About Coast Shakespeare

Our community productions are benefits for the Bev Shaw Literacy Fund of the Sunshine Coast Foundation, which supports literacy on the Sunshine Coast. Bev was the beloved owner of Talewind Books for many years, and a stalwart of the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts (SCFWA). Our initial 2024 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream raised an amazing $11,500 for Bev's fund! Thank you for your generous donations.

Producers' and Directors' Biographies

Marisa Alps (Producer, Graphic Designer, House Manager) is the Artistic and Executive Director of the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts, celebrating its 43rd year here in the Pavilion Aug 14-17. Marisa was a Board Member and volunteer for the Festival for many years before taking its helm. She is a 30-year veteran of the publishing industry, starting out at Harbour Publishing. The Festival supports literacy events around the Coast, including the Celebration of Authors, Books and Community (CABC) in collaboration with School District 46. She has been involved with the Shakespeare Project since its inception with last year's Midsummer. More info about Marisa here.

Bill Forst (Producer) has been an actor, producer, and general wizard for Driftwood Players for many years, since retiring from his career as a school counsellor. He has been involved with the Shakespeare Project since its inception with last year's Midsummer.

Michael Gurney (Director, Producer, Lighting Designer) is best known as the busy Arts reporter for the Coast Reporter newspaper. He is also an actor and lighting designer (Driftwood Players, Harbour Theatre Society), singer (Coast Musical Theatre's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pirates of Penzance), and writer (Sunshine Coast Writers and Editors Society's Art & Words Festival), and involved in many worthy causes. He and Lise Kreps started the Shakespeare Project with last year's Midsummer. More info at www.michaelgurney.com.

Lise Kreps (Director, Producer, Dramaturge, Music Director) has wanted to do this since she was 11 years old and first played Shakespearean music on the recorder. She and Michael Gurney initiated the Shakespeare Project with last year's Midsummer. Lise studied Renaissance music and drama for her BA. For 50 years she has played early instruments and sung in choirs, including Suncoast Phoenix, Coast Messiah, Gallery Singers, MOTET, Tallis Scholars & Canadian Renaissance Music Summer Schools, and Coast Music Theatre (Pirates of Penzance, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat). Since 1992 she has designed sound and music for theatre, including Utah Shakespeare Festival's Tony-award-winning season, Seattle Shakespeare Company, and Driftwood Players (Two Witches No Waiting, Timepiece, and Story Theatre). More info at www.transcenturyradio.com

Cast Biographies

Tara Blasco (Viola) was Assistant Director for last year’s production of Midsummer. Tara is an actor with stage, TV and film credits. Most recently she had appeared as the reporter in Season 1 and 2 of Murder in a Small Town.
Tara has been seen in several Off The Page plays here on the Coast and was in the smash hit production of the Vagina Monologues at the Heritage in 2020. She holds a BFA in Theatre from SFU and pursued graduate studies in classical theatre at The London Academy of Performing Arts (LAPA) in England. Tara is thrilled to finally be playing Viola- one of her long-time dream roles!

Ruthy Boehm (Antonio) has appeared in Driftwood's Story Theatre and Halloween popup extravaganzas. She participated in a reading of Midsummer at Lise's garden party, and got hooked on Shakespeare.

Melissah Charboneau (Olivia) played Helena in our Midsummer. She is a lifelong entertainer and passionate stage performer, and has performed with multiple theatre companies on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. Past performances include: Driftwood's Body & Soul, and Two Witches No Waiting; and Off the Page's staged readings of ….And Just So Long, 1983, and Up Island. Previous musical theatre productions include Mamma Mia! and Coast Music Theatre's Pirates of Penzance. Television work includes Murder in a Small Town and Paramount Plus' Happy Face.

Angela Cruikshank (Maria) has a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Winnepeg, where she enjoyed studying Shakespeare. She has many years of theatre and film experience, with appearances in Driftwood's Quilters and Little Shop of Horrors, and many Off the Page readings including The Dissociates.

Mac Dodge (Sea Captain) is excited to return to The Bard. He did the "Henry"s with Brock University, and played Duke Theseus in our Midsummer. Thank you Driftwood Players for your support and thank you production crew for bringing this opportunity to the Sunshine Coast.

Peter Gray (Sebastian) played Demetrius in our Midsummer, Shakespeare in 2024 Story Theatre, and the only male characters (Therapist, Male Personality) in Driftwood's The Dissociates. He enjoys swordplay, and wields his own sword.

Ean Henninger (Malvolio) is pleased to be returning to Coast Shakespeare for a second year after playing Bottom in our Midsummer. His hobbies include being great, achieving greatness, and having greatness thrust upon him.

Lisa Horne (Fabian) played Egeus in our Midsummer, and appeared in many productions in high school.

Elisabeth Lyle (Feste) played Hermia in our Midsummer. She has appeared in many Driftwood Theatre School and SynergyAtPlay productions, and studies acting and voice with Varya Moysey-Rubin.

Larry Musser (Sir Andrew Aguecheek) After a successful, if not perhaps entirely well known career in film and television in the 80s and 90s in Vancouver, Larry moved to Sechelt and turned his attention to community theatre. A list of his TV & film credits is on IMDB; highlights include XFiles and a major motion picture with Anthony Hopkins called The Edge. He has since appeared in many Driftwood productions, including Two Witches No Waiting, The Dining Room, Garage Sale, Blood Relations, Timepiece, and Art.

Alta O'Farrell (Curio, First Officer) played Puck in our Midsummer, and appeared in Story Theatre. She played a Jester in The Brave Little Tailor, and has appeared in many other Driftwood Theatre School productions.

Derry Oshust (Sir Toby Belch) played Joseph in Coast Music Theatre's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Frederick in Pirates of Penzance, as well performed in their summer highlights shows.

Mary Beth Pongrac (Orsino) has appeared in many Driftwood productions, including Two Witches No Waiting, Body and Soul, The Dining Room, Spoon River, Goodnight Desdemona Good Morning Juliet, and Story Theatre.

Willow Rody (Valentine, Priest) spent all spring working hard on the Ripped Open Anti-Fashion show with Deer Crossing the Art Farm, and the Raven's Cry Theatre Student Film Festival. She has been honoured in the Speech and Dramatic Arts category at the Festival of Performing Arts.

Sean Steele (Second Officer) played Snug (Lion) in our Midsummer.

Stage Manager and Designers' Biographies

Jenny Margueratt (Stage Manager, Props) was the unflappable stage manager for Coast Music Theatre's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Pirates of Penzance, as well as Sound and Lights Technician for our Midsummer.

Robyn Faucher (Costume Designer) designed costumes for Driftwood's The Dissociates, Two Witches No Waiting, and Driftwood Theatre School's Brave Little Tailor.

Evelyn Schimmel (Makeup and Hair Designer) designed makeup for our Midsummer, as well as makeup and hair for Coast Music Theatre's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Pirates of Penzance.

Gabriel Ditmars (Fight and Dance Choreography) played Lysander in our Midsummer, and a Giant in Brave Little Tailor. He performed in Coast Music Theatre's Pirates of Penzance, Driftwood's Goodnight Desdemona Good Morning Juliet, and trained at Bard on the Beach's Young Shakespeareans program. Raised on the Coast, he studied and performed with Driftwood Theatre School (All the World's a Stage) for many years before becoming an instructor, and is well known as a local dancer, sword fighter, actor, and teacher.

Twelfth Night Music (all from Shakespeare's time)

Youtube playlist. Click the links below for lyrics, music scores, and translations.

2025 PRESENTER & SPONSORS of Twelfth Night

Please help us thank them for their generous support:

SPECIAL THANKS TO

Sunshine Coast Community Shakespeare Project

coastshakespeare ( at ) gmail.com

We are fortunate and grateful to work and play in ch'atlich (Sechelt), on the unceded ancestral lands of the shíshálh Nation.

© 2024 Sunshine Coast Community Shakespeare Project
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