PRESS RELEASE: Baltimore Center Stage Announces Shakespeare in Love Cast and Artistic Team

Baltimore Center StageShakespeare in Love
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Center Stage Continues its “Season of Community” with a Boisterous, Joyful
Production of the Blockbuster Movie
Baltimore — Baltimore Center Stage is pleased to announce the cast and artistic team for Shakespeare In Love.
Continuing a “Season of Community” at Baltimore Center Stage, where every program
and production explores the role of artists and institutions in building community,
Shakespeare in Love embraces the theme of “joy”. The language, love story and
luxurious scenery aim directly at the joy in the connectedness of the human spirit. It is a
moving examination of the relationship between art and love.
“This joyful romp celebrates every aspect of theater, from the words on the page to the
actors on stage. It is a charming tale of love, the English language, and theater itself,”
said Baltimore Center Stage Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah. “It is simply the joy
that this theater can provide in turbulent times.”
Shakespeare in Love is the most produced play in the 2017/18 theater season. Baltimore Center Stage is its only production in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. Based on the Oscar-winning film of the same name, Shakespeare in Love was adapted for the stage by Lee Hall from Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard’s screenplay. It is directed by Blake Robison, Artistic Director of the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
The cast includes Nicholas Carriere* (William Shakespeare), Avery Glypmh* (Marlowe/Priest/Ensemble), John Plumpis* (Fennyman/Catling?ensemble), David Whalen* (Ned Alleyn/Lambert/Ensemble), Michael Fajardo* (Frees/Wabash/Heavy
1/Ensemble), Barzin Akhavan* (Henslowe/Ensemble), Brent Harris* (Burbage/Barman/Ensemble), Liz Daingerfield (Mistress Quickly/Waitress/Kate/Abraham/Ensemble), Marquis D. Gibson (Adam/Heavy
2/Ensemble), Wynn Harmon* (Tifney/Sir Robert de Lesseps/Ensemble), Naomi Jacobsen* (Queen Elizabeth/Molly/Ensemble), Bari Robinson* (Nol/Valentine/Ensemble), Taha Mandviwala (Peter/Proteus/Guard 2/Ensemble), Emily Trask* (Viola de Lesseps/Ensemble), Laura Gordon* (Nurse/Ensemble), Jefferson A. Russell* (Ralph/Ensemble), Jamal James* (Robin/Guard 1/Boatman/Ensemble) Clark Furlong (Webster), Michael Brusasco* (Wessex/Ensemble), and Richard Buchanan (Sam/Ensemble). There’s also a featured appearance by Meatball, a Chihuahua (Spot).
The artistic team includes director Robison, Tim Mackabee (Scenic Designer),
Kathleen Geldard (Costume Designer), Michelle Habeck (Lighting Designer), Matt
Nielson (Sound Designer), Diane Lala (Choreographer), Rick Sordelet and Christian
Kelly-Sordelet (fight directors).
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Shakespeare in Love opens Thursday, October 26, with previews October 19–25, and
closes Sunday, November 26. Press night is Opening Night, October 26. For more
information, visit www.centerstage.org or call the box office at 410.332.0033.
Shakespeare in Love is made possible by T. Rowe Price. This performance is supported
in part by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC). Center Stage’s Season
Sponsor is M&T Bank and the season is also made possible by The Shubert Foundation
and the Baltimore County Commission on Arts and Sciences
About Baltimore Center Stage
Baltimore Center Stage is a professional, nonprofit institution committed to entertaining,
engaging and enriching audiences through bold, innovative and thought-provoking classical and contemporary theater. Named the State Theater of Maryland in 1978,
Baltimore Center Stage has steadily grown as a leader in the national regional theater
scene. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE and Managing
Director Michael Ross, Baltimore Center Stage is committed to creating and presenting a
diverse array of world premieres and exhilarating interpretations of established works.
Baltimore Center Stage believes in access for all—creating a welcoming environment for
everyone who enters its theater doors and, at the same time, striving to meet audiences
where they are. In addition to its Mainstage and Off Center productions in the historic
Mount Vernon neighborhood, Baltimore Center Stage ignites conversations among a
global audience through digital initiatives, which explore how technology and the arts
intersect. The theater also nurtures the next generation of artists and theater-goers
through the Young Playwrights Festival, Student Matinee Series and many other
educational programs for students, families and educators.