September Showcase : Sept/ 22nd and 24th, 2023
Director’s Notes:
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It is a mind-boggling contradiction:
Shakespeare created wholly unique characters with their own distinct voices; and yet, for over 400 years, performers everywhere have found ways to add their voices and experiences to these characters and their worlds…regardless of age, race, gender, nationality, religion, ethnicity, and socio-economic status.
The result of this commitment, this cherishing of a legacy born four centuries ago, has been the constant reimagining and revitalizing of the greatest theatrical works in the English language. Works which continue to mirror and transcend the human experience.
We hope you enjoy our curated performance of scenes, and find in them a mirror to your experience.
Haley Bedocs
Haley is a local thespian who has been involved in the theatre world for nearly 15 years. She grew up in Bailey Lakes, Ohio and found her love for the stage in school at Crestview High School. Haley graduated from Ohio State University at the Mansfield Campus in 2016 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Theatre. She served as the Theatre Club President for a number of years and continued to do theatre on campus even after graduating. She primarily performs but has also directed and stage managed productions in the past. Haley currently works as the Patron Experience Manager at the Renaissance Performing Arts Theatre in Mansfield, Ohio. In college, she thoroughly enjoyed delving into the realm of Shakespeare with her first full production of The Tragedy of Macbeth, in which she portrayed one of the prophetic witches. Following that production, she later performed in Julius Caesar as Portia, Brutus’s courageous and spirited wife. Haley is a founding board member of the Mansfield Shakespeare Company.
Mary Frankenfield
Mary has been involved in the arts in this community for just over 30 years. She has performed onstage at OSU Mansfield, The Mansfield Playhouse, the Mansfield Renaissance Theater, and the Richland Academy of the Arts. She is also active in the community as a board member for several organizations including the Richland County Development Group, the Children’s Theater Foundation, and the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development Foundation. This is Mary’s first experience acting in a Shakespearian production and she is happy to be part of a group bringing Shakespeare to her hometown and the surrounding areas! Mary is a founding board member of the Mansfield Shakespeare Company
Stephanie Hayslip
Stephanie is thrilled for the opportunity to bring some Shakespeare to our community. You may have seen her over the years at the Renaissance Theatre, most recently as Sister Mary Patrick in "Sister Act." Her classical dream roles are Beatrice in "Much Ado About Nothing," Tamara in "Titus Andronicus," and "Medea." Enjoy the show!
Gary Kennedy
Gary Kennedy was a professor of mathematics at Ohio State from 1991 to 2018. His most recent performances on the Mansfield campus stage were as Lucky in Waiting for Godot and as Shelly Levene in Glengarry Glen Ross.
Daniel O'Brien
Daniel is very excited for the September Showcase in 2023! Daniel is a born and raised Richland County Ohio resident. He has been in a number of shows, musicals and technical endeavors at the Mansfield Playhouse, Ohio State Mansfield Theatre and several other theatres. During his college he studied History but also minored in Theatre. Daniel is a founding board member of the Mansfield Shakespeare Company.
Victoria O'Brien
Victoria is a lifelong theatre lover and active member of the local performing arts community. By day, she is an Academic Advisor at Ashland University. By night, she is a costumer, performer, and volunteer with the Mansfield Playhouse, Ohio State Mansfield Theatre, and Mansfield Shakespeare Company. She lives with her husband Daniel, cat Maggie, and too many/not enough books. “I like this place, and willingly could waste my time in it” (As You Like It, Act II, scene iv). Victoria is a founding board member of the Mansfield Shakespeare Company.
Steve Russell
Steve has been acting in local productions since he moved to Mansfield in 2015. Most recently, he performed in Early One Evening at the Rainbow Bar & Grille at the Mansfield Playhouse and Antigone at OSU-Mansfield's Founder's Auditorium. He works at the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library.
Vivian Shenberger
Vivian is super excited to be a part of the Mansfield Shakespeare Company Showcase. She has been in a couple of shows at OSU Mansfield, including Clue and Antigone. She would like to thank her family, friends, and pets for dealing with her during the rehearsal process.
Scott Leon Smith
Scott earned his MFA in acting from West Virginia University in 2002. He studied under alumni of the prestigious American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. Scott honed his craft working for A Crew of Patches Theatre Company in Chicago where he performed full-length Shakespeare plays for young audiences. Mansfield audiences know Scott from his many appearances at the Renaissance Theatre. Scott is a founding board member of the Mansfield Shakespeare Company.
Drew Traxler
Drew Traxler is a local performance artist and director with experience throughout the local area, Chicago, and New York. His local work has recently been seen at the Ohio State Mansfield campus as director and cast member of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. He was also last seen at the Mansfield Renaissance Theater as Teen Angel in Grease and as company performer in Sweeney Todd and also as Benjamin Stone in Follies. He is grateful to be among these fine artists for this amazing production. Drew sincerely hopes this type of performance art will be actively embraced by the Mansfield theatre-going public.
Lori Turner
Lori began her professional career in Los Angeles where she sang with the Los Angeles Opera, the Roger Wagner Chorale and the Los Angeles Baroque Orchestra. She spent 10 years in Europe as a member of the Royal Flemish Opera in Belgium and has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City and at the Paris Opera in France. Since returning to the States, Lori has performed frequently on the Renaissance stage, in musicals and as a soloist with the Mansfield Symphony. In her copious spare time, she is devoted to introducing young performers to the wonderful world of Gilbert and Sullivan and other classic operetta and lyric Broadway composers through the Renaissance Youth Opera Theatre program.
Joel Vega
Joel is a Mansfield native and, after sharing his operatic talents in the wider world, returned to his hometown with a mission to bring opera to Mansfield and the surrounding areas. He is the general director and founder of Mid-Ohio Civic Opera. Joel performs as a tenor soloist across the region and teaches voice and opera practice. “Follow. But, follow only if ye be men of valor…” Joel is a founding board member of the Mansfield Shakespeare Company.
Special Thanks To:
Mansfield Art Center
Mansfield City Parks Department
Mansfield Playhouse
The Ohio State University at Mansfield
Mansfield Renaissance Theater
Extine Crafts Ltd.
Pioneer Career & Technology Center
St. Peter's Music Series
Andrea Wittmer