Romeo & Juliet proudly presented on the Henry C. Bishop Stage

Meet the lovers and brawlers.

Chris Bizub - The Prince

Chris is thrilled to be performing once again at the Ohio Shakespeare Festival! You may remember him from The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (Brooker/Johnny Jackson) and Love’s Labour’s Lost (Longaville). Some recent acting credits include productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oberon/Theseus) at French Creek Theatre, Cyrano De Bergerac (Cyrano De Bergerac) at Western Reserve Playhouse, Yipee Ki-Yay Merry Christmas: A Die Hard Parody Musical (Hans Olo) at Blank Canvas Theatre, Hamlet (Claudius) and Julius Caesar (Cassius) at Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, Macbeth (Duncan/The Porter) at Chagrin Arts, and Twelfth Night (Duke Orsino) at Geauga Center for the Arts. Chris would also like to thank his wife Brittany for her love and support.

Tess Burgler - Sound Design

Tess is has been with Ohio Shakes since it’s first year and grown with the company ever since. She has had decades of acting roles on the OSF boards, and more recently begun to direct for the main stage (Wizard of Oz, The Woman in Black, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Love’s Labour’s Lost, She Kills Monsters, and more). 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. She’s married to Ryan (your Tybalt) and they have two incredible baby girls: Zelda and Persephone. Her favorite color is blue.

Troian Butler - Benvolio

Troian (he/him) is overjoyed to be performing with OSF for the first time! Troy graduated from Baldwin Wallace University in May with a BA in Theatre: Acting and Directing. Selected credits include: The Tempest (Antonio), In The Next Room (Leonard Irving), The Laramie Project (Moises Kauffman, Doc O’Connor), Altar Boyz (Luke), Breakout Session (The Mantis Shrimp), Men on Boats (George Young Bradley), and Fat Pig (Carter). Troy would like to express gratitude to the OSF company for their warm welcoming, and, as always, a very special shout-out goes to Mavis the Cat. @troianbutler

Stephanie Cargill - Lady Montague

Stephanie is delighted to return to the Henry C Bishop stage with OSF to play with this uber-talented cast. Stephanie has been seen in theaters throughout northeast Ohio, most recently as The Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd at the Players Guild Theatre. Other notable roles include Mother in Ragtime; Masha in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike; Diana in Next to Normal; Mrs. Johnson in Blood Brothers; Alice Russell in Gore Vidal’s The Best Man; and Vivian Bearing in Wit. By day, Stephanie works as the Executive Director of Women's Impact, Inc. Her favorite two roles, by far, are Nana of three beautiful grandchildren and Wife of one practically perfect husband.

Nancy Cates+ - Producing Artistic Director

Nancy started Ohio Shakes in 2002 along with husband Terry Burgler. Each show she directs becomes her favorite, with past Ohio Shakes favorites including The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, All My Sons, King Charles III: a Future History Play, The Three Musketeers..., The Lion in Winter, Shakespeare in Love, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Nancy is a member of the Society of Directors and Choreographers.

Geoffrey Darling - Lord Montague

Geofffrey is delighted to be on the Henry C Bishop stage in a role he last presented for OSF outdoors at Stan Hywet. Being left-handed, he’s again delighted to have another leftie as his stage son, and to welcome Lloyd Wayne Taylor to his stage family. Last seen in 2024 as Verges (Much Ado About Nothing) and Many Roles (The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby). First with the company in 2010, previous roles have included Sir Nathaniel (Loves’ Labour’s Lost), Geronte (Scapin), Squire Trelawney (Treasure Island), Chasuble (The Importance of Being Earnest), Gravedigger 2 (Hamlet), Fluellen (Henry V) and Balthus Van Tassel (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow).

Ashley Dyer - Stage Manager

Ashley (she/her) has been an Ohio Shakespeare Festival company member since 2017. She served as Assistant Stage Manager this past summer for Othello at Stan Hywet and is delighted to be back at Greystone Hall with friends old and new. Upcoming projects include the Midwest regional premiere of The Shark is Broken and the $5 Series of staged readings, all at Western Reserve Playhouse. Ashley sends love to her wonderful husband, family, and friends, and thanks you for coming out to enjoy some live, local, professional theatre!

Jim Fippin - Friar John, Ensemble

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 The Graduate, 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.

Beks (Roen) Freeman - Gregory

Beks Roen (they/he) is a queer Shakespeare nerd & sword-wielding chaos goblin from Indiana focused on adventurous connection. He uses his acting, writing and teaching skills to show people they’re not alone. They founded Blanket Fort Theatre in 2024 to fight loneliness, provide free theatre, and pay artists well. An internationally published poet, Roen’s work can be seen in The NonBinary Review, Querencia Press, Beyond the Veil Press, Anodyne Magazine & more. In theatre, Roen has worked with Great Lakes Theater, Purdue Theatre, the Hoosier Shakespeare Festival, the Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, & more.

Josy Jones - Lighting Design

Josy is a theatre practitioner who has served as director, actor, arts administrator, playwright, dramaturg and is now exploring the role of lighting designer. She is the founder of the Chameleon Village Theatre Collective, a site-specific theatre company, and Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture. She is the former Associate Producer for the BorderLight Theatre Festival in Cleveland. Josy Jones is the 2024-25 Dobama FOCUS Apprentice for Lighting Design. The FOCUS Program aims to provide exposure, training, mentorship, networking, and direct paid professional opportunities for early-career theatre designers, technicians, and stage managers from underserved and underrepresented communities. Josy Jones has previously appeared in Ohio Shakespeare performances for She Kills Monsters and Comedy of Errors.

Geoff Knox* - Mercutio

Geoff is once again thrilled to be playing another Shakespearean great on the Ohio Shakespeare stage. He has been acting (and now directing) for Ohio Shakes since 2003. Some past favorite roles include Nicholas (...Nicholas Nickleby), Benedick (Much Ado About Nothing), Malvolio in Twelfth Night (twice!) and many others. He also directed the previous production, Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) as well as last season’s Dracula. He is a graduate of Kent State University and the FSU/Asolo Conservatory.

Marty LaConte - Costume Designer

It is a unique pleasure to see Shakespeare performed inside at Greystone, and Marty enjoyed costuming this romantic, classic tragedy. This is now her ninth season as one of the resident costume designers. Among her critically acclaimed costume designs are those of Romeo and Juliet (2018), Shakespeare in Love, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (faeries), Camelot, The Lion in Winter, and Othello. Her creative specialty props have been seen in numerous OSF shows including The Tempest, King Charles III, Macbeth, She Kills Monsters, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cinderella; and most recently in The Wizard of Oz and Every Christmas Story Ever Told. Marty is a retired RN who resides in Green with her dear husband, Vince.

Casey McCann - Sampson

Casey is thrilled and honored to be making his debut with the Ohio Shakespeare Festival. He has been active all over Northeast Ohio for the past several years. Recent credits include Romeo and Juliet (Romeo), The Temptation of Adam (Adam) at Cleveland Public Theater, Baskerville (Actor 2), Shakespeare in Hollywood (Will Hays), Doctor Faustus (Ralph), Nightfall with Edgar Allen Poe (Roderick Usher/ensemble) and many more! As always, he’d like to thank his friends and family for their continued support and to the audience for supporting live theater.

Lara Mielcarek - Director

To say that this is an exciting moment would be the biggest understatement of the year. Ohio Shakespeare Festival has been at the heart of Lara’s onstage experience, and to the Festival, she owes much. Having her first professional directing gig here and now has brought immeasurable gratitude. Acting selections: Captain Hook in Peter/Wendy, Pam in Hurricane Diane, and more at Dobama Theatre, Jessica in Cat’s Paw & Corky in Meteor Shower at The Beck Center, Moon for the Misbegotten at both Coach House and Ensemble Theatre, and at The Festival, a few faves include Beatrice in Much Ado..., Lady M in Macbeth, Olivia in Twelfth Night, and Stepmother in Cinderella. As a director: Dancing at Lughnasa at Case Western Reserve, ART at Blank Canvas, She Kills Monsters and more at Cleveland State, and Twelfth Night at Laurel School. Next up for Lara as an actor is a two-hander, Heisenberg, at Ensemble Theatre. She runs a program out of the women’s prison in Cleveland, bringing theatre to the incarcerated. Learn more at the arcbehindbars.com.

Parker Miller - Ensemble

Parker is an 8th grader at Stow’s Kimpton Middle School. She’s honored to have the opportunity to appear with OSF for the first time. She has previously appeared in Stow Players’ productions of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (White Witch), Peter Pan (Wendy), The Children's Hour (Peggy), and Dorothy in Wonderland (Alice). She has also appeared in ANTIC’s productions of Sleeping Beauty and The Z’s (Zabrina), Goodnight Princess (Princess Nara) and Cinderella a Dream Come True (Genevieve and Young Cinderella). When she’s not on stage she enjoys writing, art, music, and participating in Speech and Debate. Her favorite setting is a fresh coat of lip gloss, her favorite vinyl record, and a crisp Dr. Pepper.

Brian Pedaci - Lord Capulet

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). Brian regularly appears at a variety of Northern Ohio theaters, including None Too Fragile, Beck Center, and Cleveland Public Theatre. 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.

John Peters - 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), 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.

Rachel Prior - Assistant Stage Manager

Rachel is a senior at Kent State University, studying intercultural communication, but she loves to spend time backstage when she can. She has worked with Ohio Shakespeare Festival previously, on summer shows at Stan Hywet and at Greystone Hall for the Wizard of Oz in 2024. She started her theatre career at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville working backstage on professional and amateur productions such as Twelfth Night, Men on Boats, She Kills Monsters, and Hair.

Maria Guardino Schreiner - Juliet

Maria Guardino Schreiner (she/her) is delighted to join OSF for the very first time! She holds a BA in theater performance and design rom Sarah Lawrence College and is a costumer and crafts artisan at Great Lakes Theater. She also was the 2019 first place winner of the ESU National Shakespeare Competition. Selected college credits: Macbeth (Macbeth), Antigone (Antigone), Juliet (Romeo and Juliet), Hero (Much Ado About Nothing), Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Unending thanks to the welcoming OSF company, Lara, my mom and dad, and my teachers who showed me the joy of performing and Shakespeare.

Michael Shoultz - Peter, Ensemble

Michael (he/him) is thrilled for his first show at Ohio Shakespeare Festival. His recent credits Include Sweat (Stan), The Laramie Project (Stephen Belber/Matt Galloway/Dennis Shepard et al.), The Crucible (Hopkins, U/S Parris/Cheever/Hawthorne), at Baldwin wallace University, where he recently completed his BFA in Acting, Romeo and Juliet (Paris/Petruchio/Gregory) with Chagrin Arts; and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Ophelia/Horatio) with Frantic Theatre Co.

Natalie Steen - Lady Capulet, Fight Captain, Set Design & Construction

Natalie is pleased to be a part of this season. 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, and The Taming of the Shrew as Hortensio, all under the stars. Indoors, she has been seen in The Wizard of Oz as Dorothy, Dracula as Lucy, All My Sons as Annie, Hay Fever as Jackie, Cinderella as Grace the nasty stepsister, 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 Nurse

Hannah (she/her) is pleased as punch to return to Ohio Shakespeare Festival. Folks may remember her from The Wizard of Oz (Lion), Cinderella (Joy), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Moth) as well as many a Greenshow as Beatrice Montaunto. Hannah has toured the country with the National Theatre for Children out of Minneapolis, MN and Bright Star Touring Company out of Asheville, NC. She has worked several seasons at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire in Manheim, PA. Previous credits in Cleveland include Clybourne Park (Betsy/Lindsey) at Ensemble Theatre, King Lear (Goneril) at Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, Proof (Claire) at Tri-C Creative Arts. Hannah would like to thank her family, her Chickens and Brian for their love and support. Special thanks to Lara for trusting her with this role and the universe for working out the way it does.

Lloyd Wayne Taylor - Romeo

Lloyd (he/him) is honored to work on his first show with Ohio Shakespeare Festival. A Filipino-American actor and educator, Lloyd received his MFA in Theatre from the University of Houston Professional Actor Training Program. 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, Houston Equity Festival, and Stages Houston. Commercial and Film Representation: Pastorini-Bosby Talent Agency. Lloyd would like to thank his family, friends, and you for supporting the arts. "You are bound by nothing."

Shane Thatcher - Balthasar, Abraham

Shane (he/him) is excited to return to the Ohio Shakespeare Festival where he can foster his love for acting, bardcore, and swinging swords. Shane’s previous credits include Twelfth Night (ensemble) at Ohio Shakespeare Festival and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lysander) at Chagrin Arts. Shane also wrote and directed Painting Vincent at Baldwin Wallace University. He wants to thank Katie for her enduring support. Make sure to check out Shane's band The Council of Johnson’s on Spotify. Stay groovy.

Austin Vandergrift - Paris

Austin (he/him) is thrilled to be creating art on the boards of the Ohio Shakespeare Festival stage in such a beloved tragedy! As an Akron native, he has been working in theaters across northeast Ohio for most of his life. Some of his favorite credits include The Beautiful And Damned (Anthony Patch), Sense and Sensibility (Willoughby/John Dashwood), and The Miser (Valere). In his free time, he enjoys reading, gaming, and playing Dungeons and Dragons. He would like to thank his family and friends, as well as the amazingly talented cast and creative team, for motivating him everyday to be the best artist he can be!

Derrick Winger - Friar Lawrence

Derrick is grateful to play the Henry Bishop Stage again with these passionate performers. A company member in his 13th season, some favorite Ohio Shakespeare credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oberon), Much Ado About Nothing (Don Pedro), Henry V (Exeter), Twelfth Night (Sir Toby Belch), Lone Star (Ray), Scapin (Leandre), King Charles III (James Reiss), The Lion in Winter (Richard), The Three Musketeers: An Adventure, with Music (Planchet), Robin Hood: An Adventure, with Music (King Richard), and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Brom Bones). Thanks to Jaybird, Critter, and Bug – all my love.

Ryan Zarecki - Tybalt, Fight Director, Properties, Set Construction

Ryan loves his job as a resident actor-manager at the Ohio Shakespeare Festival. He's played Bottom, Orlando, Porthos, 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.