THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA

Katie Lupica (Director)  Recent credits: Clarence Brown Theatre (Inherit the Wind, Anon(ymous)), U Toronto (The York Plays), Kane Repertory (Twelfth Night), Northwestern U (Everybody, Men on Boats), Cleveland Play House (Cicada, New Ground Festival), Hangar Theatre (Oh Oh You Will Be Sorry!, Velveteen Rabbit), SUNY Brockport (Good Kids), Dobama (Elektra, DEAP Ensemble), Stone on a Walk (Lysistrata), Cincinnati Fringe (Chemistry). Associate/Assistant: Lookingglass, Chicago Shakespeare, ArtPark Buffalo, Geva Theatre, Rep St. Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse, Off-Broadway (MCC, The Pearl), and Broadway (Godspell). Katie is the Associate Artistic Director of Clarence Brown Theatre and an Assistant Professor of Directing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is a Drama League Directing Fellow, a Sir John Gielgud Fellow, and an Associate Member of SDC directors’ union. MFA, Northwestern, BA, Columbia University. katielupica.com

Matthew Carl (Costumes)  Matthew is an Orlando-based costume designer. He is currently earning his masters in costume design at The University of Tennessee. Past design credits include Dragons Love Tacos, Luchadora! ( Orlando Family Stage) Failure: A Love Story (Clarence Brown Theatre) La Cage, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, (significant productions). Past associate work includes Beautiful (The Paramount Theater) and Cinderella (Drury Lane Oakbrook).

Matthew Tibbs (Sound Design)  Matthew is a sound designer, educator, and current chair of Theatre Design and Production at University of Cincinnati CCM. Previous work includes sound designs of No. 6 and The Cay at Indiana Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare in Love, As You Like It, and Romeo and Juliet at Utah Shakespeare Festival, Three Sisters, Violet, and Of Mice and Men at the Clarence Brown Theatre, and six summers and 15 productions with Great River Shakespeare Festival. Matthew is a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 and the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA). BA: George Fox University MFA: University of Cincinnati CCM. To learn more, please visit matthewtibbs.com

Clay Cooper (Music Direction) Clay is a graduate student who is about to begin his third and final year at the University of Tennessee. Originally from Pinehurst, North Carolina, Clay holds a BA in Theatre Education from Appalachian State University.

Kara Eggers (Intimacy Director) Kara Eggers is a queer intimacy theatre maker based in Southeast Minnesota. With a passion for creating inclusive theatre experiences, Kara’s work focuses on fostering supportive and empowering environments on stage. A strong advocate for consent-based and trauma-informed practices, Kara’s approach to theatre-making is heavily influenced by their training with the Advocacy Center of Winona. This training has deeply informed their work, emphasizing the importance of support, respect, and mutual understanding throughout the creative processes.

Doug Sholz-Carlson (Fight Director) Doug works nationally as a director, fight choreographer, actor and certified intimacy director. In 22 seasons at GRSF, Doug played roles including Henry in Henry V, Stephen Price in African Company Presents Richard III and Thomas in Venus in Fur. He directed productions including Hamlet, The Winter’s Tale, Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, Cymbeline and Shakespeare in Love. Directing credits include Minnesota Opera, Austin Opera, Kansas City Lyric Opera, Madison Opera and Pittsburgh Opera. Doug was the first intimacy director at The Metropolitan Opera with productions including Grounded, Dead Man Walking and Fire Shut Up in My Bones. Other intimacy direction credits include Guthrie Theatre, San Diego Opera and Minnesota Opera. He choreographed fights for the world premiere of Silent Night at Minnesota Opera (which won a Pulitzer Prize for music) as well as productions for companies including The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Kansas City Opera, Children’s Theater Company and the Seattle Police Department. Doug is a graduate of St. Olaf College and the University of Washington.

Katie Cunningham (Voice & Text Coaching) is an Assistant Professor of Theatre and Head of Acting at UTK. As an actor, she has appeared on a host of stages in New York and across the country, including multiple seasons at Utah Shakespeare Festival; Asolo Rep; and many productions at Clarence Brown Theatre since 2013 (resident acting company, most recently as Mrs. Helen Hubbard in Murder on the Orient Express). Recent voice, text, and dialect coaching includes PlayMakers Rep; Great River Shakespeare Festival; and many productions at Clarence Brown Theatre as the resident Voice and Text Director. Katie is a Certified Teacher of Knight-Thompson Speechwork and a PAVA Recognized Vocologist. Her writing, expert commentary, and peer-reviewed research have been published in The Journal of Voice, The Voice and Speech Review, The Conversation, and The Huffington Post. MFA Acting, FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training; BA, UNC Chapel Hill. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association since 2010, SAG-AFTRA, VASTA, and PAVA. www.katiecunningham.com

Stephanie Lambourn (Voice & Text Coaching)  Company Member at GRSF for eight seasons performing in over sixteen productions: Elizabeth, Richard III; Adriana, Comedy of Errors; Laura, The Glass Menagerie; Olivia, Twelfth Night; Katherine, Henry V; Audrey, As You Like It; Luisa, The Fantasticks; Hero, Much Ado About Nothing; Hermia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Cordelia, King Lear. Other Theatres: A Christmas Carol (first national tour/Broadway SF), Utah Shakespeare Festival (Select roles include The Beggar Woman, Sweeney Todd; Queen Margaret Henry VI Parts I,II,III; Regan, King Lear; Mistress Page, Merry Wives of Windsor) Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Aurora Fox, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre; in the United Kingdom – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Bellairs Playhouse; in Australia – A Christmas Carol (Old Vic & GWB Entertainment), Fame Theatre, Flying Bookworm Theatre (VIC/NSW tour). Teaching Credits: Utah State University, GRSF, Utah Shakespeare Festival. Education: Guildford School of Acting PGDip and MFA (current). Professional Affiliation’s: Actor’s Equity Association. https://stephanieslambourn3.wixsite.com/actor

Rachel Winengar (Stage Manager / Props and Scenic Design) Rachel is thrilled to be a part of her first season at the Great River Shakespeare Festival. She is currently pursuing a BA in Theatre at the University of Tennessee after completing an Associate of Arts degree at Pellissippi State. Some of her favorite shows she’s been a part of include recent productions at the Clarence Brown Theatre, such as The Play That Goes Wrong (ASM), Knoxville (ASM), and Kinky Boots (Props). Upcoming works include stage managing the Clarence Brown’s mainstage production of Sense and Sensibility. She is so grateful to be a part of such a wonderful theatrical community.

Gabriela Bulka
Gabi is an actress, dancer, and movement director. Originally from Krakow, Poland, she is currently pursuing an MFA in Acting at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Gabi is an alumna of the two-year Conservatory at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York, the Ballet School of Krakow, and holds a degree in Intellectual Property Law. Recent theatre credits include The Play That Goes Wrong (Sandra), A Christmas Carol (Ghost of Christmas Past, Mrs. Cratchit), and Cry It Out (Jessie) at Clarence Brown Theatre. She has been involved in new play development as movement director and assistant choreographer, including NYC premieres of Charlie (TheatreLab) and Hamlet Split Apart (The Flea Theatre) with RJ Theatre Company.

Yashashvi Choudhary
Yashashvi is an MFA Acting student at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. She comes from the capital of her country New Delhi, India, where she received her B.A. (honours) in English Literature from the University of Delhi. She is a trained belly dancer and a black belt in Taekwondo. Recent credits include The Play That Goes Wrong (Joanna/Charles Haversham), A Christmas Carol (Mrs. Cratchit), and Cry It Out (Adrienne).

Clay Cooper
Clay is a graduate student who is about to begin his third and final year at the University of Tennessee. Originally from Pinehurst, North Carolina, Clay holds a BA in Theatre Education from Appalachian State University.

Denzel Dejournette
A man living his wildest dreams through storytelling! www.denzeldejournette.com

Develyn Jayan
From the south of India to the south of the United States, Develyn comes with stories to tell and ears to listen. An Indian classical dancer and an actor, Develyn has been using the stage as a form of expression since she could remember. She is so excited for this new opportunity to share more stories with Great River!

Sammy Pontello
Sammy is an MFA Acting Candidate at the University of Tennessee and is thrilled to be joining to the Great River Shakespeare Festival community! They’ve worked regionally as an actor, director, coach, and teaching artist with Florida Studio Theatre, Orlando Shakes, Texas Shakespeare Festival, and the Clarence Brown Theatre. Favorite previous roles include Chris, The Play That Goes Wrong; Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol; Man #1, Knoxville (CBT); Beadle Bamford, Sweeney Todd (TSF). IG: @sjpactor | sammypontello.com