Romeo and Juliet Show Synopsis

There is constant turmoil and fighting in the streets between the Montagues and the Capulets. Romeo Montague sneaks into a party where he meets Juliet Capulet. The two fall quickly into a forbidden romance and secretly get married. Though in love, the pair keep this union concealed while their families remain in a tense dispute. Eventually, the fighting between these households escalates into a violent brawl between Romeo and Juliet's cousin, Tibalt. The afermath pushes Juliet to take a desperate measure to attempt to save their love.

John Basiulis (Montague/Apothecary) is making his CSC debut. His previous work includes productions with Quintessence Theatre Group, the Walnut Street Theatre, the People’s Light and Theatre Company, the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, the Commonweal Theatre, the American Shakespeare Center, the Sierra Repertory Theatre, the Marin Shakespeare Company, the Southwest Shakespeare Company, the Springer Opera House, and the original Theatre in the Square. He trained in England at the Guildford School of Acting.

Greg Burgess (Capulet) is a CSC Company Member, and has performed in CSC’s productions of As You Like It (2023) Macbeth (2023), Hamlet (2023) Twelfth Night (2022), Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2; The Winter’s Tale; The Fantasticks; Richard III (2017 and 2012); Anne of the Thousand Days; Wild Oats; A Christmas Carol (2014-2023); Titus Andronicus (2015); The Importance of Being Earnest; A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2014 and 2010); As You Like It; The Merry Wives of Windsor; The Taming of the Shrew (2017 and 2013); and The Merchant of Venice, among many others. His training includes The Martin Blank Studio, the Shakespeare Theater, and Howard University.

Tamieka Chavis (Aunty) is a resident company member of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, the Black Classical Acting Ensemble, and teaching artist. She is a graduate of the British American Drama Academy and the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. Recent theatre credits include: Chesapeake Shakespeare Company: A Raisin in the Sun, Macbeth (BroadwayWorld Best Actress in Play), Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, The Tempest, A Christmas Carol; Mosaic Theatre: Confederates, Charm, Inherit the Windbag; 1st Stage: The Rainmaker (Helen Hayes Nominated Outstanding Lead Performer), The Mamalogues; Imagination Stage: The Hula Hoopin’ Queen; NextStop Theatre: Middletown; Constellation Theatre Company: Caucasian Chalk Circle; BADA: Measure for Measure, Hedda Gabler; The Second City: The Revolution Will Be Improvised (u/s); Kennedy Center TYA: She A Gem (u/s). TELEVISION: Anacostia (Daytime Emmy nominated and recipient of the Indie Series Award for Best Lead Actress), The Wire, Psychic Detectives. FILM: Raven, Liam White, A Family Matters Christmas, Torn. Tamieka is a proud member of actor’s equity. tamiekachavis.com

Jonas Connors-Grey (Father Laurence) has worked with CSC since 2012, when he appeared in Pride and Prejudice and Romeo and Juliet. Other CSC credits include As You Like It, Henry V, A Christmas Carol, Richard II, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Richard III, and Measure for Measure.  Regional theatre credits include Little Shop of Horrors, The Laramie Project, Dracula, Suddenly, Last Summer and The Sandstorm. Film and television credits include The Wire, Shot in the Heart, My Dog Skip and A Dirty Shame.

Lloyd Ekpe (Tibalt) is a member of CSC’S Black Classical Acting Ensemble and returns after previously performing in The Oresteia (2024), the summer production of Macbeth (2023), the student matinee of Macbeth (2022), and A Raisin in the Sun (2022). His previous credits include: A Civil War Christmas at the Strand Theatre, Girls on a Dirt Pile as a part of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. He was nominated for the Irene Ryan Acting Award and won 'Outstanding Performance in a Play Reading'.

Terrance Fleming (Mercutio) is CSC company member. His previous CSC credits include Henry V (2022) Measure for Measure (2020), and Dracula (2019). Terrance is originally from Mobile, AL. From Murphy high school, he chose to further his education at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), where he received his BFA in acting. Next stop for Terrance was Baltimore. During his time in the DMV, he’s had the privilege to collaborate with many different theatres and many talented artists. STC: King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, The Lehman Trilogy, Woolly Mammoth Theater: Incendiary, CSC: Dracula, Henry V, Measure for Measure, Her Majesty and Sons: Twelfth Night, Richard III, BSF: Hamlet, Center Stage: Dream Girls, Artscentic: The Wiz, Aida, Memphis, Little Shop of Horrors.

Kate Forton (Benvolio) is a senior company member with CSC. She played Audrey in As You Like It (2023), Mrs. Pickersgill in A Christmas Carol (2022), Hero in Much Ado about Nothing (2022), Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream (2018), various roles in A Christmas Carol (2014-2019), and has been in several other CSC productions. Kate has also worked with Just Off Broadway in their productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Rumors, New York, Company. (she/her)

Isaiah Mason Harvey (Paris) is a Baltimore born-and-bred actor-playwright and teaching artist making an enthusiastic return to the CSC stage. Past credits include The Oresteia (Orestes) Hamlet (Laertes understudy and others), A Christmas Carol (Young Scrooge and others), Broadway Bound (Eugene) (Vagabond Players) and Lyra and the Ferocious Beast (Caelum) (Truepenny Collective)."

Lauren Erica Jackson (Gregory) returns to CSC after previously performing in A Christmas Carol (2022, 2023). Other CSC performances include Macbeth (Summer 2023 as Banquo, Lady Macduff, Lennox) and Macbeth (Fall 2023 as Lady Macbeth). In addition to being an actor, Lauren is also a director, writer, songstress, and storyteller, and was an ensemble member at Single Carrot Theatre from 2017-2022. Notable performances include Phoebe in Phoebe in Winter (Single Carrot, City Paper Best Actor 2016), Zoë in The Niceties (Everyman Theatre: Salon Series), and Narrator in Every Brilliant Thing (Single Carrot).

Charlie Junkins (Sampson) is making his CSC debut. Other acting credits include Twelfth Night (Spotlighters); Courted: Love on Trial (AlphaNYC); Great Expectations (University of Southern California (USC)); The 25th Annual...Spelling Bee (USC). Directorial & technical credits include Good For Otto (The Workroom LA); Hughie/Krapp’s Last Tape (Geffen Playhouse). Charlie directs theater at The Park School of Baltimore.

Liam Kinna (Romeo) returns to CSC after previously appearing in the 2023 production of Twelfth Night (Sebastian) and 2022’s summer production Much Ado About Nothing (Balthazar and Watch). Other credits include Merry Wives of Windsor (Delaware Shakespeare Company); Romeo and Juliet (Everett Theatre and Arden Shakespeare Gild); Antigone Cacophony (Towson University). liamkinna.com

Colin Maher (Abram) returns to CSC after previously appearing as Tybalt in the 2023  student matinee production of Romeo and Juliet. Colin holds an B.F.A in Acting from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, holds Stage Combat certifications in multiple weapons, and currently works full-time with Roundhouse Theatre as a carpenter. Enjoy the show! www.colinmaheractor.com

Arielle Moore (Juliet) is making her Chesapeake Shakespeare Company debut. Her theater credits include Fat Ham (Studio Theatre), the world-premiere production of The Chameleon (Theater J); workshops of Kin (Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company); Adia and Clora Snatch Joy (Round House Theatre); and Elbow (Spooky Action). She received her B.A. in Theater Performance from American University. Website: ariellermoore.com. On social media: @itgirlarielle (instagram).

Dawn Thomas Reidy (Capulet’s Wife) previously appeared in CSC's The Oresteia (2024), Macbeth (2023), Hamlet (2023), Henry V (2022), A Raisin in the Sun (2022) and Measure for Measure (2020). She is a CSC Production Associate, Teaching Artist, and a member of CSC's Black Classical Acting Ensemble. She also directs and loves puppeteering. Regional credits include The Few, Romeo and Juliet, Danny Boy, The Lady in the Van, and Candy & Dorothy (Unexpected Stage Company); Our Black Death, Phaeton (Taffety Punk Theatre Company); Hazardous Materials (Perisphere Theatre, Helen Hayes nomination for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play); Overruled (Washington Stage Guild); and How the Other Half Loves and The Boys Next Door (Brown County Playhouse). She also works as a teaching artist with Everyman Theatre and Baltimore Shakespeare Factory. Dawn holds a BFA in Acting from UMBC and an MFA in Acting from Indiana University.

Kainoa Sittman (Peter) is making his CSC debut. Previous: Small Mouth Sounds (Teacher) and You Can See Me in the Dark at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Film credits include Waiting Room by Jordan Lomax and The Night We Met by Tumanyanelu Agogbuo.

Daniel Sakamoto-Wengel (Balthasar) is making his CSC debut. The Events (Guthrie Theatre); The Legend of Georgia McBride (Woodstock Arts); A Great Migration (B Street Theatre); Amy’s View, Flower Drum Song (Park Square Theatre); Harvey, Angel Street (Kansas Repertory Theatre); South Pacific (City Springs Theatre Company); R&J:60 (Atlanta Shakespeare Company); Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Center For Puppetry Arts); 365 Days/365 Plays (Full Circle Theatre); Paradise, Stayed (Pumphouse Players); Hopscotch (Doghouse Ensemble Theatre); Twelfth Night (BARD Shakes); The Imaginary Invalid (Combustible Theatre Company); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo & Juliet, Love’s Labour’s Lost (Cradle Theatre Company).

Gerrad Alex Taylor (Director/ Fight Choreographer) is an award-winning director and multidisciplinary theatre artist based out of the Greater Baltimore region and an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. In 2021 he was named one of Baltimore's "40 Under 40" by the Baltimore Business Journal. In 2020, he founded Chesapeake Shakespeare's Black Classical Acting Ensemble (BCAE), an affinity space for black actors interested in training and exposure of the "classics" and what an expansion of the classical canon may look like today. In 2024, Gerrad joined colleague Lizzi Albert to take on the roles of Co-Artistic Directors of Perisphere Theater in Montgomery County, MD. Founded in 2015, Perisphere Theater produces plays that examine personal and collective history and the notion of history itself, a mission that has special significance with Gerrad’s own artistic objectives.  In continuing his work with the BCAE and the university, Gerrad’s creative efforts at Perisphere and abroad will work to create space for audiences to appreciate and interrogate history, the classics, and the stories of those who are often left out of the retelling of these histories. He holds a BA in Neuroscience from the Johns Hopkins University and an MFA in Performance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has worked with theatres and educational institutions across the country including the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Perisphere Theater, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, Pacific Conservatory Theatre-PCPA, Children's Theatre of Annapolis, Everyman Theatre, Constellation Theatre Company, Mosaic Theatre Company, Arena Stage, Studio Theatre, and Washington Stage Guild. He is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association and an Advanced Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. (he/him/his)

 Sarah Curnoles (Production Manager) stage managed with CSC for Much Ado About Nothing, The Importance of Being Earnest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Dracula, A Doll’s House, The Tempest, and Henry V. Before working at CSC, she was self-employed as a life coach. She has also worked at Center Stage as the Executive Assistant to the Artistic and Managing Directors. Sarah created and directed A Fool’s Paradise: 30 Shakespeare Scenes in 60 Minutes which was performed at the Baltimore Fringe Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, and various stages around Baltimore.

Alexis E. Davis (Stage Manager) recent stage management credits with CSC include The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)[Revised][Again], Twelfth Night, A Raisin in the Sun, Dracula, Henry IV: Parts 1 & 2, She Stoops to Conquer, Alice in Wonderland, Romeo and Juliet (student matinees: 2016-2019), Red Velvet, A Christmas Carol (2017 - 2021), Julius Caesar, The Fantasticks, and Othello.  Additional PSM credits include A Beginner’s Guide to Deicide (Single Carrot Theater) and Drunk Enough to Say I Love You (Single Carrot Theater).  Additional ASM and PA credits include A Christmas Carol 2016 (CSC); LadyDay at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Baltimore CenterStage); By the Way, Meet Vera Stark; (Everyman Theater); TopDog/ Underdog (Everyman Theater); God of Carnage (Everyman Theatre). Wild! With Happy! (Baltimore Center Stage). Alexis holds a BA in Theater Production from McDaniel College. She is a member of the Stage Managers’ Association.

Dan O'Brien (Technical Director) is a founding member of CSC. Daniel has performed, designed scenery, lights, and served as Technical Director for many productions (among other jobs too numerous to name). He oversaw the construction of CSC’s theatre in Baltimore and designed the sets and lighting for Macbeth (2016); for the inaugural season plays A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Richard II; Romeo and Juliet (2015-2019); A Christmas Carol (2014-2019), and many others.

Kathryn Kawecki (Set Design) Previous CSC credits include As You Like It, Anne of the Thousand Days and Much Ado. DMV design credits include: How the Light Gets In, The Phlebotomist, Proof, and others (1st Stage), Othello/Desdemona (InSeries), The Late Wedding (The Hub), Enron (4615), The Oregon Trail (Flying V). Other designs include: Broken Fences, Taste of It (Ballybeg Theatre, NYC); Elijah, Faith! (LOCAL, Boulder); Avenue Q (Lyric Stage, Boston); Dollhouse, RENT (New Rep, Boston); Romeo & Juliet, My Fair Lady (Greater Boston Stage). She is an Associate Professor at Bowie State University. Education: MFA, Set Design, UNCSA; BA, Visual Arts, Columbia University. www.kawecki-art.com

Minjoo Kim (Lighting Designer) returns to CSC after having previously worked on A Christmas Carol (2022), and Henry V (2022). Her lighting design credits include Water by the Spoonful, Life Sucks, and The Great Leap (Cygnet Theatre); The Royale (KC Rep); The Great Leap (Round House Theatre); The Chief (Pittsburgh Public Theater); One in Two (Diversionary Theatre); Bette Davis Ain't for Sissies (Mile Square Theatre); The Two (Space Owul); Quiet No More (San Diego Women's Chorus); Qulili (The Blindspot); IDEAS-Cetacea (Calit2 Theater, Atkinson Hall); Crimson Girl (Dongsoong Art Center); Die or Not (Seoul Art Space Mullae); Mask on/off (Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre). minjoo-design.com

Kaydin Hamby (Sound Designer) holds a BA in Theatre Design and Production and a minor in music from the UMBC. Select sound design credits include: The Diary of Anne Frank, Dracula, Pericles, and Twelfth Night (Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Baltimore MD); Phantom Tollbooth, Revolutionists, War Boys, Unicorn Girl (Hangar Theatre Company, Ithaca NY); Love’s Labor’s Lost (Shakespeare by the Sea, Los Angeles CA); Circle Mirror Transformation, Admissions, The Tempest, Revolutionists, Meteor Shower (Maryland Ensemble Theatre, Frederick MD); Othello (Taffety Punk, Washington DC); and Rasheeda Speaking (Ally Theatre, Washington DC). KaydinHamby.com

Tylar Hinton (Costume Designer) is with CSC for the first time. Some of her previous credits include; The Mountaintop, for colored girls, For Black Boys, Antigone, Sweat, Miss Electricity, The Winter’s Tale, Vanya, and Sonya, and Masha, and Spike, The Wiz, and Home. Tylar graduated from Morgan State University in 2018, earning a Bachelors of Arts in Theatre Arts. In 2021, she earned her Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Costume Design from Wayne State University. Tylar has since returned to Baltimore, where she is currently serving as an adjunct professor at Morgan State and Towson within their theatre departments.

Caitlin Bouxsein (Props Artisan) is a designer, director, choreographer, and performer who has worked with several Baltimore/Washington DC area companies including Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, The Strand Theater Company, Fluid Movement, and Submersive Productions (with whom she is a member of the Submersive Collective). At CSC, she previously designed props for A Christmas Carol (2022 and 2023) and Hamlet (2023). She also produces original works with her spouse, Alexander Scally, under the name BOUXSCAL Productions, which have been featured at The Charm City Fringe Festival and other local venues. Education: B.A. Theatre Arts, Drew University

Mark Williams (Projection Designer) is a Projections Designer and Creative System Integrator for live performance. He returns after making his CSC debut with As You Like It (2023). He is a recent graduate of UMD’s Theatre MFA Design program. Website: markwdesign.com

Dawn Thomas Reidy (Production Associate) See Cast Bio

Kathryne Daniels (Assistant Director) is a CSC company member and was last seen in CSC's 2022 production of Twelfth Night as Maria and the student matinee of Romeo and Juliet as the Nurse (2022). Other CSC credits include: A Christmas Carol (2021), Dracula (2019), Measure for Measure (2020), Henry IV Parts 1&2 (2019) and Julius Caeser (2017). She has also worked with Baltimore Shakespeare Factory, Stillpoint Theater, Iron Crow and Fells Point Theater.

Eli Bendel-Simso (Assistant Stage Manager) is a stage manager and technician in the Baltimore/DC area. She graduated from McDaniel College, and has previously worked with CSC's veteran ensemble.

Abraham Stoll (Text/ Vocal Coach) is a production dramaturg and specialist in early modern literature. Recent productions include Brecht, Galileo, Aristophanes, The Clouds, and Chekhov, The Cherry Orchard, for the Johns Hopkins Theatre Program, and Henry 4 Part 1, Twelfth Night, Wilder, Skin of our Teeth, and Dürrenmatt, The Visit for The Old Globe/ University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Acting Program. Recent publications include an edition of Milton’s Paradise Lost(Broadview Press) and Conscience in Early Modern English Literature (Cambridge UP). He is the Director of JHU Theatre Arts and Studies.

Dance & BMore (Dance/ Movement Choreographer) is a dynamic Baltimore-based ensemble founded by Broadway veteran CJay Philip. Through their Bmore Broadway Live performance season and community programs, art becomes a powerful tool for connection, expression, and joy, transcending generations and making a lasting impact on the vibrant cultural tapestry of Baltimore.

Sierra Young (Intimacy Director) Returns to CSC after previously working on Macbeth (2023). Sierra is the Resident Fight and Intimacy Director for Mosaic Theater Company and is an active member of the SAFD, IDC, and SDC. Recent DC credits: One in Two, Unseen, Bars and Measures, and The Till Trilogy at Mosaic Theater Company; Shout Sister Shout! at Ford’s Theatre; King Lear and Red Velvet at Shakespeare Theatre Company; and Ain’t No Mo’ at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Recent Regional credits: Ain’t No Mo’ at Baltimore Center Stage; and The Joy That Carries You and A.D. 16 at Olney Theatre Center. Website: sierrayoung.org.

Hannah Brill (Wardrobe Supervisor) is a costume and lighting designer from Baltimore. She is the Assistant Costume Shop manager for Towson University’s Department of Theatre Arts. Hannah is returning to CSC as wardrobe manager (As You Like It, Macbeth, Hamlet, A Christmas Carol 2022, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing). Other recent work includes costume design for TU Dance Company shows Echoing Visions, Legacy, and Surging (Towson University), Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes (Single Carrot Theatre), The First Thing That Happens (Acme Corporation), and lighting design for Rachel (Rapid Lemon Productions.)

Martin Smith (Board Operator) N/A

LEADERSHIP

Ian Gallanar (Founding Artistic Director, As You Like It Director) In addition to founding the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in 2002, Ian has worked as a professional actor, director, and writer for more than 150 professional productions. He has directed 40 productions for CSC. Previously, Ian has served as Artistic Director for the National Theatre for Children, Minnesota Shakespeare in the Park, and the Repertory Theater of America. Ian is a proud member of the distinguished National Theatre Conference and the Dramatists Guild of America; a Helen Hayes Tribute Award, Telly Award, and Howie Award (Howard County Arts Council) winner. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he is a Member of the College of Fine Arts Advancement Council. He is Immediate Past President of the international Shakespeare Theatre Association, an organization for professional Shakespeare companies around the globe.

Lesley Malin (Producing Executive Director) is a founder of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, and served as its Executive Director since 2003. She managed CSC’s building renovation of an 1885 bank into our modern Shakespeare playhouse as well as the associated $6.7 million capital campaign. She has performed in 28 CSC productions and previously in New York. She was, for 20 years, Vice President of the Board of Trustees of The Lark, the landmark new play development center in New York City, where she earlier was Managing Director. She served for five years on the Executive Committee of the international Shakespeare Theatre Association and organized its annual conference that CSC hosted in Baltimore in 2017. She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, NYU’s Arts Management program, Leadership Howard County, and LEADERship Baltimore (2018).