Back Room Shakespeare Project L.A.

Serious Actors. No Director. One Rehearsal. In a Bar. In L.A.

“O, it is excellent to have a giants strength, but it is tyrannous to use it like a giant”

Monday, April 24, 2023 | 6:30p Doors / 7:30 Show | FREE!
Frogtown Brewery | 2931 Gilroy St, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Featuring BRSPLA Stakeholders: Delia Baseman (Captain), Katherine Bourne Taylor (Chief Engineer), Patrick Arter; With: Margaret Katch (First Mate), Ann Sonneville, Casey Morris, Becky Poole, Haddiyah Noelle Smith, Sabrina Harms, Nowany Rattray, Emme Perkins, Rizzy Fuentes, Roni Geva, Robert Paterno, Christine Lin; Prompter: Suzanne Dean; Waiting in the Wings: Molly Lyons, Tristan Rewald

Espoused BRSP Values:
Velocity:  Move forward at the speed of thought. 
Courage:  Do not be afraid

Dramatis Personae

DELIA BASEMAN (she/her) “Angelo”

BRSP Projects: (LA) Much Ado About Nothing, Two Gentleman of Verona, MacBeth, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; (Chicago) Taming of the Shrew, Two Gentleman of Verona, MacBeth, Twelfth Night, Romeo & Juliet, Julius Ceaser, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Coriolanus, King John, Othello, Merchant of Venice; (Virtual) A Midsummer Night’s Dream

The three roles/projects that epitomize me: The Three Faces of Dr. Crippen (Steppenwolf Garage/Best in Fringe NYC); The Diary of Anne Frank (Writers Theater); ctrl alt delete (Emmy nominated series)

Favorite Shakespeare quote: Today it is: “Hold thy piece, I pray thee hold thy piece.”

Connect: Website | Instagram

MARGARET KATCH (she/her) “Claudio”

BRSP Projects: (LA) Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

The three roles/projects that epitomize me: Failure: A Love Story (Kirk Douglas/Coeurage Theater), The American Plan (The Artistic Home), The School for Lies (Chicago Shakespeare Theater)

Shakespearean character I’m most like: Beatrice

Favorite Shakespeare quote: “Now entertain conjecture of a time when creeping murmur and the poring dark fills the wide vessel of the universe.”

Connect: Website | Instagram

KATHERINE BOURNE TAYLER (she/her) “Elbow/Abhorsen”

BRSP Projects: (LA) Macbeth, As You Like It, Twelfth Night (Chicago) Macbeth, King Lear, A Comedy of Errors, Julius Caesar; (Virtual) A Midsummer Night’s Dream

The three roles/projects that epitomize me: Rosalind in As You LikeIt Grown Up Orphan AnnieCool for Five Seconds

Shakespearean character I’m most like: Rosalind, As You Like It

Favorite BRSP Moment: In Chicago, we ended King Lear with Nick Harazin singing Johnny Cash’s cover of “Hurt”. When he started singing, the audience laughed, but as the song kept on, it turned into a moving reflection on Lear’s life, and the whole audience and cast ended up joining in.

Post Script: “So much love to DJ!”

Connect: Website | Instagram

PATRICK ARTER (he/him) “Lucio”

BRSP Projects: (LA) Two Gentlemen of Verona (twice!), Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Shakespearean character I’m most like: Malvolio: a guy who tries way too hard to look smart, who tries way too hard to impress women, and who tries way too hard to find just the right outfit.

Favorite BRSPLA Moment: Seeing everybody’s hilarious Halloween costumes for the banquet scene in Macbeth: detectives sitting next to newsies sitting next to a wizard from Hogwarts. Just as the bard intended!

Connect: Website | Twitter | Instagram

ANNE SONNEVILLE (she/they) “Duke V”

BRSPLA projects: (LA) A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing

Three roles/projects that epitomize me:  V. Frankenstein in “Frankenstein”, Empress Elizabeth and a judge as old as time in “Monsieur D’eon Is A Woman” and Miriam Johnson in “Miriam Is Going To Mars”

Favorite Shakespearean quote: “Be absolute for death; either death or life shall thereby be the sweeter.” – Duke V. – Measure For Measure

The Shakespearean character I’m most like is: Still feeling the ol’ gravedigger – dark humor in unexpected times and places…

Connect: Website | Instagram

HADIYYAH NOELLE (she/her) “Provost”

BRSP Projects: I made my BRSP LA debut in A Midsummer Night’s Dream as Peter Quince and immediately fell in love with the fast paced terrifying process we follow! After that I played Ursula and the consummate genius Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing! And I can’t wait to bring the Provost in Measure for Measure to life!

The three roles/projects that epitomize me:  Ursula from The Little Mermaid (she was wronged and I understand why she snapped), Mwongozo in Disneylands Tale of the Lion King because I got to be that Narrator/ deus ex machina character and I like being omniscient from time to time. And Fluellen from Henry V part 1 cause who doesn’t want to I fight over vegetables?

Favorite Shakespeare quote: “My words fly up my thoughts remain below words without thoughts to heaven never go.” – King Claudius Act 3 scene 3

Shakespearean character I’m most like: Fluellen with a splash of Lady Percy from Henry IV part 2

Connect: Instagram | Tik Tok | Twitter | Facebook

ROBERT PATERNO (he/him) “Friar”

BSRPLA projects: (LA) As You Like It – Silvius A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Egeus/Fairy, Much Ado About Nothing – Leonato

Three roles/projects that epitomize me: Teaching Artist, Filipinx Actors Barkada member, Son to Bella and Roberto Paterno

Favorite Shakespearean quote: “All’s one. Good faith, how foolish are our minds!” – Desdemona, IV iii, Othello

Connect: Website |  Instagram

EMME PERKINS (she/her) “Francisca/Servant/Officer/Messenger”

BRSPLA projects: (LA) A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing

The Shakespeare character I’m most like: Brutus, in an honorable way not in a plotting-to-assassinate way

Favorite Shakespearean quote: “Come on, tune: if you can penetrate her with your fingering, so; we’ll try with tongue too.” -Cymbeline

Connect: Website

CASEY MORRIS (he/him) “Escalus”

BRSP Projects: (Chicago) King Lear

The three roles/projects that epitomize me:  Ray – The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Horatio – Hamlet, Officer Mike – Welcome to Jesus

Favorite Shakespeare quote: “For the eye sees not itself, but by reflection, by some other things.”

Shakespearean character I’m most like: Troilus

Connect: Instagram | Website


STEVE LENZ (he/him) “Pompey”

BRSP projects: (Chicago) Much Ado About Nothing

Three roles/projects that epitomize me: Cyrus “Turn:Washington’s Spies” (AMC) (2014) Counselors “Yellowjackets” (Showtime) (2021) Dwight “Shameless” (Showtime) (2019)

Favorite Shakespearean quote: Mercurio: “If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark.”

Connect: Instagram


RONI GENEVA (she/her) “Froth”

BRSPLA projects: Debut!

Three roles/projects that epitomize me: co-creating ctrl alt delete, Little Sally in Urinetown, and Lydia in Pride & Prejudice

Favorite Shakespearean quote: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

The Shakespearean character I’m most like is: Hermia

Connect: Instagram

CHRISTINE LIN (she/her)”Mariana”

BRSPLA projects: Debut!

Three roles/projects that epitomize me: Dewdrop in SOUL SAMURAI (InFusion Theatre), Ginny Yang in SMART PEOPLE (Nashville Rep), Mei-Lin on SURFSIDE GIRLS (AppleTV+)

Favorite Shakespearean quote: Lady M: “But screw your courage to the sticking place, And we’ll not fail.” OR stage direction: “Exit, pursued by a bear”

The Shakespearean character I’m most like is: Titania

Connect: Instagram | Website

NOWANI RATTRAY (she/her) “Isabella”

BRSP projects: (NYC) Macbeth, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Romeo and Juliet

Favorite Shakespearean quote: the sweetest honey is loathsome in his own deliciousness

The Shakespearean character I’m most like is: Beatrice

Connect: Instagram

SABRINA HARMS (she/her) “Juliet”

BRSPLA projects: This is my first, hope it is the beginning of many more!

Three roles/projects that epitomize me: Fleabag – From Fleabag, Xena Warrior Princess, and Helen – All’s Well that Ends Well.

Favorite Shakespearean quote: Actually a stage direction: ‘Exit, pursued by a bear’

The Shakespearean character I’m most like is: Puck

Connect: Instagram | Website

BECKY POOLE (she/her) “Mistress Overdone”

BRSPLA projects: Macbeth

Three roles/projects that epitomize me: “The Ballad of Dena & Andrea” Solo murder ballad song cycle theatre piece about two women who murdered their children. Voice over artist and director for upcoming Apple TV animated series. Decades of sketch comedy and improv with indy groups in New York City, Second City Chicago, UCB and iO.

Favorite Shakespearean quote: What proclamation, man?

The Shakespearean character I’m most like is: The Porter

Connect: Instagram 1 | Instagram 2

RIZZY FUENTES (he/him) “Justice/Barnardine”

BRSPLA projects: Waiting in the wings for Much Ado Nothing, otherwise debut

Favorite Shakespearean quote: “Love goes toward love as schoolboys from their books, but love from love, toward school with heavy looks.”

The Shakespearean character I’m most like is: Hamlet

Connect:  Website

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