The Comedy of Errors

Amanda Camillo

Balthasar

Amanda is excited about her first production with SVS. Her most recent performance was in First Person Shooter at Foothill College. She currently performs with San José’s ComedySportz improvisation team, and has adored Shakespeare since middle school. Amanda is an English/Theatre double major from De Anza transferring to Oregon in the fall, and possesses the ability to wiggle her ears.

Lisa Claybaugh

Costume Designer

Lisa has 18 years of experience as a costumer. She holds degrees in Dance and German from Rutgers University. Her work has been seen at theatre, opera, and dance companies nationally. Lisa is the Resident Designer at Coastal Repertory Theatre and at Notre Dame de Namur’s Music Department, and is the Resident Designer and a founding member of Half Moon Bay Shakespeare Company. She stays busy as a freelance dancer, choreographer, and mother.

Ambera De Lash

Angelo

Ambera is honored to be back onstage with SVS. You may remember her as The Princess in Romeo and Juliet and Saloon Girl in Taming of the Shrew in 2006. Her additional acting credits include Elaine in Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Belle in Web of Murder, Jenny/Miss Forsythe in Death of a Salesman, Dr. Sweet in Bug, and Mrs. Cratchit/ Ensemble in A Christmas Carol. Additionally, Ambera is the Audience Services Manager for SVS. Love to her family and leading man!

Lisa De Leeuw

Production Manager

Lisa has staged managed around the Bay Area and begins her production management career with Silicon Valley Shakespeare. Other companies she has worked for include Western Ballet, Los Altos Stage Company, Marin Theatre Company, The A.C.T. Conservatory, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Opera San José, San Jose Rep on Tour and San Jose Repertory Theatre. She received her BFA in Theatre Arts from the University of Arizona.

Lucinda Dobinson

Dromio of Ephesus

Lucinda is pleased to return for this fun production of The Comedy of Errors. She was last seen as Grumio in The Taming of the Shrew in 2014 in this very spot. She has performed often with SVS, and loves the company so much she can’t stay away! Other roles you may have seen her in: Goneril in King Lear, Celia in As You Like It, and Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing. She holds an MA in Media Arts, and a BA in Theatre Arts, both from SJSU.

Sonya Duffin

Choreographer

Sonya earned her BA in Theatre and Dance from Santa Clara University. She has taught dance at hundreds of dance studios, companies, and competitive dance teams along the West Coast and Canada. Highlights of her career include performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland and with her own dance company in Portland, OR. Sonya is settled back in the Bay Area and thrilled to be involved with SVS!

Alyssa Esquilin

Second Merchant

Alyssa is a recent graduate of San José State University, where she majored in theatre. She most recently portrayed Iris/Water spirit in Silicon Valley Shakespeare’s magical production of The Tempest. This was her first SVS show and she had such a wonderful experience that she couldn’t resist coming back for more! She looks forward to, hopefully, continuing to work with this awesome band of theatre folk in the future.

Angie Higgins

Director

Angie’s past SVS directorial credits include Pride and Prejudice, King Lear, As You Like It, and The Taming of the Shrew. Some of Angie’s other favorite directing credits include The Woman in Black, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, and Art at Northside Theatre Company, and Dial M for Murder and I Hate Hamlet at Broadway West. Angie holds a BA in Creative Arts and an MA in Theatre Arts Education from SJSU. She is the Artistic Director of SVS.

Scott Ludwig

Prop Designer

Scott has existed as a theatrical entity since the age of 6 with SJCMT. He began directing in high school and has received a BA in Drama from San Francisco State University. Scott has also worked as a designer of sets and puppets for Shotgun Players, Urban Opera, and Teatro Visión, among others. Directing credits include The Three Sisters, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).

David Ing

Lighting Intern

This is David’s first production with Silicon Valley Shakespeare. Prior to SVS, David was involved with the drama department at Leigh High School. While at Leigh, some of the roles that David played  were Avram in Fiddler on the Roof, Victor in Cats, and Salesman in The Music Man. David is part of the graduating class of 2015, and is planning to go to a university this coming fall.

Sara Luna

Courtesan

Having previously performed with Silicon Valley Shakespeare in Tartuffe, Twelfth Night (2014), and The Imaginary Invalid, Sara is delighted to rejoin the SVS family. Sara has also been an ensemble member with Renegade Theatre Experiment (The Drunken City, Collapse, Green Whales, Eat the Runt, All This Intimacy) and enjoys working with other theatres around the Bay Area including Dragon Productions Theater Company and Teatro Visión. Thanks to all for your ongoing support of the arts.

Megan Mayekawa

Directing Intern

This will be Megan’s first show as a directing intern for SVS. Last summer, Megan worked as a technical intern for SVS’ Taming of the Shrew, and as a backstage hand and House Manager for Pride and Prejudice and Othello, and she is thrilled to be back on board with this wonderful company. Megan will be attending De Anza and Foothill Colleges in the fall, discovering which passion in the performing arts is best for her.

Ally McGreevy

First Merchant / Officer

Ally is tickled pink to be making her professional debut! Entering her senior year at Westmont High School, favorite roles include Miss Preen (The Man Who Came to Dinner), Roz (9 to 5), Ross (Macbeth), and Dotty (Noises Off). Ally would like to thank her friends and family for their support!

Karen Melander-Magoon

Egeon / Dr. Pinch

Karen has sung in operas throughout Europe, including the role of Marguerite in Gounod’s Faust, Norina in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, Rosina in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Nanetta in Verdi’s Falstaff, Olympia in Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffman, Adele in Die Fledermaus, and Musetta in Puccini’s La Boheme. She also sang in Berlin, Osnabrueck, Dortmund, Augsburg, and Vienna while raising her two children. Karen is thrilled to perform her first Shakespeare with SVS.

Dana Morgan

Duke Solinus / Luce

Dana is excited to make her SVS debut. She holds a BFA from the Tisch School and has studied and performed in New York, San Francisco, and Dublin, Ireland. Her favorite past roles include Mrs. Cratchit in A Christmas Carol (NTC), Stef in The MOMologues (LAT), Lucy in Avenue Q (PCT), and the Sidhe in the Irish premiere of An American Wake. Many thanks and much love to Dave!

Caitlyn Nichols

Stage Manager

Caitlyn has worked both in the UK, where she was a production management assistant for the Royal National Theatre in London, and in the U.S., where her credits include The Bracebridge Dinner in Yosemite Valley, The Norwegians for Renegade Theatre Experiment, and Othello for SVS. She is also the resident stage manager for Playful People Productions. She holds a BA with honors in Stage Management and Technical Theatre from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Doll Piccotto

Adriana / Dramaturg

Doll has been with Silicon Valley Shakespeare since its first production, appearing as Feste in Twelfth Night. Since then you may have seen her as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Lady M in Macbeth, the Chorus in Henry V, or most recently Antonia in The Tempest at SJSU. Doll has a BA in English from USCB and a Masters at SJSU where she emphasized Renaissance Drama. She is also our company Dramaturg.

Tina Rutsch

Antipholus of Ephesus

Tina is proud to be in her first production at SVS with this amazing group of women. A Bay Area native, she has also enjoyed performing at Douglas Morrisson Theatre, Town Hall, Waterfront Playhouse, Contra Costa Civic Theatre, EXIT Theatre, and others. She is still discovering whether she is a musician who acts or an actor who musics. Learn more at www.tina.actor. Thanks for coming! All my love to Dave-o.

R. Michael Price

Scenic Design

Michael has been involved with SVS since 2001. His first role with the company was as an actor playing Valentine in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. After that, he was involved with every production in one capacity or another for 8 seasons, including playing Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2003), Antonio in The Tempest (2008), and as the scenic designer for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (2012). Last year, Mike was the resident set designer for Broadway West Theatre Company in Fremont, designing 4 out of their 6 shows. Michael, who now resides in Chico, is very happy to have a long distance relationship with SVS!

Kevin Reardon

Technical Director

Kevin is a Consulting Member of Technical Staff for Oracle Corporation’s Development Department. He has been Technical Director for various Silicon Valley Shakespeare productions since 2000 and has been a member of the Board since 2001. In 2010, Kevin retired from the Board of Directors and moved to the Advisory Council. He got to build a “Quaint Device” for SVS’s production of The Tempest, which resulted in him starting the business “Bill’s Towing and Quaint Devices” (he also has a truck).

Kiera Robinson

Hair and Makeup Intern / Crew

Kiera is extremely excited to be interning on her first SVS production. She is a junior at Notre Dame High School, where she is an active participant in the performing arts department, and acted and crewed for their April production of Peter Pan. Her favorite production that she has acted in is Euripides’ Medea at Notre Dame last fall.

Sharon Salazar

Emelia / Nell 

Sharon is a veteran of SVS, having performed on and off stage since 1999. She is also their resident summer camp instructor. She received her BA and teaching credential in English with a minor in Theatre Performance from SJSU. During the day, she works as the Director of Activities at Prospect High School. Some of her favorite roles include Death of a Salesman (The Woman), You Can’t Take It With You (Essie), Measure for Measure (Escalus), and Little Women (Beth). Thank you to these lovely, powerful women for being family.

Tom Shamrell

Assistant Director

Tom is thrilled to be on the directing team of this fun-filled production. Other directing credits include Death of a Salesman and You Can’t Take it With You at Broadway West. Some of his favorite acting roles on the SVS stage include Mr. Bingley in Pride and Prejudice, Orlando in As You Like It, and the title role in Pericles, to name a few. Tom is a graduate of the Foothill Theatre Conservatory and holds a BA in Theatre Arts from SJSU.

Valerie Castro Singer

Antipholus of Syracuse

Valerie is thrilled to be performing for the first time with SVS! A San José native, her recent roles include Karen in Dinner With Friends at Northside Theatre Company and her ongoing role as Mother to the awesome kids Alicia, Alex, and Austin. A graduate of UC Davis, Val works at RedLine Solutions, helping provide produce traceability solutions for growers/farmers to ensure safe product from field to table.

Bob Smay

Lighting Design

This is Bob’s first show with Silicon Valley Shakespeare and his first Shakespeare design, but he’s been designing in the South Bay for a number of years for The Retro Dome and Stage Kids California. Bob has a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of the Pacific in Stockton and is also a member of IATSE Local 134. He spends his off hours canoeing or at TechShop.

Sabrina Sonner

Jailer / Servant

Sabrina is excited to act with SVS for the first time! Previously, she has worked with Palo Alto High School’s Theatre, the Stanford Savoyards, Peninsula Youth Theater, California Theatre Center, 16^th Street Players, and more. Next year, Sabrina is delighted to continue with her passion for theatre by studying it in college. Palo Alto High School Class of 2015.

Christina Sturken

Assistant Stage Manager

Christina is returning for her fourth season with SVS. Recent Bay Area work includes prop designing for City Lights Theater Company’s productions of Build and M. Butterfly, and Renegade Theatre Experiment’s world premiere of Perishable: Keep Refrigerated. She also serves as a resident Stage Manager for Red Barn Productions’ Great Dickens Christmas Fair. Christina earned her BA in Theatre Arts from San José State University.

Patrick Tisdale

Sound Operator 

Patrick is excited to return to SVS this year. He had an amazing time at Sanborn and Willow Street Parks for last year’s performances, so he couldn’t be held back when offered a chance to spend more time with this amazing group of performers. He is seeking a perfect puppy to be his roommate, since he is used to being in the dog house.

Jarku Virtanen

Master Electrician

Returning for his second season with SVS, Jarku is delighted to electrify the parks of San José and Saratoga once again. Jarku is the resident lighting designer of the Cubberley Community Theater in Palo Alto; additionally, he freelances as a lighting designer, most recently with Renegade Theatre Experiment (The North Plan) and Starting Arts (Bring It On).

Morgan Voellger

Luciana

This is Morgan’s first show with Silicon Valley Shakespeare and she is honored to be working with such a talented group of individuals. Morgan is a Sonoma State graduate with her BA in Theatre Arts. She last appeared at City Lights Theater in their production of Build. Some of her favorite past roles include Annelle in Steel Magnolias, Cheri in Bus Stop, Susie in Wait Until Dark, and lastly, the rambunctious labradoodle in Sylvia.

Adam Weinstein

Sound Design

Adam has worked as a sound designer with SVS since 2008. Some of his favorite work with Silicon Valley Shakespeare includes Pride and Prejudice, Pericles, Much Ado About Nothing, and As You Like It. Other productions he has worked on include Educating Rita at Northside Theatre, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and The Children’s Hour at Broadway West. He was recently seen onstage at Broadway West in It’s A Wonderful Life.

Melissa Weinstein

Dromio of Syracuse / Makeup and Hair Designer

Excited to return for her ninth season, Melissa’s favorite past SVS roles include Emilia (Othello), Hero (Much Ado), Phoebe (AYLI), Oswald (King Lear), and Ariel (Tempest, 2007). She has also performed with West Bay Opera, West Valley Light Opera, Cinequest, and more. Since receiving her BA in Theatre, Melissa also moonlights as a makeup designer/artist (SVS, Pixar Animation Studios, Disney Channel UK, and Opera San José) and is SVS’s Education Director.