As the play opens, Jack Worthing, an important landowner from Hertfordshire, arrives to an unexpected visit at the home of his best friend, Algernon Moncrieff. Algernon, who knows Jack as Ernest, finds an inscription in Jack's cigarette case addressed to “Undle Jack” from “little Cecily,” and suspects Jack of leading a double life. Algernon explains his theory of “Bunburying,” a practice whose name derives from Algernon's fictional, invalid friend, Bunbury, whom he frequently uses as an excuse to miss social obligations, and Jack explains that Ernest is not really his name, but a fictional brother who is always getting into trouble and requiring Jack to rush to his assistance. Jack further explains that Cecily is his ward.
Gwendolen, Jack's love interest, arrives with her mother, Lady Brackness, and Jack proposes to her. Gwendolen returns his affection, but Jack is concerned to learn that her interest in marriage is predicated on her strong affinity for the name Ernest. Lady Brackness interviews Jack as a potential son-in-law and rejects the idea of a wedding when she discovers that he does not know who his parents were, but rather was found in a handbag in the cloakroom of Victoria Station.
Jack decides finally to announce the death of Ernest. He is thwarted, however, when Algernon arrives at Jack's house and pretends to be Ernest, forcing Jack to carry on the charade. In the meantime, Algernon has fallen in love with Cecily and proposes to her. She accepts, but like Gwendolen, reveals that her affection for Algernon is based largely on his fictional name of Ernest. As Algernon leaves to see about being christened as Ernest, Gwendolen arrives unexpectedly to visit Jack, and is brought to wait in the garden with Cecily, but the women quarrel when they both reveal that they are engaged to someone named Ernest Worthing. When Jack and Algernon (having both made arrangements to be christened Ernest) arrive in the midst of the women's argument, they are confronted by their respective love interests, and Jack is forced to admit that he does not actually have a brother, infuriating Gwendolen and Cecily. Later, Gwendolen and Cecily demand explanations from Jack and Algernon, and are somewhat appeased by the notion that each man called himself Ernest in order to better engage their affections, but the women still express concern over the issue of their names. However, all is forgiven when Jack and Algernon tell the women of their plans to be christened Ernest.
At this moment, Lady Brackness arrives and demands an explanation of the circumstances. Lady Brackness is initially quite critical of both couples' engagements, but softens when Jack reveals that Cecily will inherit a large sum of money when she comes of age. Jack, angry at Lady Bracknell's condescending attitude, announces that, as Cecily's guardian, he refuses to approve the marriage until Lady Bracknell will approve the match between himself and Gwendolen. Lady Brackness refuses to agree wot such an arrangement and is about to leave when the Reverend Chasuble arrives and mentions Cecily's governess, Miss Prism. Upon hearing this name, Lady Brackness insists that she be sent for.
When Miss Prism arrives, Lady Bracknell accuses her of having left her sister's house with a baby 28 years earlier and never having returned, and Miss Prism admits that she indeed misplaced the baby in a handbag in which she had meant to place the manuscript of a three-volume novel she was writing. Shocked, Jack runs offstage and returns with a handbag, which Miss Prism confirms as her own. Eventually, it is discovered that Jack is the child of Lady Bracknell's sister and thus Algernon's older brother. Moreover, Jack discovers that he was originally named “Ernest John.” All is sorted out, and Jack announces that he now understands “the vital importance of being Ernest.”
The cast includes
Algernon (a gentleman of London) - J. P. Fitzgibbons* Lane (Algernon's butler) - Richard Ooms* Jack (a gentleman of Hertfordshire) - Nathan M. Hosner* Lady Bracjnell (Gwendolen's mother) - Claudia Wilkens* Gwendolen (Algernon's cousin) - Suzanne Graff* Miss Prism - (Cecily's governess) - Molly Rhode* Cecily (Jack's ward) - Jennefer Ludwigsen The Reverend Chasuble (the local rector) - Stephen J. O'Toole Merriman (Jack's butler) - Richard Ooms* Footmen to Merriman - Sam Bardwell, Jon Sprik Musicians - Elizabeth Bird, Katie Dahl, & Chase Stoeger
Understudies
Algernon - Jerry Gomis* Lane, Merriman - Sam Bardwell The Reverand Chasuble - Jon Sprik
The crew includes
Directed - Suzanne Graff*
Costumes - Barbara Portinga
Lightin & Scene Design - Stewart Dawson
Orginal Music, Arrangements & Direction - Karen Mal
Production Management - Elizabeth Bird
Stage Management - Kate Schultz
House Management - Bill Love
Box Office Management - John Hansen, Joan Shiels
* Appears courtesy of Actors' Equity Association
SAM BARDWELL (Dennis/Silvius/Footman/Intern) is a junior in the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater B.F.A. Actor Training Program, where he has been seen as Mike in A Lie of the Mind and Launce in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. A native of Eagle River, Wis., he is thrilled to be joining the team at Door Shakespeare and to have the chance to share beautiful words in beautiful surroundings. Sam would like to thank his friends, family and especially his remarkable teachers.
JASON ECONOMUS (Understudy: Oliver) is pleased to be working again with Door Shakespeare, even if for a short while. Milwaukee credits include: In Tandem (The Good Doctor, Hate Mail), Next Act Theatre (Dear Esther (reading), Master Harold and the Boys), Bialystock and Bloom (Never the Sinner, Fat Men in Skirts, We Won't Pay, The Zoo Story) and Milwaukee Shakespeare (Richard II). He spent last summer with Door Shakespeare in The Comedy of Errors and She Stoops to Conquer. This past winter he performed his one man piece, The Steve Show. In addition to acting Jason also does stand-up comedy and teaches. Yo.
J.P. FITZGIBBONS (Oliver/Sir Oliver Martext/Algernon) is thrilled to be appearing in his first season with Door Shakespeare. J.P. Hails from the Twin Cities, where he performs regularly in a wide variety of roles and venues. His performance credits include The Wild Party (Juggernaut Productions), Nunsense, A-Men! (Hey City Theater), Man of La Mancha and John and Jen (Nuatilus Music Theater), in addition to performances at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, Children's Theater Company, Guthrie Theater, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and on tour with the Minnesota Opera. He has also appeared with Red River Dance and Performing Company and as a soloist with Minnetonka Symphony Orchestra.
NATHAN M. HOSNER (Jaques/Jack/Lord) A Chicago resident and graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, Nathan is excited to take part in the 2006 Door Shakespeare season. Recent credits include: Hal in Henry IV, Part 1 and II and Berowne in Love's Labour's Lost for the Shakespeare Project of Chicago; Antipholus of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors at the BoarsHead Theater in Lansing, Mich.; Edmund in King Lear and Duke Frederick in As You Like It at Illinois Shakespeare Festival. When not acting, Nathan can be found performing in the alt-country duo, Back Off the Hammer (www.backoffthehammer.com).
JIM LAUTENBACH (Charles/Audrey) is delighted to be back for his fourth season at Door Shakespeare, where he has been seen in The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night's Dream and A Comedy of Errors. A Door County native and Marquette University graduate, he was last seen on stage as Madame Popova in The Bear. He originated the role of Jason in the World Premiere of The Benevolent Women's Craft Society, and this past Christmas he traipsed around in an elf costume in David Sedaris' one-man show, The Santaland Diaries. Jim is indebted to his family and friends in Door County and beyond – especially Jerry and Suzanne – for their unending guidance and support. Thank you, everyone!
JENNEFER LUDWIGSEN (Celia/Cecily) returns to the garden for her sixth season with Door Shakespeare. A graduate of Northwestern University, her work has taken her to Chicago, Los Angeles and, luckily, Door County. She has appeared on stage with Shaw Chicago, Apple Tree Theatre, The National Theatre for Children and American Folklore Theatre and on television in “Desperate Housewives,” “ER” and numerous commercials. This summer, Jennefer will once again produce and direct Doorways: Creating Theatre for Children, a three-week workshop that focuses on creative drama and Shakespeare for youth. Jennefer is honored to be joining the University of Washington's Professional Actor's Training Program to earn her M.F.A. In acting this fall. Thank you to her family, especially her sister, Amy, for all her love, talent and laughter. Enjoy the show!
RICHARD OOMS (Duke Frederick/Duke Senior/Lane/Merriman) is happy to be with Door Shakespeare for another season. He is a founding member of John Houseman's The Acting Company, where for eight seasons he performed in cities throughout the United States. During this time he met and married his wife of 29 years, actress Claudia Wilkens. In 1981 they and their two-year-old son, Michael, relocated to Minneapolis, where Richard has been a member of the acting company at the Guthrie Theater and has appeared in more than 100 productions there, most recently in Hamlet. He has also performed with The Jungle Theater, Mied Blood, Minneapolis Children's Theater as Gandalf in The Hobbit, the Minnesota Fringe Festival and the Minneapolis Shakespeare Project. Richard can be seen in the films “Drop Dead Gorgeous” and “The Thirteenth Warrior.” Last summer he was Diggory and Sir Charles in She Stoops to Conquer and Egeon and Pinch in The Comedy of Errors.
STEPHEN J. O'TOOLE (Adam/Touchstone/Reverend Chasuble) has been a Twin Cities actor for the past 20 years and is delighted to be returning to Door Shakespeare for a third season. Stephen was last a company member in the 2003 season, when he appeared as Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet and Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing. Since then, Stephen directed Tartuffe at Century College in White Bear Lake, Minn. In addition, he appeared in Mrs. Man of God at Illusion Theatre and in the premiere of The Trial of Osama Bin Laden for Stage Wright Unlimited. Stephen holds an M.F. A. in Acting as well as an M.Ed. From The University of Minnesota. “Tutti della mi'amorea a Vittoria.”
MOLLY RHODE (Rosalind/Miss Prism) returns to Door Shakespeare for her seconde summer. She was seen last year as Kate Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer and Luciana in The Comedy of Errors. Molly has played for other Wisconsin audiences at American Players Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Skylight Opera Theatre, Next Act Theatre, First Stage Children's Theatre and Renaissance Theatreworks. She has also appeared with the Utah Shakespeare Festival and Noble Fool Theatricals in Chicago. She looks forward to another summer of hiking, hammocks and great old stories.
JON SPRIK (Le Beau/First Lord/Jaques du Boys/Footman/Intern) is currently studying theatre at Hope College in Holland, Mich. Most recently at Hope he has performed as King Ferdinand in Love's Labour's Lost, Prince Serpohovsky in Strider, The Policeman in The Good Woman of Setzuan and Mr. Smith in The Bald Soprano. Other credits include: Candide, The Hardy Boys and the Secret of Skullbone Island, Clue – The Musical, All the Way Home, The Diary of Anne Frank, Les Miserables, Oklahoma! and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. John is excited to be a part of Door Shakespeare this season and would like to thank his friends and family for their constant support.
CHASE STOEGER (Orlando/William/Musician) is returning to Door Shakespeare for a second season. After his internship last year, he played Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew and Green in Richard II with Milwaukee Shakespeare. He also just finished working with First Stage Children's Theatre on Seussical as a Wickersham Brother and Yertle T. Turtle. He is excited to be back to the Peninsula once again with a wonderful group of people. Love and thanks to his friends, his family and his M.
CLAUDIA WILKENS (Amiens/Corin/Lady Bracknell) is delighted to spend another summer with Door Shakespeare. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Richard Ooms,and has performed there with the Guthrie Theater, the Jungle Theater, The Eye of the Storm, the Minnesota Opera, Chanhassen Dinner Theater, Minneapolis Children's Theater, The Great American History Theater, Mixed Blood and the Minnesota Shakespeare Project. She has acted with the National Theater of Great Britain in The Misanthrope, the Arizona Theater Company in Blithe Spirit, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Hartford Stage, Opera Pacific, The 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle and John Houseman's The Acting Company. She can be seen in the films “Untamed Heart,” “The Mighty Ducks,” “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” “Sugar and Spice” and ”Joe Somebody.” Last Summer she was Mrs. Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer and the Abbess in The Comedy of Errors.
JERRY GOMIS (Producer/Director/Understudy: Algernon) has directed many productions at Door Shakespeare, including She Stoops to Conquer, The Comedy of Errors, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew and As You Like It in 1999. 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 include Arles, etc. in Greater Tuna, the title role in Macbeth and the Santa in Santa and the Magic Bell. Great thanks are owed to Suzanne, William and Anna Marie for their continual inspiration and patience. With deep gratitude, Jerry also acknowledges his family, friends and 9 to 5 co-workers for their support, love and acceptance in following the journey of Door Shakespeare.
SUZANNE GRAFF (Producer/Director/Phoebe/Gwendolen) has been involved in Door County theatre for more than 15 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, Much Ado About Nothing and The Taming of the Shrew. Her Door Shakespeare acting credits include Viola in Twelfth Night, Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Nurse in Romeo and Juliet and Mistress Quickly in The Merry Wives of Windsor. On other stages, Suzanne's acting 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 has appeared at the Skylight Opera Theatre and Theatre Tesseract. Other regional credits include She Loves Me at Indiana Rep. And at home in the Twin Cities at the Great American History Theatre, The Jon Hassler Theatre, and in the Buffalo Gal Production of The Spitfire Grill as Effy. Of earnest importance are Jerry, William and Anna Marie. Thanks, kids, for “mama, step away from the cookies!”
ELIZABETH BIRD (Assistant Company Manager/Musician) is returning for her second season with Door Shakespeare. Last summer she performed as a musician for The Comedy of Errors and primarily worked as the business intern. Originally from Oshkosh, Elizabeth spends most of her time at Lawrence University in Appleton pursuing a Music Education degree. She is delighted to psend another summer at beautiful Bjorklunden and would like to thank Door Shakespeare for the chance to return.
KATIE DAHL (Public Relations Associate/Musician) is happy to return for her third season with Door Shakespeare. Katie holds a B.A. In English literature from Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., and spent the last year in the south of France, where she drank good wine, ate good cheese, traveled and in her free time taught English to small French children. She worked on P.R. and office administration in both 2003 and 2005 and last performed on the Door Shakespeare stage in 2003 as a wandering musician in Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet. Katie is grateful to be spending another summer frolicking in the woods with such a fine group of people and would like to thank the inventor of her favorite summer pastime, the bonfire hootenanny.
NICOLE D'ASTA (Costume Design Assistant) just graduated from Lawrence University with degrees in vocal performance and costume design. She is glad to be returning to Door Shakespeare after an amazing season last year. This native to the Midwest weather hails from LaGrange, Ill., and is excited to be in Door County for her 22nd year running. She would like to thank Suzanne and Jerry for the excellent opportunity to enhance her costuming career, Barb for rocking out with her and her parents for letting her go, once again, all summer long.
STEWART DAWSON (Lighting, Set & Properties Design) went back to school this past winter to finish his master's degree in the fine art of fairy tale mechanical engineering at the Albuquerque College of Fairy Tale Arts (ACFTA). One of his first jobs upon completing his studies was masterminding a 30-foot beanstalk for a production of Jack and the Giant that grew from a tiny bean all the way up into the clouds, fascinated the audience, awestruck the director and scared the heck out of Jack, who was supposed to climb it. (The accident wasn't Stewart's fault.) Stewart is dumb with wonder that Door Shakespeare just happened to need his new talents this summer. Apart from his continuing education, Stewart climbs to great heights as technical director for Opera Southwest in Albuquerque.
ERIK HANSEN (Office Assistant) has spent every summer of his life in Door County. He has been involved with Door Shakespeare since its first inceptions as a volunteer, concessions manager and office aide. Erik ran the original concession booth at AFT back when it was a card table with bumper stickers and candy bars. A Colorado native, Erik is a senior at the University of Colorado at Boulder and is majoring in Fine Arts.
JOHN HANSEN (Box Office Manager) has worked with Door Shakespeare since its beginning in 1995. John was a founding member of American Folklore Theatre and has 22 seasons of Door County theater experience. John studied theater at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay, but is best known for his work in pottery, some of which you can see in our theater. John also teaches at the Peninsula Art School in Fish Creek and invites you to take a class or pottery lesson. John would like to dedicate his work this season to Dr. Arnold and the staff at Door County Memorial Hospital for allowing him to enjoy many more seasons with Door Shakespeare as well as Jerry, Suzanne and the Door County arts community for all their support.
BILL LOVE (House, Concessions & Office Manager) takes care of anything, from the stage out, at one time or another during the season. He first started with American Folklore Theatre 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 theater manager.
AMY J. LUDWIGSEN (Choreographer) Amy is thrilled to work with Door Shakespeare for the first time. This summer she can also be seen on stage on the other side of the county in American Folklore Theatre's productions of Belgians in Heaven and See Jane Vote. Regional theatre credits include: All's Well That Ends Well, Pippin and My Fair Lady with the Utah Shakespearean Festival. Chicago credits include: Alice in Wonderland and Brigadoon with the Marriott Theatre; Do I Hear a Waltz with Theatre at the Center; Pygmaslion, Lady from the Sea and On the Rocks with Shaw Chicago and Winter's Tale and All's Well That Ends Well with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Amy is a member of Actors' Equity Association and a graduate of Northwestern University. She would like to thank her family and her sister Jenn in particular for always supporting her dreams.
KAREN MAL (Musical Composer, Arranger & Director) is working with Door Shakespeare for a sixth season. A longtime performer at American Folklore Theatre, Karen now plays music full time, on the road and at home in Austin, Texas. She is an award-winning songwriter and has been chosen three times as a finalist for the prestigious songwriting competition at Kerville Folk Festival. This year she has been playing solo shows as well as playing mandolin and singing with the Ronny Cox trio. She was featured in the winter issue of “Sing Out” magazine an din May won first place in the Tucson Folk Festival Songwriter Competition.
BECCA NAISTAT (Arts Administration Intern) is originally from Edina, Minn., and just completed her third year at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater. Her theatre credits include Pirates of Penzance, The Crucible, Moon Over Buffalo and Proof. After completing her theatre education degree, she plans to return to the Twin Cities to teach high school theatre.
BARB PORTINGA (Costume Designer) has been designing costumes for almost 20 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 a fourth year as resident costume designer. In recent years, she has designed The Wild Party, The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Good Woman of Szechuan, The Tempest, Rhinoceros and her first set design for Suddenly Last Summer. She is looking forward to a fabulous production of A Secret Garden in the fall.
KATE SCHULTZ (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be working with such a talented an dedicated group of theatre practitioners in this, her second summer with Door Shakespeare. As a high school English teacher, Kate has spent the last year molding young minds for their future roles as Door Shakespeare audience members. Kate is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater whose past stage managing and directing credits include Moon over the Brewery, Moon Over Buffalo, Spinning into Butter, Pasta, Proof, The Comedy of Errors and She Stoops to Conquer. Thanks to everyone who supported her thus far and to those who will continue to in the future. Enjoy the show!
JOAN SHIELS (Box Office Manager/Company 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 mom. The work did good and the kids turned out okay so she decided to try one more thing that seemed like a lot of fun: theater. She claims, “If I had to choose a profession it would ruin my whole career.”
