Rochester Community Players Shakespeare Program is proud to present William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, directed by John R. Jaeger. The shows runs February 3-11, 2023, at the Multi-Use Community Cultural Center (142 Atlantic Avenue, Rochester, NY).
Tickets & Details
Schedule
Friday, February 3, 7:30 pm
Saturday, February 4, 7:30 pm
Sunday, February 5, 2:00 pm
Thursday, February 9, 7:30 pm
Friday, February 10, 7:30 pm (ASL-Interpreted Performance)
Saturday, February 11, 7:30 pm
Cast
| VIOLA | Lizz K. d. |
| OLIVIA | Michelle Blake |
| SIR TOBY BELCH | Adam Urbanic |
| SIR ANDREW AGUECHEEK | David Kensek |
| MALVOLIO | Carlo Haley |
| MARIA | Maria Sanguedolce |
| FESTE | Emmett Michie |
| FABIENNE | Kayleigh Barclay |
| ORSINO | Fred Pienkoski |
| SEBASTIAN | Benjamin Gillooly |
| CAPTAIN / ANTONIO | Alessandro Martellaro |
| VALENTINE / OFFICER / PRIEST | Edward Byrne |
| CURIO / OFFICER | Kevin Cole |
Crew
| Director | John R. Jaeger |
| Assistant Director, Intimacy Coordinator | David Kensek |
| Stage Manager | Grace Judge |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Annmarie Gianandrea |
| Original Music Composition | Seth Faergolzia |
| Production Managers | Jesse Lansner & Lizz K. d. |
| Costume Designer | Shelly Stam |
| Fight Coordinator | Jonathan Lowery |
| Lighting Designer | Kenneth Debott |
| Technical Director | Ken Dauer |
| ASL Interpreters | Luane Davis Haggerty & Eliza McDaniel |
| Lightboard Operator | Lily Feldman |
About the Team
Lizz K. d. (Viola/Cesario, Production Manager) is honored to rejoin RCP’s Shakespeare Program after most recently performing in RCP’s Summer Shakespeare in the Park production of Antony & Cleopatra (Charmian). Previous RCP productions include The Tempest (Trinculo) in collaboration with NTID, and Much Ado About Nothing (Watchman Hugh Oatcake). Lizz is a printmaker and bread baker, currently living on the west side of the Genesee River with a German Rottweiler named Dilly Bean. Other favorite roles include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hermia), Henry IV Part 3 (Lord Clifford), Coriolanus (Sicinius), and King Lear (Kent). Lizz also designed the poster graphics for this show, more art work can be found @lizzwith2zs.
Michelle Blake (Olivia) is delighted to take part in her fourth consecutive production with RCP, although this is her first time appearing on stage! She has previously been involved in the roles of Photographer and/or Assistant Stage Manager with the recent productions of Antony and Cleopatra, The Playboy of the Western World, and Much Ado About Nothing. When she isn’t running around with a script or camera in hand, you can still find Michelle out running marathons in her spare time. She is also an avid swing dancer, rock climber and unicyclist. Michelle is immensely grateful for the many friends she has met since moving to Rochester in 2021, especially her partner, Evan, without whom she never would have had the courage to audition for this show!
Adam Urbanic (Sir Toby Belch) is a Rochester-based actor and stage manager, who last appeared with RCP in 2021’s production of Much Ado About Nothing. Other recent credits include A Christmas Carol at Geva Theatre Center, Richard II with the Company Theatre, and The Zoo Story with WallByrd Theatre Co. He would like to thank his cast mates and the production team of Twelfth Night for their support during this whirlwind of a rehearsal period, and his family and friends, who are so endlessly understanding of “I can’t, I have rehearsal.”
David Kensek (Sir Andrew, Assistant Director, Intimacy Coordinator) is an actor, director, and playwright whose short play “Ganglion Cyst” has been performed by Writers & Books and The Geriactors in Rochester. Last fall, David was a featured alumni director in SUNY Brockport’s Festival of Ten XIII. Recent acting credits include Mardian the Eunuch in Antony & Cleopatra (Rochester Community Players), Juliet’s Nurse in Bardbening (Wallbyrd Theatre Co.), and ensemble/understudy in A Christmas Carol (Geva Theatre Center). This is David’s fourth production with RCP after starting out backstage for Much Ado About Nothing and The Tempest. David is also a board member for The Company Theatre.
Carlo Haley (Malvolio) is making his debut with RCP in this production. Carlo has just moved to Rochester from New York City, where he studied acting at the T Schreiber Studio. His most recent performance was in the Montford Park Players’ production of Richard III (Clarence, Richmond). At the Brundage Park Playhouse, he appeared in Romeo & Juliet (Lord Capulet) and Talk Radio (Various Callers), and his roles with CCM Shakespeare & Co. in New Jersey include Titus Andronicus (Titus), The Odyssey (Odysseus), and The Laramie Project (Narrator, Various Roles). Carlo would like to thank his wife Fiona and their cat Laertes.
Maria Sanguedolce (Maria) is a longtime RCP Shakespeare Program actor/director. Having played Ariel to Gertrude and directed ‘Much Ado’ to ‘Hamlet,’ portraying MARIA, her bucket list topper, is a true Homecoming. Maria (SAG-AFTRA) holds an M.F.A. from S.U. and spent 30 years teaching, designing and directing for the Theatre. Film credits include LUNCH, Tahara & Strait Undercover, with local theatre work at GEVA, Geneva Theatre Guild, Penfield Players, JCC, ROC Fringe Fest and BF Hourglass Readings. Maria is thrilled to join this talented young cast and grateful to John Jaeger for her first post-pandemic stage sojourn. Best wishes to all.
R. Emmett Michie (Feste) is a native Rochesterian poet, actor, and teacher. He is a former member of the Seattle Playwright’s Collective (now Seattle Theatre Works), the Protean Theater of Hartford, the Magical Mystery Troupe, and the Horseradish Factory. His favorite roles in the last couple years have been Stan Lipsky in David Andreatta’s The Presstitutes (Everyone’s Theatre Company) and Lyle in James Baldwin’s Blues for Mister Charlie (Dark Blue Mondaze). Emmett is particularly pleased to be playing Feste today as it is a role that was very important to him when he was playing it in high school in 1973.
Kayleigh Barclay (Fabienne) is thrilled to be back on stage in her first RCP production. Some previous acting credits include Out of Pocket’s Morning’s At Seven (Myrtle), and Nazareth College’s Cherry Orchard (Dunyasha) and As You Like It (Celia). She’s also been known to do some costuming for Blackfriars Theatre, Geva Theatre Center, Out of Pocket, Inc., and SUNY Geneseo. She spends most days either knitting or chasing after her two feral children, Chloe and Iain, and couldn’t do any of it without the constant support of her husband, Ryan.
Fred Pienkoski (Orsino) is a Rochester native with a B.A. in Theater Arts from Le Moyne College. This is Fred’s second time working with Rochester Community Players, having portrayed Maecenas in Antony and Cleopatra last summer. Other recent roles include Stanley Milgrim in Out of Pocket Theater’s production of Please Continue, and Richard Hannay in Wallbyrd’s production of 39 Steps. Fred would like to thank the cast and crew for being so welcoming and delightful to work with. He hopes you enjoy the show!
Ben Gillooly (Sebastian) is blessed to consistently find fulfilling work with engaging people in the city of Rochester. Since moving to the area from his hometown of Cleveland, he has been lucky enough to perform in RCP’s Summer Shakespeare in the Park production of Antony & Cleopatra (Alexas), as well as with The Company Theatre in their production of Richard II (Gardener, Lord Willoughby) and the Fringe-Fest one-act Cell Outs (Taylor, Terrence). When he’s not on stage, you might find Ben wandering the Neighborhood of the Arts, watering his houseplants, or watching his cats run circles around the house.
Alessandro Martellaro (Sea Captain, Antonio) is excited to join Rochester Community Players in Twelfth Night. Alessandro originally hails from Mishawaka, Indiana, but in Rochester, he has worked with Blackfriars Theatre in Too Much Light… (Various) and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Issachar), and JCC CenterStage in Pirates of Penzance (Ensemble). Other area acting credits include The Tempest (Caliban / Boatswain), The 15-Minute Hamlet (Hamlet), and Stupid F*cking Bird (Con) with Rochester Institute of Technology, where he graduated in May 2021. Alessandro sends special thanks to his partner, Corrina, and their cat, Sheriff.
Edward Byrne (Valentine, Officer, Priest) is returning to the stage after more than a decade of absence, more than pleased to do so with the Rochester Community Players and such an indelible cast of talented performers. Past shows with RCP include Romeo & Juliet (2007) and Hamlet (2009), and besides some odd dozen or so other shows he’s quite confident, and glad, no one else remembers. When not not acting, Edward is a poet and writer of a few other stripes, and is interminably grateful to the wide strata of actors and art-lovers among his friends and family who inspire him each and every day.
Kevin Cole (Curio, Officer) has participated in RCP’s summer production of Macbeth. He played three roles in this production (Menteith, First Murderer, and a Witch). In high school Kevin actively participated in Bishop Ludden’s theater group in Syracuse. He had roles in the productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Hello, Dolly!, and Oklahoma!. Community Theater has become a passionate hobby of Kevin’s. By day Kevin is an accountant at a law firm in Rochester.
John R. Jaeger (Director, Scenic Designer) John has been performing, directing, and designing in the Rochester area since 1979, and for the Shakespeare Program since 1994. His recent roles include Ray in Yankee Tavern, Falstaff in Henry IV, and Richard in The Seafarer. He currently appears with The Geriactors.
Grace Judge (Stage Manager) is glad to be joining the theatre world again after graduation from SUNY Brockport in 2019. This is her first time working with RCP, but knows she will be back. Her other credits include Hi. (Writer/Director; SUNY Brockport, Writer; GEVA Festival of New Theater), Prelude to a Kiss and Deathtrap (PSM; SUNY Brockport), Triangle Factory Fire Project (Assistant Director; SUNY Brockport), As You Like It (Phoebe; SUNY Brockport), and other projects during and before college. She would like to thank everyone for their support, and the cast for being so talented and great to work with. Special thanks to Michael Krickmire for reaching out with this opportunity, and being the reason “I can’t, I have rehearsal.” has now reentered her every day vocabulary. RCP has definitely called upon her soul within the house.
AnneMarie Giannandrea (Assistant Stage Manager)
Jonathan Lowery (Fight Choreographer) is a classically trained actor, mime, director, and movement specialist living in Rochester, NY. He is happy to bring his experience with comic fight choreography to this production of 12th Night. Jonathan’s career has spanned the globe over the years, from his hometown of Jackson, MS to Taiwan, Italy, and Guatemala (to name a few). He spent 10 years performing with Rochester’s PUSH Physical Theatre and has performed in several past RCP Shakespeare productions such as: The Tempest (2010), A Midsummer NIght’s Dream (2014), and Two Gentlemen of Verona (2018). Alongside his performing career, Jonathan is also a fitness professional and currently teaches as a parkour instructor at the local gym, Rochester Parkour.
Seth Faergolzia (Original Music Composition) is an experimental musician and frontman for the bands Dufus and Multibird. Seth and his bands have announced the upcoming release of a 12-album series, set to be released in early 2023, showcasing their signature blend of eclectic sounds and boundary-pushing experimentation. Faergolzia’s music ranges from improvisations to toe-tappers and has been described as “like Johnny Cash on 5 double-espressos” and “the 21st-century equivalent of the Fugs at their finest.” Faergolzia will embark on a solo tour of the West Coast and Europe in 2023 following the release of the 12-album series. Follow @faergolzia or visit faergolzia.com for more music and updates.
Jesse Lansner (Production Manager) is a web developer and crossword constructor originally from Brooklyn, New York. A life-long Shakespeare fan, he has been a member of the Rochester Community Players: Shakespeare Committee since 2019, and a member of the RCP Board of Directors since 2022. He created the Much Ado About Nothing segment for RCP’s video project “Shakespeare In the Time of Covid” (2021) and was production manager for The Tempest and Much Ado About Nothing in 2021 and Antony & Cleopatra last year. He has created custom crossword puzzles for the several RCP productions, including this one, and his goal is to one day create a puzzle for each of Shakespeare’s plays. You can find all his puzzles at jklcrosswords.com.
Publicity:
“If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On, Players” Review from R. Collins at University of Rochester’s Campus Times