Ohio Shakespeare Festival Summer Season 2025

Meet the Company

Holly Humes

The Tempest - Prospero

Holly is grateful to return for another production with Ohio Shakespeare Festival. During the day, she is a professor of communication and also the head coach of the Wooster High School Speech & Debate team. Audiences may remember her from Much Ado About Nothing (Leonata), Shakespeare in Hollywood (Lydia), Twelfth Night (Maria), Hay Fever (Myra), The Importance of Being Earnest (Lady Bracknell), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Titania), Miss Holmes (Mrs. Hudson/Eudora Featherstone/Dr. Anderson), or Measure for Measure (Duke). She would like to thank her husband, Scott Custer, for all of his love and support.

Tracee Patterson*

King Lear - Lear

Tracee is grateful to return to the Ohio Shakespeare stage having last appeared here in King Henry V. Other credits include The Crucible, All the Way, FusionFest (Cleveland Play House); The Other Place, Realistic Joneses, God of Carnage, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? (Dobama); Merry Wives of Windsor, Les Misérables, Deathtrap, Nickled and Dimed (Great Lakes Theater); Fiddler on the Roof, Sister Act, Footloose (Porthouse Theatre); Medea (Mamai Theatre); Songs for a New World, Nine, Sound of Music (Cain Park); Breakup Notebook, The Seagull, Beauty and the Beast, The Fix, Midsummer Night’s Dream (Beck Center); Lettice and Lovage, SeaMarks (Coach House Theatre).

Tess Burgler

The Tempest - Antonio

King Lear - Director

Greenshow - Artistic Director

Tess has been with Ohio Shakes since its beginning 24 years ago, and she has grown with the company ever since. She has had decades of acting roles on the OSF boards; some memorable ones include: Hamlet, Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing), Rosalind (As You Like It), Viola (Twelfth Night), Petruchio (The Taming of the Shrew), and many more. More recently, she began to direct for the Ohio Shakes main stage (The Wizard of Oz, The Woman in Black, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Love’s Labour’s Lost, She Kills Monsters, and the upcoming production of The Hobbit). Even more recently she’s discovered and developed a love of sound design, having self-taught during the pandemic radio plays (which are still available for free at ohioshakespeare.com!). Most recently, she created the sound scape for The Woman in Black, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Romeo & Juliet, and Shakespeare in Hollywood. She loves her family more than anything.

Troian Butler

The Tempest – Francisco

King Lear – King of France, Knight

Greenshow - Player

Troian Butler is in your walls. You should get that checked out. Previous credits include: any time a theatre needs someone to play a wholesome, slightly dim-witted guy and Zach Palumbo isn’t available. He has been found falling off the Greystone stage with OSF since January. He is also behind you right now. Enjoy the show!

Nancy Cates +

The Tempest - Director

Nancy, along with Terry Burgler, a founder of Ohio Shakespeare Festival, which has been performing under the stars at Stan Hywet for twenty-four summers. Directing is the non-human love of Nancy's life, and she is privileged to have had the opportunity to pursue that passion for quite a few years. Ohio Shakes shows include last summer's Much Ado About Nothing, as well as The Life and Times of Nicholas Nickleby, Romeo and Juliet (2018), Cat on A Hot Tin Roof, The Three Musketeers, All My Sons, Hay Fever, Lone Star, and a score of others. Nancy is ever grateful to work with family and friends old and new in such a beautiful venue, and with such beautiful material.

Ashley Collins

The Tempest, King Lear–Assistant Stage Manager

Ashley (she/her) is elated to be spending a fifth summer on the picturesque Stan Hywet grounds with this talented cadre of artists. Recent stage management credits include the Midwest regional premiere of The Shark is Broken and the $5 Series staged reading of Julius Caesar at Western Reserve Playhouse, and Romeo and Juliet indoors at Greystone Hall with Ohio Shakes. Thanks to Nancy and Tess as always, and thank YOU for coming out to enjoy an evening of live, local, professional theatre!

Geoffrey Darling

The Tempest – Gonzalo

So happy to return to Stan Hywet, the scene of much happiness, starting with Sly (The Taming of the Shrew) in 2010 and most recently as Lord Montague (Romeo and Juliet) at the indoor venue, Greystone in Akron – both roles twice for the company, how ‘bout that? Other outdoor roles include Verges (Much Ado About Nothing), Tom Snout (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Gravedigger (Hamlet) and Fluellen (King Henry V) and at Greystone, he’s honored to have survived Dickens’ Magic Marathon, ...Nicholas Nickleby last year. May the love and respect we created last forever.

Eric Fancher*

The Tempest - Trinculo

King Lear - Kent

Eric is thrilled to be returning to OSF for a third season, following their last two fall productions of The Woman in Black and Dracula. He has recently worked at Dobama Theatre, playing in two world premieres by acclaimed playwright George Brant, Rust: A Story of Steel and Grit and The Land of Oz. Other credits include and Noises Off and Something Rotten! (Cleveland Critics Circle Award) at Beck Center for the Arts; and Assassins and Merrily We Roll Along (Cleveland Critics Circle Award) at Lakeland Civic Theatre. Eric is the founder and webmaster of www.ClevelandStageAlliance.com, a website which provides comprehensive information regarding all shows produced in Northeast Ohio, and he is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association. He would like to thank his parents, as well as his lovely and talented partner Sarah for their never-ending love and support. “TPOG”

Sabrina Rose Fellinger

The Tempest, King Lear - Stage Manager

Sabrina (she/her) is thrilled to be spending her first summer with the Ohio Shakespeare Festival! She is a Cleveland local who is currently pursuing her BFA in stage management at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign. Some of her past experience includes Usual Girls at Station Theater, The Winter’s Tale and Fugitive Songs at the University of Illinois, and Buyer and Cellar at Beck Center for the Performing Arts. Sabrina wants to thank her family and the wonderful team at Ohio Shakes. Enjoy the show!

Rachel Fichter

The Tempest - Ceres, Ensemble

Greenshow - Player

Rachel is excited to be back for another summer under the stars! Recent OSF adventures include Much Ado About Nothing (Ursula) The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickelby (Fanny Squeers/Ensemble), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Katherine), The Taming of the Shrew (The Widow), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Peter Quince). When not treading the boards, Rachel is a professional soapmaker and owner of The MacBath Literary Soaps.

Jim Fippin

The Tempest - Boatswain

A company member since 2006, Jim’s Ohio Shakes credits include: Much Ado About Nothing, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Hay Fever, The Importance of Being Earnest, Miss Holmes, Saint Joan, Hamlet, 1776, Shakespeare in Love, Treasure Island, Romeo and Juliet, The Three Musketeers, Macbeth, and Richard III. His resume also includes roles in Titus Andronicus, Death of a Salesman, Shadowlands, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Weir, Blithe Spirit, And Then There Were None, Tartuffe, Kimberly Akimbo, Four Dogs and a Bone, Life with Father, Uncle Vanya, August: Osage County, The Rainmaker, Custer, The Real Thing, The Odd Couple, The Lion in Winter, and Twelfth Night. Jim holds a BFA from Otterbein, where he met his wife, Elaine, and, where their daughter, Emelie, graduated (magna cum laude) with the class of 2020. *Mom and Dad*

Madelyn Hayes

The Tempest - Juno, Spirit

King Lear - Regan

Greenshow - Player, Fighter

Madelyn Is very excited to be back for her 7th season with OSF! She is a Cleveland native, singer, actor and musician. You may remember her as Glinda (Wizard of OZ), The Fairy Godmother (Cinderella), Magenta (The Rocky Horror Show), and the voice of Lady Molly in Ohio Shakespeare Festivals Radio plays (Lady Molly)...during the year that shall not be named...and also Mistress Overdone (Measure for Measure). Madelyn would like to thank her Mom and friends who have been so supportive though everything. Enjoy and Huzzah!

Megan Herbert

The Tempest - Spirit, Sailor

King Lear - Gentleman 1, Servant 2, Ensemble

Greenshow - Player, Fighter

Megan is overjoyed to be back on the summer stage here at OSF! She is a Kent State University alum, where she got her BA in theatre. You may have seen her recently haunting Greystone on and off stage, she’s everywhere. Or rather in The Woman in Black, ...Nicholas Nickleby, Othello, and Much Ado About Nothing. When she is not at the theatre she often spends her time haunting Brian Pedaci or checking on the abyss. She wants to thank OSF for every wonderful experience, friend, and opportunity they have given her. Last but not least she wants to thank FerFer and Eric for everything they do for her. Enjoy the shows this summer! And come see her in The Hobbit in October--you don’t want to miss it!

Nate Hoyle

The Tempest - Sailor, Spirit

Greenshow - Player, Fighter

Nate has been performing with Ohio Shakes since 2014. His favorite productions include Macbeth, Robin Hood: An Adventure with Music, Dracula, and ...Nicholas Nickleby. In his free time, Nate is a (very) amateur blacksmith and a passionate podcast listener. This year's podcast recommendation is The Empty Bowl, a meditative podcast about breakfast cereal.

Audrey King

The Tempest - Stage Crew

Greenshow - Player

Longtime audience member, first-time performer Audrey King is overjoyed to be making her OSF debut on the Greenshow stage this year! Audrey is pursuing her MFA in Museum Exhibition Design after completing her BFA in Theatrical Scenic Design at Kent State. She would like to thank her parents for making this experience possible this summer. Enjoy the show! Huzzah!

Geoff Knox*

The Tempest - Ariel

King Lear - Edgar

Geoff is very excited to do his third Tempest with Ohio Shakespeare Festival and first King Lear. The Tempest was his first show with the company in 2003. Since then he has performed numerous roles at Stan Hywet and Greystone Hall. Some favorites include Benedick (Much Ado About Nothing), Nicholas (...Nicholas Nickleby), Algernon (The Importance of Being Earnest), Malvolio-twice! (Twelfth Night), Leontes (The Winter's Tale) among others. He is a graduate of Kent State University and the FSU/Asolo Conservatory.

David Monter

The Tempest - Sailor, Spirit, Ensemble

Greenshow - Player

David is extremely delighted to return for yet another summer under the stars with the Ohio Shakespeare Festival! Most recently, he was causing mischievous chaos in the Players Guild production of The Cat in the Hat (Thing 2). Other recent credits include Shakespeare In Hollywood (Darryl), The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow (Pip), & La Cage Aux Folles (Chantal). In addition to his various theatrical roles, if you look closely, you may catch him in the occasional film, television or commercial. As a full time social worker and sometimes actor, David works tirelessly to reduce the stigma of addiction and is a vocal advocate for social justice for everyone. He is an avid runner, an accomplished fencer and a noted hamburger enthusiast. When not performing or trying to make the world a better place, he spends time with the love of his life, Jessica, without whose support, none of this would be possible.

Zach Palumbo

King Lear - The Fool, Music Director

Greenshow  - Player

Zach Palumbo (he/him) is so glad to be spending another summer with the Ohio Shakespeare Festival! Previous credits here include Twelfth Night (Feste) and The Wizard of Oz (Professor Marvel/Wizard of Oz). Favorite credits elsewhere include Broadway Bound (Eugene) at Beck Center for the Arts, Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour Krelborn) at Blank Canvas Theatre, and Beautiful (Barry Mann) at Near West Theatre. Credits also include performances with Cleveland Public Theatre, none too fragile, convergence-continuum, Karamu House, and Rubber City Theatre, as well as music direction for Clague Playhouse and the CWRU Department of Theatre. Up next: The Hobbit at OSF (Kili) and Elephant’s Graveyard at Seat of the Pants (guitarist/music director). zachpalumbo.com

Brian Pedaci

The Tempest - Alonso

King Lear - Gloucester

Greenshow - Player

Brian is pleased to return to the OSF stage where you may remember him from The Woman in Black (Arthur Kipps), The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (Ralph Nickleby), Shakespeare in Hollywood (Jack Warner), Love's Labour's Lost (Holofernes), The Taming of the Shrew (Baptista), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Theseus), Saint Joan (Archbishop) or Measure For Measure (Escalus). He also served as Managing Director of the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival from 2011-2015, where he appeared in Othello (Iago), Henry VIII (Henry) and Antony and Cleopatra (Marc Antony) among others.

Joe Pine

The Tempest - Caliban

Joe (He/Him) loves being back in his theatrical home. Joe has been an Ohio Shakes company member for going on 15 years where favorite roles include Brick (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Chris (All My Sons), Jonathan (Dracula), Athos (The Three Musketeers...), Feste (Twelfth Night), and Lancelot (Camelot). Other area credits include Jekyll/Hyde (Jekyll and Hyde the Musical, Player’s Guild), Isaac Babel (Describe the Night, Ensemble), Woodnut (The Nether, Dobama), Bill Slank (Peter and the Starcatcher, Dobama) and Silvius (As You Like It, Seven Stages Shakespeare). In addition to acting Joe has written several plays that have been produced on the Ohio Shakes stage: The Three Musketeers..., Dracula, Frankenstein*, and Legend of Sleepy Hollow* (*co-written with wife Sarah). Joe also has spent the last four years as the director of the Copley High School Drama Club. Every performance is for Sarah and Henry, who have his whole heart.

John Peters

The Tempest, King Lear - House Manager

John feels at home whenever back at it again with the Ohio Shakespeare Festival! When not managing the front of House, John is most often found treading the boards as an actor in various northeast Ohio area theatres including OSF. Ohio Shakespeare Festival credits include: Cinderella (Ensemble), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Philostrate), Hamlet (English Ambassador), Dracula: Laboratory Performance (Arthur Holmwood) and Romeo and Juliet (Apothecary), Ensemble roles in Cinderella and The Wizard of Oz, as well as numerous ShakesBEER's over the years. John was also the House Manager for Cleveland Musical Theatre's world premiere of the revised musical Jane Eyre.

Laura Rauh

King Lear – Goneril

Laura is thrilled to be playing her inaugural show with the Ohio Shakespeare Festival at Stan Hywet after last playing Shakespeare in King Henry VIII (Katherine) at the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival. Her recent shows at Ensemble Theatre include Mother Courage and Her Children (Mother Courage), Enemy of the People, Rustbelt Adaptation (Dr. Stockman), The River (The Other Woman), and Describe the Night (Mariya/Mrs. Petrovna). She has enjoyed playing in many wonderful Cleveland and Chicago stage and screen productions, as well as studies at Second City, Cleveland Play House, Steppenwolf Theatre, and a BFA from Ohio University. She is very grateful to the Ohio Shakespeare Festival, all the patrons of the arts in attendance, and to her wonderful boys and husband for support.

Natalie Steen

The Tempest – Miranda

King Lear – Burgundy, Curan, Servant, Fight Captain

Greenshow - Player, Fighter

Natalie (she/her) is feeling at home back under the stars. She enjoys her position as resident Scenic Designer and Production Manager for Ohio Shakespeare Festival. She is a Baldwin Wallace University graduate with her BFA in Acting. Previous Ohio Shakes credits include: Twelfth Night as Viola, A Midsummer Night's Dream as Helena, both under the stars. Indoors, she has been seen in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder as Phoebe, The Wizard of Oz as Dorothy, Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some!) as Herself Dracula as Lucy, All My Sons as Annie, and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby as Nicholas' love interest(s). She is honored to be creating with this amazing gaggle of humans. Many thanks to The Rude Sea, you are all brilliant and my favorite people. Their music is on any listening platform and CDs for sale at the merch tent! She thanks her ever supportive family, friends, and you for coming out and supporting the arts! Enjoy the show! DPTL

Hannah Storch

The Tempest – Stephano

King Lear – Oswald

Greenshow - Player, Fighter

Hannah (she/her) is elated to return to Ohio Shakespeare Festival for her fourth summer. Ohio Shakes audiences may remember her from Romeo and Juliet (Nurse) The Wizard of Oz (Lion) Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Joy). Previous credits include The Squirrels (Rodentia) at Convergence Continuum, King Lear (Goneril) at Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, Clybourne Park (Betsy/Lindsey) at Ensemble Theatre. She is a member of the interactive performance group Party of Five bringing characters to life through storytelling, improvisation and general chaotic good. Up next, she will be appearing as Bombur/Essie in The Hobbit indoors at Greystone this fall. Hannah would like to thank her family, her Chickens and Brian for their love and support. Thank you for supporting live, local artists. Enjoy!

Jerry Talsma

Greenshow - Player

Jerry (he/him) is glad to finally be making his debut on Ohio Shakespeare Festival’s stage after years of watching all of their plays from the audience. He’s currently a senior at Kent State University, and is majoring in theatre. Though he’s never performed with OSF before, you may have recently seen him as Steve in Millennial Theatre Project’s production of She Kills Monsters, as Jacob Marley in Medina Show Biz’s production of A Christmas Carol, or as a whopping ten different characters in Stow Players’ production of Agatha Christie’s The Secret Adversary. Having taught himself to play over the past few years, Jerry is excited to finally have a chance to perform on his guitar in front of an audience. When not onstage, he can be found in his room, either reading or sitting hunched over a mini painting table.

Buddy Taylor

King Lear, The Tempest - Lighting Designer

Buddy has been with OSF since 2003, and it continues to give him enjoyment and new challenges. Even though he moved to Texas in 2008, he still returns several times a year to design lights, design sound, build set pieces, or just add his two cents to a conversation. Some of his favorite OSF productions (so far) are Othello, King Richard III, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Comedy of Errors. Buddy also does design and production services in Texas for some schools and smaller local venues.

Lloyd Wayne Taylor

The Tempest - Ferdinand

King Lear - Edmund

Lloyd (he/him) is overjoyed to return for his second season with Ohio Shakespeare Festival after debuting as Romeo in Romeo & Juliet earlier this year. A Filipino-American actor and educator, Lloyd received his MFA in Theatre from the University of Houston Professional Actor Training Program. Other selected credits include: Julius Caesar (Brutus), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Puck), As You Like It (Jaques), The Oldest Boy (Lama), Silence (Roger), and Lone Star (Ray). He's also worked with the Houston Grand Opera, Stages Houston, and Rec Room Arts. Commercial and Film Representation: Pastorini-Bosby Talent Agency. Lloyd would like to thank his family, friends, and you for supporting the arts. "Your world's a vibrant illustration you create.”

Kelsey Tomlinson

The Tempest, King Lear, Greenshow - Costume Designer

Kelsey is thrilled to be designing another summer for Ohio Shakespeare Festival! In addition to acting with the company, Kelsey serves as one of the resident costume designers for Ohio Shakes. Notable designs include costumes for The Three Musketeers..., Cinderella, Dracula, co-designing The Wizard of Oz, and most recently, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. Here's to many more years of the joy that theatre brings her. Much love and gratitude to friends, family, and her best friend and husband, Emerson.

Sydney Noelle Warren

The Tempest - Iris, Spirit

King Lear - A Woman, Ensemble

Greenshow - Player

Sydney Noelle Warren is excited be back for her second summer with the Ohio Shakespeare Festival. She is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace University with a BA in Film Studies and a minor in Theater. She has a thorough background in music, film, and theater. Sydney has had various roles including Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Cinderella in Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Oliver Hix in The Music Man, and Shelia Franklin in HAIR. Sydney is beyond thrilled to work with these incredibly talented and kind people! They create a supportive space and give it their all. Sydney likes to bounce around to different theatres, and feels so lucky she’s been welcomed by this one! Enjoy! #Braincellforever

Robert Webster Jr.

King Lear - Albany

Robert is into his second year of theater in Ohio and is excited to be doing his first outdoor performance with the Ohio Shakespeare Festival. This marks his second show with OSF, as he was in their performance of Ken Ludwig’s Shakespeare In Hollywood in 2023. He began his theater career as a teenager in Kentucky, and then continued his passion in Indiana, where he won an Encore Award winner for his performance in Adam Rapp's Nocturne. Favorite roles have included Mark in Del Shore's Southern Baptist Sissies, Teddy in Mark Medoff's When You Comin' Back Red Ryder, Harpagon in Moliere’s The Miser, and Austin in Sam Shepard’s True West. He would like to say thank you to his mom for getting him started in theater, and partner Lizzie, for introducing him to northeast Ohio.

Evan Wilhelms

The Tempest - Music Director

Greenshow - Music Director, Player

Evan has been enduringly cheered and just plain glad to join the Ohio Shakespeare Festival this summer. He was recently a co-music director and actor-musician in The Wizard of Oz, and has previously been seen in Love's Labour's Lost, The Taming of the Shrew, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. He has played a variety of instruments in pit orchestras, on stage, in various bars, and with several performers in the present production as part of The Rude Sea. He has performed science standup comedy (Science Riot), drunk Shakespeare (The Taming of the Shrew), naked (The Full Monty), and in front of classrooms teaching psychology. He encourages you all to make art with your friends.

Hillary Wheelock

King Lear - Cordelia

Hillary is a Latina actor and fight choreographer, signed with Wilhelmina-Denver and The Talent Group. This is her first public performance since returning to Cleveland. She was in Benchmark Theatre’s Denver regional premiere of Sarah Kane’s Blasted. Hillary performed at Cleveland Public Theatre in the world premieres of An Xmas Cuento Remix and The Family Claxon, as well as the Spanish-language regional premieres of Marisol and En el Tiempo de las Mariposas. Hillary spent seven seasons performing with the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, playing Miranda, Puck, Mercutio, Jaques, Silvia, and more. Up next: The Hobbit at OSF (Thorin Oakenshield) and Elephant’s Graveyard at Seat of the Pants. Follow her: @hillarywheelock.

Ryan Zarecki

The Tempest - Sebastian

King Lear - Cornwall

Greenshow - Director

Ryan loves his job as a resident actor-manager at the Ohio Shakespeare Festival. He's played Bottom (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Orlando (As You Like It), Porthos (The Three Musketeers...), Mercutio, Quincy (Dracula), Robin Hood, Thomas Jefferson (1776), and Roy (Lone Star). His fight production company [They Fight], with partner Tess Burgler, works to bring safe, affordable, and awesome stage violence to Northeast Ohio stages. Ryan is a Bowling Green State University graduate, a member of the Society of American Fight Directors, and he loves his pups, kittehs, and girls Zelda and Persephone. He is ever grateful for his Tessa, Fridays and Saturdays and all. Check out his leather goods shop, The Buckle & Rose on Etsy.com or in the merch tent now!