As You Like It

In conjunction with Willamette Shakespeare, our 50th annual “Shakespeare in the Park” - Touring August 2nd through September 2nd

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As You Like It. Join us in the pastoral fields this summer as we present a new twist on our very first productions, 50 years ago. One of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, As You Like It, is a hilarious play about the complexities of life and love. Director Sara Fay Goldman takes the Shakespearean classic and adds to its gender-bending plot a further reflection on gender roles, identity, and love.

Production Staff

Sara Fay Goldman (she/her) – Director / Choreography / Adaptation / Songwriter
Molly Shevaun Reed (she/her) – Stage Manager / PM
Gary Strong (he/him) – Producer
Jake Merriman (he/him) – Dramaturg
Myrrh Larsen (they/them) – Music Director / Songwriter
Kimberly Smay (she/her) – Costume Designer
Leslie Renee (she/her or they/them) – Violence / Intimacy Choreographer
Sam Dinkowitz (he/him) – Set / Props Designer
Paul Susi – Board
Cameron Poehner – Social Media / Marketing

Performers

Catherine “Cat” Louise Miller (they/them/theirs) – Rosalind
Kelsea Ashenbrenner (she/her) – Celia
Alex Blesi (they/them or she/her) – Orlando
Rusty Tennant (they/them) – Touchstone + Jacques
Kate Faye Cummings (she/her) – Olive
Sofia May Molina (she/her) – Adam
Paul Bright (he/him) – Duke Senior/Charles/William
Jacquelle Cherise Davis (she/her) – Phebe / HYMEN
Jacob Beaver (he/him) – Silvius / HYMEN
Mishelle Apalategui (she/her) – Duke Frederique / Corin
Evan Tait (he/him) – Le Beu / Audrey

Molly Shevaun Reed (Stage Manager / PM)

Molly Shevaun Reed is a multidisciplinary artist who feels most herself directing for the stage and committing acts of dramaturgy. Molly has thoroughly enjoyed production & stage managing PAE’s As You Like It with Sara Fay and this lovely cast. Her recent stage management work has been at Portland Center Stage for their 18-19 season as an apprentice stage manager, and Spectravagasm X. Also a director, she loves the classics as well as developing new work, most recently Endless Oceans by Corey Maier performed at Backdoor Theatre. Originally from Denton, Texas, Molly holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Baylor University and has worked in Dallas, TX and Portland, OR stage managing, directing, and wearing many theatrical hats. Molly also enjoys the fiction of Flannery O’Connor, communing at the coast, and hanging out with her partner Cam and their corgi mutt, Bear.

Myrrh Larsen (Music Director / Songwriter)

Myrrh Larsen (music director, songs) is a Portland-based musician, touring and recording artist focused on creating unconventional live performances which combine a live rock band with visual performers (aerialists, circus performers, dancers, and movement actors). Myrrh is also a founding company member & creative director of Speculative Drama (hamletinahouse.com). Current touring shows include Piece of Me, an ill-fated love story between a human and a fairy featuring contortionist and aerial artist Meg Russell (New Orleans, Portland, West Coast), and Grey Gold: A New Myth of Persephone and Hades with Myrrh’s full band (myrrhmusic.com) and a rotating cast of movement actors portraying Persephone and Hades (New York, Portland, West Coast).

Leslie Renee (Violence / Intimacy Choreographer)

Leslie Renee is grateful to be trying out her wings as an intimacy choreographer in her first Portland production. She recently spent time in Ashland, OR training with Intimacy Director International (IDI) co-founder, Tonia Sina along with fellow intimacy directors, Sarah Scanlon and Gaby Labotka. This was her third workshop and looks forward to many more in the future. Other projects she’s collaborated on were “Picture of Dorian Gray” with Experience Theatre Project and “Moon Over Buffalo” with Theatrework of Southern Indiana. She’s also a local actor, represented by Ryan Artists Inc, and loves to sing, dance, and snuggle her dog.

Catherine "Cat" Louise Miller (Rosalind)

“Cat” is incredibly stoked to be working with Portland Actors Ensemble for the first time. A native of Boise, Idaho and a graduate of Portland State University (BA, Theater Arts), Cat has been wearing a variety of theatrical hats around the Portland area for the last several years. This is their second time working with director Sara Fay Goldman; the first time being last year’s The Taming AND the Shrew: A Kind of History. Cat wants to thank Sara Fay for the challenge of filling Rosalind’s shoes, and PAE for the opportunity to partake in this rich Portland tradition.

Kelsea Ashenbrenner (Celia)

Kelsea is new to Portland after commuting from Corvallis, Or for the last year. She’s an OSU theatre grad that loves teaching youth acting classes. She’s been seen doing summer Shakespeare with Original Practice Shakespeare Fest and Experience Theatre Project. She’s very excited to be playing Celia this summer with PAE. This upcoming year she will be a part of the 2019 ICP actor training cohort with Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble. Follow her on Instagram @kelsearose15

Alex Blesi (Orlando)

Originally from Minnesota, Alex is thrilled to be out here in Portland working with PAE on this fascinating show! They recently finished school at Portland Actors Conservatory and has their BFA from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Some previous roles include: Evil in “Everybody” at Artists Repertory Theatre and Mrs. Shears and other characters in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” at PAC. They hope they are able to bring the joy of this story and the complexity of gender identity to audiences who may not normally get the chance to experience live theatre.

Rusty Tennant (Touchstone + Jacques)

Rusty Tennant is the Artistic Director of Fuse Theatre Ensemble. They have an MFA in Directing and Performance from the University of New Orleans.

Selected Regional Credits: Directing:The Reason for the Season (Director, Artists Rep), Ten Chimneys (Asst. Director, [Dámaso Rodriguez, dir.] Artists Rep), A Streetcar Named Desire (Asst. Dir., Fight Choreographer [Jon Kretzu, dir] Artists Rep). As an Actor: Carousel (Gary English, dir. Connecticut Rep), House of Plunder (Ryan Rilette, dir. Southern Rep), Mother Courage (Robert Benedetti, dir. Nevada Conservatory Theatre).

Recent Portland productions: Directing: Cabaret (Seven 2019 Drammy Awards including: Outstanding Production of a Musical, Outstanding Ensemble, and Outstanding Direction), Sordid Lives, Stupid Kids, Under the Influence (Director, OUTwright/Fuse), King Lear (Director, Post5), Rope (Director, Bag&Baggage), The Last Days (Director, Post 5), Sonnetscape (Director/Performer, Fuse), Suburban Tribe (Co-Director, Fuse), Tether (Director, Fuse). As an actor: The Importance of Being Frank, Richard III (Buckingham, Post5), HenryIV 1 (Falstaff, Post5), A Midsummer Night’s Somnambulism (Bottom, Fuse).

Rusty serves as the Technical Director at Reed College and is a regular adjunct faculty and guest artist at multiple local colleges and universities. They are also the Producing Artistic Director of The OUTwright Theatre Festival, a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ contribution to theatre that is held annually in Portland, OR. They have won Drammy awards in directing and design, a Storer Boone Award for directing, and an OOBR award for performing in The American Globe’s Hamlet.

Kate Faye Cummings (Olive)

Kate Faye Cummings is honored to be performing Shakespeare for the first time during PAE’s 50^th season. She has performed with several other companies around town, including in FUSE Theatre Ensemble’s productions of Cabaret and Pursuit of Happiness, Funhouse Lounge’s Die Hard: The Musical Parody and Back to the Future: The Musical Parody and Post5’s Jesus Christ Superstar. Kate Faye also performs improv, and works backstage as a stage manager and director. She moved to Portland in 2015 and is so happy to have found a home amidst the vibrant arts community here in the City of Roses.

Sofia May Molina (Adam)

Sofia Molina is happy to be acting with some of her dearest talents in Portland. She first performed with PAE in 2014 in Antony and Cleopatra. She has performed in 4 languages in Mexico, U.S., Egypt and Spain. Her first role was in 1974, singing zarzuela at the age of 5 and earning insanely approving reviews. Then she went on to play Molly in the original Mexico City production of Anita La Huerfanita (Annie), a run that lasted over 5 years! She moved to the States after studying English at Oxford and earning a B.A. in Dramatic Literature and Theater (Acting specialty). She has won a Mundet award for Acting in 1987, a ln Alma in 1996, and international writing contests, in 2009 and 2012. Other productions she has collaborated as actor, playright, translator and cultural advisor have been, among many others: Jardín de Sueños, Ana en el Trópico, O Romeo (Drammy nominated as Best Actress in Supporting Role), Viva Don Juan, Guapa, La Muerte Baila (all at Milagro), Scrooge’s Apoclypse (Post Five), A Streetcar Named Desire (PCS), Jaffa Gate (NWTW inaugural production), Atlantis (Broken Planetarium), Cabaret (Fuse Ensemble: 6-Drammy winner), Here on This Bridge (Theater Diaspora), and many others, several t.v. shows and short films. She also is the voice for the current safety campaign for the Oregon Dept. Of Transportation.

Sofia misses her dad and the love of her life.

Paul Bright (Duke Senior / Charles / William)

Paul Bright recently performed for Pulp Stage, Public Citizen Theatre, The OUTwright Theatre Festival, ripped his shirt off in Eleanor O’Brien’s Sex We Can, and was an unrepentant cult member in IFC’s Documentary Now Batsh*t Valley. He is the managing director of OY! (Oregon Yiddish Theater!) and the writer/director of eleven feature films. He invited his cats to enjoy this play but they’re troglodytes and refused to leave the goldfish tank unguarded.

Jacquelle Cherise Davis (Phebe / HYMEN)

Jacquelle Davis was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She studied acting at Willamette University. She is a proud member of Theatre Vertigo. Jacquelle performs regularly with her beloved improv group No Filter Improv. You may have seen her recently as Lost Boy in Peter/Wendy at Bag and Baggage Productions and Haskell in The Delays at Theatre Vertigo. Her favorite roles include Jane Fonda in That Pretty Pretty; Or, The Rape Play, and Box Worker 2 in Box. Jacquelle would like to thank Sara Fay for the fierce vision and open communication, Molly for the hard work and grounded spirit, and the entire cast for playing the “no but you can touch my elbow” game. Jacquelle loves long baths, and pickles and impromptu dance parties. She hopes you sit back and enjoy the magic as you trip the Light Fantastic.

Jacob Beaver (Silvius / HYMEN)

Jacob is a 2017 Portland Actor’s Conservatory graduate and is super excited to be making his debut at PAE! He’s so happy to get to work with some amazing, talented, and genuine people in this production and he’s grateful for this opportunity.

Mishelle Apalategui (Duke Frederique / Corin)

Mishelle Apalategui is a writer, actor, voice over artist, thrifter, immigration paralegal and mother to her sweet Inigo. This is Mishelle’s debut with Portland Actors Ensemble and is thankful to DIrector Sara Fay for the opportunity. She was last seen as Cordelia/Burnt Reed in The Reformer’s production LER. Previous to that, she spent many years on storefront stages in Chicago where she playd such roles as Peter Pan, Christopher Robin, Nora and Ismene. You can see her monthly at the Old Church Concert Hall as an actor with Tesla City Stories, where she plays Betsey Harper and a myriad of 1940’s radio play characters (teslacitystories.com). Follow her instagram (@cubicle_creep) where she documents life in a cubicle when you’re also an artist and mother. She dedicates her performance to her one and only, Owen.

Evan Tait (Le Beau / Audrey)

Evan is incredibly excited to be a part of PAE for the first time! His love of Shakespeare spans many years, and As You Like It is one of his favorites. Other companies he’s worked with include Broadway Rose, Lakewood, Live on Stage, Stumptown Stages, and Staged! Musical Theatre. He wants to thank Sara Fay, Molly, the whole cast and creative team, and his family. Enjoy the show!