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The Twenty-fifth McElroy Shakespeare Celebration:

"Resurrecting Shakespeare's Clowns"

Pictures from the Lecture and Performances:

IMG_0215

Dr. Preiss

Hamlet

Ana Dragonet as Hamlet, speaking to Yorick.

Henry IV Part I

Prince Hal (Tanner Walters) and Poins (AJ Schwartz)

Henry IV Part I

Jonathan Weir as Falstaff.

Henry IV Part I

Falstaff recounts the tale of the robbery.

Twelfth Night

Maria, Feste and Toby Belch (Aimee Gaspari, Ross Lehman, and Rod Arreola)

Twelfth Night

Feste as Sir Thopas, tormenting Malvolio (Jonathan Weir) behind the audience.

Twelfth Night

Feste as Sir Thopas

Twelfth Night

Feste (Ross Lehman)

Twelfth Night

Feste as himself.

*Apologies to cast members not pictured! All were wonderful!!

Dr. Richard Preiss

Richard Preiss is Associate Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of English at the University of Utah. His first book, Clowning and Authorship in Early Modern Theatre, appeared in 2014 from Cambridge University Press.

 

His articles have appeared in journals such as Renaissance Drama and Shakespeare Studies, and he has contributed essays to The Cambridge Guide to the Worlds of Shakespeare, The Oxford Handbook to Shakespearean Comedy, and the collection Early Modern Theatricality. He has edited The Tempest, and is co-editing a volume entitled Childhood, Education, and Society in Early Modern England, also forthcoming from Cambridge.

 

He is currently at work on a new book about the relation between early modern playhouses and the London sewer system, which promises to be very messy.​

The Participants

Ross Lehman (Director of Scenes and FESTE) is currently an “Artist in Residence” in Loyola’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts. He teaches acting and last fall appeared in the title role in the Theatre Department’s production of Galileo, directed by Dr. Mark Lococo. Ross’s Broadway credits include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Tempest, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. At Chicago Shakespeare Theater he has been seen as Jacques/As You Like It, Feste/Twelfth Night, Dudley Marsh and Dromio of Syracuse/The Comedy of Errors, the Fool/King Lear, Thersites/Troilus and Cressida, and Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 (at CST and on tour to the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon). He has received five Jeff Awards and two Ater Dark awards. His appearance as Koko in The Hot Mikado in London’s West End earned him a Laurence Olivier Award nomination.

 

 

Mark E. Lococo (Director of Scenes) is a Professor and Director of Theatre in Loyola University’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts, where since 2007 he has directed Galileo, Spring Awakening, Lost in Yonkers, Urinetown, Measure for Measure, Pippin, As You Like It and Mnemonic on Loyola's stages.  Most recently, he directed Educating Rita at the Citadel Theatre.  He has also directed at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Marriott’s Lincolnshire Theatre,  Peninsula Players, and Chamber Theatre in Milwaukee, Pittsburgh Civic Theatre, Ford’s Theatre in Washington DC and the Queen’s Theatre in London.  He holds a PhD in Performance Studies from Northwestern University.  He has four times been nominated for Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Award for direction, and is a member of the Society of Directors and Choreographers.

ABOUT THE CAST:

 

Jonathan Weir (MALVOLIO; FALSTAFF) is an adjunct professor in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Loyola University Chicago.  He is a Chicago based actor who has appeared at The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Writes Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Northlight Theatre, Marriott’s Lincolnshire Theatre, Court Theatre and The Lyric Opera Chicago.  He appeared on Broadway as Scar and Pumbaa in Disney’s The Lion King. National Tours include The Lion King, Jersey Boys and Scrooge the Musical.

 

 

STUDENT CAST:

 

Rod Arreola (OLD MAN; TOBY BELCH) is a graduating senior Theatre major. He last appeared on the Loyola mainstage in A Doll’s House, and on the second stage Eurydice.

 

Ana Dragovich (GADSHILL; HAMLET I) is a junior Theatre major and Shakespeare studies minor from Arizona. She last appeared in Lend Me a Tenor on the Loyola mainstage.

 

Laura Duncan (WIFE) is completing her junior year as a theatre major. She most recently designed costumes for A Doll’s House and on the Second Stage Eurydice.

 

Aimee Gaspari (SERVANT; MARIA) is a Junior Theatre and Advertising/Public Relations double major from the suburbs of Chicago. Just this past fall, Aimee was honored to work as Assistant Director/Dramaturg for Loyola’s MainStage play Lend Me a Tenor, and she is thrilled to be a part of the McElroy Celebration amongst her extremely talented peers and professors. 

 

Seamus McMahon (BLUSTER; HAMLET III) is a senior at Loyola, with this marking Seamus' second appearance in the McElroy Shakespeare Celebration. He would like to thank Mark and Robbie for their wonderful guidance and selecting him to be a part of this process, Verna Foster, Richard Preiss, his fellow cast members, and family and friends for their continued support as he wraps up his college career.

 

AJ Schwartz (SIMPKIN; POINS) is a Junior Theatre Major at Loyola with minors in English and Shakespeare studies. Previous credits include Rumspringa: An American Odyssey, Hillary: A Modern Greek Tragedy With a (Somewhat) Happy Ending, and Loyola directing scenes, and next year he will direct The Henry V Project for Loyola’s underground lab series.

 

Tanner Walters is a senior theatre and advertising/PR student from Cincinnati. He directed Eurydice on the Second Stage last semester, and has been seen in Spring Awakening, Lost in Yonkers, Frankenstein, and Illuminating Voices.

 

THE CREW:

 

Rachel Healy (Costumes)

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