The Stakeholders
The motley crew that keeps this gorgeous madness running all year long. We captain the projects, we champion our community, we dive head first into the chaos.
PATRICK ARTER (he/him)
BRSP Projects: (LA) Richard II, Winter’s Tale, Comedy of Errors, Julius Caesar, Two Gentlemen of Verona (twice!), Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure
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!
DELIA BASEMAN (she/her)
BRSP Projects: (LA) Winter’s Tale, Richard II, Comedy of Errors, King Lear, Measure for Measure, 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.”
DANNY BERNARDO (he/him)
BRSP Projects: (LA) Winter’s Tale, Comedy of Errors, King Lear, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing
Shakespearean character I’m most like: Equal parts Olivia (Twelfth Night), Hal (Henry IV, parts 1 & 2), and Bottom (A Midsummer Night’s Dream); best served shaken, not stirred.
The three roles/projects that epitomize me: “Harry Bright” in Mamma Mia (2019 East West Players, 2021 La Mirada/McCoy Rigby); Jerky (screenings: Cannes Court Metrage, OutFest Fusion, Reeling); “Joe” in the world premiere of Lauren Yee’s Young Americans (Portland Center Stage/Pittsburgh Public Theatre)
Favorite Shakespeare quote: “The quality of mercy is not strained | It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven | Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest; | It blesseth him that gives and him that takes” (The Merchant of Venice)
ZACH BONES (he/him)
BRSP Projects: My first BRSP was As You Like It, in the role of Touchstone. I also performed in 12th night as Sir Toby Belch.
Shakespearean character I’m most like: Probably Feste- easy going, musical, generally loved or tolerated by most, obnoxious to others (mostly squares). OR Mercutio- a good friend who will always encourage you to dance, a romantic and a cynic. Not an instigator but can’t keep his mouth shut when forced to suffer arrogant and quarrelsome fools.
The three roles/projects that epitomize me: Hunter the T-rex; Project: mural painting, Othello- Not at all because I’m jealous or really in anyway like Othello, but because I LOVE Shakespeare, and am grateful that even in his time he created a black character with humanity and dignity (Even if he still made him both a murderer and a victim.) Also because my wife and I fell in love doing a production of Othello… not the most auspicious choice from the Bard’s cannon to beget a show-mance… but here we are.
Favorite Shakespeare quote: “There are more things in heaven, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” -Hamlet
Favorite BRSPLA Moment: Was one I was completely unaware of in which a GIANT spider and crawled onto and dangled from my arm without my knowing. Thankfully Katherine saved me before i could notice and scream. Thanks Katherine
KELLY LOZO (she/her)
BRSP Projects: (LA) Winter’s Tale,, King Lear, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing
Favorite Shakespeare quote: “And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.”
Favorite BRSP Moment: In the midst of a Basement Shakes production of As You Like It, I had the joy of experiencing a basement full of drunk Rutgers college students being truly moved by Shakespeare’s poetry. It was the end of the “All the world’s a stage” speech and I was playing Jacque. The audience was raucously enjoying the humor of the speech. However, as I neared the end, I was afraid the sad mortality of the speech was getting lost. I paused and they sensed it, grew silent and reflective for: “Last scene of all, that ends this strange eventful history, is second childishness and mere oblivious; sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.” It fills me with wonder every time I think about it. A basement full of young strangers – the majority of whom not traditional Shakespeare fans – connecting with the magic of these plays’ timeless humanly.
Connect: Instagram
CASEY MORRIS (he/him)
BRSP Projects: (LA) Winter’s Tale, Richard II, Comedy of Errors, King Lear, Romeo & Juliet, Measure for Measure (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: Edgar
ROBERT PATERNO (he/him)
BSRPLA projects: King Lear, Julius Caesar, As You Like It – Silvius A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Egeus/Fairy, Much Ado About Nothing – Leonato, Measure for Measure – Friar
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
MICHAEL PEREZ (he/him)
BRSP Projects: (LA) As You Like It, Macbeth; (Chicago) Measure for Measure, Hamloween!, Midsummer, As You Like It, Henry IV: Parts 1 & 2, Merchant of Venice, Othello, Cymbeline, Julius Caesar, Taming of the Shrew
Shakespearean character I’m most like: Bernardo. Or Horatio. Second fiddle. My love language is service and the characters that I thrive in the most are ones that have somebody else to care for.
HADIYYAH NOELLE SMITH (she/her)
BRSP Projects: (LA) Winter’s Tale, Richard II, King Lear, Julius Caesar, Measure for Measure, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The three roles/projects that epitomize me: “Mwongozo” in Disneyland’s Tale of the Lion King, “Ursula” in The Little Mermaid, “Shug Avery” in The Color Purple
Favorite Shakespeare quote: “My words fly up my thoughts remain below words without thoughts to heaven never go.”
Shakespearean character I’m most like: Fluellen in Henry V
ANNE SONNEVILLE (she/they)
BRSPLA projects: King Lear, Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure
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…
KATHERINE BOURNE TAYLER (she/her)
BRSP Projects: (LA) Winter’s Tale,, King Lear, Julius Caesar, Measure for Measure, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; (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 Like; It Grown Up Orphan Annie; Cool 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!”
BRIAN GENE WHITE (he/him)
BRSP Projects: (LA) Julia Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Macbeth, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Shakespearean character I’m most like: Some days Horatio, some days Benedick
The three roles/projects that epitomize me: Hamlet (Ensemble Shakespeare Theatre; My play Future Tripping; Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (Great River Shakespeare Festival)
Favorite BRSPLA Moment: Doing Malvolio’s letter scene in Twlefth Night, connecting with the audience during that show which was BRSPLA’s first show since Covid
Past Players
Sam Miyamoto, Miguel Perez, Jobeth Wagner, Tamika Katon-Donegal, Aurora Culver, Michael McDonald, Julie Marchiano, Alessandra Manon, Katie Herling, Will Leet, Dane Oliver, Martha Thatcher, Simon Longnight, Melissa Ortiz, Cass Foust, Enny Owl, Casey Morris, Sabrina Harms, Nowani Rattray, Rizzy Fuentes, Roni Geva, Christine Lin, Chloe Baldwin, Heather Schmidt, Lilliana Winkler, Ann Sonneville, Jamie B. Cline, Hadiyyah Noelle, Arvin Lee, Kevin Matsumoto, Emme Perkins, Josh Pinkowski, Noelle Fabian Dragon, Becky Poole, Margaret Katch, Mariah Goolsby, Sam Guinan-Nyhart, Taylor Bibat, David Mitchell, Braden Coucher, Clare Cooney, Erin O’Shea, Molly Lyons, Robert Paterno, Crash Buist, Kevin Barry Crowley, Leslie Frame-Crowley, Amber Friendly, Dieterich Gray, Remy Ortiz, Caroline Rau, Matthew Sherback, Laura Wilkinson-Hite, Audrey Flegel, Robert Hope, Nicholas Harazin, Kelley Ristow, Joey Bland, Danny Junod, Nikki Pierce, Mike Ryan, Toby Onwumere, Emily Shain, Jake Cohen, Jessica Greenstreet, Alexandra Ho, Alexandra Matthew, Chris Cherin, Ariane Helou, Bob Nelson, Andrew P. Quick, Nick Ortega, Katie Burris, Olivia Schlueter-Corey
