Artistic Leadership
Leadership Photos by Sarah Hentges
Eli Simon
Founder & Producing
Artistic Director
Beth Lopes
Associate Artistic Director & Casting Coordinator
Jesús López Vargas
Production Coordinator,
Education & Media Director
Julia Reinhard Lupton
Center Co-Director, Dramaturg & Special Events Director
Greg Ungar
Associate Artistic Director
Miriam Mendoza
Company Manager & Assoc. Prod. Coordinator
Rachael VanWormer
Associate Artist, 2026 Director
Abel Garcia
Associate Artist, 2026 Actor
Acting Company, Summer 2026
The Merry Wives of Windsor Cove / Romeo & Juliet
For complete acting tracks, including understudy roles, click on the photos below.
Abel Garcia
Frank Ford / Friar
Alejandra Villanueva
Mistress Quickly / Nurse
Avrielle Corti-Strahle
Alice Ford / Prince
Evan Lugo
George Page / Tybalt
Greg Ungar
Robert Shallow & Musician
Heriberto Cruz, Jr.
Señor Cayo / Mercutio
Lourdes Castillo
Ensemble / Juliet
Megan January
Nym & Musician / Peter
Samuel M. Schneider
Pistol / Benvolio
Sonya Cooke
Margaret Page / Montague & Apothecary
Wyn Moreno
Falstaff / Capulet
Zach Trent
Fenton / Romeo
Zane Caputo
Slender / Paris
Clayton M. Walker
Acting Apprentice: Ensemble
Diego Aguilar
Acting Apprentice: Ensemble
Leo Kearney
Acting Apprentice: Gregory
Marilyn Alonzo
Acting Apprentice: Anne Page & Ensemble
Nanami Yamakawa
Acting Apprentice: Singer & Ensemble
Sarah Hentges
Acting Apprentice: Singer & Ensemble
Sebastián B. Cantú
Acting Apprentice: Abraham
Sophia Gilbert
Acting Apprentice: Rosaline
Design & Artistic Team, Summer 2026
Production Teams & Crew, Summer 2026
2025 Company
directed by Eli Simon
directed by Rob Salas
2024 Company
Eli Simon
Eli Simon is the Founding Artistic Director of New Swan Shakespeare Festival, the professional summer theater that performs on the campus of UC Irvine, with the support of the Drama Department, Office of Research, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, and the entire campus community. A Chancellor’s Professor of Acting in Drama, this year marks Eli’s 37th at UCI. Eli is the author of three books: The Art of Clowning, Masking Unmasked, and Power Speech. He specializes in Shakespearean productions, clowning, musicals, and original masked performances.
Eli has directed over one hundred productions at Shakespearean festivals, regional theaters, and international theaters across the states and overseas. Critically acclaimed productions include his original clown saga – War of the Clowns and Clown Aliens – produced at the National Theater of Romania in Cluj. Eli’s original clown troupe, CLOWNZILLA, received rave reviews (Critic’s Choice, LA Times) in California and toured Northern Italy and South Korea. His original commedia pieces enjoyed successful tours to international festivals in England, Spain, and Italy. Eli has also written and directed multi-cultural and multilingual plays including Birds in DMZ, which featured American, Korean, and European performers, traditional Korean music, devised masks, Bong-San dancing, commedia, and opera.
For New Swan, Eli has directed The Merchant of Venice, King Lear, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, As You Like It, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Midsummer Night’s Zoom, The Comedy of Errrorrs, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, and Much Ado About Nothing. During the pandemic, Eli produced All the World’s a Stage featuring actors from around the world performing Shakespeare in the language of their choice.
Beth Lopes
Beth Lopes is an Associate Artistic Director at New Swan and a freelance theater director and educator. Deeply committed to telling stories for the present moment, Beth is intent on fostering original work and making classics relevant for new generations. Selected directing credits include “Our Town”, “The Velveteen Rabbit”, and “Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook” at South Coast Repertory, “House of Desires” at Pomona College, and “Romeo and Juliet: Hard Way Home” a hybrid of Shakespeare’s play and the music of Brandi Carlisle, with CalRep. Past shows at New Swan include “As You Like It”, “Pericles Prince of Tyre”, Two Gentlemen of Verona”, “Winter’s Tale”, “Taming of the Shrew”, “Hamlet”, “Much Ado About Nothing”, “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, and “Comedy of Errors”. Beth received a BFA from NYI, a MFA from UCI, and is a proud member of SDC. For more information visit her website at www.bethlopes.com.
Miriam Mendoza
Miriam Mendoza is a producer, stage manager, coordinator, and educator in Southern California.
Credits include Jelly’s Last Jam, Inherit the Wind, and world premiere of One of the Good Ones (Pasadena Playhouse); Waiting for Godot (Geffen Playhouse) ; world premiere of Alma, Tambo & Bones (Center Theatre Group—Kirk Douglas Theatre); 2:22–A Ghost Story, The Secret Garden (Center Theatre Group—Ahmanson Theatre); world premiere of A Transparent Musical, Fake It Until You Make It, Here Lies Love (Center Theatre Group—Mark Taper Forum).
An El Paso, Texas native, Miriam most actively teaches and works around the Los Angeles area. She is a company member of New Swan Shakespeare Festival and has worked for the Walt Disney Company’s Imagination Campus (formerly known as Disney Performing Arts.)
M.F.A. in Stage Management from the University of California, Irvine.
Greg Ungar
Greg is thrilled and grateful to work and play with the fabulous community of artists and audiences at New Swan. With the Festival he has played delicious roles, including Gower (Pericles), Prospero (Tempest), Shylock (Merchant), Baptista (Taming), Bottom (Midsummer), Polonius (Hamlet), Dogberry (Much Ado), Macduff (Macbeth), and Friar Laurence (Romeo and Juliet). Other juicy roles at other theaters include Owen (The Foreigner), Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Serge (Art), John (Oleanna), Matt (Tally’s Folly), Gratiano (Merchant of Venice), Touchstone (As You Like It), and Cornwall (King Lear). Greg’s directing credits include A Bright New Boise, The Thanksgiving Play, Cabaret, I and You, Art, Bad Jews, The Seagull, Not I, Rockaby, Circle Mirror Transformation, and The Proposal. Greg has an MFA and PhD from the University of California, Irvine, and is an associate professor of theatre at the University of Denver. Big love and thanks to Courtney for making It sweet and worthwhile.Jesús López Vargas
Jesús López Vargas (he/they) is a producer and director for the performing arts and a visual artist. Jesús has worked closely with New Swan Shakespeare Festival as a production coordinator, visual artist, media manager, and various other roles since 2018. Now, Jesús heads New Swan’s outreach programs and co-leads the organization of the festival year-round. They continue to work freelance in Southern California as an educator, visual artist, photographer, coordinator, producer, and consultant.
Most recently as a theater maker, Jesús has designed lights at Theatre Silco in Colorado, Dinant Creative Factory in Belgium, the University of Amsterdam, and also coordinated projects with Laguna Dance Festival, the Lake Dillon Theater, and Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. To see more of their work, one can visit jelopez-stage.com
Julia Reinhard Lupton
Julia Reinhard Lupton is Distinguished Professor of English at UC Irvine, where she co-directs the New Swan Shakespeare Center with Eli Simon. She is the author of five books on Shakespeare and has edited many volumes on Shakespeare and topics such as hospitality, wisdom, virtues, and adaptation.
For New Swan Shakespeare Festival, she serves yearly as the lead dramaturg and special-events lead programer.
Anna Marjorie Fitzgerald
Anna Marjorie Fitzgerald is an actor and writer based in Southern California. Previous New Swan credit: Twelfth Night (Olivia). Recent playwriting credit: Quit Bitchin at UC Irvine. Acting credits include: Cabaret (Fräulein Schneider, UC Irvine), The Bald Soprano (Mrs. Martin, UC Irvine), and Gloria (Gloria/Nan, UC Irvine).
Anna is grateful to Eli Simon and the New Swam family for bringing her on to co-adapt “The Merry Wives of Windsor Cove” — it sure’s been “fun, fun, fun!” Finally, deepest thanks to her husband, Liam, and daughter, Daphne, for their unending support and inspiration. BA Harvard College. MFA in Acting UC Irvine.
www.annamarjoriefitzgerald.com
Abel Garcia
Abel Garcia was born and raised in El Paso, Texas where he received his BFA in Theatre Performance from UT El Paso in 2016. Shortly after, he moved to Southern California and received his MFA in Acting from the University of California, Irvine in spring 2021.
Abel is an Associate Artist for New Swan. He is an actor as well as a part-time theatre instructor at the Orange County School of The Arts (OCSA). This will be his 6th with New Swan, and he is extremely excited and blessed to be back!
Most recent credits include Austin (True West), Jesus (The Last Days of Judas Iscariot), Angelo (Measure for Measure), Malvolio (Twelfth Night), Smith & Judge Hayes (The Story of Biddy Mason) Brutus (Julius Caesar), Touchstone (As You Like It), Dromio of Ephesus (Comedy of Errors).
Rachael VanWormer
Rachael VanWormer is an artistic associate for New Swan. She is an educator, playwright, and is also the Associate Artistic Director of Write Out Loud. Find her original scripts on New Play Exchange.
As an actor, Rachael has performed in many stages:
New Swan Shakespeare Festival: Much Ado About Nothing, All’s Well That Ends Well, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure; New Village Arts: The Half Life of Marie Curie; Lamb’s Players Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest, Outside Mullingar, Silent Sky; Cygnet Theatre: The Little Fellow, Angels in America Parts I & II, When the Rain Stops Falling, The Vortex, Hay Fever; Curtis Theatre: The Revolutionists.
Write Out Loud: The Yellow Wallpaper, PoeFest; La Jolla Playhouse: Froggy, #SuperShinySara; Diversionary Theatre: The Mystery of Love and Sex, Regrets Only, Birds of a Feather, Speech & Debate, Beautiful Thing; New Fortune: As You Like It, Henry V; North Coast Rep: Faded Glory, A Christmas Carol; San Diego Rep: boom; PCPA TheaterFest: The Wizard of Oz, Lifeboat, The Reluctant Dragon.
Abel Garcia
Ford in “The Merry Wives” | Friar in “Romeo & Juliet”
Abel Garcia was born and raised in El Paso, Texas where he received his BFA in Theatre Performance from UT El Paso in 2016. Currently lives in Anaheim, CA. He received his MFA in Acting from the University of California, Irvine in Spring 2021. Abel is also a part-time acting teacher at the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) where he teaches clowning.
This is Abel’s 6th season with New Swan and he feels absolutely lucky and blessed to be back! Past New Swan roles include, Benedick- Much Ado About Nothing, Parolles- Alls Well That Ends Well, Angelo- Measure for Measure & Malvolio- Twelfth Night (New Swan Shakespeare Festival). Other Credits include, Shelly Levene, Glengarry Glenn Ross (Teatro Neplanta 2026) Marcos/Pedro (u/s)- One Of The Good Ones by Gloria Calderon Kellett (Pasadena Playhouse 2024), Ralph D- The Motherf***er with the Hat (Teatro Neplanta), Peter- Silent Sky (Greenbrier Valley Theatre 2022).
Alejandra Villanueva
Mistress Quickly in “The Merry Wives” | Nurse in “Romeo & Juliet”
Alejandra Villanueva is an interdisciplinary artist, deeply committed to telling stories that reflect and amplify the voices of her community. She is passionate about creating work that connects people and celebrates diverse perspectives.
New Swan 2025 Season: Much Ado About Nothing, All’s Well That Ends Well | The Old Globe: Globe for All’s Julius Caesar, Henry 6, Part One and Part Two; Globe for All’s The Comedy of Errors | Additional Credits: Matt and Ben (New Village Arts) The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote (TuYo Theatre), Real Women Have Curves (Breakthrough Theatre), Fuente Ovejuna: A Disloyal Adaptation (USC), The Cider House Rules, Parts One and Two (USC), Queen Margaret: A Shakespeare Adaptation (USC), Happy End (USC), La Mujer Que Cayó del Cielo (Consulado General de México en San Diego). Education: B.A. in Theatre, University of Southern California.
Arielle Corti-Strahle
Alice Ford in “The Merry Wives” | Prince in “Romeo & Juliet”
Understudying Montague & Apothecary in “Romeo & Juliet”
Avrielle is delighted to be a part of New Swan this summer. From the globe theater in London, Guthrie in Minneapolis, Public Theatre, Groundlings and attending Cannes as an emerging artist.
She feels blessed and wants to thank God, her family and friends for always encouraging her.
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Evan Lugo
George Page in “The Merry Wives” | Tybalt in “Romeo & Juliet”
Evan Lugo is super excited to be back at Swan! He received his BFA in acting from Western Michigan University and his MFA in acting from UC Irvine.
Some of his previous credits include: George Gibbs in Our Town at South Coast Rep. Orlando in As You Like It at New Swan Shakespeare. Gareth in One Man Two Guvnors. Shame in The Rhythm of Mourning at Bethesda Rep. Konstantin in The Seagull at UC Irvine.
Follow Evan on YouTube and IG @evan_lugo
Greg Ungar
Robert Shallow & Drummer in “The Merry Wives”
Understudying Friar Lawrence & Capulet “Romeo & Juliet”
Greg is thrilled and grateful to work and play with the fabulous community of artists and audiences at New Swan. With the Festival he has played delicious roles, including Gower (Pericles), Prospero (Tempest), Shylock (Merchant), Baptista (Taming), Bottom (Midsummer), Polonius (Hamlet), Dogberry (Much Ado), Macduff (Macbeth), and Friar Laurence (Romeo and Juliet). Other juicy roles at other theaters include Owen (The Foreigner), Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Serge (Art), John (Oleanna), Matt (Tally’s Folly), Gratiano (Merchant of Venice), Touchstone (As You Like It), and Cornwall (King Lear). Greg’s directing credits include A Bright New Boise, The Thanksgiving Play, Cabaret, I and You, Art, Bad Jews, The Seagull, Not I, Rockaby, Circle Mirror Transformation, and The Proposal. Greg has an MFA and PhD from the University of California, Irvine, and is an associate professor of theatre at the University of Denver. Big love and thanks to Courtney for making It sweet and worthwhile.
Heriberto Cruz, Jr.
Señor Cayo in “The Merry Wives” | Mercutio in “Romeo & Juliet”
Heriberto Cruz, Jr. is absolutely thrilled to be making his debut with New Swan! Heri (pronounced Eddie) is a second year MFA actor from Connecticut, and has performed in productions of Noises Off!, The Green Knight, and La Belle et la Bête at UC Irvine. Regionally, Heri has appeared in productions with the Resident Acting Company (Measure for Measure, Tempest) Cape Cod Shakespeare Festival (Othello, As You Like It, Midsummer Night’s Dream), and Capital Classics Theatre (Water by the Spoonful, Taming of the Shrew). Heri appeared in the award-winning short film I AM: Muslim/American for Long Wharf Theatre, and alongside the late great Emilio Delgado in Hartford Stage’s production of Quixote Nuevo.
Heri feels tremendously blessed to be joining this ensemble and thanks everyone involved with building this production; onstage, backstage, and watching from the audience. “Love always to Mom, Dad, Leo, Tito, and Samantha.”
Lourdes Castillo
Ensemble in “The Merry Wives” | Juliet in “Romeo & Juliet”
Understudying Mistress Quickly in “The Merry Wives”
Lourdes is thrilled to join New Swan this summer! Born and raised in South Central LA, she is an actor, educator, and writer passionate about the immigrant and BIPOC community. Lourdes is a current MFA in Acting Candidate at UCI where you may have seen her in Quit Bitchin’ (Tig), The Green Knight (Morgan Le Fey), Noises Off (Brooke), and Very Bottom of a Body of Water (Rosa Luz). Recent credits: Medea in Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles at Full Circle Players, Vera in El Esqueleto with Pryde Pierce Films. Her original play, Las Mujeres de Los Angeles, was a finalist for the 2021 Young Playwrights Festival at the Blank Theater. This past summer, she finished her second year teaching Theater Studies for the Summer Youth Conservatory at the Latino Theater Company, where she is an alumna. B.A. in Communications & Theater, Tulane University. @lourdescastill.o
Megan January
Nym & Bassist in “The Merry Wives” | Peter in “Romeo & Juliet”
Understudying Juliet in “Romeo & Juliet”
Megan January (she/they) is thrilled to be a part of her third season at The Swan! Megan is a graduate of the University of California Irvine with her BFA in Music Theatre and minor in Education. She has two released albums with her bluegrass band North Country Blue, and has enjoyed incorporating her love of music with Shakespeare’s language.
Some of her favorite theater credits include Hero, Beatrice and Dogberry from Much Ado About Nothing, and Natasha from Great Comet.
Sam M. Schneider
Pistol in “The Merry Wives” | Benvolio in “Romeo & Juliet”
Understudying Falstaff in “The Merry Wives” | Tybalt in “Romeo & Juliet”
Samuel is excited to return for his second season at New Swan. Last year he made his Swan debut as Lord Dumaine in All’s Well and Whiskey, a member of Dogberry’s watch in Much Ado. Samuel is a UCI alumnus, performing as a swing in their 2024 production of Cabaret and rocking out as Shak Graa in 2025’s Starmites.
His previous credits include performing as Pippin in Pippin, Charlie Brown in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Bob in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Spike in Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike, and Feat. Ensemble in Sweeney Todd.
He would like to thank his parents, grandparents, and Liora for their love and support, no matter how far apart.
Sonya Cooke
Margarett Page in “The Merry Wives” | Montague & Apothecary in “Romeo & Juliet”
Understudying Nurse in “Romeo & Juliet”
Sonya Cooke is an actor based in Louisiana. A member of SAG-AFTRA, Sonya’s career includes network television, feature films, regional and NY theatre, and voice acting credits. Sonya can be seen in Government Cheese on AppleTV+, Chicago PD on NBC, and she played the title role in Gloria at Equity theatre, Swine Palace. Last summer, Sonya played “Leonata” in Much Ado About Nothing at New Swan Shakespeare Festival.
The short film she wrote, directed, and starred in, entitled An Audience, won Best Short Film at the HS3 Film Festival in Houston, TX. She is an Assistant Professor of Acting at Louisiana State University, and she is the founder and author of Seven Pillars Acting. A proud alumna from UCI, Sonya is thrilled to return to New Swan.
Wyn Moreno
Falstaff in “The Merry Wives” | Capulet in “Romeo & Juliet”
Wyn Moreno is an actor, educator, director, dialect coach, and fight choreographer based in Orange County, CA. This is Wyn’s second season with New Swan Shakespeare. You may have seen him last year as Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing, and The King of France in Alls Well That Ends Well. Other recent credits include Perelli in Sweeney Todd at A Noise Within in Pasadena, and Simon in Starstuff at La Mirada.
Wyn is also a director and has directed his own adaptation of Dracula at Santa Ana College, several productions at OCC and Orange County School of the Arts including Inherit the Wind in 2025. As an educator, Wyn teaches at OCSA, Santa Ana College, Orange Coast College, and Norco College, where he mentors students in acting, stage combat, and dialects.
He is passionate about fostering creativity and discipline in young artists. Wyn is thrilled to contribute his experience and passion for classical theater to New Swan Shakespeare this season.
Zach Trent
Fenton in “The Merry Wives” | Romeo in “Romeo & Juliet”
Zach is a Los Angeles-based actor and filmmaker originally from Michigan, where he received a BFA in Acting from Western Michigan University. This is Zach’s third season with New Swan, and he couldn’t be happier to be returning to work with this company! Alongside his passion for Shakespeare and theatre, Zach is a writer, director, and producer under Sonneteer Productions, an independent film production company he co-founded.You can follow Sonneteer Productions on instagram (@sonneteerproductions).
Zach’s former New Swan credits include: Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing, Claudio in Measure for Measure, Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night, and Duke/Lord/Jules in All’s Well That Ends Well.
Zane Caputo
Slender & Guitarist in “The Merry Wives” | Paris in “Romeo & Juliet”
Understudying Mercutio in “Romeo & Juliet”
Zane is absolutely thrilled to be back for his second summer with New Swan, this time as both actor and music director for Merry Wives of Windsor Cove! You may have seen him last season as Verges in Much Ado About Nothing, and as Lavache in All’s Well That Ends Well.
Here for the summer, Zane now resides in New York City, where he is pursuing a career as both an actor and musical theater writer.
Find Zane on Instagram: @zanewritesmusic and @zane.guv
Clayton Michael Walker
Ensemble in “The Merry Wives”
Understudying Fenton in “The Merry Wives” | Romeo in “Romeo & Juliet”
Clayton is an actor/singer/narrator based in Orange County, CA. He graduated from UCI with a BA in Drama, and he is so thrilled to be returning to campus for his New Swan debut!
Favorite stage credits include “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (Leaf Coneybear – OC Theatre Guild Award nomination), “Peter and the Starcatcher” (Peter), and “It’s A Wonderful Life” (George Bailey). Film/TV: “Honey Bear” (on Hulu), “Rx”, “Grand Guardians: Creation Myth” (animated pilot. 59k views on YouTube).
He’s also co-narrated the audiobooks for “A Series of Rooms” and “Doors & Windows”, both by A.J. Barlowe. When not performing, he has an affinity for video editing, reading, and makeup! Thanks Mom, Dad, Brenna, Sam Ashdown (for the Shakespeare coaching & wisdom!), Zoey, Meredith, & Mel!
IG: @claywalks | Website: claytonmichaelwalker.com
Diego Aguilar
Ensemble in “The Merry Wives”
Diego is incredibly excited to be a part of New Swan Shakespeare Festival and to working alongside such an amazing group of hardworking and talented people.
His most recent appearances include Hair (Steve), Tick, Tick…Boom! (Michael) and Company (David).
He is proud to be a part of this production and he hopes you enjoy the show!
Leo Kearney
Gregory in “Romeo & Juliet”
Leo Kearney is so excited to be making his New Swan debut! He hails from Santa Barbara and has just graduated from UC Berkeley, double majoring in theater and film. Some of his favorite past roles include Death in Everybody and Little Stone in Eurydice with Berkeley’s theater department, as well as Henry V in Henry V (Rubicon Theater Company), Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing (BareStage Productions), and Tony in Outside Mullingar (ANTI Productions). He is also a director, having recently completed productions of Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
In his free time he enjoys reading, going to the movies, and discussing basketball with anyone who will listen. He would like to thank his parents and his sister; he owes everything to them for their endless support. IG: leoirl.
Marilyn Alonzo
Anne Page in “The Merry Wives” | Ensemble in “Romeo & Juliet”
Understudying Rosaline in “Romeo & Juliet”
Marilyn is beyond thrilled to be a part of her second season at New Swan! She is a rising fourth year Drama major at the University of California, Irvine.
Some of her favorite past credits include Helena (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Bea Bottom (Something Rotten!), and Sandra Bloom (Big Fish). When not onstage, she loves watching golden age films, cooking elaborate dinners, and listening to the Mamas and the Papas at dangerous volumes.
Nanami Yamakawa
Singer & Ensemble in “The Merry Wives” | Ensemble in “Romeo & Juliet”
Understudying Anne Page in “The Merry Wives” and Peter in “Romeo & Juliet”
Nanami is thrilled to be spending her summer at the Swan! Nanami is a rising fourth-year at the University of California, Irvine, intending to graduate with a BFA in Music Theatre in 2027. You may recognize her from the previous New Swan season’s Front of House and Media team! Her favorite theatre credits include The Little Mermaid (Flounder) and Avenue Q (Bad Idea Bear 1). Upcoming project includes originating the role of Yoko in “at the very bottom of a body of water” at UC Irvine in the Spring.
She is the Social Media Representative for the Underground AZN Players at UC Irvine (@undergroundasianatuci), building a community to celebrate AANHPI theatre communities. In her free time, you can find her scrapbooking while sipping some coffee and watching a movie. @nanami.ymkw | osu.my.canva.site/nanamiyamakawa
Sarah Hentges
Singer & Ensemble in “The Merry Wives”
Understudying Margaret Page & Alice Ford in “The Merry Wives” & Prince in “Romeo & Juliet”
Sarah is a current third-year BFA in Music Theatre student at UCI with minors in Management and Literary Journalism, and she is so grateful to be a part of New Swan this summer! Some of her favorite roles include Meg March in Little Women The Musical, and Harmony in Much Ado About Nothing.
Sarah was part of the Media & Patron Services Production Internship at New Swan last season. She would like to thank her friends, family, the cast, and the crew for their love and support!
Sebastián Bojorquez Cantú
Abraham in “Romeo & Juliet”
Sebastián is very grateful and excited to be a part of this wonderful company.
Previous acting credits include: Cabaret (Clifford), Hamlet (Laetres), 12 Angry Jurors (Juror #8).
He would like to thank his friends, mentors and family who push him to be the best artists he can be.
Sophia Gilbert
Rosaline in “Romeo & Juliet”
Sophia Gilbert is so excited to be debuting with New Swan! A Bay Area native and upcoming 4th-year Music Theatre major, Sophia’s previous credits at UCI include: Beth (Little Women), Countess Caylus (La Belle et La Bête), Thea (Spring Awakening), and Soprano Pit Singer (9 to 5). Outside of Drama, she enjoys taking various classes in Sociology, Political Science, and Religious Studies. In her free time, Sophia loves eating good food with great friends, reading, watching the Pitt, taking life-romanticizing walks, and listening to music, specifically and especially 80s hits.
Thank you to Mom for all your support, to all her teachers and mentors, and to this incredible cast and creative team for the gift of playing around and creating art together.
Brandon PT Davis | Scenic Designer, Festival
Brandon PT Davis is a scenic designer based in Orange County, CA, who loves bringing stories to life through thoughtful and immersive environments. A graduate of UC Irvine, he has designed over 100 productions, combining artistic vision with tools like Vectorworks and Twinmotion to create innovative and memorable designs. Brandon works at Adaptive Design Services, where he collaborates on projects ranging from live events to architectural renderings. Outside of his design work, he enjoys exploring new visualization techniques, experimenting with 3D printing, and sharing his knowledge through tutorials. Learn more at brandonptdavis.com.
Jenn Dugan | Costume Shop Manager, Festival
Jenn Dugan is currently the full time Costume Shop Manger at UCI. With over twenty years in the theater and film industry, she has been a costume designer, shop manager, costume technician, makeup artist, and wig stylist. Jenn was the hair makeup designer for Twelfth Night with New Swan in 2024 and continues to enjoy helping to create the costumes for the New Swan summer festivals.
Aerik Harbert | Sound Designer, Festival
Aerik Harbert is a sound designer based out of Los Angeles by way of Pasadena, Maryland. He holds an MFA in Sound Design from the University of California, Irvine, and currently teaches, mentors, and designs at California State University, Fullerton while freelancing around the greater Los Angeles/Orange County area. His goal as a designer is to immerse audiences in the world of a play with carefully curated environmental ambiences, music, and abstract design elements. When he isn’t working on a production or stuck in LA traffic, Aerik can usually be found playing video games, rewatching a television series, or standing in line at the nearest boba shop. He also enjoys his weekly online D&D game, and always says he’d like to go hiking more often (but never does).
Ayrika Johnson | Costume Designer, “Romeo & Juliet”
Ayrika Johnson (she/her) graduated in June of 2022 with her M.F.A. in Costume Design from the University of California, Irvine and is thrilled to return to its campus for New Swan and “All’s Well That Ends Well.” She has continued her work in theatrical costume design across Orange County and the Los Angeles area. Her passion in design lies in creating and joining projects that discuss the human condition and historically forgotten voices to inspire a new conversation. Ayrika finds inspiration in the history of performance to rally groups towards new ideas and perspectives. It is in this hope that she seeks to further break down traditional ideologies of society and allow curiosity and empathy to guide the audience towards new understandings. The opportunity to work on this show with the cast and crew alongside of her has been such a gift– especially during such difficult times.
Karyn D. Lawrence | Lighting Designer, “The Merry Wives”
Karyn D. Lawrence is an award-winning lighting designer based in Los Angeles. She is thrilled to be returning to her alma mater for her tenth season as the resident lighting designer for The New Swan Shakespeare Festival! Selected regional/local theater credits include Center Theatre Group, South Coast Repertory, La Mirada Theatre, East West Players, Boston Court Pasadena, Antaeus Theatre Company, Ebony Repertory Theatre, International City Theatre, and Arizona Broadway Theatre. In addition to theater, she is Radiance Lightworks’ lead lighting designer for Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights. She currently teaches lighting design at California State University Los Angeles. Her work has also been seen in Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Romania. When she’s not teaching or designing, she enjoys spending time with her family and riding her horses in the mountains near her home.
Julia Reinhard Lupton | Festival Dramaturg; Dramaturg for “The Merry Wives”
Julia Reinhard Lupton is Distinguished Professor of English at UC Irvine, where she co-directs the New Swan Shakespeare Center with Eli Simon. She is the author of five books on Shakespeare and has edited many volumes on Shakespeare and topics such as hospitality, wisdom, virtues, and adaptation.
Pam Marsden | Festival Props Master
Pam Marsden has been working in props for 20 years, freelance until finding a home as Props Supervisor for CTSA in 2013. The New Swan is always a highlight of the year. I fell in love with theater in the late1980s as an audience member and unexpectedly found a way to make it a career. The creative, collaborative, exciting, and challenging world of theater makes my heart sing!
Nita Mendoza | Lighting Designer, “Romeo & Juliet”
Nita Mendoza is a chicana theatre artist based out of Southern California and is grateful to join the New Swan family once again. Previous New Swan lighting design credits include: Pericles (2022) and Measure for Measure (2024). She graduated with her MFA in 2021 and has been freelancing full time since then! Previous lighting design credits include: Winter Lights (Discovery Cube, Orange County), twenty50 (TheatreSquared, Arkansas), The Taming of the Shrew (Whittier Shakes Theater Co.), Moriarty (Theatre SilCo, Colorado), Sunday in the Park with George (El Paso Opera), Water by the Spoonful (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center), Everybody (Pomona College), Fourth Planet (Fullerton College, Fullerton), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Perseverance Theatre, Alaska), The Half Life of Marie Curie (TheatreSilco, Colorado), and Guadalupe in the Guest Room (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs). Enjoy the show! Mucho amor!
Jo McEvoy | Production Stage Manager, “Romeo & Juliet” & Assistant Stage Manager, “The Merry Wives”
Jo McEvoy is happily making her return to the Swan, now as a non-expert freelancer with a flair for the funny. Her prior credits include Huzzah! (World Premiere), The Fear of 13, Gloria, Twelfth Night, Men on Boats, Snow in Midsummer, Macbeth, Tilly No-Body: Catastrophes of Love, and Yellow Face. Alongside stage management, Jo has a strong interest in dramaturgy, playwriting, neo-futurism, and getting lost in the woods. Also found @jowillstagemanagetheuniverse. UCI MFA in Stage Management ’26. Ici, la vie est belle!
Marcy Froehlich | Costume Designer, “The Merry Wives”
Marcy considers herself a storyteller, but she tells this story through the medium of clothing by defining character and creating a believable world for the actor and audience. Her expertise in period costume design has been the basis of her excellent work in film, television, and theater which has been delightfully varied.
She started professionally in New York, gaining note as the Associate Costume Designer on touring productions of Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera, and as the designer for such shows as Dames at Sea (PA Stage) and Madama Butterfly (Delaware Opera). She gained great international experience as Assistant Designer and Costume Coordinator working in Rome, Tokyo, and Rotterdam for Robert Wilson’s multi-national opera The Civil Wars.
Now based in Los Angeles, she continues to design for theater, and her designs range from the classics such as Hamlet or Gem of the Ocean, to new work such as Jackie Unveiled about Jacqueline Onassis. She has an affinity for musicals, and her designs have run the gamut from the darker Hunchback of Notre Dame, to the charming Christmas is Here Again, or the opulent national tour of Camelot. In the Los Angeles theater community, she has been nominated for 7 Ovation Awards. Her opera work includes the more traditional Madama Butterfly, the contemporary opera version of Our Town, and the experimental Orpheus and Euridice, staged in a swimming pool! She also designs for film and TV: Unbowed set in the 1890’s, The Unknown Cyclist about the Aids bicycle ride, and PBS’s We Shall Remain about the Cherokee Trail of Tears.
Marcy has served on the Board of Directors, and Board of Trustees of the Costume Designers Guild, and is a co-author of the comprehensive costume sourcebook Shopping LA: The Insiders’ Sourcebook for Film & Fashion. She has an MFA from the University of Michigan and has taught costume design at the State University of New York in New Paltz and at UCLA. She is currently an Associate Professor of Costume Design at the University of California, Irvine. In her spare time, Marcy is a painter and photographer, and her artwork has been exhibited in Los Angeles at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
Michael Polak | Fight Director
Michael Polak has been choreographing for NSSF since 2013. He has choreographed stage violence for South Coast Repertory, La Mirada Theatre, North Coast Repertory Theatre, 3D-Theatricals, CSUF, Concordia University, UNLV, CSUB, and others as well. As an actor he has worked in New York Off-Broadway at the Mint Theatre and taught at the Shakespeare Lab at the Public Theatre. Regional Credits include: Pioneer Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare, A.C.T., Philadelphia Theatre Company, The Shakespeare Theatre, Playmaker’s Rep, Ensemble Theatre Company, and Hartford Stage to name a few. His film and television credits include : BEL-AIR, 86 MELROSE AVENUE, THE CHRONICLES OF JESSICA WU, THE 5TH QUARTER, YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, ALL MY CHILDREN, GUIDING LIGHT, and most recently MID-CENTURY. He received his M.F.A. from Penn State University and B.A. from California State University, Fullerton. www.michaelpolakactorfd.com
Joe Forehand | CTSA Electrics Supervisor
Joe is a husband and dad with a son, a daughter and 3 cats. Joe has 37 years of experience in Technical Theater, having worked for or with Manhattanville College Dance and Theater Department, Diavolo- Architecture in Motion , A Noise Within, California Stage and Lighting, Laguna Beach High School, and, for the last 16 years, UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts. Joe’s primary off duty activities involve yardwork, but, when his muse inspires, has been known to create passable meals for his family. He has recently begun a new hobby involving plucking and strumming the strings of various acoustic instruments which has so far remained undefined.
Jesús López Vargas | Festival Production Coordinator
Jesús López Vargas (he/they) is a producer, director and visual artist for the performing and visual arts. They graduated with a MFA in Stage Management from UCI in 2021. While at UCI Jesús was honored as a Chancellor’s Club Fellow, as a Public Impact Fellow, an Inclusive Excellence Ambassador Fellow, and has received multiple other fellowships that supported their research to heighten the representation of native voices from Latin America. For the past 8 years, he has co-led MOON Collective producing culture-conscious media and performative works that challenge the public while providing training opportunities for young BIPOC practitioners of the visual and performing arts.
Jesús has worked closely with Eli Simon & the New Swan Shakespeare Festival as a manager and media coordinator since 2019. Most recently, Jesús has designed lights at the Dinant Creative Factory in Belgium, the University of Amsterdam, and Theatre Silco and also managed projects at the Lake Dillon Theater in Colorado and Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in Maryland. To see more of their work, one can visit jelopez-stage.com
Lala Ukita | Production Stage Manager, “The Merry Wives”
Lala Ukita is an incoming third-year drama major at the University of California, Irvine from the Los Angeles area in pursuit of teaching theatre in a secondary education setting. She has recently been involved in various productions and projects at UCI which includes: ASM or PA for all 4 main stage dance concerts, SM for Metro Theatre Co’s spring play, Bare Bones Dance Theater, the B.F.A. 2025 Thesis Cohorts, various other DCPs (drama class projects), and more! She is excited to participate in this festival with the phenomenal cast and creative team and hopes you enjoy the production!
Cassie Nesbit | Assistant Director, “The Merry Wives”
Cassie Nesbit is overjoyed to be on New Swan’s Technical Team! She is a junior transfer student attending UC Irvine and is exploring every facet of theatre she can. She thanks her family and friends for their support!
TBD
Robert Fournell | Assistant Stage Manager/Properties Artisan, “All’s Well That Ends Well”
Robert Fournell is a junior transfer student at UCI, earning his B.A. in Drama. After two years of working on productions at El Camino College, he is excited to return to work with the New Swan Shakespeare Festival. He is thrilled to take on the roles of Assistant Stage Manager for “All’s Well That Ends Well” and Properties Artisan for the Festival. A dedicated Drama major, Robert aspires to travel the globe and collaborate with international theaters. His previous experience includes serving as Assistant Stage Manager for El Camino’s production of ‘Book of Days”, Properties Coordinator for “An Evening of One Acts”, Assistant to the Props Designer and Props Crew Lead for “The Miracle Worker”, and, most recently, Props Crew Lead for “Merrily We Roll Along”. Robert is passionate about advancing his skills in stage management and prop design. He hopes you enjoy the Festival!
TBD
Fiona Farris | Master Electrician & Assistant Lighting Designer
Fiona is excited to be back at New Swan for a third season! She recently graduated from UC Irvine with a B.A. in Drama and a B.S. in Psychology. Previous credits include Completeness (PSM, Eastwood PAC), Dumbwaiter (ASM, Nixon Theatre), The Prom (PA, Claire Trevor Theatre), Avenue Q (LD, Little Theatre), Dance Nation (LD, Little Theatre), Bare Bones (LD, CTSA), Spring Awakening (ALD, Little Theatre), 9 to 5 (LBO, Irvine Barclay Theatre), Julius Caesar (LBO, New Swan), and Completeness (LBO, Robert Cohen Theatre).
Sydney Uliasz | Assistant Stage Manager, “Romeo & Juliet” & “The Merry Wives”
Sydney Uliasz is a Southern California-based stage manager and creative, graduating from UC Irvine in 2026 with her B.A. in Drama & Psychological Science and focusing on Stage Management meaning she provides therapy to actors everywhere! Some of her previous credits include Hair (PSM), 12 Angry Jurors (PSM), Spring Awakening (ASM), Avenue Q (AD & Intimacy Coordinator), and Tick Tick… Boom! (Intimacy Coordinator). She is so excited to join New Swan for the first time and work with this dream team! When not behind the stage you be able to find her running UCI’s Metro Theatre Co., walking backwards giving campus tours, or saying she’s going to write a play then not actually doing it.
Eddie Tyler | Assistant Stage Manager, “Romeo & Juliet”
Eddie Tyler.
Robert W. Fournel | Assistant Stage Manager, “The Merry Wives”
Robbie.
Elissa Saldivar | Assistant Stage Manager, “The Merry Wives”
Elissa Saldivar.
Neah Lekan | Center Community & Education Associate, Dramaturg for “Romeo & Juliet”
Neah Lekan is a PhD Candidate in English at Johns Hopkins University and Education & Community Engagement Associate at UC Irvine’s New Swan Shakespeare Center. In recent years, she has emerged as a promising new scholar-practitioner voice in the fields of Shakespeare studies, early modern trans studies, and North American theatre history. Her dissertation, “Shakespeare at the Edge of the World: A California Story” is an ambitious cultural history of Shakespeare production and its social resonances in nineteenth century California, a project she conceived and was inspired to undertake through her work at UCI. As a professional dramaturg, Neah has formed a close artistic relationship with the New Swan Shakespeare Festival, where she has served as production dramaturg for Julius Caesar (2023), Measure for Measure (2024), and this summer, Romeo and Juliet (2026). She is also the adapter of a transfeminine reimagining of Margaret Cavendish’s 1668 closet drama, The Convent of Pleasure, staged at Johns Hopkins in 2025 and coming to UC Irvine in 2027. Neah is an ardent promoter of the public humanities and dynamic, performance-as-research (PAR) approaches, having participated in the Folger Shakespeare Libraries “Shakespeare, Publics, and Humanities) yearlong colloquium during the 2024-25 academic year. Her own self-directed public humanities project, the California Theatre Histories & Heritages Initiative (CTHI), will premiere in the autumn of 2026.
Echo Betancourt | Media & Patrons Relations, Production Intern
Echo Betancourt (they/them) is a second year Sociology major, Drama minor at UC Irvine and is extremely excited to be a Media and Front of House Intern for New Swan Shakespeare Festival this Summer! While originally getting into theatre through acting, Echo is excited to explore different pursuits in the artistic world, which they have done through costume designing, being a stage manager for a Drama Class Project (DCP), and being a producer for Brown Bag Theatre Co. (UCI’s Latine student theatre organization). Additionally, dance is a big passion of theirs, which they have pursued for eight years. They would like to say a big thank you to their friends and family for their unconditional support and guidance, as well as Jesús, Miriam, and Eli for granting them this incredible opportunity. Hopefully your New Swan experience impacts you as much as it has impacted them!
Elijah Waller | Media & Patrons Relations, Production Intern