Director’s Note
When tackling any Shakespeare play as a director, a lot runs through one’s head: “what’s the vision for the play?” or “how do people view or expect this play to be?” And most importantly, “how does this play resonate with the now in ways that transcend the moment while reminding us of the parts that reflect universality of the human condition?” which is the most English major thing to say about a play. Ultimately, the task of any director is to find the thesis behind the characters and their actions, grounded in the text, and help bring it to coherent, consistent, and vital life.
At its core, King Lear is a show about an older generation failing to be good stewards of power and their ill-prepared children navigating the consequences & fall-out. When reading through the play to make edits to get this behemoth of a show down to 2 hours of a run time, one line in particularly hit me hard: After losing his eyes, and his sons (or so he thought), the Earl of Gloucester remarks: “I have no way, and therefore want no eyes: I stumbled when I saw.”
When I read those lines, I knew I’d found the beating heart of this production. It’s a show about people who are blinded, figuratively or literally, by the world and their lives – whether its power, love, willful ignorance, or their ultimate demise. Ultimately, every character’s disposition is driven by when they recognize their blindness and what they and those around them decide to do about that. Or, to quote the Zennial Bard Ms. Taylor Swift, when they recognize that, “It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem, it’s me!”
We also cannot avoid the clear resonance among the actions of Lear and Gloucester and our current cultural moment: the blindness of many of our leaders to the challenges of climate change, racism, queerphobia, as well as the clear generational traumas that the older men of this play have inflicted by teaching their children the wrong lessons about power. The tragedy of this play, and sadly our present, is not that we or Lear have lost all: it is that he, and so many others in this play, could not see what they were losing until it was too late.
Despite all that, and in some ways, because of it, Lear is one of those perfect plays that walks the line between drama and comedy. There are moments that are so funny because they are so human in their portrayal that I hope you laugh, and then others that are so resonant with our collective human experience, that you find your face suddenly wet. I know this much is true: we need that more than ever and while nothing can come from nothing, community theater can do anything. There is so much I love about this play, but mostly it is how this incredible cast stretched and grew to find a level of nuance and realism among the lofty and dramatic poetry of this classic play.
Thank you for being here and supporting the arts, and more specifically thank you for supporting community theater and this cast & company in particular. The art they make moves me beyond words.
Zachary Vaughn-Munck
Cast
Pear Michaels (King Lear) is excited to perform again with Berkeley Shakespeare Company after playing Antonio/Verges in their production of Much Ado About Nothing. She has worked with Marin Shakespeare Company, Ross Valley Players, Pittsburg Theatre Company and studied English and Theatre at UC Berkeley. Pear is pursuing a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and Drama Therapy at CIIS. Her father engendered her love of theatre early on, bringing the family to see Shakespeare in John Hinkle Park back in the day! She’s grateful for the support of friends and family and hopes you enjoy the show.
Erin K. Perry (Kent) is a Bay Area actor. She obtained her B.A in Drama from San Francisco State University and recently attended the Stella Adler Studio of Acting’s summer conservatory in New York to further her training. This is her debut show with Berkeley Shakespeare Company. Her past credits include: Helicanus in Pericles (SFSU), Mrs. Hale in Trifles (SFSU), Puppet Show (Shelton Theater), and she was recently in the original cast of Clark Kent Gets His Suit Cleaned, and Other Plays by Aren Haun. She is excited to be a part of this journey with such a wonderful cast, and would like to thank her friends and family for supporting her through everything.
Elana Swartz (Cordelia/Fool) (she/her) is an actress and model based in San Francisco. She is originally from the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in Virginia and was working throughout the Washington DC and Maryland area before moving to the bay in 2021. Some of her favorite roles include Olivia in Twelfth Night, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Musical!, and Hero/Seacoal in Much Ado About Nothing (Berkeley Shakespeare Company), Madge Owens in Picnic, Nina in The Seagull, and Tinkerbelle in the original production of Stained Glass. She would like to thank her incredible friends and family for their love and support!
Ruby Songster (Cordelia/Fool) is thrilled to be working with Berkeley Shakespeare Company again! She previously appeared as Viola in BSC’s production of Twelfth Night last winter. She attended Oakland School for the Arts before studying acting at FONACT in Fontainebleau, France. Her favorite drama school credits include Ranyevskaya in The Cherry Orchard, Creon in Antigone, and Lady M in The Scottish Play. She currently works as a postpartum doula. In her free time she loves cooking, hiking, roller skating, and spending time with her wonderful fiancé James and their pup Bootsie. She thanks all her friends and family for their support. Enjoy the show!
Casey Anderson (Goneril) (she/her) is thrilled to be working with Berkeley Shakespeare Company for the fourth time! Casey, a Bay Area native, began pursuing her passion for theatre in 2017 and has consumed every opportunity since. Some of her favorite roles include Rosalind in As You Like It (Shakespeare Napa Valley), Shelby Latcherie in Steel Magnolias (Bay Area Stage), and Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing (Berkeley Shakespeare Company!). Thank you to my family and friends for your constant enthusiasm and support.
Natalie Tichenor (Albany) teaches middle and high school in Richmond as an Education Specialist. Her past favorite shows include: Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), 12 Angry Jurors (Juror #8), and Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Germaine). She was most recently seen at Pittsburg Theatre Company where she portrayed Betsy/Lindsay in Clybourne Park. As always, thank you to her family, Jamari, and of course, her very important cat, Eurydice, for all their love and support.
Kenneth Matis (Oswald) is excited to be performing in his first production for the Berkeley Shakespeare Company, especially in one of his favorite plays, King Lear. Previously, he’s had roles throughout the Bay Area, from Marin to Half Moon Bay, with the Actors Ensemble of Berkeley to Ross Valley Players. Most recently, he played Demetrius for Alameda Food Bank Players’ Midsummer’s Nights Dream, Charles for San Leandro’s Players’ Blithe Spirit, and Bill Eversleigh in Orinda Starlight Players’ The Secret of Chimneys. When not on the stage, you can find him working for Kaiser as a data consultant or running around Oakland.
Lisa Wang (Regan) is delighted to return to Berkeley Shakespeare Company, where she was last seen in their productions of Twelfth Night (Maria) and Much Ado About Nothing (Don John). In addition to Berkeley Shakespeare, Lisa has performed with various groups including: Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, Contra Costa Civic Theatre, San Leandro Players, and the Playwrights Center of SF. Lisa is also an improviser and company member at BATS Improv in San Francisco, where you can catch her performing improvised theatre regularly. More at improv.org. Thank you for supporting live theater!
Sarah Lee (Cornwall) is a Bay area actor who is thrilled to be part of her second production with BSC. She has also worked with Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, Pacifica Spindrift Players, Silicon Valley Shakespeare and PlayGround SF. When not acting, she works in healthcare and worries about her cat Timothy.
Bruce Kaplan (Gloucester) is delighted to be making his Berkeley Shakes debut in this powerful production. His recent Shakespeare experience includes a musical Twelfth Night with Actors Ensemble of Berkeley (Malvolio), and As You Like It with Masquers Playhouse (Jaques). He has also participated in many staged readings of the Shakespeare canon with Subterranean Shakespeare. Other favorite recent roles include Mushnik in Little Shop of Horrors (Pinole Community Players), Doolittle in Pygmalion (Orinda Players), the Wizard/Prof Marvel in The Wizard of Oz (Tri-Valley Rep), and twin 10-yr-old girls (!) in Chemical Imbalance (San Leandro Players). Bruce is the proud recipient of a Dean Goodman Award for Acting in Orphans. Thanks to Zach and the BSC team for nurturing the creativity of a great cast and crew to bring this Lear to life. And thank YOU for putting the community into community theater!
Christian Vaughn-Munck (Edgar) holds a BFA in Theatre/Dance from the University of Wyoming. He is incredibly excited to continue his run at Berkeley Shakespeare Company after playing Benedick, Balthasar, and Seacoal in Much Ado About Nothing, Antonio in Twelfth Night, and Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Musical!. In 2015, he was awarded “Denver’s Best Supporting Actor,” by Broadwayworld.com for his work in 11 Minute Theatre’s production of The Pillowman. Thank you to this talented cast and crew, thank you to all supporters of the arts, and on a personal note: Buster, I’m so proud of you! Good luck everybody else!
Joshua Roberts (Edmund) is thrilled to be a part of King Lear at Berkeley Shakespeare Company. He most recently played with Benicia Old Town Theatre Group in Boeing, Boeing as Robert Lambert, in Laura as Mark McPherson, and at Bay Area Stage in The Game’s Afoot as Simon Bright. Joshua studied acting at City College of San Francisco and Berkeley Rep. He studied visual arts and received his BFA in New Genres from San Francisco Art Institute. His work has been seen and heard at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco, and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Monterrey, in Monterrey, Mexico. Starting in October, Joshua can be seen playing Mr. Darcy in Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley at Altarena Playhouse. He wants to thank his wife, LizAnne, his mother, Donna, and his two beautiful daughters, Eleanor and Florence for their love and support.
Teresita Brimms (France, Doctor, Captain, Messenger, Gentlewoman) recently worked with Berkeley Shakespeare Company in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Musical! as Puck & Philostrates. She earned her Bachelors in Theatre Arts (Cal State East Bay Alumni), and she’s been in shows such as: Laramie Project (2010), Vagina Monologues (2011), As You Like It (2012), Follow Me to Nellies (2013), CSU Ferguson/ Us in the U.S (2014-2019). She directed and starred in a short film, Color Correction, which was selected for the 2022 African American Film Showcase. When she isn’t involved in theater or film, she enjoys doing arts and crafts such as creating whimsical earrings for her upcoming ETSY shop. She wants to thank her husband Peter for supporting her passion for the arts. Teresita is grateful she is back in acting and is very excited to be a part of King Lear.
Duy Anh Truong (Burgundy) is excited to return and work with Berkeley Shakes once again after his musical theatre debut in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Musical!. Previous credits: The Conference of the Birds, Pinocchio (Inferno Theatre), and Youth Aware Out & United (New Conservatory Theatre Center).
IG: @duy.anh.truong
Erika Bakse (Curan, Servant, Herald, Attendant) is thrilled to end her hiatus from the stage to perform in her first show with Berkeley Shakes. She’s, like, kinda been obsessed with the bard for a long time and is so excited this company now exists! Prior local credits include Basilia in THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO and Sis in PANHANDLE, both with Actor’s Ensemble of Berkeley, as well as Charlotte in THE REAL THING at Masquers Playhouse. Much love to her daughter, Elise, for letting mommy go to rehearsal and not stealing all the donuts, and to her husband, Reg, for his patience with their rambunctious toddler and years of love and support.
Julia Noel (Soldier, Knight) is a junior at the University of San Francisco. She is majoring in Business Entrepreneurship with a minor in Music, and most recently performed as Francis Flute in this production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Musical! While she has been singing her whole life, she has also had the opportunity to perform a variety of roles in productions, ranging from Tamino in The Magic Flute to Snake in The Little Prince. Additionally, she is currently serving as an Assistant Musical Director for ASUSF Voices. She is grateful for this opportunity to be a part of the Berkeley Shakespeare Company and looks forward to bringing her passion and experience to the role of Francis Flute.
Evan Winet (King Lear u/s) returns to Berkeley Shakes after most recently performing as Valentine and Malvolio in their winter production of Twelfth Night. He has performed throughout the Bay Area in roles which include Titus Andronicus (Silicon Valley Shakespeare), Arden in the Arden of Faversham (Theatre of Others), Claudius in Hamlet (Actors Ensemble of Berkeley), Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing (Berkeley Shakespeare Company) and Mr. Rooney in All that Fall (Anton’s Well).
Micaela Davis (Goneril u/s) was born and raised in Oakland, California and started acting at the Berkeley Black Repertory Group theater’s summer camp at the age of 7 years old. Throughout her years there, she performed in productions such as The Wiz, The Lion King, and Annie. Her time in high school was when her love for Shakespeare developed, doing productions such as As You Like It and the classic Romeo and Juliet. In 2019, she had the pleasure of playing Cobweb in the Marin Shakespeare Company’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As of today, she is studying acting at Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Although her current training consists of acting techniques for the camera, Micaela still considers the stage to be her true home.
Mars Holscher (Regan u/s) feels beyond grateful to be back for another production at Berkeley Shakes! Her past roles include Laura Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie (The African-American Shakespeare Company), Marina in Pericles (Theatre Rhinoceros), and Fabian in Twelfth Night (Berkeley Shakespeare Company). When Mars isn’t acting in plays, she’s writing them. One of her favorite roles was Tox, an evil spirit in her own horror play, “Shouldn’t You Be Terrified?” She’s a medical coder by day and regularly trains Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Ronnie Anderson (Gloucester u/s, Burgundy u/s) is thrilled to return to the stage with Berkeley Shakespeare Company where he most recently featured as Egeus and Snug in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Musical!. Recent roles include the flamboyant Madame Sylvia St. Croix in Ruthless! The Musical and the narcissistic actor, James Wicker in It’s Only A Play, both staged at Altarena Playhouse. Other favorites include Osric in Fortinbras, Charlie in The Foreigner, Sir Evelyn Oakleigh in Anything Goes, Jesus in Godspell and Og the Leprechaun in Finian’s Rainbow.
Ronnie has directed several plays and musicals including Lips Together, Teeth Apart, A Day in Hollywood/A Night in Ukraine, Mack & Mabel, Fools, Communicating Doors, She Loves Me, and Twelfth Night. Some venues Ronnie has directed and performed involve A.C.T., Berkeley Shakespeare Festival, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Contra Costa Civic Theatre, Actors Ensemble of Berkeley and Masquers Playhouse (where recently was honored to Stage-manage Amelie and RocketMan).
When not acting, Ronnie loves the beach, traveling, classic movies, cooking and hanging with dog, Friday. Ronnie’s overjoyed to work along this incredibly talented cast & crew!
Phillip Leyva (Burgundy u/s) is honored to return to the stage with Berkeley Shakes where he most recently performed as Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing. Some of Phillip’s favorite roles include Georg Nowack in She Loves Me (Pinole Players), Macbeth in Macbeth (Berkeley Shakespeare Company), Yonkers in Gypsy (Bay Area Musicals), and Gomez in The Addams Family (Pittsburg Theatre Company). He holds a BA in English from UC Berkeley and an MA in teaching from Saint Mary’s College of California. Phillip is a founding member of Berkeley Shakespeare Company and is proud of the tremendous work of all the Lear actors and production team. He would like to thank the Berkeley Shakespeare Company Board of Directors and his friends and family, especially his wife Sara, for their endless love and support.
Kyle Carrillo-Enders (Soldier, Knight u/s) is very excited to be making his debut with the Berkeley Shakespeare Company as the Assistant Director of King Lear! Kyle is originally from Oregon where his theatre journey began. Since moving to California, Kyle has performed at a couple theaters throughout the bay, such as: Chanticleers Theatre, Town Hall Theatre Company, and Masquers Playhouse. You can next see his work as the director of the musical Spring Awakening at Masquers Playhouse in Spring 2024. Kyle would like to thank his friends, his wonderful partner, and his family for all their love and support. He would also like to thank the Berkeley Shakespeare Company for giving him this amazing opportunity!
Once again, we would like to thank our wonderful friends at Pittsburg Theatre Company. We are all so grateful for your ongoing support.
Be sure to check out their upcoming season at the historic California Theatre in downtown Pittsburg!
Berkeley Shakespeare Company 