Actors & Staff Bios:
Central Coast
Shakespeare Festival

Every year, over two dozen volunteers come together to make the Festival possible. These range from the actors you see on stage, to stage support (lighting, props, costumes) to ticketing, security and of course, directing.

Shakespeare Festival Cast & Directors:

Following are confirmed for the 2011 Season.

Erika Appel (Dromio of Ephesus/ Audrey) is really excited to be joining CCSF for a third season. Last year she had an amazing time as Mme. Argante in The Gamester. In 2010 she was Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Piccadilly Poll in Treasure Island. She is a graduate of the two-year acting program at PCPA and some other recent credits include Bat Boy: The Musical and Tom Snout in PCPA's production of Midsummer.

Jessica Elise Boles (Dromio of Syracuse / Rosalind) Jessica is a fourth-year Theatre and English major at CSU Bakersfield. Her recent theatre credits include Viola in Twelfth Night, Mistress Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Fool in King Lear, Conchita in Anna in the Tropics, and Germaine in Picasso at the Lapin Agile.


Emily Candia (Antipholus of Ephesus / Hymen & Ensemble)

Elaine Fornier (Balthazar / Duke Frederick)

Christina Fountain (Celia - AYLI)This is Christina's third season performing with CCSF. Last season she played Mme. Preferee The Gamester. In 2010 as huffy Hippolyta in Midsummer and upstanding Miss Livesey in Treasure Island. A PCPA graduate, Christina performed in Henry VI and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Other roles include Nellie Forbush (South Pacific), Inga (Young Frankenstein), and Wicked Witch of the West (A Fairy Tale).

George Gorrindo (Duke Solinus)

Gregory Garrindo (Luciana / Oliver) This is Gregory’s fourth season with CCSF.  Previous roles with the festival: Hector in The Gamester, Antonio in Twelfth Night, Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Captain Smollett in Treasure Island, Hortensio in The Taming of the Shrew, and Clarence in Richard III.  He recently appeared in The Importance of Being Earnest as Lady Bracknell (yes, Lady Bracknell), and staged readings of the new plays The Washing Place (SLO Reader’s Theatre) and The Scopes Monkey Trial: What Really Happened (God Is Still Speaking Players).  Also on the Central Coast: Little Women: the Broadway Musical (Blue Room Productions), Lend Me a Tenor (SLO Little Theatre), Sweeney Todd (Chameleon Productions), Jesus Christ Superstar and West Side Story (Studio of the Performing Arts).  Training: The American Musical and Dramatic Academy.

David Anthony Hance (Egeon/ Touchstone) David Anthony Hance (DAH) has performed in more than 100 stage
productions, primarily in Northern California. In 2010 he was Thomas in The Gamester and Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night. DAH was the professional manager of a community-based theatre company and playhouse and was a part-time theater instructor at a community college. David is active in the theatre as a writer, producer, director, actor and singer.

Claire Harlan (Luce & Nell & Ensemble / Phebe)

Charles Hayek (Courtesan & Ensemble/ Jacques & Charles) This software developer got his start performing at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in the Bay Area. This is Charles' ninth season with CCSF where his previous roles include Croupier (The Gamester), Sebastian (Twelfth Night), Don John (Much Ado) and Rochefort (The Three Musketeers). Other credits include Hair, West Side Story, Cabaret, and The Full Monty. Thanks to his trans-human healing abilities, he is the only gymnast known to have survived a perfect 3-point landing (2 hands + 1 face).

Toni Lynne Kerley (Stage and Production Manager) is honored to return for her third year with the CCSF.  She previously stage managed Picasso at the Lapine Agile, earning an Irene Ryan Nomination from the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival as well as opening the Bakersfield Melodrama as the Resident Stage Manager.  In addition to her experience offstage, Toni has enjoyed acting in many productions; some credits include Maggie in Lend Me a Tenor, Viola in Twelfth Night, Agnes in Agnes of God all of which earned Irene Ryan Nominations.  Her most recent role was Marela in Anna in the Tropics. 

Krystal Kirk (Ensemble / Silvius & Ensemble) Krystal is excited to return for her fifth season with the festival. She received her BA in Theatre Arts from California State University Long Beach in 2008. She has been part of over 40 productions. Previous roles include: Valentine (Twelfth Night), Ross (Macbeth), Lord Stanley (Richard III) and the Widow (Taming of the Shrew).

Bob Knowles (Duke Senior-AYLI) Center Coast Shakespeare Festival roles include Vestonin The Gamester, Ensemble/Captain, Priest in Twelfth Night, Duncan in Macbeth, Captain/Treville in The Three Musketeers, Sea Captain / Priest in Twelfth Night (2005), Brissallu in Cyrano de Bergerac, Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing, Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet, and Sir Oliver Martex in As You Like It.  Since 1965, Bob has performed in numerous productions with the San Luis Obispo Little Theatre and at Cal Poly including Six Characters in Search of an Author, Harvey, Spoon River Anthology, Barefoot in the Park, The Matchmaker, School for Scandal, Hogan's Goat, and the Crucible.  He is soon to be seen as the Senile Art Patron in the film Theft by Deception.

Kevin Lohmann (Angelo / Orlando)

Tyler Lopez (Adriana / Silvius) Tyler is thrilled to be back for a fourth season with CCSF where he was previously seen as Valere in The Gamster and Orsino in Twelfth Night, Blind Pew/Ben Gunn in Treasure Island, Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lucentio in The Taming of the Shrew, and Lord Grey in Richard III. He is a graduate of PCPA’s Acting Conservatory where he was seen as Leonardo in Blood Wedding, Yussup in The Chalk Circle, and Giraffe in Seussical. Other recent roles include Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest (Exit Pursued by a Bear); Fagin in Oliver! (Pioneer Players); and Christopher Wren in The Mousetrap (Pewter Plough Playhouse).

Jean Miller (2nd Merchant & Ensemble / Sir Oliver Martex & Ensemble)

Melanie Myerscough (Ensemble/ Dennis & Ensemble)

Shannon Peters (Ensemble / LeBeau) has been looking forward to CCSF all year and is thrilled to be participating for her third year in a row. Shannon will be a senior at SLOHS next year, in addition to serving as President of both their Drama and Iambic Pentameter Clubs.  She recently played the title role in SLOHS' production of Cinderella. 
 
Zoe Saba (Artistic Director/Director, Twelfth Night) Recent directing credits include Tartuffe, Lend Me a Tenor and Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Cal State University Bakersfield); Treasure Island, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, The Three Musketeers, Much Ado about Nothing (CCSF). Festival roles include Kent (King Lear), Nurse (Romeo and Juliet), Olivia (Twelfth Night), Rosencrantz (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead). Other credits include Melony (The Cider House Rules), Carla Carla (Swimming in the Shallows), and Grandpa (Panama) for California Repertory Company; Dr. Charlotte (Falsettos), Mary (On the Verge), Elsa (The Road to Mecca), Lyse (The Illusion), Sara (Quilters), and Margaret (A Perfect Ganesh) at Centerpoint Theatre Group. Zoe attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and holds an MFA in Acting/Directing from California State University Long Beach.

Janet Stipicevich (Antipholus of Syracuse/ Jacques) Janet is excited to be back at the beautiful River Oaks performance space in Paso Robles! Last season Janet was seen on stage as Mme. Securite in The Gamester and /Olivia in Twelfth Night, in 2010 as P. Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream & Lady Trelawney in Treasure Island.

Janet began with CCSF when she was in her 20’s – a young Beaujolais –Let’s just say she’s been performing for a “few” seasons and now equates herself to a bottle of fine wine….vintage! Past favorite Shakespearean roles with the CCSF include: Rosalind in As You Like It, Viola in Twelfth Night, Ophelia in Hamlet, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Fool in King Lear, Julia in Two Gentlemen of Verona, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, Petruchio & Kate in The Taming of the Shrew, and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. Janet was seen on stage at Houselights Theatre as Samantha in Indoor/Outdoor and at SLOLT readers theatre productions of Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge and Looking for the Pony.

Besides SLOLT, she has worked with many local theatres including: Artemis, Cal Poly Theatre, Centerpoint, PCPA, Pewter Plough Playhouse, PLOT, and Parish Players.  Favorite non-Shakespearean roles include: Carol in Oleanna, Chris and Maggie in Dancing at Lughnasa, Poppy in Noises Off, Natasha in The Three Sisters, Keely in Keely and Du, Rebecca in Moonlight and Valentino, Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Heidi in The Heidi Chronicles, Nora in A Doll’s House and Germaine in Picasso at the Lapin Agile.  Janet studied theatre at San Jose State University and with the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. 

Jason Sumabat (Choreographer) Jason is the founder and director of Blue Dove productions, and a veteran of the arts with experience in every facet of theatre, onstage and off. Jason has contributed to each of the 20 productions the Festival has performed since he began working with CCSF in 1997.

Teresa Thuman ~ Director "The Comedy of Errors"
Teresa is "Special Guest Artist" from Seattle, WA. Teresa was an "Artist in Residence" at the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts (PCPA) in Santa Maria for a number of years and has been a freelance director in the Pacific Northwest for the past decade.

Cynthia Totten (Co-Director of As You Like It) is a Professor of Theatre at Eckerd College, a small liberal arts institution in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she teaches acting, stage movement, directing, and performance courses. She holds an MFA in Acting/Directing from Southern Illinois University and a Ph.D. in Theatre from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Eckerd College directing credits include Iphigenia, Rain. Some Fish. No Elephants., Our Town, The Dining Room, As You Like It, The Boys Next Door, Fuddy Meers, and A Streetcar Named Desire. She received two Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival (Region IV) Meritorious Awards for Excellence in Direction for directing Iphigenia (2009) and for directing A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2007).

This summer marks Cindy’s twelfth season with the Central Coast Shakespeare Festival, where she directed the Gamester (2010), co-directed Treasure Island (2009), directed Richard III (2007), Macbeth (2006), Cyrano de Bergerac (2005), Romeo and Juliet (2004), As You Like It (2003), The Taming of the Shrew (2002), Hamlet (2001), and The Merchant of Venice (1999), and performed the role of Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing (1998). In April 2010, Cindy graduated with a 200-hour Yoga Teacher certification from Ananda Expanding Light Meditation Retreat near Nevada City, California, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Theron Webb (Abbess)

Fred Wolf (Adam / House Manager, Dramaturg) Fred is seventy-three years young – sixty-one of which have been involved with the theatre. He has his M.A. in Drama, and has been involved in over 350 different productions as actor, designer, producer, director, and teacher. This year he returns to CCSF as House Manger as well as music dramaturg. Three of his five children (Bogart, Robin, and Meredith) have also been involved with the Festival. He is completing a musical comedy set in Shakespeare’s London tentatively titled (No man is truly dead ‘til he is) Spoken Of No More.

Toni Young (Dr. Pinch & Ensemble / Ensemble)