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DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Ferdinand, King of Navarre
Desmon Jackson 

Berowne
Cameron Nickel

Longaville
Malcolm McGraw

Dumaine
Calvin Brookins 

—

Princess of France
Riley Tate

Rosaline
Jillian Thomas

Maria
Anna Parsons

Katharine
Mauricia Malveaux

Boyet, French Chief of Staff
Bob Scott

—

Don Adriano de Armado 
Jonathan Heidenreich

Moth, Armado’s page
Catherine Richthammer

Costard
Bob Colbert 

Holofernes, a schoolmaster
Jackie Mishol

Sister Natalie 
Marylee Williams

Jaquenetta, a country maid
Tori McKeehan

ABOUT THE SHOW

King Ferdinand of Navarre and lords Berowne, Longaville, and Dumaine vow to study for three years, swearing off women for that period. The impending diplomatic visit of the Princess of France, however, threatens the King’s “no girls allowed” proclamation.

Costard, a country swain, has been found with Jaquenetta and arrested for breaking the new statute. For his offense, the King puts Costard in the custody of the Spaniard Don Armado, who is in love with Jaquenetta.

The Princess of France arrives, accompanied by her ladies, Rosaline, Maria, and Katherine. She sends her man Boyet to discover if they will be admitted to the King’s court, but the King courteously denies them entrance to the court, permitting them to stay in his park instead.

After seeing the Princess, however, the King falls instantly in love with her.

Berowne and Rosaline renew their acquaintance; Longaville and Dumaine admire Maria and Katherine, respectively.

Don Armado releases Costard so that he can bear Armado’s love letter to Jaquenetta. However, before Costard can accomplish this task, Berowne meets Costard and gives him his own letter for Rosaline.

Costard delivers the letter intended for Jaquenetta to the Princess, though he announces that the letter is from Berowne to Rosaline.

Holofernes, the local schoolmaster, and Sister Natalie discover that Costard has mixed up the letters. 

Alone, Berowne reads some verses he has written in praise of Rosaline. The King, Longaville, and Dumaine, each thinking himself alone, reveal their own passions.

Jaquenetta and Costard deliver Berowne’s letter to Rosaline.

The King and his lords decide to forget their vows and pursue their beloveds.

Don Armado reveals to Holofernes, Sister Natalie, Jaquenetta, Moth, and Costard that, at the King’s request, he is preparing an entertainment for the ladies of France.

Disguises, tricks, The Nine Worthies, and the course of true love ensue.

MEET THE CAST AND CREW

(listed alphabetically by last name)

Calvin Brookins (Dumaine) Calvin has been involved with acting since 2019, but really became involved in theatre for three years now. To name a few of the recent productions that Calvin was involved in are “Pride and Prejudice” for Pittsburgh Savoyards where he played Charles Bingley, “Dearly Beloved” for Pendeminer Productions where he played Justin Waverly, and “Miserable Creatures” for The Rage of The Stage Players where he played Byron. This is his first time working with Poor Yorks and Calvin couldn’t be more excited to work with them. The cast and crew have been fabulous and hard working, now the only thing left to do is share with everyone to enjoy!

 

Bob Colbert (Costard) Bob is thrilled to be taking part in another production with Poor Yorick’s Players, having appeared in The Tempest, Timon of Athens, Comedy of Errors, Measure for Measure, and Twelfth Night. Bob has also performed with such Pittsburgh theater companies as Steel City Shakespeare Center (where he recently performed a one-man Christmas Carol), Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks, and Gemini Children’s Theatre. At Gemini, Bob performs in both their mainstage shows and their field trip/school outreach program. Enjoy the show!

 

Jonathan Heidenreich (Don Armado) Jonathan is elated to be returning for his 3rd season with the wonderful team that is Poor Yorick’s Players, and for having the opportunity to help bring one of Shakespeare’s rarer Comedies to life! Jonathan is a classical actor, director, published poet, and English educator from Pittsburgh, PA. Jonathan has been performing/directing Shakespeare exclusively for over 12 years with many of the classical companies of the region. Some notable roles with Poor Yorick’s have included Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing and Edmund in King Lear. Jonathan is the founder of the regional Shakespeare co. “Food for Groundlings” which he manages alongside his brilliant wife and creative partner Kaitlin A. Kerr-Heidenreich. Jonathan would like to thank the phenomenal cast and crew from their support and art, and his wife Kaitlin for encouraging his return to live theatre after a pandemic hiatus.

 

Desmon Jackson (King Ferdinand) Desmon is a Pittsburgh native and excited to be in his first Shakespeare show with Poor Yorick’s Players! He is currently a rising senior at Point Park University for musical theatre (co’ 2025)! Recent credits include: Period Piece, Intimate Apparel, Sense & Sensibility, & Cinderella! He’d like to thank everyone for their contribution to the show and for welcoming him!

 

Mauricia Malveaux (Katharine) Mauricia Malveaux is working with Poor Yorick’s Players for the first time. In addition to her work as an actor, she also participated as playwright at the Glitterbox’s 10 minute play festival. 

 

 

Malcolm McGraw (Longaville) Malcolm is excited to be in his first production with Poor Yorick’s Players. Past roles include Paul Robeson in a New York play reading of Ana May Wong: Persona; Stage Right’s: Local Singles(Jack) , Footloose (Jeter/ D.C.), and Joseph…DreamCoat (Napthali). Malcolm was recently seen in Pittsburgh International Classical Theatre’s gala where he portrayed the Witches from the Scottish Play, Klytemnestra in Elektra, and choreographed a dream ballet for Orpheus Descending. He can be seen dancing and stilt walking around Pa and Va! Of course sending a huge thank you to cast, crew, and my family for all the love and support given.

 

Tori McKeehan (Jaquenetta) Tori is excited to return to the stage for a second summer with Poor Yorick’s Players, having been in both Tempest (Miranda) and Timon of Athens (Lord/Bandit) last summer! No stranger to the stage, this is Tori’s 47th production, and she is thrilled to be making her return to Poor Yorick’s Players alongside her wonderful castmates! Thank you to her parents, her sister, best friends Bryton, Alec and Aidan, and most importantly her wonderful partner Nick and her amazing puppy, Nightshade. Please enjoy the show!

 

Jackie Mishol (she/her) (Holofernes) Jackie is a professional actor grateful to share her heart on stages across the country. Notable roles include Catherine in Proof, Cunningham in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, beloved Miranda in The Tempest, Natalya Stepanovna in Chekhov’s The Proposal, and the spirited Abigail Williams in last year’s woman-forward remounting of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. As a teacher of sorts herself (currently Acting/Classics Faculty at Pittsburgh CLO), Jackie has found great play in poking fun at the learnéd as garrulous Schoolmaster Holofernes, and is glad she could join Poor Yorick’s for the start of their season before work this summer for Split Stage in their production of Death of a Salesman and then tackling dream role of Hermia in SCSC’s 2024 Shakespeare in the Bronx production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream! Carnegie Mellon Drama alum, BroadwayWorld Award-winning performer. (It is a delight to be silly in this one.) Ostentare – on with the show! jackiemishol.com @misholimpossible

 

Cameron Nickel (Berowne) Cameron Nickel (he/him) is a Pittsburgh, PA/Richmond, VA actor, writer, director, and educator. He recently received his MFA in Performance & Pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University. He also received his B.A. Theatre Performance from Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA, where he played a wide variety of roles on the Seton Hill Mainstage including Jason (Medea), Man in Chair (The Drowsy Chaperone), Faulkland (The Rivals), Karl/Steve (Clybourne Park), Edward Angkatell (The Hollow), and Peter (Company). He has also been seen in productions at Little Lake Theatre Company (A Little Hotel on the Side, Our Town), South Park Theatre (Alone Together, Seasonal Allergies) and Food for Groundlings (Richard III, Hamlet). He has performed regionally with Virginia Repertory Theatre (Bingley, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley), and City Theatre Company (Liam, 24th Annual Young Playwrights Festival; u/s Arthur, Darcy, Bingley, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley), and PICT (Richard II & Dorimant, What Should I Wear? Gala). Over the next few months, you can see him in Kinetic Theatre’s A Life in the Theatre (The Stage Manager, u/s John), South Park Theatre’s A Rock Sails By (Jason), and Quantum Theatre’s The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (Alain). As a director, Cameron has served as Assistant Director for Seton Hill’s production of The Wolves, as well as Assistant Director to Sharon Ott for Virginia Repertory Theatre’s production of A Doll’s House Part 2.

 

Anna Parsons (Maria) Anna is elated to be a part of her first Poor Yorick’s Players’ production! Anna is a rising junior at Wright State University where she is earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. Some of her recent credits at Wright State include Little Women (Marmee), By the Bog of Cats (Mrs. Kilbride u/s),The Liar (Dorante u/s), and The Little Mermaid (Andrina) at the Comtra Theatre. She would like to thank Dana, Jon, Mars, the cast, and crew for an amazing experience! She hopes you enjoy Love’s Labour’s Lost!

 

Catherine Richthammer (Moth) Catherine is excited to be joining the Poor Yorick’s Players for the first time. She recently graduated with her BA in theatre from Franciscan University of Steubenville. This is her second full Shakespeare production having performed as Lady Anne in Richard III in college. Some of her favorite roles have included Amy March in Little Women and Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest. She would like to thank the cast and crew for all their hard work on the show. She would also like to thank her family and friends for their love and support.

 

Bob Scott (Boyet) This is Robert’s fourth production with Poor Yorick’s Players and he is thrilled to be back. He has previously appeared with them in The Tempest, Measure for Measure and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He has been active in the local arts and entertainment scene for over 25 years as a screenwriter, playwright, poet, actor, director and producer. He is thrilled to be part of this production. Many thanks to Poor Yorick’s, Dana. this amazing cast and crew, and you, our audience.

 

Riley Tate (Princess of France) Riley is ecstatic to be back in the park with Poor Yoricks. She recently received her Master’s Degree in Shakespeare and Performance at Mary Baldwin University in conjunction with the American Shakespeare Center, where you could see her as Gower in Pericles, Prince of Tyre, Florinda in The Rover, and Wagner/Chorus in Dr. Faustus. Other notable roles include Mary in Jersey Boys (StageRight!), Nicola in Kinky Boots (ShenanArts), Kate in The Wild Party (CCAC South), Portia in The Merchant of Venice (Poor Yoricks), Sarah in Company, Claudius in Hamlet, and Perdita in The Winter’s Tale (Seton Hill). Riley would like to thank her family, boyfriend, and her cat for their unwavering support and love.

 

Jillian Thomas (Rosaline) Jillian is excited to be making her Poor Yorick’s Players debut! She is currently pursuing a BFA in Theatre Arts at Palm Beach Atlantic University with only one semester to go. Her favorite stage credits include Tartuffe (Damis), The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 (Marjorie), and The Comedy of Errors (Stage Manager). This summer, Jillian will also be working at the Pittsburgh CLO Academy of Musical Theater as the scenic design intern. She would like to thank Professor Trent Stephens for his wonderful instruction in his Shakespeare in Performance class as well as her friends and family for their continued support!

 

Marylee Williams (Sister Natalie) Marylee is excited to make her debut on Poor Yorick’s stage. She grew up on stage in community theaters across the Deep South. She’s thrilled to bring her passion to the Pittsburgh area. A special thanks to her husband who kindly rescheduled their wedding anniversary plans so she could perform in this production.

 

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Dana Babal (Director) This spring, Dana celebrates his 45th full production of Shakespeare as he continues his quest to direct or act in every Shakespearean play (23 down, 14 to go)! Favorite theatrical productions include Hamlet, Man of La Mancha, Henry V, Sweeney Todd, R&G are Dead, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winter’s Tale, and Jesus Christ Superstar. You can also find him across PA and OH hosting Broadway karaoke shows with his company, NonStop Broadway. Dana wishes to thank Julie for her constant support and the cast and crew for their hard work.

Mars Hallman (Stage Manager) Mars is thrilled to return to the world of theatre in his first production with Poor Yorick’s Players. He studied theatre production and stage management with Valdosta State University Theatre & Dance and the Tift Theatre for Performing Arts where he stage managed and crewed Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid, Lanford Wilson’s Book of Days, and Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty ballet. He thanks the excellent cast of Love’s Labour‘s Lost and looks forward to working with Poor Yorick’s Players in many seasons to come!

Betsy Novotny (Costume Designer) Betsy is pleased as punch to return Poor Yorick’s Players! She is a BFA graduate of Clarion University. Her previous Yorick credits include The Comedy of Errors (Dromio of Syracuse), The Merchant of Venice (Nerissa), and Twelfth Night (Clown). Love to the Fam, the cats, and Darling.

Jon Poli (Assistant Director) Jon is super excited to be returning to Poor Yorick’s Players for his second stint as an Assistant Director. Last season, he served in the same role for Timon of Athens. Previously, Jon has appeared in A Comedy of Errors, King Lear, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, among others. Jon extends a most sincere, heartfelt thank you to this amazing cast of Love’s Labor’s Lost for making this an extremely fun experience. Much love to April, Ziggy and Richard who had to put up with Jon’s absence during rehearsal.

PLEASE FEED YORICK

AND COMING LATER THIS SUMMER…

 

PRODUCTION CREDITS

1. Russian Dance written by Nigel Hess
2. I WIll Wait for You written by Michel Legrand