theatre Company. Television credits include: Madam Secretary, FBI, and Blue Bloods. Hassiem is represented by Red Letter Entertainment, and HCKR Agency.
IAN MERRILL PEAKES* (Iachimo/Jupiter) PSF: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Blithe Spirit, The Taming of the Shrew, et al. Philly: Lantern Theater: Lifespan of a Fact, Molly Sweeney, Faith Healer; Walnut Street Theatre: Blithe Spirit, Matilda, Peter and the Starcatcher; Arden Theatre: Something Intangible (Barrymore Award), All My Sons (Barrymore Award); The Wilma Theater, Delaware Theatre, 1812 Productions, Philadelphia Theatre Company: Sideman (Barrymore Award); Theatre Exile: Red Light Winter and Invisible Hand (Barrymore Award nominations). Regional: ACT, Seattle Rep and Shakespeare Theatre: Charles III; Folger: R and G are Dead (Helen Hayes Award), Henry VIII, Macbeth, The Game of Love and Chance (Helen Hayes nominations); Denver Center for the Performing Arts: The Catch, Glengarry Glen Ross (Best of Denver Awards); Actors Theatre of Louisville, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Gulfshore Playhouse. Ian is a brand new company member at People’s Light where he played Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.
KAREN PEAKES* (Pisania) a proud DeSales grad, is back at PSF, after last appearing in Blithe Spirit and The Taming of the Shrew in 2016! Primarily working in the Philadelphia area in theatres such as Walnut Street Theatre, Arden Theatre, The Wilma Theater, Act 2 Playhouse, People’s Light, Delaware Theatre Company, InterAct, The Lantern, and 1812 Productions, she has also worked extensively with The Folger Theatre, in DC, The Peterborough Players, in NH, and The Gulfshore Playhouse, in FL. She is a two-time Audie Award Nominated audiobook narrator.
DAVID PICA (Arvarigus) (he/him) is an actor, text coach, teaching artist. PSF credits: The Tempest, Sense and Sensibility. Regional credits: Arden Theatre, Hedgerow Theatre, PAC, Delaware Shakespeare, New Light Theatre, Philadelphia Young Playwrights, Theatre Exile, Theatre in the X, Lantern Theater, Azuka Theatre, Inis Nua, Tiny Dynamite, Revolution Shakespeare, Commonwealth Classic, Quintessence Theatre Group, & Greenfield Collective. He trained at Millikin University, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and with The Factory.
CHRISTIAN TUFFY (Dr. Cornelius/Ensemble) (he/him) PSF: The Tempest, Sense and Sensibility, James and the Giant Peach, community tour of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Little Red, The Taming of the Shrew (YC Project). DeSales: The Drowsy Chaperone, Twelfth Night, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Intimate Apparel.
JABARI C. WILLIAMS (2nd Lord/Ensemble) (he/him) Making his debut with PSF as part of the Young Company. At DeSales, he has brought to life diverse characters in productions such as Intimate Apparel (George Armstrong), As You Like It (Charles), Pride and Prejudice (u/s Wickam), A Civil War Christmas (Moses Levy, Fredrick Wormley), and Twelfth Night (Captain, u/s Duke Orsino). Jabari has also showcased his talent with the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, taking on roles in Much Ado About Nothing (Borachio), and Macbeth (Macduff’s son, and Fleance).
FIONA WILSON (Second Gentleman/Ensemble) (she/they) is a recent graduate with a B.A in Theatre from DeSales. Their previous roles at DeSales include Harlequin and u/s Pinocchio from DeSales Act 3’s Pinocchio! She has also been Woman 1 in Big Meal and Annie Cannon in Silent Sky. Fiona has been heavily involved in the electrics crew while at DeSales and has had many leadership roles on different shows through that opportunity. They will be continuing their education at Villanova University in the fall.
Creative Bios
MELISSA KATHERINE COLLINS* (Stage Manager) an Atlanta native and Florida resident, Melissa studied at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida receiving an A.A. in Entertainment Design and Technology. This is Melissa’s second season with PSF. Recent credits: Henry IV, Part 2 at PSF, Henry VI, Part 1 and Ain’t Misbehavin at Orlando Shakes; The Sound of Music and Memphis at The Lexington Theatre Company; Hymn at Shakespeare & Company.
EMMA D. EMDE* (Assistant Stage Manager) Her recent credits include Regional: The Tempest, Sense and Sensibility (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival); The Three Musketeers, A Merry Christmas Carol, Henry V, The 39 Steps, A Merry Little Christmas Carol, The Hobbit (Virginia Stage Company); Collegiate: Nightfall with Edgar Allan Poe, She Kills Monsters (University of Nebraska at Kearney). Emma graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska at Kearney with a BA in Theatre. She is also a proud member of the Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honors Society, The National Honors Society of Dance Arts, and Actors’ Equity Association.
COLLEEN HUGHES (Intimacy Director) As an intimacy director and coordinator, Colleen brings a trauma-informed and human-first approach to scenes of simulated sex, nudity, and hyper exposure. Through her collaboration with trusted colleagues, she is at the vanguard of a movement to bring increased agency and transparency to the entertainment industry. She has collaborated with artists from around the globe, including Maya Hawke on the official music video for Thérèse, with over 5 million views on YouTube (also available on Apple Music); Samantha Shay at Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch in Germany; and immersive work with Virgin Atlantic’s cruise line in the Mediterranean, and Punkdrunk’s Sleep No More in NYC.
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