Some notes on the music:
Suite from Berkeley Shakespeare Company’s The Tempest, 2025
Composed by Katherine Park, using lines from The Tempest
The Tempest was Berkeley Shakespeare’s 8th production, and our most challenging and ambitious yet. A site-specific production, we moved into The Lighthouse at Point Montara, a 100 year old operating lighthouse and hostel, and used the wind, the sea, and the stars as natural settings to this epic, fantastical tale. Katherine Park scored this production; her sweeping, haunting arrangements of Shakespeare’s words brought forth the magic and mystery of this production and made it, and the lighthouse, feel truly alive.
Dramatic Interlude 1: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Featuring Phillip Leyva as Demetrius, Lisa Wang as Helena, Elana Swartz as Hermia, Christian Vaughn-Munck as Lysander, and Alejandra Wahl as Puck.
Directed by Stuart Bousel
“Fair is Foul”
Composed by Jennifer Gallagher, using lines from Macbeth, Act 1 Sc. 1
Macbeth was Berkeley Shakespeare Company’s first ever production. Fueled by a modest GoFundMe and a desire to resume making theater despite the pandemic, this production was staged in a small room in Berkeley’s Finnish Hall. Despite the small venue, smaller budget, and even smaller advertising budget, nearly every show was sold out. In this country re-imagining of the the famous opening scene, Jennifer Gallagher captures the woman-powered summoning magic that grounds the three witches, played by Alejandra Wahl, Elana Swartz, and Amber McCann.
“God of Love”
Composed by May Oskan, from an original arrangement from BSC’s Much Ado About Nothing, 2022
The seed for this song was planted during a rehearsal break, when the ensemble jokingly discussed a style of singing. One thing led to another, and suddenly we’d discovered the music for several important transitions. Ensemble-composed music continued to infuse this pastoral production, and reaffirmed the power of collaboration. Local singer-songwriter May Oskan’s composition honors the original arrangement, while expanding the song into a dialogue between Benedick and Beatrice, played respectively by Phillip Leyva and Elana Swartz.
“O Mistress Mine”
Composed by Kate Miller-Heidke & Keir Nuttall, arrangement by Daniel Fabricant, using lines from Twelfth Night Act 2, Sc 3
This piece was composed for Melbourne Theater Company’s 2019 production of Twelfth Night, and was performed by Colin Hay (of Men At Work fame) as Feste. Twelfth Night was BSC’s third production, and our most ambitious yet. Its Prohibition-era setting drew upon folk music, jazz standards, and acapella performance to underscore the romance. In this yearning rendition, Carl Lucania embodies the play’s central theme – the duality of love, in all its sincerity and uncertainty.
“I Was Meant For The Stage”
Written by The Decemberists, arranged by Daniel Fabricant
Lead vocalist/lyricist Colin Meloy drew inspiration from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, specifically the character of Nick Bottom, writing lyrics that depict a deeply over-the-top actor who believes they were destined for the stage. In Berkeley Shakespeare’s raucous 2023 production of Midsummer, Zachary Vaughn-Munck portrayed Nick Bottom; he reprises that role in this song, reminding us that it’s ok to dream big and ask for what you want, even if the world tells you that it’s too much.
Dramatic Interlude 2: As You Like It
Featuring Phillip Leyva as Silvius, Lisa Wang as Rosalind, Elana Swartz as Phoebe, Christian Vaughn-Munck as Orlando, and Alejandra Wahl as Celia.
Directed by Stuart Bousel
“Under The Greenwood Tree“
Composed by Laura Marling, using lyrics from As You Like It, Act 2 Scene 5, arranged by Daniel Fabricant
In this arrangement, written for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2012 production, Laura Marling captures the melancholy and wistfulness that underscores this play’s exploration of love, gender, and destiny. Phillip Leyva plays Silvius, a shepherd with a sunny, yet honest, outlook on life and love.
“Cordelia“
Written by The Tragically Hip, arranged by Bryan Seet
King Lear was our fifth production, and one that pushed our artistic interpretation to a deeper level. The dark, contemporary production played with gender and our understanding of power, filial responsibility, and the consequences of rage. This original song was directly inspired by Lear, using the characters of devious daughters Regan and Goneril (here embodied by Alejandra Wahl and Elana Swartz) to explore the abandonment and rejection they may have felt when their father clearly preferred younger, devoted daughter Cordelia to them, providing a deeper understanding of their dark motivations, and giving them a voice to sincerely express their profound hurt.
“Chiquitita“
Written by ABBA, arranged by Bryan Seet
In our dystopic production of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, director Christian Vaughn-Munck imagined a post-apocalypse society where the only vestige of the previous world that remains is the timeless, universal music of ABBA. This upbeat soundtrack suffused the production with an ironic joy, underscoring the feeble morals of the conspirators, and highlighting the tragic consequences of blind devotion to a flawed figure-head, and the futility of war and blood-shed. In this reprise of the production’s opening song, the ensemble sings to a vain and preening Caesar, lulling him into a false sense of security.
“Fear No More”
Composed by Valerie Fachman, Aisha Rivera, and Melanie Kimball; transcribed by Daniel Fabricant, arranged by Bryan Seet; using lyrics from Cymbeline, Act 4 Scene 2
Though one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known plays, Cymbeline contains some of his most beautiful poetry, including the haunting funeral song “Fear No More.” In it, three characters mourn a young woman they believe has died, unaware that she is family. Their grief is all the more poignant for the profound bond they’ve formed in such a short time. Set to music by our original Cymbeline cast, this tender meditation on love, loss, and the fleeting nature of life is performed tonight by Amber McCann, Alejandra Wahl, and Zachary Vaughn-Munck.
“House of the Rising Sun”
Unknown author; originally arranged by The Animals, transcribed and re-arranged by Daniel Fabricant
Nobody knows who wrote “House of the Rising Sun.” It has existed in various forms for almost 100 years, first recorded in the 1930s in the Appalachia region. While the song explores a life gone wrong in New Orleans, it has its roots in English folk song, most notably the 16th century song “The Unfortunate Rake.” Which means Shakespeare may well have known the precursor to this now-classic American tune. BSC featured this haunting ballad in our gender-bent production of Cyrano, set against the social upheaval of the 1960s and ’70s, where it underscored the tragic futility of war.
Tonight, Carl Lucania and Phillip Leyva revisit the song, bridging our past with our future productions of Measure for Measure and Hamlet, and exploring the timeless themes of inherited sins and inescapable fate.
And perhaps the theater itself is our House of the Rising Sun—a place where we come to be ruined, and remade, again and again.
“The Wind and the Rain“
Composed by Julianna King, arranged by Bryan Seet; using lyrics from Twelfth Night Act 5 Scene 1.
Shakespeare’s closing song in Twelfth Night is our closing song tonight. We invite you to join us in the raucous, joyous celebration of life, love, our foibles and our victories, everything that theater reminds us to cherish, in this grand finale.
Cast
Phillip Leyva (he/him) is an actor and educator originally from the San Joaquin Valley. Recent theatre credits include Franz in The Sound of Music (Berkeley Playhouse), Wadsworth in Clue (Onstage Repertory Theatre), Sir Galahad in Spamalot (Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble), Posthumus in Cymbeline (Berkeley Shakespeare Company), and Igor in Young Frankenstein (Pittsburg Theatre Company). Phillip holds a BA in English from UC Berkeley and an MA in Teaching from Saint Mary’s College of California.
He is a founding member of Berkeley Shakespeare Company where he regularly produces shows, and he currently plays bass for Berkeley rock trio Flowers for Angela.
Carl Lucania is happy to be working with Berkeley Shakes again after appearing in last year’s Cymbeline and The Tempest. Shakespeare in unusual locales is sort of his thing having performed The Bard in a bar (with SF Theater pub) and in a forest (with Atmos’s Theater in the Woods). He’s had the good fortune to appear on several bay area stages over the last 20 years, studied acting at SF State, and fronted several bands you’ve never heard of.
Amber McCann is an actor based in San Francisco. Recent credits include: Catherine in Pippin, Chava in Fiddler on the Roof, and Marie in Ebenezer Scrooge (Contra Costa Civic Theatre). Amber holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from San Francisco State University. Amber is delighted to be working with Berkeley Shakespeare Company once again!
Katherine Park grew up eating baek kimchi and drinking hot chocolate for breakfast in the sleepy suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts, screaming punk songs at the piano about ice-cream. A graduate of Élite Piano Academy, New England Conservatory Preparatory School, she holds a Bachelor of Music from Hartt. Park works as an independent performance artist across music, film, theatre, photography appearing on radio, stage, television, streaming, from CBGB’s basement, to SF Civic Center, Harvard’s Sanders’ Theatre, KALX-Live, la cathédral Notre-Dame de Paris and Point Montara Lighthouse.
Park composed and recorded the music for Berkeley Shakespeare Company’s upcoming Measure for Measure, including the world premiere of a new choral piece to Shakespeare’s “Take, O take those lips away” at her Alameda studio she shares with her love, Douglas Despres.
She’s thrilled to collaborate again at Berkeley Shakes and would love you to join her newsletter and add her music to your playlist. Katherine Park LLC / katherinepark.com
Elana Swartz (she/her) is originally from the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and holds a BA in Theater Performance from James Madison University. Based in SF, she works as an actress, model, costumer, and acting coach throughout the Bay Area. Elana has been a company member with BSC since 2022 and with Theatre Lunatico since 2025. A few favorite local credits: Cyrano (Cyrano), Cymbeline (Imogen), and The Tempest (Ariel) with Berkeley Shakespeare Company, Romeo and Juliet (Juliet) with Lunatico, and Constellations (Marianne) with The Pear.
Visit elanaswartz.com for further details.
Christian Vaughn-Munck holds a BFA in Theatre/Dance from the University of Wyoming, and is experiencing every level of excitement to be onstage again with this company. Past credits with Berkeley Shakespeare Company include Much Ado About Nothing (Benedick, Seacoal) Twelfth Night (Antonio) and King Lear (Edgar.)
Last year, Christian had the privilege of directing Julius Caesar for this amazing company. Additional local credits include Truce, a Christmas Wish from the Great War (City Lights Theatre) The Glass Menagerie, (Los Altos Stage Company) Anon (The Pear Theatre) and The Davinci Code (Palo Alto Players.)
Thank you to this talented cast and crew, thank you to all supporters of the arts- now more than ever (*frogs united!!) On a personal note- it means so much to share the stage again with my talented husband. Good luck everybody else!
Zach Vaughn-Munck is very pleased and scared to be back on stage with BSC. Having been born at a very young age, Zach has longed for an outlet for his creative “talents.” On a serious note, this is a scary time for our community, particularly our queer and trans family – Zach is thankful to be part of art that speaks to these timely issues.
Zach is humbled to have worked with several amazing local companies as Emile in Cyrano (Los Altos Stage Company), Jack in Art of Murder (Pear Theater Co), Buster in Misery (Palo Alto Players), Eddie in The Rocky Horror Show (City Lights Theater Company), most recently at BSC as Casca in Julius Caesar, and most often, whenever he manages to make it on a stage before being escorted out by security to the chagrin of his talented, patient, and amazingly brilliant husband/director/fellow player.
Alejandra Wahl is a multidisciplinary theater artist and singer with a weakness for Shakespeare, ensemble work, and beautiful chaos. By day, Alejandra facilitates restorative justice programs; by night, she makes art. A longtime board and company member of Berkeley Shakespeare, her past BSC credits include The Tempest (Producer, Ariel 3), Julius Caesar (Props), Cymbeline (The Queen/Soothsayer), Much Ado About Nothing (Director, Borachio u/s), and Macbeth (Porter, Lady Macduff).
Endless gratitude to the artists, board members, and audiences who keep this joyful little theater community alive. IG: @alej_onstage
Lisa Wang (she/her) is a proud company member at Berkeley Shakespeare Company. Previous productions have included: Julius Caesar (Brutus), King Lear (Regan), Cymbeline (Helen), Twelfth Night (Maria) and Much Ado About Nothing (Don John). Outside of the Bard, Lisa was seen earlier this year in Gods of Comedy (Dean Trickett) and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Sonia) at Masquers Playhouse.
Lisa is also a company member at BATS Improv in San Francisco, where you can catch her regularly performing improvised theatre (www.improv.org).
Production Team
Stuart Bousel (director) has previously directed Cymbeline and The Tempest for Berkeley Shakespeare. Also a playwright, his adaptation of Satyricon became the first fully produced play by The Eagle Players at the SF Eagle this past August.
His work will next be featured here at Feinstein’s as part of SHOTZ: Holidayzed in December! You can find out more at www.stuartbousel.com.
Canadian-born pianist and vocalist, Bryan “B-Side” Seet, performs in a variety of styles including pop,
jazz, Irish & folk. He is one of the founding members of the popular Bay Area Top 40 Mash-ups and
Medley cover band, The Peelers, that performed a 14 month residency at Red Rock Casino Resort in
Las Vegas.
Bryan also toured for 10 years as piano accompanist with the Irish singing family, The Black Brothers. Bryan has extensive experience as an accompanist and can be found at his weekly residency at the historic piano bar, The Alley, in Oakland, CA every Thursday and Saturday night – 8pm-close, which is an open-mic format for singers. He has performed at The Orpheum SF Open House, Berkeley’s Rep’s Ground Floor, The Claremont Hotel In Berkeley, The Palace Hotel SF, The Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, Martuni’s Piano Bar in SF, Feinstein’s at the Nikko, and is an Artist-In-Residence at The Battery Club, SF.
Bryan is available to play in solo, duo, trio configurations up to a full-entertainment experience with the 7-piece The Peelers Band.
Additional thanks to the Latinx Research Center at UC Berkeley, Dr. Laura Perez, and Luis Javier Hernandez for all your support this season!
And to Feinstein’s at the Nikko for this wonderful collaboration!
Be sure to get your tickets for our next production at the Live Oak Theater, Measure for Measure, directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza with original music by Katherine Park!
Photos by Sara Nicole Mindful Photography
with contributions from Lisa Anderson and Casey Anderson
