Ever fallen in love when you really didn’t want to?
Intent on intellectual study for himself and his companions, King Navarre proclaims three years of all work and no play – including no romance. On cue, a princess and her ladies arrive at court on a diplomatic mission, and the men can’t help falling head over heels. Will they decide to break their oaths to pursue love? (Spoiler: Yes.) And if they do, just how ridiculous can things get?
Filled with bawdy wit, Love’s Labor’s Lost playfully provokes thought on love, gender, and the games people play.
Cast
Jesse Calixto
Ferdinand, the King of Navarre
Jesse Calixto (He/Him) is a Latinx actor, musician and playwright who graduated from the University of Idaho with a BFA in Theatre Performance. Jesse has worked with The Seattle Rep, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Intiman, Book-it, Reboot, Greenstage, Island Shakespeare Festival, Short Order Theatre, and Burien Actors Theatre. He was recently nominated for Best Performance – Supporting Actor by the Sound on Stage Awards for his work in The Comedy of Errors at Seattle Shakespeare. He sends love to Taylor and Bella.
Ana María Campoy
Jaquenetta
Ana María Campoy is a Chicana theatre artist, educator, engagement consultant, and activist. Theatre work: The 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle Rep, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare, Arts Corps, Village Theatre, ArtsImpact’s Voices from the Fields, and OSF’s FUERTE. Cherished roles include Catherine in a bilingual adaptation of David Auburn’s Proof, which she co-translated alongside director Arlene Martínez-Vásquez. She has developed and directed half a dozen bilingual Shakespeare adaptions (Seattle Shakespeare, New Mexico Shakespeare Festival) and tours nationally in La Causa (Living Voices). Outside the arts, she works with WashMasks Mutual Aid, focusing on farmworker justice (@washmasks). Love to Jesse and Luna.
Rolando Cardona-Roman
Costard
Rolando (he/him) is excited to make their debut on the SSC mainstage as Costard in Love’s Labor’s Lost. Some recent credits include the following: Macbeth as Macbeth (Seattle Shakespeare Education tour); Sister Act as Pablo (Taproot Theatre); Ride the Cyclone: The Musical as Noel Gruber (Ballyhoo Theatre); Peter and the Starcatcher as Grempkin/Fighting Prawn (Reboot Theatre Company); and HAIR as George Berger (Renton Civic Theatre). Rolando gives thanks to their friends, family, and partner for their continued love and support.
Adrian Cerrato
Male Character Understudy
Adrian Cerrato is elated to be working with Seattle Shakespeare again! He was previously seen in SSC’s touring production of Romeo y Julieta as Capulet and Big Brother in Carmela Full of Wishes at Seattle Children’s Theatre. His favorite rolls include all four lovers in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Off Road Shakespeare, Troilus in Troilus and Cressida, Victor Frankenstein in Frankenstein at Burien Actors Theatre, and the Beast at SecondStory Repertory’s production of Charles Way’s Beauty and the Beast. Adrian received his BA in drama from the University of Washington.
Anamaria Guerzon
Female Character Understudy
Anamaria Guerzon (She/They) is a Filipino-American actor, playwright and dramaturg. Anamaria is thrilled to be making their Seattle Shakes debut! Selected acting credits include: Swing (Songs of the Moon, The 5th Ave Theatre), Fay Apple (Anyone Can Whistle, Reboot), Student (TRYING, Book It Rep), Nancy (Yellow Fever, Centerstage Theatre). Their playwriting work has been developed with The Playwright Realm’s Scratchpad Series (dir. May Adrales) and Seattle Public Distillery (dir. Zenaida Smith). When she’s not making theatre, she is finding all the best stickers. Follow @anamarialives to keep tabs on their adventures!
Tyson Prince Jenkins
Berowne
Tyson came home to Washington last fall. Tyson grew up in Olympia. An English major at the University of Washington, Tyson Performed in an MFA production of Till the Day I Die by Clifford Odets, directed by Andy McGinn. For his next show, Tyson joined Julie Beckman’s production of The Secret in the Wings by Mary Zimmerman. Tyson and his beautiful new wife, Jamielyn, live in South Lake Union, within sight of the campus where they first met as wide-eyed freshman, 16 years ago.
Pearl Mei Lam
Katharine/Moth
Pearl Mei Lam is an actor and comedian delighted to make their Seattle Shakespeare debut with this incredible cast and crew. Favorite stage credits include Seattle Public Theater’s Unrivaled and Once More, Just For You, their solo show XXX Island, and queer comedy Put Your Hands Together with Woody Shticks. As an improviser, they have performed with ComedySportz, Jet City, and at the Laughs Comedy Club. Onscreen credits include Going Home on Pure Flix and In the Summer Rain, and they recently completed Freehold Theatre’s Meisner program. Get more at pearllam.me!
Donovan Mahannah
Boyet
Donovan Mahannah (He/Him) is excited to be back with Seattle Shakespeare Company, having appeared previously as Sebastian/Illyrain in Twelfth Night. Recent credits include God’s Favorite (Passinart Theatre), Spring Awakening (The 5th Avenue Theatre), Brown Bodies on a Blue Earth (The Underground Theatre), Romeo & Juliet and Bold Stroke for a Husband (Island Shakespeare Festival). Donovan sends endless gratitude and love to his family and friends. Thank you for continuing to support live theatre! Enjoy the show!
Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako
The Princess of France
Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist who enjoys collaborating with innovators who spark her curiosity. Nako is the writer and composer of the new musical Photosynthesis, developed at the JMF Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals and featured in their 2024 Festival of New Musicals. She is a member of ACT Contemporary Theatre’s Core Company, and directed STEW there earlier this season. Selected stage credits include The Crucible, A Christmas Carol, Dracula, Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (ACT); As You Like It, A Raisin in the Sun (Seattle Rep); Red Riding Hood, Snow White (SCT); A Bright Room Called Day (The Feast).
Beth Pollack
Rosaline
Beth Pollack (she/her) is a Seattle-based performer, dramaturg, and teaching artist. Previous Seattle Shakespeare Company credits: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry V Bar(d), Macbeth, Hamlet, and dramaturgy for Henry IV. She has performed in 14 (now 15!) of Shakespeare’s 37 plays, including seven appearances with Dacha Theatre’s Dice series. Beth is the Dramaturg and Curriculum Specialist at The 5th Avenue Theatre and is the Associate Producer of Literary Management at Dacha Theatre. Beth holds a BA in Theatre Studies and the Historicization of Dramatic Literature from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study and would be happy to explain what that means. beth-pollack.com
Malex Reed
Armado
Malex Reed studied Vocal Performance, Music Composition, Theatrical Directing, and Playwriting at Cornish College of the Arts and has worked with Seattle Shakespeare Company, Cafe Nordo, Intiman Theatre, and Reboot Theatre. Malex directs the PwA Singers, through a local non-profit called Path With Art that works to give arts education access to underserved communities. They are also the lead singer/songwriter for the band Neither Bears Nor Forest.
Morgan Gwilym Tso
Dumaine/Dull
Morgan Gwilym Tso (He/They) is thrilled to be back with Seattle Shakespeare Company for Love’s Labor’s Lost, having most recently been on this stage in Romeo and Juliet. Other local credits include Sanctuary City (Seattle Rep); A Christmas Carol and Wolf Play (ACT Contemporary Theatre); and Peter and the Starcatcher (Reboot Theatre Company). He graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Theater and Performance Studies, and is grateful for the continuous support of his family and friends, near and far. @morgan_tgte
Janet Hayatshahi
Director
Janet Hayatshahi is an Iranian actor and director. Select directing credits include: A Vast Hoard at Chalk Rep/Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, A Man, His Wife, and His Hat (later The Hatmaker’s Wife) at Moxie Theatre, 9 Parts of Desire at Mo’olelo PAC, The Turn of the Screw at Cygnet Theatre, Thirsting for Salt at Grüntaler9 in Berlin, Germany, and co-director of Launching Ship (her solo piece) based on the Helen of Troy myth. She served as assistant director to Robert Woodruff’s Notes from Underground at La Jolla Playhouse and has directed many productions at the university/college level. Her interests are in non-traditional performance environments and poetics in the use of space and architecture, particularly as they apply to bodies in performance. Janet is an Assistant Professor of Theatre at Seattle University. MFA, University of California, San Diego. Member of AEA and associate member of SDC. For Lieutenant Colonel Abbas Hayatshahi. hayatshahi.com
Anahita Sepehri
Assistant Director
Anahita Sepehri (she/her) is an Iranian artist who loves how theatre can change people. She has worked on productions like My Name is Rachel Corrie and The Lower Depths at Intiman, The Tempest and Little Women at Seattle Rep, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Seattle Shakespeare Company. She has also worked on plays like The Forgotten History of Mastaneh and Not Our Town at Pony World Theatre. Anahita believes that theatre helps us see ourselves more clearly and understand important truths about life.
Alice Gosti
Movement Director
Alice Gosti (she/her) is an Italian-American immigrant choreographer, performance artist, and DJ, working between Seattle and Europe since 2008. She often works under the name MALACARNE. She has received numerous awards, including the 2021 Princess Grace Choreography Honoraria, the 2013 Vilcek Creative Promise in Dance Award, and the 2016 NEFA National Dance Project Grant. Her work has been commissioned by institutions like On the Boards, Seattle Art Museum, and Jacob’s Pillow. Gosti also works extensively as a Movement Director and Choreographer for theaters, including Merrimack Repertory Theater, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and ACT Contemporary Theatre, among others. gostia.com
Parmida Ziaei
Scenic Designer
Parmida Ziaei is an Iranian multidisciplinary artist and designer based in Seattle and the co- founder of Seda Iranian Theatre Ensemble. Parmida has been a scenic and production designer with many Seattle theaters including Seattle Shakespeare Company, ACT Contemporary Theatre, Village Theatre, ArtsWest, Taproot Theatre, Seattle Public Theater, among others. When not designing, Parmida performs, choreographs and teaches as a movement artist and serves as a consultant and curator. Parmida has been the recipient of multiple residencies including the 2022 Northwest Creator Residency at Village Theatre. parmidaziaei.com
Jocelyne Fowler
Costume Designer
Jocelyne Fowler has designed for Seattle Shakespeare Company (Twelfth Night the Musical, Arms and the Man, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Titus Andronicus, Richard II, etc.), Taproot Theatre Company (A Woman of No Importance, The Spitfire Grill, Babette’s Feast, Steel Magnolias, Arsenic and Old Lace, Lady Windermere’s Fan, etc.), Book-It Repertory Theatre (Howl’s Moving Castle, Jane Eyre, Treasure Island, Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, Anna Karenina, etc.), ArtsWest (Born With Teeth, Head Over Heels, The Last World Octopus Wrestling Champion, Office Hour), Harlequin Productions, Vashon Opera, Youth Theatre Northwest, SecondStory Repertory, Bellevue College, Roosevelt High School, Overlake School, and others. She is the recipient for the 2016 Gregory Award in Outstanding Costume Design. www.jocelynefowler.com
Jacob Viramontes
Lighting Designer
Jacob Viramontes is delighted to be making his Seattle Shakespeare debut! Jacob has a BFA in Acting & Directing with a minor in Technical Theatre & Design from Pacific Lutheran University. Recent Lighting Design credits include: The Hatmaker’s Wife (Drama Dock), Damn Yankees, Anyone Can Whistle, and Peter and the Starcatcher (Reboot Theatre Company), Come On Get Tappy! (Outrage Onstage/SecondStory Repertory), 53% Of (Sound Theatre Company), 10 Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith (Centerstage Theatre), Red (Burien Actors Theatre), and 14/48 Seattle Weekend Two – Spring 2024 (The 14/48 Projects). IG: @jacobviramontestheatre
Sandra Huezo-Menjivar
Sound Designer
Sandra Huezo-Menjivar (they/she) is a sound designer and audio engineer based in Seattle, WA. Recent credits include Seattle Shakespeare Company’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Sound Designer), ReAct’s Theatre’s Animals Out of Paper and Letters of Suresh (Assistant Sound Designer), Village Theatre KIDSTAGE’s Finding Nemo Jr. (Sound Designer), and Cornish College of the Arts’s Desdemona’s Child (blood cry) (Sound Designer). They are so happy to be working with SSC again and would like to thank everyone on the production and design teams for all their excellent work! You can find them on Instagram @menjivar_sound.
Robin Macartney
Props Designer
Robin Macartney (she/her) is an award-winning set and prop designer who has been fortunate to work with a large number of the theater companies in Seattle and the Puget sound area. She is the resident set designer at Theatre Off Jackson, the props manager for Seattle Shakespeare, as well as the former scene shop supervisor for the University of Puget Sound’s theater department.
Paul Adolphsen
Dramaturg
Paul Adolphsen (he/him) is a Seattle-based dramaturg, writer, and literary manager. He has been on the artistic staff at Seattle Rep, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Asolo Repertory Theatre. Paul has also worked as a dramaturg with Taproot Theatre, Arena Stage, Hartford Stage, Ashland New Plays Festival, and with other companies around the U.S. He was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of the Western Cape (South Africa), and his writing about theater and performance has been published in Theatre Journal, on howlround.com, and by Penumbra Theatre Company. M.F.A.: University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Amy Thone
Text Coach
Amy is proud to be working with this wild and remarkable cast on this beautiful and weird play. Ms. Thone first worked at the Seattle Shakespeare Company (then Festival) in 1994, doing educational tours all over the state for many years. This consistent deep-dive into the canon is where her knowledge and love of Shakespeare took root, and for those many early-morning 4-person Romeo and Juliets in Puyallup and regions beyond, she will always be grateful. She teaches Shakespeare at the University of Washington, contemporary realism at Cornish College of the Arts, and also loves any and all teaching at Freehold Studio Theatre. She is the always proud mom of Stella and Charlotte.
Lily N Nguyen
Stage Manager
Lily is extremely excited to be stepping into her first production with Seattle Shakespeare Company! Her previous credits include: A Midsummer DICE Dream with Dacha Theatre; The Moors, The Wolves, The Oresteia (ASM), and Airness (Scenic) with The University of Washington; and Iphigenia and Other Daughters (ASM) with The College of Wooster. She offers that every day is an opportunity for new action. Thank you for being here today.
Philomena Schnoebelen
Assistant Stage Manager
Phil is very excited to be working with Seattle Shakespeare on Love’s Labor’s Lost! Originally from Minnesota, she is a graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato (MNSU). At MNSU she worked as the Assistant Stage Manager on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Newsies, and Mother and Sons, and as the Production Stage Manager on Wounded Healers, I Am a Camera, and the Spring Dance Concert. When she’s not backstage she enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and zip lining.
Clint Bull
Lead Electrician
An electrician and lighting designer, Clint Bull has been working in the greater Seattle area since 2020. He couldn’t be more excited to be returning for the start of a new season at Seattle Shakespeare!
Leny Shen
First Hand
Leny Shen is an American-born Chinese artist with diverse practices in illustration, comics, painting, printmaking, fashion design, and music. Since graduating from Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Fashion Design and a minor in Sequential Art, Leny has served as Costume Assistant on Macbeth: A Rock Musical and Costume Designer on Once More, Just For You and The Clockwork Professor, all at Seattle Public Theater. Leny is grateful for the opportunity to grow familiar with a new company and excited to work with Seattle Shakespeare for the first time!
ABOUT DRUM AND COLOURS
Love’s Labor’s Lost is a continuation of the Drum and Colours project first launched in winter 2022 with presentations of Hamlet and As You Like It in repertory. Furthering the work of previous projects like the Shakespeare Equity Engagement program (SEE) and the Holding Space project, Drum and Colours aims to represent our diverse community with an all-BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) company with 360-degree representation, including actors, directors, and production team. It explores BIPOC company members’ personal connections to the classics and sheds new light on familiar works.
SSC believes that art that is open—to adaptation, interpretation, and the recognition of the wonderful vastness of the human experience—is stronger and more long-lasting than art which ignores that complexity.