CAST BIOS

Karam Alkhatib (Paris/Citizen/Friar John) graduated from Oklahoma City University in 2022 with a BFA Acting degree. Recent credits include My Dearest Partner of Greatness directed by D. Lance Marsh & Black Girl, Interrupted directed by Jerome Stevenson. He is extremely excited to be making his professional debut with Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park. He would like to thank his family and friends for their constant support.

Nicholas Bartell (Friar Lawrence) graduated in 2009 from the Peggy Dow Helmerich School of Drama at the University of Oklahoma and has made theatre education, directing, and performing in the OKC Metro Area his career focus. Notable education credits include six years as an acting instructor for The Sooner Theatre, four years of public school teaching (Jackson Middle School, Longfellow Middle School), seven years as Camp Director for Oklahoma Shakespeare's Young Company Theatre Camp, three and a half years as Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma's Director of Secondary Education, Adjunct Professor of Performance at the OU School of Drama, and a year with the State Department of Education developing the Art Tech Grant Project as an Arts Specialist. Nicholas co-hosts Norman Depot Comedy Night every third Thursday of the month at The Depot in Norman. Performance credits: Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park: The Taming of the Shrew (Gremio), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Peter Quince)

Nate Borofsky (Travelling Player) is Award-winning songwriter who has toured internationally for 11 years with the folk-pop band Girlyman. He has released over 10 records, both on his own and with other groups. This is his first foray into writing for theater. He currently lives in Norman, OK and teaches songwriting at the Norman Music Institute.

Sarah DeYong (Lady Capulet) is excited to be making her Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park debut! She is honored to be working with such a talented and welcoming team. An Oklahoma native, Sarah returned to her home state to be near her wonderful family. She got her undergraduate degree in Music Theater from Oklahoma City University and her MFA in Musical Theater Vocal Pedagogy from Boston Conservatory at Berklee. She is now an adjunct voice professor with Oklahoma City University and University of Central Oklahoma. Enjoy the show!

Justin Marlow (Mercutio) is thrilled to be with Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park this Fall. Justin is from Los Angeles, California, and a recent graduate from The University of Oklahoma with a BFA Theater: Acting emphasis. Most recent University credits include Burn This (Pale) Red Bike (Ensemble), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Oberon), Great Expectations (Narrator #2), and Tiny Beautiful Things (Letter Writer #1). OSP Credits: Shakespeare in Love (Lord Wessex/Adam), Much Ado About Nothing (Claudio), Jane Austen’s Christmas Cracker (Cpt. Wentworth), Hamlet (Bernardo/ Lucianus Player), Emma (Robert Martin), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Flute/Moth). Ballet credits include The Sleeping Beauty (Catalabutte).

Kamron McClure (Tybalt) is an Actor and Creator currently residing in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He attended the University of Oklahoma where he received his Bachelors Fine Arts in Acting/ Theatre Emphasis. Some of his recent credits include the roles of Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice and Horatio in Hamlet at Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park. Robert Hayes in The Exonerated by Jessie Blank. He also originated the role of Tariq Bronner in The Life Cycle of a Butterfly. Some of his other credits include Pieces of Us, Othello, Clybourne Park, Miss Ever's Boys, just to name a few. Kamron recently won the 2021 Broadway Regional Award for Best Performer in a Professional Play (Pride and Prejudice). Kamron is a recipeint of the 2019 NextGen under 30 Award for his achievement in the Arts. He has also received the 2014 and 2015 KCACTF Regional award and NAPAT Classical acting award. 

Karis McMurry (Benvolio) is a recent graduate of Oklahoma City University’s BFA Acting program, and she is thrilled to be joining Oklahoma Shakespeare again with this delightful group of colleagues! Past OSP credits include Emma (Mrs. Weston), Hamlet (Ophelia u/s, Guildenstern u/s), and Jane Austen’s Christmas Cracker (Jane Austen). Other regional credits include TEXAS the Outdoor Musical (Elsie McLean) and TEXAS the Outdoor Musical’s Romeo & Juliet (Juliet). She would like to thank her family and friends for their love and support.

Jose Antonio Otero (Romeo) Embarking into the vibrant theatre scene of Oklahoma, Jose Antonio Otero is soon to be graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Acting. So far, his journey through the acting world has encompassed an array of classical and modern theatrical work, as well as Film and Television. Notably, Jose Antonio Otero has just wrapped a role in the indie film “Defiant Vanity” directed by Ben Tefera. Additionally, He has also worked alongside directors such as Jerome Stevenson in his recent production of “Great Expectations.” All this culminating to his OKShakespeare debut. 

Bell Reeves (Juliet): Bell is very excited to be a part of Romeo & Juliet at Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park. Her previous collaborations at OSP include Much Ado About Nothing (Hero), Jane Austen's Christmas Cracker (Marianne Dashwood) , Hamlet (Francisco/Player Queen/ Ghost Chorus), Venus in Fur (u/s Vanda), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Helena). Bell  studied acting at the university of Oklahoma, where she graduated with a BFA in Theatre with an acting emphasis.

Lindsey Rollins (Prince) is thrilled to be returning to Oklahoma Shakespeare. Recent credits include Hamlet, As You Like It, Jane Austen’s A Christmas Cracker (2022, 2019), Twelfth Night, Sense & Sensibility, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oklahoma Shakespeare); Matilda the Musical (KidsAlive! Theater); Beauty & the Beast (Sooner Theater); The Addams Family: A New Musical (2022 & 2018), King Lear, Little Women: the Musical (Rose State College); Fiddler One the Roof (El Reno Community Theater); and Is He Dead? (Carpenter Square Theater).  She is a member of the Tulsa Opera Chorus and holds degrees in Vocal and Opera Performance from the University of Miami and Southern Nazarene University. Her proudest role is as the daughter of two amazing parents, the aunt of her niece and two nephews, and the mom to her canine true love, Bullwinkle.

Elizabeth Ann Townsend* (Nurse) absolutely loved playing Mrs. Bennet in Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park’s production of Pride and Prejudice and Queen Gertrude in the Park’s production of Hamlet.  Elizabeth has performed on stage, television, and film in New York City and regional theatres across the country. She appeared on “The Sopranos” and “Law & Order” and many national commercials. She plays a supporting role in the film “The Nature of Romance” currently streaming. Elizabeth received Best Supporting Actress awards from the St. Louis Theatre Critics Circle (Good People at Repertory Theatre of St. Louis) and from the Houston Press (Stupid Fucking Bird at Stages Repertory Theatre). She wrote and continues to perform her one-woman performance piece: COUNT TIME! The Life and Times of Patricia Prewitt which won the Fringemeister Award for best production in the 2016 St. Louis Fringe Festival. After 36 years of Patty Prewitt’s incarceration in Missouri prisons for a crime she did not commit, Elizabeth continues to advocate for Patty’s release to go home to her loving family and friends. Elizabeth is a proud member of AEA and SAG/AFTRA.

David Weber (Lord Capulet) is extremely grateful to have met these players and this artistic community. He is a member of the National Alliance of Acting Teachers and has an MFA in Acting and Theatre Pedagogy from California State University Long Beach where he studied acting under the direction of Alexandra Billings, Hugh O’Gorman, Ezra LeBank, Dr. Shanti Pillai, and Andrea Caban.  Next up he is performing his one-man Christmas Carol, “An Actor’s Carol: One clown’s Dickensian marathon towards redemption” on tour in Atlanta, Chicago, Rockford, Seattle, Dallas, and Los Angeles this December.  He is currently an Assistant Professor of Performance at Oklahoma State University. www.davidrweber.com

Kim Zahller (Montage) has been a children’s librarian at Norman Public Library for over 26 years. In that time, she has performed thousands of story times for audiences as small as 2 and as large as 5,000. She has also written the annual library skit since 1997 and performed the skits for every school child in Norman to promote summer reading. In her spare time, she creates art, indulges her elderly cat Thisbe and chills with her lovely husband Nate and Iago, the world’s sweetest dog. This is her first time working with Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park.

PRODUCTION TEAM BIOS

Annie Armstrong (Wardrobe) is a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with a focus on Performance and Costume Technology. She discovered her passion for costume creation during her undergraduate and started her career path working in the theatrical arts. Her professional experience includes multiple productions with the McKnight Performing Arts Center, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, and Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park.

Adam Troy Atkins (Sound Technician / Stage Crew) is a theatrical technician, scenic painter, set constructor, and overall jack-of-all-trades, contributing his expertise to shows including, Shakespeare in Love (Oklahoma Shakespeare), Misery (3rd Act Theatre Company), Much Ado About Nothing (Oklahoma Shakespeare), Little Shop of Horrors (Center Stage Theatre), Into the Woods (KMC Onstage), and Young Frankenstein (KMC Onstage). Adam Troy's proficiency also extends to stage managing, sound technician, and properties, showcasing his exceptional organizational skills and technical prowess. With an unwavering passion for theatre, he continues to make a significant impact on and off the stage, collaborating seamlessly with his talented wife, Brittany, and playing a vital role in the success of unforgettable productions.

Brittany Atkins (Asst. Stage Manager / Props Design) is excited to be stage managing and doing props for OSP again! Previously she was the props designer and ASM for OSP’s Much Ado About Nothing. Recently Brittany did set design and was the scenic artist for 3rd Act Company’s production of Misery. Brittany also did props design for Water by the Spoonful at Jewel Box. Recently she won 3rd Act Company’s Technical Genius Award and Biloxi Little Theare’s Spotlight Award. She spent the last six years in Germany where she has stage managed and did scenic painting for for KMC Onstage. Brittany has also dipped her toe into directing with Into the Woods, which won 14 US Army Entertainment TOPPERs Awards, including Best Set Design.

Alissa Branch (Director) is a theatrical, voice-over, and visual artist. Favorite directing credits include Phoenix Theatre: The Circumference of a Squirrel; Oklahoma Shakespeare: The Taming of the Shrew and Pride and Prejudice. Butler University: The Dreaming of The Bones (with subsequent tour of Southern Ireland). OU University Theatre: Arcadia; Summer and Smoke; Clybourne Park; Miss Evers’ Boys (KCACTF Region 6 Director’s Choice Award 2014, and 2014 Standard Bank Silver Ovation Award, National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa); Mary Stuart; Anna in the Tropics; Julius Caesar; 9 Parts of Desire (KCACTF Region 6 Director’s Choice Award 2011). Alissa also directed the regional premiere of the new play, Shakespeare’s Other Women, which received Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region 6 awards for Outstanding Work with Heightened Text, and Excellence in Ensemble Acting. Favorite regional acting credits: Titania / Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oklahoma Shakespeare); Emily in Bluff; Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing; Lady Percy in Henry IV, Part I; Hermione in The Winter’s Tale; Catherine in Proof, and Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire. Alissa serves as Associate Professor of Acting in the Helmerich School of Drama at the University of Oklahoma and her voice can be heard on hundreds of commercials for radio and television. She recently created and released a 12-episode video master class for The Great Courses Plus called “Shakespeare: From Page to Stage” which can be streamed on their website. Alissa is based in Norman, OK, where she lives with her teenage sons and her partner, singer-songwriter and actor Tim Grimm, with whom she hosts acoustic house concerts for their music series Red Dirt Folk Salon and shares an art gallery space called Black Chalk Studio.

Ella Carson (House Manager) she/her. Ella is a senior BFA Acting major at Oklahoma City University, originally from Portland, OR. She was recently seen in OCU’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream as Puck. She has previously house managed OSP’s Much Ado About Nothing and Shakespeare in Love. She is incredibly grateful to work with such kind and talented people!

Lloyd Cracknell (Costume Designer) originally from Cambridge, England, is the associate professor of Costume Design and resident Costume Designer at the University of Oklahoma. Lloyd’s career includes both costume and fashion design, working for prestigious design houses including The Emanuels and Versace. Lloyd’s designs have been seen in London, New York, Paris, Milan, and South America. He was invited to exhibit his costume designs at the World Creativity Forum in Cardiff, Wales in 2010. Lloyd has costume designed in all genres of the performing arts, including  drama, opera, classical ballet, modern dance and musical theatre. He has designed costumes for over a hundred productions, including over forty for OU’s University Theatre. Highlights include: The Pearl Fishers (Reimagined); Grand Hotel The Musical; Swan Lake Act II; Harlinquinade; The Nutcracker; Falstaff; Gianni Schicchi; Is he Dead?; Mary Stuart; and the U.S.A. premiere of Let the Right One In. OU School of Music Collegium Musicum: Costume Designer, Festino.

Cracknell’s regional design credits include: Regional premiere of Heisenberg; Regional premiere of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; Biloxi Blues; The Music Man (OKC City Rep); Pride and Prejudice; Romeo and Juliet (Oklahoma Shakespeare); Leonardo and His Flying Machine; Hedda Gabler (St Gregory’s University); Guys and Dolls (Texas Christian University); Foot Loose (Baylor University); Pride and Prejudice (Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park);  Love’s Labour’s Lost; Measure for Measure; Twelfth Night; A Comedy of Errors; A Winter’s Tale (Trinity Shakespeare Festival); Sands (Puterbaugh Festival); and World Creativity Forum (Hartel Dance Group). World premieres: Haydn’s The Seasons at Haydntage, Austria. Film and Television: P.B.S. Special Early Music Program; and Film Distance Vision, Francis Ford Coppola, Director.

Awards for Professor Cracknell include the USITT-SW Oscar Brockett Teaching Award (2023), the Irene and Julian. J Rothbaum Professor of Excellence in the Arts Award (2020), and the USITT-SW Mildred and Glen Martin Jr. Award for Outstanding Service. Other awards and nominations include: DFW Theatre Critics Forum Award-Best Design Team for a Season (2015, 2017); Theatre Jones Best Costume Design Runner-up Award (2015); Kennedy Center American College Theater Award (2010), Region VI National Partners in American Theatre KCACTF Award (2010). In 2021, Lloyd received the Broadway World Oklahoma Award for Best Costume Design of a Play or Musical (Professional) for Pride and Prejudice (Oklahoma Shakespeare).

Ella Howard (Asst. Stage Mgr.) is a 2023 graduate of Edmond North High School where she excelled in Theatre Arts and Choir. At North she was seen in shows such as Oklahoma! (Ado Annie), Our Town (Stage Manager), and Mamma Mia! (Donna Sheridan). She was seen in the Oklahoma Music Educators Association All-State Choir 5 times, and the Central Oklahoma Choir Directors Association five times. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Education at the University of Central Oklahoma, with an expected graduation date of May 2027.

Edward T. Morris+ (Scenic Design) is a set and projections designer for live performance and a sustainability consultant. He’s designed 120+ stage sets for theaters across the country such as Martha Graham Dance Company, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, The Barrow Group, Goodspeed Opera House, Cherry Lane Theater, TheatreSquared, Kansas City Rep, San Francisco Playhouse, Weston Playhouse, and Westport Country Playhouse. He also designed Halloween decorations for President Obama’s White House in 2015. Edward is passionate about conserving our environment and co-authored The Sustainable Production Toolkit. He has taught at Connecticut College and The New School and guest lectured on sustainability at numerous universities around the United States. He is a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 and Wingspace Theatrical Design. He graduated from University of Michigan and Yale School of Drama.

Jenna Rowell* (Stage Manager) is a stage manager and dramaturg from Arlington, Texas. Recent SM credits include Jane Austen’s Christmas Cracker (Oklahoma Shakespeare), Hamlet (Oklahoma Shakespeare), Shrek The Musical (Craft Productions of Okla.), and What Happened While Hero Was Dead (OU Lab Theatre). Her recent ASM & PA credits include Man of La Mancha (Asolo Repertory Theatre) The Brothers Size (OKC Rep), Superstitions (OKC Rep), The Great Leap (OKC Rep), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oklahoma Shakespeare). She holds a BFA in Dramaturgy and Stage Management and a BA in Journalism from The University of Oklahoma.  www.jennarowell.com

Clara Wiebe (she/her) (Lighting Design) is a Lighting Designer who is passionate about storytelling through the expression of color and form. She enjoys painting and sees lighting as an extension of that art form coming to life. She has been honored to be a co-recipient of KC/ACTF National Barbizon Award for Excellence in Lighting Design for her Woe Is Me lighting design. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Clara has worked with a diverse group of artists and directors. She interned as an Assistant Lighting Designer for LA Opera’s 2017-19 seasons. She received her Associate of Arts and Emerging Theatre Technology certificate at Citrus College. Then after achieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatrical Design and Production from Oklahoma City University, with an emphasis in Lighting Design and Technology. (clarawiebe.com)

Tyler Woods* (Fight Choreography) An Equity and SAG/AFTRA actor, his credits include Virginia Stage Company, The Pearl Theatre Off-Broadway, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, and The American Shakespeare Center. His training includes Columbia University, The Public Theater, the University of Oklahoma, and Stella Adler Studios. Mr. Woods has produced, directed, acted in, or choreographed 50 Shakespeare productions, and believes firmly in the benefits of educational theatre, having served as former Education Director for OSP, and as a Teaching Artist for The Town Hall Foundation, NYC. Mr. Woods has been producing theatre in Oklahoma City for over 20 years and was a 2015 recipient of the Oklahoma Governor’s Arts Award.