A Little Shakespeare: Love's Labour's Lost

JUSON WILLIAMS (Associate Director / Choreographer) couldn’t be more excited to bring Shakespeare’s LLL to life at Two River Theater! A four-time Audelco Award Winner, an M.I.T Award Winner, and a Broadway World Award Recipient. His directing credits include: Slow Dance On The Killing Ground, Radium Girls, Positive! Juson’s Director/Choreography credits include: For The Love Of Charlie Brown (Vanguard Theatre Company), The Wiz (St John’s University), Grease (WB’s European Tour), Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Jesus Christ Superstar (Westchester Broadway Theatre). He is Owner and Artistic Director of the famed choir JW’s Inspirational Singers. They have appeared on Season 16 of “A.G.T,” “The 60th Annual Grammy Awards” with Sam Smith, “The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” and “The Rockefeller Tree Lighting.” Juson is developing and bringing new works to life, in which he also penned, his upcoming work: A Night with Sarah Vaughan, Ella’s Jukebox Cafe, and Picture Incomplete, his special piece, sure to be a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical. Stay tuned!

Isabella Como (Directing Assistant) is a senior at East Brunswick Magnet School in Arts Technology. She has done almost twenty shows since being in high school which include In the Heights (Count Basie, Assistant Stage Manager), A Little Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet (Two River Theater, Assistant Stage Manager) as well as several shows at school.

JESSICA PARKS (she/her) has been working as a scenic designer for theater since 2003, and has been the resident scenic designer and prop designer for the New Jersey Repertory Company since 2010. She has worked as the prop supervisor for the Little Shakes program in the past and is very excited to have the opportunity to work with this wonderful program as a designer. Set designs in NYC include: Michael Tucker’s Fern Hill, Butler, The Housewives of Mannheim, Jericho and Poetic License at 59E59 St. Theaters. This is Not a Time for Peace, The End of Hester and Dan Lauria’s Dinner with the Boys at Theater Row on 42nd St. Other designs include: A Tailor Near Me, The Hummingbirds, Eden Prairie 1971, Memoirs of a Forgotten Man, Wolf at the Door, The Jag, Swimming at the Ritz, Happy and Broomstick at the New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch.

TERRELL JORDAN JENKINS (Costume Designer) He/They, is very excited to make their debut at Two River Theater. They have been working alongside the costume shop at Two River for the past year. Other credits include: RENT (Millbrook Playhouse), Passing Strange, The Spitfire Grill, Heathers: The Musical, Legally Blonde, A Chorus Line, Spring Awakening, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, (Vanguard Theater Company), Barbecue (Purchase Repertory Theatre). You can find my work on my Instagram @tjjenkinscostumedesign or on my website https://terrelljjenkins.wixsite.com/costumes

Summer Hipper (Costume Assistant) is a Junior at East Brunswick Magnet School in the Arts Technology Program. Her credits include Winter Dance Show 2023 (Lighting Design/ Light Board Operator), Night of Restoration (Costume Design/Wardrobe), 10 Ways to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse (Costume Design/Light Board Operator), 8th Reel Film Festival (Lighting Designer/Light Board Operator), Winter Music Show 2023(Lighting Design/Light Board Operator). This is her first show at Two River Theater and she is so excited to be a part of it. She is also a 2023/24 Howard Aronson Metro Scholar. She would like to thank her teacher and mentor Ms. Anello for teaching her everything she knows. She would also like to thank her mother for supporting her through everything.

Emmanuel Delgado (Lighting Designer) is a lighting designer based in New York City. He was born and raised in Puerto Rico. Emmanuel thrives in collaborative spaces and uses artistic expression to tell stories that inspire and connect audiences. Emmanuel earned a Master’s Degree in Lighting Design from NYU Tisch. Recent New York Credits: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Adventures of Honey & Leon, Fish In a Tree and Triple Threat. Recent Broadway productions as an Assistant Lighting Designer: Funny Girl!, Topdog/Underdog and Ohio State Murders.

Zel Bollard (Lighting Assistant) is so excited to be working on this show! They have worked on numerous shows previously, some of their favorites are Bang, Bang, You’re Dead (Technical Director), Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really (Assistant Technical Director), and Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind (Lighting Designer). Their next upcoming work will be The Lightning Thief (Assistant Technical Director). They are looking forward to continuing their career in lighting after college.

Ben Scheff  is a sound designer and composer for theater, circus, and dance. Off-Broadway: Notes from Now, Kennedy: Bobby’s Last Crusade, Only Human, and Red Roses, Green Gold. Touring credits include: Twas the Night Before… by Cirque du Soleil, Stars Above by Hideaway Circus, A Midsummer Night’s Circus and Carnival! by Circus Smirkus. Recent regional theater credits include Noises Off and Mamma Mia! Skylight Music Theater, Matt & Ben, Penobscot Theater, Hurricane Diane, The Huntington Theater. Associate/Assistant Design: 59E59, The Director’s Company, Roundabout Theater Company, Cherry Lane Theater, Primary Stages, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York Theater Workshop, Playwright’s Realm, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Geffen Playhouse, South Coast Rep, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Designer and student design mentor at Dartmouth College. Ben is a proud member IATSE Local USA 829 – United Scenic Artists. www.scheffsound.com

Bee Munoz (Sound Assistant) has worked on shows such as A Night of Restoration as the Sound Designer and Sound Board Operator, and Romeo and Juliet as a Carpenter, Painter, and Electrician. They have worked on multiple concerts for music and helped with film shows by running Qlab. They have also worked on multiple shows doing fly rail. They would like to thank their family and friends for supporting them and helping them get as far as they have.

Elissa Wolf is a creative practitioner who splits her time between the Midwest and the East Coast. She has worked as a teaching artist and educator with organizations such as Chicago Youth Shakespeare, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, and the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company. Additionally, Elissa hosts a variety of workshops focused on linguistic clues in Shakespeare’s texts. She has also shared her work, focused on asides in Shakespeare, at many Shakespeare conferences including the Wooden O Symposium at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference, BritGrad, the Blackfriars Conference at the American Shakespeare Center, and the Australian and New Zealand Shakespeare Association Conference. Elissa holds an MA in Shakespeare and Creativity from the Shakespeare Institute.

REBECCA BATSON (Stage Manager) (she/her) is an NYC/DMV based stage manager and makeup designer. Some favourite credits include: Relapse: A New Musical (ASM) Khan!!! The Musical! (PSM), Archie’s Weird Parody (PSM), and The Office: A Musical Parody (PSM). 

Aileen Espino (Assistant Stage Manager) is a Junior in the EBMS Arts Technology Program. Her credits at East Brunswick Magnet School include: Music Show 2022 (Stage Manager), A Night of Restoration (Assistant Stage Manager), Perceptions (Stage Manager), and more.

Easy Jack Portman (Assistant Stage Manager) is a Junior Creative Writing Major at Red Bank Regional High School, where he also worked on multiple productions including A Streetcar Named Desire (Crew), Shrek the Musical (Stage Manager), The Dark Octet (Stage Manager), and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Co-Writer and Stage Manager). This is his third time working on the A Little Shakespeare program, previously involved with Much Ado About Nothing (Assistant Stage Manager and Lighting Assistant) and Romeo and Juliet (Assistant Stage Manager and Understudy). He is thrilled to be back working at the Two River Theater!

Kate Cordaro (she/her) is a silver curly-headed earth mother, theater artist and administrator, baking enthusiast, and dog lover who currently has two cats. She is the Director of Education for Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ, recognized by USA Today as one of the top ten regional theaters in the nation. Since 2004, Kate has built the education department from the ground up, and under her guidance TRT has become a recognized artistic home for thousands of students through programs like A Little Shakespeare, Howard Aronson Metro Scholars, Summer Intensives, a vibrant student matinee series, as well as 16 original plays and musicals created and performed by student ensembles. In 2022, the A Little Shakespeare program was featured on the PBS docuseries Here’s the Story, chronicling the theatrical creation process from auditions to closing night. She has served on TRT’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee since 2017, and works to support safe spaces as a commitment to creating inclusive environments in which all students at Two River Theater can do their best work. Her favorite directing projects for young people include Bridge to Terabithia, Narnia, Charlotte’s Web (all at Play Group Theatre in White Plains, NY) as well as Alice, Eat the Taste, four installments of The Heroes Project, Neverland and Middle School Mysteries through the education department at TRT. Kate is a frequent Drama and Musical Theater Adjudicator for the Monmouth County, Ocean County, and NJ State Teen Arts Festivals. She is the recipient of multiple awards through the New Jersey Theatre Alliance and Monmouth Arts, and was featured in the latter’s recent 50 for 50 Photo Project highlighting individuals who are influential in moving Monmouth County toward a more inspired, inclusive, and creative arts community. She received the 2023 NJ Governor’s Award for Distinguished Service in Theatre Education and Arts Administration. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Kate moved to New York to study at the Stella Adler Conservatory and Musical Theater Works through NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Selected roles include Lady Anne in Richard III, Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Dorine in Tartuffe, Frauline Doktor Mathilde Von Zahnd in The Physicists at Soho Rep, and Yara in Atom and Eve (dir. Ken Page). Kate also was featured in Janeane Garofalo’s short film Housekeeping, which premiered at the New York Comedy Film Festival. Kate is crazy in love with Kevin and Marcus Camoosa.

Briana Butler is the Education Manager at Two River Theater located in Red Bank, NJ. She began her tenure at TRT as a student, participating in Education programs such as TRT Summer Camp and the Howard Aronson Metro Scholars program. Briana began working for TRT in 2014 in Audience Services before transitioning to work with Kate in Education. Briana obtained her Bachelor’s degrees from William Paterson University of New Jersey and recently obtained her Master’s in Arts Administration from Rowan University. She  looks forward to impacting young minds to embrace the arts and their dreams, and make them a reality.