Sir John Falstaff, a knight down on both luck and cash, hatches a scheme to raise funds. He will seduce Mistress Ford and Mrs. Page in an attempt to get at their husbands' money. Falstaff, however, has overestimated his ingenuity; the two women compare their letters, and – find them identical – hatch a plan of their own to make a buffoon of the knight. They send him letters in return to encourage his advances. In the meantime, Pistol and Nym, whom Falstaff has sacked, go to Ford and Page's husbands with the news. Ford, who is jealous and paranoid, disguises himself and meets Falstaff. He pretends to be an illicit lover who wishes to hire Falstaff to woo Mrs. Ford on his behalf, to which Falstaff agrees.
As Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page pursue their sport, Falstaff is first hidden in a basket of dirty laundry and cast into the Thames, then later dressed as a woman and beaten. Finally, the women tell their husbands about their secret revenge, and all plot one last humiliation for the feckless Falstaff. As this is going on, Page's daughter, Anne, is being courted by three suitors, only one of which she actually cares for: Fenton. Anne is included in the plans for Falstaff; she is to lead the people of the town – all dressed as fairies – in an attack on the knight as he waits in the woods for Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page. As they prepare for the final prank, the husband Page pulls Slender (one of Anne's suitors) aside and tells him to elope with her that evening; Mrs. Page pulls her favorite suitor, Doctor Caius, aside and says she wants him to elope with Anne. The two men are to recognize Anne (she'll be wearing a mask, after all) by the color of dress she wears. To add to this, Anne makes plan s of her own to elope with her beloved Fenton.
Falstaff, dressed as Herne (complete with antlers), is mercilessly tormented by the people dressed as fairies. The wives and husbands eventually reveal themselves to the much chagrined Falstaff, who is forgiven by all. In the midst of this resolution, Slender and Doctor Caius reappear. It seems that Slender thought Anne was to wear a white dress; Caius believed her to be wearing green. Both men, having erred on the color of her dress, mistakenly ran off with two others instead of Anne. Fenton arrives with Anne in their wake; the two have married, and Anne's parents begrudgingly accept the fact.
The cast includes
Shallow (a country justice) - Robert-Bruce Brake Sir Hugh Evans (a Welsch parson) - Paul Hurley Slender (cousin to Shallow) - Jonathan Wainwright Master Page - Steven Cole Hughes* Sir John Falstaff - Dan Katula* Bardolph (follower to Falstaff) - Tim Gittings Nym (follower of Falstaff) - Jesse Dorst Pistal (follower of Falstaff) - Jerry Gomis* Anee Page (daughter to Page) - Ashley Rideaux Mistress Page - Tonya Beckman Ross* Mistress Ford - Kendra Kohrt Simple (servant to Slender) - Jesse Dorst Host of the Garter Inn - Jonathan Wainwright Robin (page to Falstaff) - David Rothrock Rugby (servant to Doctor Caius) - Tim Gittings Mistress Quickly (servant to Caius) - Suzanne Graff* Doctor Caius (a French physician) - Jerry Gomis* Fenton (a gentleman) - Paul Hurley Master Ford - Tim Gittings
The crew includes
Directed - Jerry Gomis
Custumes - Barbara Portinga
Original Music & Arrangements - Karen Mal
Music Direction - Chris Irwin
Production - Suzanne Graff, Jerry Gomis
Producers - Suzanne Graff, Jerry Gomis
Associate Producer - Joan Shiels
Stage Management - Lisa Smith
House Management - Bill Love
Box Office Mangement - John Hansen
Costume Assistance - Cassandra Paine
* Appears courtesy of Actors' Equity Association
ROBERT-BRUCE BRAKE (Gremio/Vincentio, Shallow) is one of the busiest and most critically acclaimed character actors in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Over the last twenty years he has performed with The Guthrie Theater, Park Square Theatre of St. Paul, toured nationally and played Off-Broadway with Boston's Collaboration, Frank Theatre, Pangea World Theatre, Theatre L'Homme Dieu, Paul Bunyan Playhouse and Theater in the Round. Robert-Bruce has been seen in the feature films A Simple Plan, Naked Man and a featured role in Drop Dead Gorgeous. Mr. Brake also has a number of independent films and commercials to his credit.
JESSE DORST (Merchant, Servant to Baptista/Nym, Simple/Intern) hails from Laramie, WY and is a Junior at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he studies theater and linguistics. Jesse has been in two Macalester Main Stage productions, Pentecost and Family (re)Union Project, and performs with the school's sketch comedy troupe, Bad Comedy. After graduation Jesse plans to use his extremely lucrative Liberal Arts degree to find work as an actor and dialect coach.
TIM GITTINGS (Grumio, Biondello/Ford) is incredibly excited to be coming back for his fifth season with Door Shakespeare and is looking forward to be up in Door County for another amazing summer before he heads down to Montgomery, AL for graduate studies with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Tim is dedicating this season to the wonderful Ellie, whom he is marrying right here in this beautiful space on the blue moon at the end of July. He would like to thank Jerry and Suzanne and the whole Door County family for all their love and support.
SUZANNE GRAFF (Producer/Widow/Director 'The Taming of the Shrew'/Mistress Quickly) has been involved in Door County theatre for more than thirteen years. She performed onstage for several seasons at American Folklore Theatre. Since 1998, she and her husband, Jerry Gomis, have collaborated as Producers for Door Shakespeare, for which Suzanne has directed Twelfth Night and Much Ado About Nothing. Her Door Shakespeare acting credits include Viola in Twelfth Night, Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Nurse in last year's Romeo & Juliet. On other stages Suzanne's credits include Off-Broadway's Zombies from the Beyond, Charlie and Twelfth Night. She has performed in national tours of She Stoops to Conquer, As You Like It, Oedipus, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. In her hometown of Milwaukee, she's appeared at the Skylight Opera Theatre and Theatre Tesseract. Other regional credits include Indiana Rep, She Loves Me and at home in the Twin Cities at The Great American History Theatre, The Jon Hassler Theatre, and in the Buffalo Gal Production of Effy in The Spitfire Grill. Suzanne would be lost, crazy or downright shrewish if it were not for her terrific friends, a supportive community here in Door County, and especially her family, her husband Jerry and the stars in her eyes – William and Anna Marie, their children.
JERRY GOMIS (Producer/Hortensio/Pistol, Doctor Caius, Director 'The Merry Wives of Windsor') has directed Door Shakespeare productions: Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, and As You Like It. Jerry has also been seen in the Garden in various roles including Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing and Malvolio in Twelfth Night. Other favorite roles in his professional theatre career include Arles, etc. in Greater Tuna, Edmond in King Lear, and the Juggling Bunny in Carousel. In 2003 he also became a “professional” in project management by receiving his PMP (Project Management Professional) certification. Jerry is deeply thankful to the Door County community and Door Shakespeare family and friends in embracing and encouraging the vision that he and Suzanne imagined Door Shakespeare could become. Thanks for continual support and inspiration is also owed to Suzanne, William, and the mighty Anna Marie.
DAN KATULA (Baptista/Falstaff) is back for his third season at Door hakespeare where he has been seen in Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, and he played Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night. He recently played Angus in Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's production of The Drawer Boy and has appeared in several productions at First Stage Children's Theater. Other theaters he has worked at include The Cleveland Playhouse, Monomoy Theater in Cape Cod, Hope Summer Rep in Holland Michigan, and Geva and the Agean theater in New York. Dan would especially like to thank his wife Allison for sending him to summer acting camp again. Hail Eris!
STEVEN COLE HUGHES (Petruchio/Page) recently appeared as Jake (among others) in the What Exit Theatre Company of New Jersey's production of Stones in His Pockets. For the last six seasons he has been a member of the acting company of the Denver Center Theatre Company where he has played Bruce in Blue/Orange, Father Welsh in The Lonesome West, Solyony in The Three Sisters, Leander in Scapin, Dumaine in Love's Labour's Lost, Bernardo in Hamlet, and was a member of the ensemble in the world premiere of John Barton's Tantalus. He lives in New York City and has a BA in Theatre from Indiana University and an MFA in Acting from the National Theatre Conservatory.
PAUL HURLEY (Lucentio/Evans, Fenton) is thrilled to be here for the summer performing with Door Shakespeare. As an undergraduate at Lawrence University, Paul had the opportunity to spend a few weekends at Bjorklunden. Since graduating in 2001, Paul has performed with many theaters in Wisconsin. Favorite productions include Hamlet, The Cherry Orchard, and Love's Labour's Lost at American Players Theatre, The Laramie Project at Madison Repertory Theatre, Anna Christie and The Front Page at Milwaukee Repertory Theater, and Rough Crossing at Next Act Theatre. He most recently appeared in The Tempest with Milwaukee Shakespeare. This fall he will begin graduate school at the University of Delaware's professional theatre training program.
KENDRA KOHRT (Lady of Song Ensemble/Mrs. Ford) is a graduate student at the National Theater Conservatory in Denver. Most recently, she understudied the roles of Portia in The Merchant of Venice and Elvira in Blithe Spirit at the Denver Center Theater Company. Last summer Kendra played Meg in Crimes of the Heart in Telluride, CO. Roles in Denver include Jaques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, Queen Elizabeth in Richard II, Deborah in Harold Pinter's A Kind of Alaska, and Hypatia in Misalliance. Kendra was born and raised in San Diego where she had a theater company of her own for two years.
TONYA BECKMAN ROSS (Kate/Mrs. Page) has Shakespearean credits that include Merchant of Venice, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Henry V, Taming of the Shrew, Cymbeline, and Much Ado about Nothing. In Chicago she has appeared at Equity Library Theatre, Shakespeare Project, Lyric Opera of Chicago; regionally at Human Race Theatre, Purple Rose Theatre, Cleveland Play House, CATCo, and Public Theatre of Maine. Before moving to Chicago, Tonya was a resident actor at Cleveland Signstage, performing in both English and American Sign Language, and also spent four seasons with the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival. Her film work includes Super Sucker, with Jeff Daniels. This is her first season with Door Shakespeare.
ASHLEY RIDEAUX (Bianca/Anne) received her BFA in acting form SMU in 2003 and has spent the past year as an acting intern at the Milwaukee Rep where she had the chance to play everything from Mistress Shore in Richard III to Shirl the Pearl in Suburban Motel. A few of her favorite roles include Paulina in The Winters Tale, Hecate in Macbeth, “M” in Crave, and the title role in Antigone at the Dallas Theater Center. After spending the last few years living the city life she is absolutely thrilled for this chance to play in the woods with Door Shakes!
DAVID ROTHROCK (Servant to Petruchio/Robin/Intern) is heading into his senior year at Sturgeon Bay High School. This is his first professional acting job and he feels very honored to have been hired for the season. He has been in three high school productions, two plays and one musical. He played Nick Bottom in his school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and his directors encouraged him to audition for Door Shakespeare. He received the 2004 Door County Fine Arts Award for Excellence in drama from the Sturgeon Bay Breakfast Rotary Club.
JONATHAN WAINWRIGHT (Tranio/Slender, Host) is very happy to be working again with these fine people in this beautiful place. He last performed with Door Shakes as Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream beneath the big sugar maple tree. Since then he has been in Milwaukee working with some of the best actors in the country. His recent favorites include playing George in The Widow's Blind Date with Bialystock and Bloom Co., Jim Conklin in The Red Badge of Courage with First Stage Milwaukee, and Paris in Romeo and Juliet with Skylight Opera Co. Jonathan would like to thank Suzanne and Jerry, family and friends, and the beautiful and talented Laura Gray. Enjoy the stars.
STEWART DAWSON (Lighting, Set and Properties Design) says: I wear many different hats in the position of Busy Boy for Door Shakespeare. I am well equipped to handle the call the dirty dishes after my many years of experience working in the local theatrical catering service. I am also working for American Folklore Theatre as the resident Bell Hop. During the winter months, I live in Albuquerque where I handle all the luggage for Opera Southwest. This year I also helped Leo Kottke carry his guitar, and tidied up after Arlo Guthrie ate his lunch.
JOHN HANSEN (Box Office Manager) returns from Colorado for his eighth season with Door Shakespeare. Our County Hugo studied theater at UWGB and was a founding member of American Folklore Theatre. He has over twenty years of Door County theater experience. John is nationally known for his pottery, some of which Is featured in our theater. You may also find him at the Peninsula Art School in Fish Creek where he encourages you to try pottery.
CHRIS IRWIN (Musical Director) has appeared in many American Folklore Theatre productions and local concerts through the years and is very happy to be lending a hand to his friends at Door Shakespeare. His most recent productions were Old Friends for AFT and Guys on Ice for Madison Rep. He lives in Green Bay and works as a flight instructor/charter pilot.
BILL LOVE (House, Concessions and Office Manager) takes care of anything from the stage out at one time or another during the season. He first started with AFT in 1990 and has been hooked on theater and Door County ever since. He says, “When summer arrives there is no other place I would rather be than with all my friends and Door Shakespeare.” When the summer is over he can be found at The Denver Center for Performing Arts as the Theater Manager for their theaters.
CAROL LYONS (Publicity Coordinator) is a playwright and director. She most recently directed The Vagina Monologues for Third Avenue Playhouse and Sexual Pervisity in Chicago for Isadoora Theatre Company. She and her husband, Tom, have four sons, five grandchildren and two neurotic dogs. Carol supports the First Amendment, the arts and her local library and thanks Door Shakespeare for all the fun and joy.
KAREN MAL (Musical Composer/Arranger) is working with Door Shakespeare for a fourth season. A long-time performer with AFT, Karen now plays music full time, on the road and at home in Austin, Texas. She has won the Portland Songwriters Association song contest and been chosen for the prestigious songwriter showcase at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.
CASSANDRA PAINE (Costume Assistant/Intern) was born and raised in Breezy Point, Minnesota. She is now attending the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas as a drama major, focusing on costume and set design. She hopes to make a career out of this and is very excited about working for Door Shakespeare. This next spring, as her senior thesis, she will be directing Aristophanes' Assembly Women. After graduation next May, she hopes to continue onto graduate school and eventually make her way into the professional world of theatre.
BARB PORTINGA (Costume Designer) has been designing costumes for almost fifteen years. She graduated from Augsburg College and went right to work at Chanhassen Dinner Theater where she learned most of her skills on the job and where she gleefully works as a cutter/draper for each mainstage show. She is glad to be back in beautiful Door County for her second year as resident costume designer. Since last summer she has designed Living Out, Qujoth the Raven, The Crucible, A Few Good Men, House of Blue Leaves, Good News, You Can't Take it With You, Sound of Music, 42nd Street, Guys and Dolls, Once Upon a Mattress, and her first set design for Suddenly Last Summer.
JOAN SHIELS (Associate Producer/Chaplain) says she has too many degrees in theology for her own good. She has too many years of running different kinds of businesses to be really good at any one of them. And she lived in California too long to have any realistic take on life at all. She's been a minister, a real estate developer, a teacher, a business manager and a mom. The work did good and the kids turned out okay so she decided to try on more thing that seemed like a lot of fun: theater. She claims, “If I had to chose a profession it would ruin my whole career.”
LISA SMITH (Stage Manager/Intern) is a junior stage management major at the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse. This is her first summer with Door Shakespeare and she is thrilled to be here. With the help of a fabulous cast and crew, Lisa is excited to be able to bring Shakespeare's plays new life this summer. She would like to thank her friends and family for their continued support. And Lisa sends a special thanks to Jerry and Suzanne for giving her this great opportunity. Enjoy the show!
ALISON VANDENBERG (Business Assistant/Intern) from Sheboygan Wisconsin, is thrilled to be with Door Shakespeare this summer. Alison will be a senior at Lawrence University this fall where she is studying English and Theatre Arts. Throughout her high school and college career she has been active on stage as well as behind the scenes. Her favorite on-stage appearances include A Midsummer Night's Dream and Goldoni's Il Campiello. After graduation Alison hopes to go into education and Arts Administration. Alison would like to thank Door Shakespeare for this experience and her parents for supporting her in everything she does.
